I'm ready to let go of the steering wheel...

...I'm ready for the push.

Fans, I'm one more flight away from completing my initial helicopter training. It's been a terrifying ride so far, but I'm having a great time scaring the crap out of instructors and ground crew alike. So let's catch up a bit...

As mentioned in my previous post, I did complete the two week survival course (except the simulated parasailing, which I had to get waivered given that I had sprained my knee). I unfortunately was unable to take video of myself participating in these events, either because we were not allowed to (confidentiality) or because we were in the water and I didn't want to ruin my camera.

Fortunately, my predecessors have shot some wonderful video...

The SWET chair is a simulated pilot seat on an axle above the water. With helmet, flight suit, vest, and flight boots on, the student pilot is strapped into the pilot seat, and then dunked into the water (the linked video is excellent). Two rides are required; the second ride is blindfolded. After being dunked, the student has to drag him/herself approximately twelve feet and go through a door before resurfacing. It's scary. Take as big a breath as you want, the water flows into your sinuses and your heart rate quickens. Each time was the longest ten seconds of my life.

The helodunker is a metal cylinder suspended about 15 feet above the water that can seat six student pilots. Student pilots are equipped with helmet, boots, and flight suits, seated in the dunker, and strapped in. The dunker drops in the water, turns over, and rocks back and forth. After the dunker stops moving is when the dunker occupants are allowed to unlatch their seatbelts and escape from dunker. The dunker has three windows from which you can exit (the video shows a large exit on the back of the cylinder; you are not allowed to leave via that exit). Each seat in the dunker has an assigned window through which you can leave. Finally... three rides are required, and the student is blindfolded for the third ride. It's frightening to watch, but really, I was only underwater for five to six seconds (although during my blindfolded ride, I was submerged for 12 seconds before I escaped). Just like the SWET chair, water was in my sinuses, and I was very disoriented while underwater and upside down. Also, I think I kicked one of my fellow students in the head (helmet) on our way out of the second ride. I apologize for not having video of my dunker exploits; my classmates enjoy describing the looks of horror on my face as the dunker impacted the water.

But enough about underwater scares; these survival classes were just a stepping stone to the real fun: flying! I'm two weeks into basic helicopter training. The purpose of my training is to get flights in an TH-57 to familiarize myself with the particular stresses involved with flying. Flight surgeons get three daytime flights, one nighttime flight, and one tactical flight.

The daytime flights are primarily designed to get have us get some experience flying the helicopter. Depending on the instructor, we get to learn how to hover in the helicopter, take off, land, fly at altitude, and autorotations. Autorotations are simulated engine failures; imagine a helicopter that no longer has power turning the rotors. Said helicopter usually falls to the ground like a brick. Learning to cope with an engine failure is one of the first things that the helicopter pilot learns how to do.

The tactical flight is essentially a scavenger hunt. With a prepared map of landmarks, my responsibility was to navigate while my instructor flew. I gave him a heading and a distance to fly with landmarks to keep an eye out for before we hit each checkpoint. Real students (not the flight surgeons) also have to keep an eye on wind and speed, because they are evaluated on finishing the course in a certain window of time. Therefore, they are also responsible for giving their instructor directions on when to speed up and slow down, as well as how to correct for wind.

The interesting thing about flight training is watching the interaction between the instructors and the students. The flight surgeons are treated as peers by the instructors; they are well aware that we are not training to be pilots and already have assigned duties with each squadron, so they are able to relax and have fun with us in the aircraft. However, the student pilots have to finish the curriculum so that they may be "winged without reservation." The relationship between instructor and student pilot is very similar to the relationship between cardiothoracic surgeon and intern. There's bullying, pimping, judgment, evaluation... it is nerve wracking to watch. Each morning before a flight, the student pilot has to prepare approximately 10-20 pages of material regarding how the TH-57 works, whether the day's subject is hydraulic systems or flight rules. The instructor then pimps the student about the material that was prepared. Watching these students get grilled every morning gave me horrible horrible flashbacks of morning medicine rounds. The only difference? If I screwed up in the hospital, someone else would die. If these students screw up? They die. Dramatic, yes. But there's a reason why they say that each page of the NATOPS (aircraft instruction manual) is written in blood.

Back to the training: I'm a terrible helicopter pilot. I grip the cycle (think joystick) like I'm trying to squeeze the color out of it, the inputs I put in are too dramatic, and I get nervous when the helicopter tilts at an angle. Then again, the instructors continue to remind me that I'm just as good as any of the student pilots when they start out. The strange part is, although I know I'm not any good, there's still a little swagger in my step when I get out from a couple of hours of flying. That swagger is especially noticeable when walking to the hanger after a flight, carrying my helmet in one hand and peeling off my flight gloves with the other. If there was a big fire behind me, it would look like a scene out of Independence Day.

Here's a photo of Andrew (a fellow flight surgeon student) and myself preparing to go fly:


Andrew is also the cameraman behind the following videos, taken during my second daytime flight...here's my approach to the TH-57:


The goal, during this flight, is for me to learn how to hover. There's a box mown into the grass which is my guide; I have to stay within the box and five feet off the ground. If I'm successful, it will look like the helicopter isn't moving. You'll notice... success is the last thing I have:


Here's a moment that I actually pull off hovering for a short period:


And here's me at my worst:


Lastly, here are my final moments attempting to hover during my second flight:



Did you know that JD and Turk (from Scrubs) went to William & Mary? It's true! During one of JD's season six flashbacks, there are Tribe posters everywhere! Very exciting.

Did you know that Tim Matheson of Animal House fame directed the second episode of Bionic Woman? He also directed, among other shows, an episode of Burn Notice and The West Wing!