Air Force Pilot Journal

[Guest CMSUpilot]

Hey everyone,I am trying to get my website out in the open a little more than it already is. What I have is a website which is a daily journal of my journey into getting a set of wings in the U.S. Air Force. The site talks briefly about my life as an Air Force brat, my application and acceptance to the Air Force, and now my day to day life in Air Force flight training at Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, TX. I also have a forum of my own on my site regarding questions about getting into the Air Force and becoming a pilot.Some of you may be wondering why I'd be on AVSIM, well I come here every day and look for good downloads to go with my flight sim. I use FS2004 to practice procedures when I'm at home. So if any of you would like to check it out, please come by.An Air Force Life - http://www.airforcelife.netThank you in advance,Allen Clark, 2Lt, USAF

[Guest ba747heavy]

Excellent site! Thanks for the headsup :)

[Guest hitchhiker90]

Screw the Air Force. I wasted 4 years in it. Pray to all which is mighty that you never get stationed at Shaw AFB.

[Guest CMSUpilot]

I'm sorry you feel that way. The Air Force has been nothing but good to me and my family while I was growing up in it and now that I'm in it, I'm loving it. The Air Force as well as life is all what you make of it. I'm in a place that I would rather not be, but I'm enjoying it and doing my part.Proudly Serving,Allen

[Guest ba747heavy]

>Screw the Air Force. I wasted 4 years in it. Pray to all>which is mighty that you never get stationed at Shaw AFB.I am sorry you 'wasted' 4 years. There are many people out there, including my father, that have served in the AF for many years (23 for him) and he doesn't regret it. What I wouldn't give to be able to serve in the AF...I can't because of medical reasons.

[Guest CMSUpilot]

I'll add to what I said before, my dad also has been in the Air Force for a while. He's been in for 25 years, I do outrank him by the way, haha. He's a First Sgt and is currently over in Iraq, which I'd say is a lot worse than Shaw. He's not complaining because it's his job, and it's what we in the military do. We serve our country. I look forward to the day when I pin my wings on and can do my part.AllenP.S. I did my first flight today at Undergraduate Pilot Training in the T-6 Texan II. Talk about a lot of fun. That's me in the front seat in the picture.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/80130.jpg

[Ken Pryor 0]

Very cool site!KP

[Guest ba747heavy]

Awesome! Congrats on that accomplishment :)

[Guest TerryT]

Allen, I have enjoyed reading about your journey to those silver wings. Whiteman AFB was my first duty assignment after tech school and I learned to fly out of the base aero club. Back then we had more aircraft in the club than the military had on the field. (2 T-29s and 2 UH-1Fs) I worked in communications my first 4 years and after a 7 month stay in the IN ANG; I came back on active duty and worked on flight simulators for the next 11 years. (F-4Es at Luke AFB AZ) and the (F-111Ds at Cannon AFB NM) I got my incentive ride in the back seat of an F-4C at Luke AFB. (1.5 hrs) After hundreds of hours in the sim, some with crews preparing for check rides, flying the Phantom seemed as easy as the Cessna 172 I soloed at 9K4 (Sky Harbor) in Warrensburg. By the time I finished college with the help of tuition assistance from the VA and the AF Bootstrap program, (Wayland Baptist in Lubbock TX at Reese AFB) I was too old for a commission. It was then the military decided they could save some money and converted all simulators to civilian contractors. I finished my career making people glow in the dark by managing a diagnostic radiology department at March AFB CA.Thanks for helping me re-visit some of my old stomping grounds through your pictures and text. I wish you well as you drink from that fire hose and know you are well on your way to fine career.Sim-u-lator,Terry Turner, USAF Ret

[Guest CMSUpilot]

Terry,Thanks for the comments. I did all my civilian training at 9K4 (Skyhaven) with Central Missouri State University. Whiteman doesn't have an aeroclub anymore as too it's a little too risky to have one with the B-2 there now. Did another flight today and holy crap, was I drowning from all that was coming out of the fire hose. I was so behind. haha. It'll get better, I just hope sooner than later.Allen

[Jeff Nielsen 1,385]

I've done touch and goes at Skyhaven..lolNice pic and good job on your flight training. :-)

[Guest TerryT]

Back in the old days there use to be a pretty good diner there on the field. (Skyhaven) We also took our aero club planes up there for maintenance and I would always jump at the chance to get a few tenths of an hour flying them back and forth. The Army use to park their choppers just to the west of the runway. Talk about a cross wind component when they would get ready to take off. As for the traffic on base, we had a lot of transit birds, (C-130s out of Little Rock). When Viet Nam closed down, they sent a detachment of B-52s and KC-135 to Whiteman and parked them on the north alert pad. No more doing donuts in the snow on the ramp with the car.There was also quite a lot of wildlife on and around the runway. The Air Force used falcons to chase the prairie chickens away so the jets could land. I have landed with deer on the runway and we had bats in the hanger.Runway 18/36 had enough of a crown in the middle that you could not see traffic sitting on the other end. One day the tower cleared me to land on runway 18 and just about mid field, I got a real close view of the under side of a T-38 taking off from runway 36. The tower knew they had messed up and thankfully no one was hurt. Flying can be thrilling, even when you are not in the air.Terry

[Guest CMSUpilot]

Jeff,Will you be going to the airshow at downtown this year? I'll be home that weekend and will be there on Saturday. I plan on talking to some of the pilots and try to get an idea of what I want to fly. Plus I plan on taking a lot of pictures of the planes and thunderbirds.Allen

[Jeff Nielsen 1,385]

I posted also that I could take some people..LOL. Yes, I'll be there. There's an Airforce T-bird tech who replied in the "who who's" thread in the screenies forum also. He should be there as well, I would think, if he travels with them. I probably won't be able to make it until Sunday....I'll see. You can give me a call if you want. :-)PS. are you flying in from Skyhaven?

[Jeff Nielsen 1,385]

Come to think of it....if you want to fly into MCI I can get you from there and drive down to MKC.