John Conner

Starting

2007-09-25T15:16:44Z

So I finally got a start date last week. I start IFS in Milton, Florida on the 15th of October. It should take about a month and a half to complete and then I will move on to API for 6 weeks, and probably be moving to Corpus Christi sometime in January.

getting closer

2007-08-29T01:31:40Z

So I completed both my physicals in the last week. I got the FAA physical done on Thursday. I decided to pay the $80 to get it done off base because it will speed my whole process up by about a month. I took the NAMI physical today. Both of them basically just involved checking my eyes and my blood pressure and that was it. So they were pretty painless, and since August is my birth month I am already on my physical schedule and don't have to get another one for a whole year.

I start Scuba training tomorrow. So that is cool. I go to classes for a couple hours Wednesday and Thursday night, and then Saturday and Sunday we go do some practice dives either out at sea or at a lake depending on the weather. I have a 3 hour DVD I have to watch and complete a fill-in-the-blank workbook before it is all said and done, but I'm already half way done with that. Plus the answers are in the back of the book. And not just the odd numbers either!

merlinm80 @ 2007-08-15T14:14:00

2007-08-15T19:14:37Z

     So, after weeks of nothing a lot seems to have happened recently. I was supposed to go help put up a playground at a local elementary school this week, but it didn't get delivered in time. The company was so late delivering it in fact, that they are installing it for free. So now I don't have to do it.

    I had a class last week. It was a basic officership course. They basically talked to us about being a division officer, and all the programs that are in place if someone we are in charge of has problems. It was basically the same stuff we've had for four years in ROTC.

    So that is another check-off on my list to start flight school. I just have NOMI, which is my medical screening, and IFS which is basic flying at a civilian airport. Before I can do IFS I have to get a physical for the FAA. If I get the physical done here on base its free, but there is a really long waiting list. It's so long, in fact, that they are starting to encourage people to pay for them on their own off base. If we do they put us at the front of the list for everything else. So, I think that I'm going to pay for mine so I can get started.

    Oh, I also got my new computer. It's a dell, and it seems to be pretty awesome. I think that's mostly everything. Later

Blue Angels

2007-07-24T03:40:43Z

So I went to Pensacola beach and watched the air show on Saturday. I got some pretty decent pictures. They are up on my pictures page, so check them out!

The show was awesome, and I managed to only get sunburned on the tops of my feet. No movement in the flight school sector. Thats all I got for now, but I'm going to get fish for my aquarium soon, so maybe I will have pictures of them up.

One step closer...

2007-07-20T01:30:23Z

    So I officially got the first of four checkoffs required to start API. I got my NMCI done, which is the navy internet access. So I now have an official navy e-mail address. You can ask me for it if you want it, but I can only check it on a government computer, so it is doubtful how often I will check it. I am going to set up a gmail account sooner or later though.
    Also, some of the guys who showed up the same time as me are going to NOMI next week to get their medical screenings out of the way. They are taking the ones who have already done IFS though, since they can put them through to API immediately. I'm still hoping though that this means that I will get into NOMI in 2-3 weeks. Then I just have to get an FAA physical and I can start flying. Depending upon the wait time for the FAA physical here at base, I might try to get it done off base. I've been told it costs about $60, but it gets it done. I would like to finish up here by January or February so I can live with my friend in Corpus.
    This weekend I'm going to watch the blue angels at Pensacola beach, so that should be a good time. That's all I got for now, talk to everyone soon.

House Pictures

2007-07-11T15:58:13Z

So I posted some pictures of my house today. You can get to them by following the link on the left. It's a pretty good place. I enjoy it, and it's really cheap. I didn't put up a picture of the garage. We do have one...it just never gets used. Mainly because there is no driveway leading up to it. So we just use it for storage of various large things. One of the LT's is heading up a project to build a playground at a local elementary school, so I signed up to help with that. It gets me out of mustering 3 days next week, and gives me something to do. I'll let you know how that goes later.

In P-Cola

2007-07-07T14:07:22Z

    I started this so that everyone could know where I was and what the Navy has me doing. I am just about to finish my first week in here in Pensacola. I got moved into my house and spent a majority of the week getting everything organized. I will post pictures of my house soon.
    We had our indoctrination brief Friday, so I now have some idea of what is going on. My whole goal while I am here in Pensacola is to go through API (Aviation Pre-Flight Indoctrination). That is where they teach us aerodynamics, navigation, water survival, and all the other stuff you need to know before you fly a plane. API itself is 6 weeks long, however, there are several prerequisites that I have to get done before I can start API. The biggest of these is IFS (Introductory Flight Screening). This is a program where I go to a local airport and get my regular pilot's license. I have up to 3 months after I start IFS to complete it. Before I can start, however, I have to get my FAA physical and some other measurement tests done this week. Right now there is a pretty long backup for IFS. There are several hundred people who are waiting to start.
    After I finish IFS I then go and do a lot more medical tests. These are things to make sure I can handle the altitudes and such. They put you through a pressure chamber test, examine your eyes really closely, and other things. Once I pass all the tests, I get what is called my up-chit, which means I am medically good to fly, and I can then start API.
    Somewhere in my downtime I will probably go through BOLTC as well. This is Basic Officer's Leadership Course. It's a week long and pretty boring and useless from what I hear. So anyway, that's how things work down here. The only thing I'm really responsible for is making sure I get to my appointments on time. Until I class-up for IFS my job consists of showing up for muster at 0730 and usually leaving by 0745.