Drillzzzzz

Spent all day in the hanger working on our drills. This is probably the most important thing we learn and my whole class was behind me and helped me get to this point. Between staying up all night to practice together, quizzing each other over commands, or sweating it out with me in the hanger they all are equally responsible for my success. Enjoy!

Good night and happy travels!

Graduation Approaches

We received our uniforms today. Not very glamorous. Excited to have them, it means I am one step closer to my wings, but man...I wish they were at least a little fashionable. I spent the heat of the day today in the hanger with no air conditioning on a plane with no air conditioning pre-flighting equipment and playing around on the PA system. I have completed the pre-flight checks for both types of aircraft we work on. All I have left now is to do about 3 emergency drills, operation of some equipment, and my written final. After I pass all that, I get WINGS!!!!

Graduation is tentatively scheduled for Saturday morning. I need to get a head count of who Might be coming, so we can have enough chairs for folks to sit it. You can e-mail me at rebecca.nelson88@gmail.com. Don't be shy about coming either. Most of my class isn't from the Houston area so they won't have anyone there for them. The more of you that show up the more people there to show them love. There will be cake, and possibly cookies, but other than that I have no idea what to expect. Its supposed to be a 2 hour ceremony so I can't imagine what we are supposed to show you guys!

Not much else to report on this end. As always, good night and happy travels!

The Goose Story

We spent the day talking/learning about team work and how that can prevent fatalities in most crashes. There is a story they shared with us to really illustrate what they meant, it's called "The Goose Story"

Next fall when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying in their familiar "V" formation, you might be interested in knowing why they fly that way. Science had learned that, as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately behind it. By flying in a "V" formation, the flock together gains 70% more flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

Like the geese, people who share a common direction and a sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier, because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

Whenever one goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to do it alone. It will quickly try to get back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the birds in front. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are going. 

When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose takes over the point position. It pays to take turns doing a hard job. 


The geese from behind honk constantly, as you've no doubt heard whenever a flock passes overhead. They do this to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. An encouraging word goes a long way. 


Finally, when a goose gets sick or is wounded by a gun shot and falls out of the formation, two geese follow it down to stay with it and protect it. They stay until it is either able to fly again, or dies. They then launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with the group. If we have the sense of a goose, we stand by each other. 


~ Author unknown

Week 3 in Houston...

So this monday was the start of week 3!! I'm halfway done and still going strong. The fatigue is starting to show a little, but I'm pushing through as best as I can. Sunday my roommate left training to return to White Plains, NY. It was a sad day for me. I really enjoied her company and had bonded quite a bit. We still chat through text and she seems to be doing well. Another one of our class members left Monday. He was a retired NYPD officer who had helped with chaos after 9-11. He went home to be with his 2 children. To him it was more an imoprtant that he be there for his 2 pre-teens. I agree. Father's need to play an active role in the lives of their children. I am so proud of him for making that decision. Yesterday we got up on the aircraft for the first time! Above is a photo of my attempt to get the door open. It took several attempts and eventually it took standing on a small staircase to get it open. :-) There was no a/c in the hanger and none in the aircraft either...It got so hot and so sweaty everywhere. I had a blast! I got to take out the emergency exit windows and the emergency door. It is surprisingly easy. I expected them to be super heavy and to barely be able to lift them, but I am confident I could hurl them from the aircraft if needed. Yay!!!

Many of you met my class mate Eugene on Sunday or at least saw him with me at church. Today is his birthday! I organized a surprise birthday party in the lobby with help from my classmates. He was thrilled and got teary eyed :-). I remember how hard it is to be away from home on your birthday and without your family.  Everyone here feels like family and tries really hard to lift each other up! We lost two more classmates this morning so we are down to..23 from the original 28.

I can not wait to get on the Dash 8 Q-400 to practice! It's such a pretty plane! It's the same length as the 737, but has a 2-2 seat configuration in place of the 3-3. It is also quieter than a jet (seriously!). They have installed equipment on the Q-400 that acts like noise cancelling headphones in the cabin. There are microphones all along the inside of the cabin that pick up and analyze the noise frequencies coming from the props. The cabin then emits a frequency of its own to counter act the noise of the props. It's one of the most amazing pieces of technology in the air! The Q it's self is significantly more fuel efficient then the most jets and on a 2 hour trip only takes 15 minutes longer than a jet. It's a really cool aircraft :-)

Tomorrow I have a quiz over the general layout of the Q so I am going to get to studying! Good night and happy travels!

Home Again

I'm finding it a lot harder to concentrate now that we are back in Houston. I'm getting too comfortable since I know my surroundings and am only a short drive from home. It takes a lot more self control than I expected to stay on task. We all lose more and more sleep each night, so every day is a struggle to stay awake and keep focused. We talked about HAZMAT and security today. Not much I can really talk about... I learned that lithium batteries can spontaneously combust in cargo. They have to be carried on in the cabin. They can still explode in the cabin, but at least I can see the explosion when it's right in front of me. I also learned about an explosion on a flight from Miami, FL in 1996 that completely destroyed the aircraft. The only thing left was a burned patch of grass in a non-distinguishable shape. It was a human error that caused the explosion. Improperly packaged compressed oxygen (the stuff stored above your head in flight with the cute little yellow mask attached) was stowed in cargo and multiple containers of it exploded 10 minutes after take-off. Normally this type of oxygen, when used in flight above your head, is wrapped in insulation that can withstand lots of heat. In this instance it was being transported in cargo for operational needs. Several people were found responsible for the error and were put in prison in 1998 when the investigation was closed.

On a happier note, I should get to go on an actual plane tomorrow. I am looking forward to this with great anticipation! I've been studying very hard to learn all the different configurations of the aircraft and where everything is located. I had a lovely conversation with a continental flight attendant over dinner on the patio this evening. She's been with them 25 years and travels to and from London about 18 days out of the month. She loves her job and was very encouraging.

There are so many options within this industry for me. I am so excited to see where God is taking me! He told me to wait to get here and it has been wonderful so far. I can't imagine what He has in store for me next. I feel a need to witness a lot to the people around me. Some show signs of religious morality, but most don't. I find that I struggle to love my neighbors right now. There are people who test my patience, and I'm not using self control and showing them God's love. It is one of my greatest downfalls. I get angry with people when they do stupid things. If God was that way with me, I would have been struck down a long long time ago. God is so good.

Well, it has been a long day, long afternoon, and long night. Good night and happy travels!

See ya later Memphis!!

I'm all packed, just about. I'm waiting on my laundry to finish drying, then, then it will all be packed away...i think...My roommate and I are watching "The Nanny" while trying to get everything packed and put away.

Today our entire class got CPR and First Aid. The last time I had attended a class on those subject was 2005...A lot has changed. The dummies have indicator lights to tell you if you are pushing hard enough and fast enough. I struggled with the pushing hard enough. I will also admit that I got more than a little nauseous when the instructors were covering internal bleeding and compound fractures. I really hope I never have to deal with them. I will probably throw up, then continue giving First Aid. I'm really tough, but that where I will lose my composure. Friday we will start working with actual aircraft! I look forward to getting acquainted with the "behind the scenes" side of the aviation industry. I was very happy to hear that there are a lot of opportunities for upward mobility in this company. My educational qualifications should help me get a lot of special assignments, and as soon as I can I want to try to get on one or more of the committees within the company. I would like to be on the uniform committee for sure!

I can't wait to see my family! The sooner I go to bed, the sooner I get to see them! Good night and happy travels!

FIRE!!!

Today was the fire fighting lesson. I aced it! I am a whiz at putting out fires! It probably helped that a huge storm/tornado has just passed by us about 20 minutes before. I was a little scared, the wind was rocking the huge pine tree outside our class room window. The rain was swirling and it was getting really loud outside! Eventually it all calmed down and we were able to start practicing our fire drills. The first step was to put on an oxygen generating hood. Our practice hood was not operational at all! It had a hole in the front to breathe from. It was intense. We had to smother the flames in Halon. While I was standing by waiting for my turn, along with 12 other students, I was choking on the Halon that the wind was blowing around. The function of the Halon is to suffocate the fire. You use Halon on class B & C fires. Those are electrical and flammable liquid fires (I've been studying). We also had our first big exam today. I made top score in the class and I am tied for the top spot in the class! Yay! Tomorrow is first aid training and CPR. Somewhere there are photos of me fighting fire. When I find them I'll try to get them up! We got fitted for our uniforms today. I would love to say they are super glamorous, but they aren't. They are very clean cut and modest, navy blue and white. I think I will end up purchasing the double breasted knee length dress and a pants/vest/blazer combo. Graduation will be in Houston on July 2nd. As far as I know its an open event. I am so excited to be back in Houston!!!! Tomorrow is my last day in Memphis!!! Well folks, its a bit late again. I'm headed to bed! Good night and happy travels! 

Week 1

So today is that last day of week 1! I have made it thus far!!! We got a small reprieve this morning and are starting at 1000. It was definitely needed on my end. I was so tired yesterday. I stayed up last night till about 0045 studying all the safety equipment on-board the two aircraft and review for today's quiz over Passenger Handling. To everyone who consumes alcohol on an airplane...just don't. I don't want to deal with you when your blood thins out at 10,000 feet and you get rowdy....It's no fun for me to have to have you arrested at your destination nor do I want to fill out the 900 forms it takes to document your stupid behavior...

I will say that knowing how much power and authority I have while in flight is a little intoxicating. If you don't do what I tell you to do it's a felony. Seriously, if I tell you to put your bag under your seat and you refuse, felony. Don't want to put your seat back and tray table upright and locked, felony. Get up out of your seat with the seat belt sign on...FELONY. Awesome!!!! I won't send you to jail unless you give me a hard time, i'm not that mean.

I will not be learning how to land a plane in an emergency...that is disappointing. I need to make coffee and head to class, casual wear today!!!!!

Happy Travels     

And We're Off!

To say the pace of training is fast would be an understatement. It is an all out sprint to the finish! Too bad the finish is still 3 weeks away. We have covered so much information in two days. I feel like I am in finals week of college everyday. Wednesday we were assigned 4 chapters of the manual (it's about 4 inches thick in total!), and accompanying study guide questions for homework. In addition to the work, we had a quiz the next morning over the pre-training manual that was roughly 50 pages of information. Tonight I read about 120 pages in my manual, did 3 pages of work book short answer questions, and studied for yet another quiz. When they warned us it would be hard work they were being conservative! I keep wanting to jump ahead and look at what's coming in the future, but it is a bit overwhelming. It's a one day at a time process right now. The good news is that the training procedures have changed with my class, and we will be returning to Houston next week! They have acquired planes for us to use as a classroom for some of the practical training. In the past they have had to do all the layout training and such in a traditional classroom and there was no practical application till just before the practical exams. I am so excited to be coming back to a place where I am familiar with my surroundings. I never realized that Memphis had such a large crime rate. Even the hotel staff warned us not to go walking the sidewalks alone. Its 0045 right now and I've been studying since 1900. I still will be waking up 2 hours before show time tomorrow to refresh myself on quiz material. Lots of information to learn, which is intimidating, but the more I learn the more I really want to put it in practice! Word on the street is we will be fighting real fires on Monday! I can't wait to get my hands on the PBE (Portable Breathing Equipment). It's nothing too exciting, we are lighting a trash can on fire and then putting it out. 27 TIMES!!!!!! There will be photos of that for sure... It is most definitely bed time. Good night and happy travels!

Supply Run

Tonight we were shuttled to Walmart for the very first time. It took 3 trips spread over about 3.5 hours to get everyone there and back! What an experience! I only needed a few personal items and a bit of juice since my very wise mother convinced me I needed to mail some things in advance (Thanks mom!!). Most of my classmates came with little to none, so there were about 20 shopping carts full of groceries trying to pack them into the back of an Econoline van (NOT A CHANCE!). That was our one trip off the compound this week :-(. We have training classes in the conference room downstairs and then we all study in the lobby. Not many adventures going on right now....speaking of studying, I need to do a little before bed. I try to study on my own in our room, and have my quiet time while everyone is downstairs studying. It's not an ideal situation, but at least the Lord is getting His time. Think I will spend some time praying from Psalms tonight, also attempting to read Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick. Good night and happy travels!

Sponge Bath

We received a notice late last night that we would not have hot water till mid day today. I thought to myself "Ok, you can do this! Just jump in the freezing water in the morning and it will wake you up." Well, when I started my shower this morning, it was less than a trickle of water. No hot water at all, as expected, but about 3 minutes into my trickle there was NO water....I finished my shower in the sink, still freezing cold. What a start to the day!

My BIG Arrival

So today I finally got to training today! Memphis is a beautiful place and my accommodations are more than I need. My roommate is from New York, also young and friendly. The day began early around 4am with a crying child because her space had been invaded in the bed. After moving the sleepy invader to his bed she went back to sleep. I stayed awake till around 0530 then caught about and hour nap before jumping up to shower and frantically finish packing! Around 0745 we headed for the airport. We all crammed into the car and made the desperate journey through 0800 traffic between Katy and the rest of the world. Got checked in and then stood in the security line that stretched from the body scanners (scary) to the entry doors to the terminal (WHAT?! Fo' real!). I had a terribly uneventful flight from Houston to Memphis. My seat partner was also a PCA member from Colorado Springs, we chatted about his Tim Keller book The Reason for God. His church is starting an evangelical training course called Christianity Explored, and he is tweaking the material with some of Tim's ideas about witnessing. I found it a good sign that he was my seat companion. Once in Memphis, with my 70+ pounds of luggage, I snatched up a man to help me carry it around till I found a trolley. Turns out I had grabbed a fellow trainee to help me. He then began to sweep up all the other trainees' luggage and lug it to the trolley. After standing in the Memphis heat for  about 45 minutes our hotel shuttle picked us up and got us to some air conditioning. I got checked in and hauled up the enormous amount of luggage to my new home. I then spent the next 3 hours unpacking and organizing my store of goodies (SURPRISE!!! I didn't forget anything, or haven't realized it yet!). I am constrained to a small microwave and an even tinier mini fridge to live off of for the next three weeks. I packed lots of uncle ben's rice and peanut butter. Went down to the lobby later and met more of my training class and ordered pizza with a fella named Eugene from New Jersey. I opted not to go out to dinner with some of my comrades as they were going out for BBQ and I am trying to spend conservatively. Has anyone heard of Marlowe's BBQ with the pink limo? You call them to pick you up, and they show up in a pink limo...Folk's, I've seen it all. I ate more of my lunch pizza for dinner, and it will probably be lunch tomorrow too. There is only enough room in the mini fridge for a small jelly container, a personal soda bottle, 2 small gladware containers, and maybe a public school lunch sized milk carton...and I have to share that crazy tiny space (yes, Fo' real!!). I have no pictures from today except one that mom took as we headed out the door this morning. With pizza crumbs in my bed, and a sigh of sadness for missing family, friends, and Gigi, I bid you good evening and happy travels!

P.S. I have a double bed, which is fabulous!!!!!! (past 6 months spent sharing a twin with the dog)