i've learnt that how well you do is totally instructor dependent.. no, i'm not saying that hard work doesn't matter.. i'm just saying that even if you work harder than you peers, if they get a generous instructor and u get a very stingy (with grades) one, you'll never do better.. but such is life and life ain't fair.. i just had another cancelled flight due to sigmet (significant metro).. its the tail end of summer and thunderstorms pop up all over in the afternoon.. its the labor day weekend up next.. and what's in store for me? well... SCUBA!! at long last.. i just purchased a brand new zeagle scout bc online.. cost me US$250.. which is a pretty decent price for a scout.. its the lightest and most compact bc zeagle has.. i don't like too many things hanging about me when i dive and plus a heavy bc is a bitch to lug around.. i don't intend to go into technical diving (due to the nature of my job) so i guess a light bc should do just fine.. hopefully i get my bc before my trip this saturday.. mbt divers only have USS Orkisany trips this weekend so i'm heading over to scuba shack down on south palafox st.. can't wait.. but meanwhile.. i gotta clear my end of bloc tml 1st.. bleah..

chiyu

i had to live with the agony of having to reformat my laptop. without the ability to backup all that was on my hard disc. i knew i should have been more careful when using my laptop but unfortunately, plain laziness stepped in and messed it all up. so all photos, work, mp3s, games.. gone.. the army taught me one important thing.. 'lan lan suck thumb'. and i remain true to that.. no point crying over spilt milk.. labor day weekend's just round the corner.. scuba's on the schedule.. i headed to MBT divers out the front gate (of NAS Pensacola) and spoke to the shop owner.. USS Oriskany dives on saturday and sunday.. but i think i'll pass that for now since non of my peers here is experienced enough to make such a difficult and deep dive.. and besides, i'm not all that familiar with the conditions here so i figured it'll be alot safer to do an easy checkout dive before i 'dive' right in to the Pensacola scuba scene.. its been over 4 months since i last breathe from a regulator (not including from my mask when i'm in the aircraft) and i'm craving for some.. nothing like a dose of compressed air.. more flights to go before i can taste the alluring favour of air from a tank.. i can hardly wait..

chiyu

Because I fly

I laugh more than other men.
I look up and see more than they.

I know how the clouds feel,
What it's like to have the blue in
my lap,
to look down
on birds,
to feel freedom in a thing called
the stick . . .

Who but I
can slice between God's
billowed legs,
and feel then laugh and crash
with His step?

Who else has seen the
unlimbed peaks?
The rainbow's secret?
The real reason birds sing?

Because I Fly,
I envy no man on earth.

A day in the life of 1LT Chia Chi Yu, Training Squadron VT-4, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

0715 - Rise and shine, feeling all groggy and sick.
0745 - Drive to Griffith Hall.
0800 - Flight Planning Examination in Learning Resource Centre.
0930 - Fly TP-13 at 2B47.
1130 - Lunch at A&W in base.
1330 - Primary instruments prep for simulators I2001 - I2004.
1600 - Drive home.
1615 - Catch last 15 mins of Spongebob Squarepants.
1630 - Bum about.
1700 - Prepare for tomorrow's Simulator Flight I2001.
2300 - Lights out and God bless America.

yes.. this is essentially how ground school is like.. but when i start flying again.. haha..

chiyu

Day 127, NAS Pensacola

well its been 127 days since i last watched the sun set in singapore.. coming to Pensacola has indeed been a learning experience for me.. it's an essential path for the career choice that i have made but on the other hand, it's an important eye opener for a frog in a well like me.. america has such a fix on the world and coming here, even better, working as a 'member' of the United States Navy allows me to better understand why certain things are as they are.. i'm not saying i agree with everything (heck.. i think this country is as messed up as any other country) but at least i have an insider's view of things.. yeap.. small and insignificant but.. an insider's view nonetheless..
NAS Pensacola.. home of every single naval aviator.. pensacola wings of gold, topgun, behind enemy lines.. F-14s, F-18s, every single aircraft with the word 'NAVY' printed on its fuselage.. their pilots and flight officers have been through the gates of Naval Air Station Pensacola.. to me, it's strange because i've only seen these people on screen but now, i'm walking the same road that these men and women had taken in the past.. at some point in time, they were struggling with Point to points, turn point procedures, jet logs and other components of the course.. in fact, i'm starting to associate myself more closely to the United States Navy then the Republic of Singapore Air Force.. shoulder to shoulder with the naval aviators we see on the media.. i guess america is the only place in the world where its military is so.. well.. adored.. i suppose the american war machine is one that consistently gets into some fray while the rest of the world merely plays soldiers.. yes.. wuss.. just playing dress up.. so i guess they deserved it.. oh well.. we can't all be winners..

chiyu

alrightie.. busy busy busy.. its all about jet logs and DD 175s these couple of days.. been spending lots of my time working on charts, filling out jet cards and DD-175s.. its not the coolest thing in the world to do but i kinda enjoy it somehow.. weird i know.. but i think its just fun measuring things off charts and doing timing, fuel, speed, distance and a whole host of other stuffs required before an aircraft can even leave the ground.. well.. most of my buds have started school by now.. another chapter of their lives.. really happy for them but at the same time, i feel kinda weird.. looks like i've strayed off the beaten path and started bashing through the think foliage in search of another road to hop on.. but to me, the important thing is to live without regrets.. even though things may seem bad and fuzzy while i'm going through something, i've learnt that so far, everytime i'm through with a bumpy phase, i look back and find that things aren't that bad and if i were given another choice, i would take the same road again.. which is a good thing i guess.. no regrets.. its another week of work on the 2B47 simulator this coming week.. the 2B47 is a little both with a computer screen depicting aircraft instruments.. then with the help of my charts, approach plates and whiz wheel, i key in direction, speed and altitude inputs (after tons of calculation and mental work) and try to 'fly' the route in real time.. its like flying in an aircraft with the canopy blanked out.. in other words, 'flying blind'.. its something so new to me.. i never knew so much was involved in instrument flying.. so much for my years on flight simulators on the PC.. hah.. national days over.. missed all those fireworks.. i love fireworks.. even though i get to shoot them in the sky in the great state of.. Alabama (we can only set off fireworks in florida on 4th of July).. alabama's only a 20 min drive so its not that bad.. and one thing i learnt.. fireworks don't fly high.. not even those we see over the national stadium on national day.. i saw a firework show from the air when i was on my night contact flight.. i think i was at about 14000ft then i saw red 'flowers' blooming off the leading edge of my right wing.. fireworks! and boy were they puny.. what was so big and fantastic when seen from the ground is now just a bright little flower at 14000ft.. up in the sky, i learnt that each of us are really just tiny specks on the face of the earth.. cool..

chiyu

yeap.. its been half a month since i last updated.. how time flies.. not fast enough though.. but pretty decent nonetheless.. i've started instruments ground school.. it wasn't as easy as i thought it to be.. its a completely new subject and it takes quite abit of studying to actually get the hang of it.. its basically 8-5pm daily for me.. and preparation and studying at night.. the weekends are spent partying.. 2 saturdays ago we went to blackwater river for some rafting.. all the singaporeans plus aleah and patrick, but minus hongye and jermaine.. the river was beautiful.. a lazy 3 hours float downstream.. aleah brought her dog, ajax.. a huge airedale terrier.. the great thing about ajax is that he's so big, yet so friendly.. haha.. thoroughly enjoyed myself.. justin was here the last week.. he had a break from west point so he decided to fly down to visit.. we hung out at bamboo willies after friday dinner.. everyone was hammered after drinking gallons and gallons of booze.. i declared myself the duty driver.. haha.. so i didn't drink.. well.. maybe a sip or 2 of bushwacker.. but i was safe to drive.. i drove sean's car.. with justin and sean riding in with me.. both of them were concussed.. justin puked in the car before he could roll down the window.. so being the only sober person, i had to clean up after him once we got back.. the both of them were to stoned to do anything.. bleah.. i finally received the red and gold flute i ordered from australia.. but too bad.. its not for me.. sending it back to singapore soon.. ok.. gotta go..

chiyu