Hill AFB Missile Shoot

Today we returned from our trip to Hill AFB in Utah, a few days ahead of schedule. We were all scheduled to shoot either an AIM-120 or AIM-9M air-to-air missile, but only 4 out of 10 were able to shoot. The drones ($750k/drone) that are launched for us to target and shoot had problems on day two of the shoot, so we packed up and flew back to Vegas early. Each person doesn't shoot down a drone, but typically 4-5 people are able to shoot at the same one. They will turn the drone around far enough away or use flares to defeat most of the missile shots. I've never shot a missile before, so it was a little disappointing. But, we were able to enjoy a few days away from the desert heat and a less stressful schedule.

The first two months of WIC are almost over and the time has gone fast so far.  We finished defensive counter air (DCA) last week, and are moving on the air-to-ground phase.  In DCA we simulate we're protecting a high value target from the enemy...both fighter and bomber aircraft.  Our enemy bombers were simulated by US B-1s, flying 600 mph at 500' off the desert floor.  Merging with a B-1 at those speeds and that low is a pretty cool thing to see.  DCA went pretty well for me with no busts.

Lana and Liam will be back in the USA in approximately one month, and I'm looking forward to having them around more.  WIC will continually get more and more difficult, but they'll help to break the stress bubble on weekends.  That's all for now...

Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany - WIC Simulators

Our week of simulators in Germany was great, especially the time I was able to spend with Lana and Liam.  My schedule was such that I was able to spend all but one night with Lana at a friends house 15 minutes from the base, and do some sight seeing with her as well.  Lana had never been to this part of Germany, so we took some time to see Cochem Castle, Trier, and Bernkastel. 

The simulators were preparation for this next week's flying, tactical intercepts (TI).  We'll be flying as a 4-ship against a number of adversaries, and will be graded as #1 or #3.  I spent some time this afternoon working on my research paper and getting ready for tomorrow's flight.  The jet lag is slowing my work ability, so we're going to grab some Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.

ACM Complete...Off To Germany

This past Tuesday I finished the ACM phase here at WIC.  The briefs, flying, and debriefs went well and I was able to make it through "unscathed."  Today I had the day off and was able to get a lot done on my research paper (20-30 pages), which has a first draft due date of 5 Sep...not sure when I'm going get the time to type it all, but something will work out.  Tomorrow I have a BFM-5 flight...another chance to get a little better at my job!

This Saturday we're flying to Germany for a week of simulator training at Spangdahlem AFB, about 2 hours from Frankfurt.  The week is filled with 4 v X training, with four 1.25 hour simulators every day.  I'm not sure what the schedule is like, but it's going to be a good week.  Lana and Liam already have their train tickets and will be meeting me on Sunday.  Video chat on Skype is good, but I'm really looking forward to seeing them again!  More when I return from Deutschland...

BFM Complete...On To ACM

The BFM phase is already over and this next week we're moving on to aircraft combat maneuvering (ACM). I flew BFM-3, 4, 4X & 4S this past week passing BFM-3 the first try, and then busted BFM-4 on Tuesday. The flight wasn't terrible, but there were three days left in the phase and I had one BFM flight left...  I then passed BFM-4X on Wednesday, which was the last BFM flight of the training phase. So, on Thursday, I had a chance to fly BFM-4S which is essentially a "free" flight to get better at BFM with less pressure. The next time I'll be talking to / teaching anyone about BFM I will be the looked to as the expert in the squadron. I big responsibility!

ACM is the next building block phase in our WIC training. We fought 1 v 1 in BFM, now we're moving on to 2 v 2. Our two adversaries will be Nellis aggressors, either an F-16 or F-15 as show in the picture below. The goal of ACM is to efficiently maneuver as a 2-ship to quickly "kill" the adversary and bugout in the smartest direction to preserve range from follow on adversaries.

Once ACM is finished this next Thursday, we're catching a flight to Germany for a week of 4 v X (X being the number of adversaries the instructors want to give us since it's simulated) Tactical Intercept (TI) simulator training at Spangdahlem. I'm really looking forward to seeing Lana and Liam again, as they'll be taking the train up from Munich to visit! That's it for now...

WIC BFM-1/2 Complete

Week two of WIC finished today with 10 hours of classroom academics starting at 0700...after finishing a debrief at 1200 am the night prior. It was a good week because I passed my BFM-1 & BFM-2 flights! All the credit goes to God. It's always a battle between the stress and anxiety of an upgrade sortie and resting in the fact that God has lead me to Weapons School; it will work out as planned in the end.  The jets in the picture below are the same configuration we're currently flying...I actually flew 729 on Thursday.  The WA on the tail is the Nellis AFB designator.

BFM-1 was our local area orientation (LAO) flight, giving us a chance to see the local flying area and become familiar with Nellis flying operations.  It was a gradesheet flight (still potential to not pass), but is typically a pretty low threat flight...all 10 of us passed.  BFM-2 was our first flight leading and our first chance to show the weapons instructor course (WIC) instructors a "good act."  First impressions go a long way, and getting off to a good start is the goal.  Thankfully I had a good brief / flight /debrief and I was able to perform well enough to pass.  Four out of 10 in the class passed BFM-2.

Next week we're all flying Mon-Thurs with a 10 hour academics day on Friday. This will be a standard weekly schedule for us, so a lot to do in 5.5 months at WIC.  Some of us are going to catch dinner and a movie tonight and take tomorrow off, then it's prep time on Sunday afternoon for more BFM!