04-01-2008
(Friday 1045) First of all, happy new year!
Here I am at school where everyone else is at home. This week we had self-study
in order to use the time on our bachelor task. As you probably know, I don't
get much done at home with a little guy wanting to play with his dada all the
time...so when I need to work I go to school and use one of the group-work
rooms as there's always a few available and that gives me the opportunity to
work in peace and thereby allows me to concentrate.
Anyway, the little guy that I mentioned has his first birthday today! He's 1
year old. It's amazing how fast time has flown since he was born.
My 10 year old borther was visiting in Christmas and
New Year and we had a great time together. On the way back home, there was no
direct flight, so I flew with him to Amsterdam on New Year's day
to put him on the next flight and then I flew back home the next morning.
Starting the new year with flying is perhaps (and
hopefully!) an indicator that I will have alot of flying this year. Last year
my pilot training didn't involve any flying at all but this year, if all goes
as planned, I'm off to Canada for the actual flying training. However, last
year I flew as a passenger more than I ever have before, I think. I flew to
Greece, twice to the Netherlands, twice to Malta and also a few domestic
flights in Denmark.
Well, I better get back to my task as it won't write itself...
/GEA
11-01-2008
(Friday 1435) Another week almost over
and it's time for the weekend. Last weekend we had
real winter weather. Although the temperature wasn't colder than
This week we basically had Air operations all week and to be honest it wasn't
all that exciting. Sometimes it gets to be a bit too much of the stuff.
We got the centrifuge date confirmed. I'll be going to Holland on the 26th of
February. However nervous wrecking, the centrifuge isn't what's filling most of
my mind at the moment. As you know, we're doing the bachelor task and it has to
be delivered on the 11th of February which is in
exactly 1 month from today. I am sitting and working on it right now and so far
I'm pretty happy with the what I've produced. Well,
the bloody thing won't write itself, so I better get back to it. Take care!
PS. I have made a new guestbook as the old one was out
of order. I'll add the old entries when I get some time.
/GEA
23-01-2008
(Wednesday 0920) It's been a while since
I last wrote something here, so I guess it's about time.
Not much has happened since last time...
I got my T33 model aircraft back in the air after about 5 years on the shelf.
It has a new power setup now with more thrust, longer flying time and less
weight! It sounds too good to be true but it's true. Isn't technology
wonderful?
The bachelor assignment is slowly moving ahead. It's a big task and I'm only
about a third finished so there's still alot of hard work ahead, which will probably
(and hopefully!) be all done during next week. The dead-line
is approaching fast so there's no time to waste.
Otherwise we've been having ALOT of Air Operations lessons and State-knowledge.
Air Operations is quite interesting and exciting and actually very relevant,
especially for the pilots.
At the moment we're getting the apartement painted in cennection with getting
it sold before we move to Canada. So everything is a chaos
at home at the moment. All the furnitures are in the middle of the rooms and
covered with plastic. So yesterday, after dinner, there wasn't much to do at
home. So I went to bed at the same time as the little one did...at about 1830
and slept about 11 hours straight. It was great and I really needed it as I'm
always behind with sleeping. That's it for now. Catch you later.
/GEA
02-02-2008
(Saturday 1455) Almost done with the
Bachelor task...but not quite! It's taking much longer than I had expected. At
the same time I must admit that it's getting more and more fun to write it as I
go along - probably because I'm getting closer and closer to the end!
Anyway, the T38 model that I ordered a while ago has arrived and I have to pick
it up soon but I won't do that before I've delivered the assignment. I also
ordered another model. This time it's an A4 Skyhawk which is one of my favorite
jets (aren't they all?!?). You might be thinking that
I'm going to be using alot of time on models - which is true! Now that the
bachelor assignment will be delivered, the big hurtles at the Officer Academy
will be over. Only a few oral exams would remain, including the oral
presentation and defending of the bachelor task. So a few of the other guys at
school and myself have decided to fly models until we have to leave to Canada
and the USA, depending on what we're flying. February is going to be a good
month I think. In week 8 we have a study trip to Sweden where we'll be visiting
the Saab Gripen production line among other things. Then in week 9 we'll be
going to the Netherlands for the centrifuge training/test. Let me put it this
way: Week 9 can turn out to be a very good week but also a very bad week. If
the centrifuge test is failed there will be a good chance that I'll lose my
fighter slot - but I'll make sure that it doesn't happen!
/GEA
10-02-2008
(Sunday 1950) It's been over a week
since I last made an entry in this diary.
As you can imagine I've been rather busy lately. Tomorrow's the day when we
have to deliver our bachelor assignment, so tonight I'll make a last effort to
make sure I deliver a good product.
Otherwise I've flown my T33 model almost every day lately - it's good fun and I
can't wait to get the next project going, but I'm waiting for some parts to
arrive before I can start building it.
I uploaded some pictures from Aalborg airshow, some from spotting in Holland
and a couple of the T33 model. When I get some more time I'll upload a few
more. This week shouldn't be too hard at school which
is something that we need at the moment. Then next week we go for our
long-waited study trip to Sweden...we're going to have a blast! Catch you
later- I promise to write a bit more often than I've done lately.
Best regards
GEA
12-02-2008
(Tuesday 0945) We (finally!) delivered
the assignment yesterday and what a relief it was. Now it's back to
"normal" school, for this week at least. We all look forward to next
week's study trip to visit the Swedish Forces. It's going to be interesting and
hopefully relaxing.
The centrifuge test is approaching fast and to be honest I think about it quite
alot. It's a big thing that could cost the fighter slot so it's a bit nerve
wrecking.
Now it's time for a couple of hours of State-knowledge followed by 4 hours of
Cutural Understanding.
Yesterday evening I started building the T38 Talon model aircraft and hopefully
it should be ready by next week, depending on when the missing parts arrive
from Hong Kong and from England.
Catch you later.
/GEA
15-02-2008
(Friday 2115) Just added a video section
to the website. So far there are 3 videos, all from my
F16 rides in 2006. You can find the videos in the "Looking Back"
section of the website. The videos are hosted at
Youtube and embedded into my website. I hope you enjoy
them!
Best regards
GEA
19-02-2008
(Tuesday 0010) Late Monday night and I'm
on my way to bed soon. I'm in the hotel room here in Linköping. We had a great
day today even though it was used mostly on transport to here. First we started
off with a breakfast at school. Then we went winter-swimming.
Yes, that's right we drove to the sea and jumped into the icy water. It was an
experience hard to explain. When you jump in the water your body simply feels
numb but the pain really hits when you get out of the water. The funny thing is
that when I got out of the water and into the cold air where it was even windy,
the air felt extremely warm compared to the water. The water was only a few
degrees over freezing so you can only imagine what it was like. Anyway it was a
nice experience and I'm glad that I didn't chiken out.
After that we were picked up by 3 speed boats and sailed
across Øresund to Sweden. The speed boats were each
powered by 2 outboard engines rated at 275 horsepower each! Yes, that's 550 horsepower per boat! It
was good fun, especially to sail under the bridge that connects Denmark to
Sweden at just over 100km/h.
Now I'm off to bed. Tomorrow's a long day starting with the Gripen development
centre at a base close to here and a visit to a helicopter squadron at the same
base. Afterwards we head on to Stockholm for the next 2 days. Stay tuned!
/GEA
22-02-2008
(Friday 0245) It's late and I'm on my
way to bed but I thought I should drop a few lines before I sleep. We had a
great time here and alot has happened since Monday.
Tuesday we visited the Saab development section where we saw and learned a bit
more about the JAS39 Gripen. It was a nice experience and we even got to try
the Gripen simulator. It handles quite nicely. I felt, however, that the F16
has better roll rate than the Gripen. On the other
hand, the Gripen has a significantly better Instantaneous-turn rate, most
probably due to it's canard configuration. Another
thing that I noticed was thar the Gripen seems to bleed alot of energy when
turning at slow speed... not too different from the F16 on that aspect.
Anyway, Wednesday we visited the Swedish Navy and even got a ride on some of
their combat speed-boats. It was good fun and it's
amazing how manoeverable they are. The
Now I'm off to bed. Catch you some other time before too long.
/GEA
25-02-2008
(Monday 2100) On my way to bed soon as
tomorrow is a very decisive day that could turn my life upside down. As you
probably know, we have the centrifuge test tomorrow, so it's quite exciting
indeed...and nervous wrecking to be honest! We arrived here at the hotel in
Holland late this afternoon and now it's time to rest to be ready for tomorrow.
Cross your fingers for me; I'll need it! I'll let you know how it went.
/GEA
27-02-2008
(Wednesday 0005) Just got back home
after a looong (9 hour) drive from the Netherlands. The centrifuge training and
test went well so I'm cleared to go on with the fighter pilot training. First
we had about 1 hour of academics where we learned about AGSM (Anti-G straining
manoevers). Afterwards it was time to rock and roll in the sling
shot. I was really nervous about it and it didn't help at all that they
guy before me had a G-LOC (G-induced, loss of conciousness). Anyway, when it
was my turn I got into the "torture chamber" and got ready for the
first profile where you simply sit relaxed and breathe normally without any
straining manouevers. This way they can measure your passive g-tolerance. Mine
was at 5.5 which is above average so I was happy
indeed! The g's come on at an onset of 0.1g/sec, which means that after 30
seconds you're pulling 3g's, after 40 seconds 4g's and so on.
Then afterwards it was time to work for the money. The next profile was a
steady 30 second 4g run with an onset of 0.33g/sec.
After that it was on to 5g for 15 seconds with an onset of 1g/sec. The last
profile was a steady 15 second 6g run with an onset of
1g/sec. You can really feel the g's and you have to
work to stay awake as you don't even have a g-suit on!
All in all I'm happy that it's over and I had no problems with it. Our Dutch
instructor said that I had a very good straining technique, so I'll stick to
it. Now I'm off to bed!
/GEA
03-03-2008
(Monday 0920) This Wednesday and
Thursday we have Stud Luft again, which is the yearly recruiting campaign of
the Air Force. My job during the whole arrangement is to be the
"photographer" documenting as much of the action as possible. It's
always nice to meet alot of young people with the same interest as myself. I
can clearly remember what it was like when I went to Stud Luft as a high-school
student.
The T38 Talon model that I'm building is almost ready. The parts from Hong Kong
arrived last week so there's just a few finishing
touches to do and it's ready for the first test flight. After that I'll start
building the A4 Skyhawk straight away.
This Friday, the officer responsible for our pilot training will come over to
brief us on what to expect. In my case there shouldn't be any surpsises. I was
assigned to the fighter pilot training and having passed the centrifuge test
means that I get to keep it. But anyway, it's always exciting to get such a
briefing and see who's going where. Later...
/GEA
04-03-2008
(Tuesday 1225) We'll be heading over to
Jylland soon. So far the day has consisted of 4 lessons of State Knowledge...
Otherwise, I uploaded a short clip of my 6g profile
from the centrifuge test. The reason why I haven't uploaded the whole video is
that I've been having trouble editing the video. I think I'll have the proper
one done during the weekend, even though I have a million other things to take
care of. You can find the video in the "Looking back" section. That's
where all videos will be placed in the future.
/GEA
10-03-2008
(Monday 1925) Stud.Luft went really
well, even though the weather could have been better, but I suppose bad
weather's the rule rather than the exception.
I was assigned as photographer during the whole arrangement so I did my best to
take some good pictures. I will upload them on studluft.dk as soon as I've
sorted them out (there's quite a few of them!). I will also upload some of them
(with only aircraft on) to my own website gallery. In
the meantime I've uploaded a couple of new videos to the "Looking
back" section. This week we have alot of lessons in Air Operations and War
theory. It's not that suprizing as we only have 3 subjects left for the next
four months and the next exam is approaching fast.
I test flew my T38 Talon model today and had some hairy moments but it's still
in one piece, which is always good. It needs some modifications before it can
get in the air again...
Anyway, it's dinner time, so I'm outta here.
/GEA
15-03-2008
(Saturday 2025) Yesterday we had the
yearly Officer Academy sports day where the Army, Navy and the Air Force
compete in different disciplines. Myself, I represtend our
school in 9mm Pistol shooting. I did ok but nothing exceptional and
ended up with a rather average result for the competition. After the event, we
moved on to the traditional party, this year being hosted by the Navy at the
school in Holmen. It was a great party and we had a great time. Apparently they
had been out sending invitations to some civilian schools in Copenhagen to make
it more interesting. Well, it ended up being a target-rich enviroment so we had
alot of fun indeed. Today we finally had a break in the windy weather, so I
took the opportunity to fly the T38. It was great to finally try it out
properly. It seems that it's going to be just as calm tomorrow so I'm preparing
both the T33 and the T38 for the day. In the morning I'll be visiting a couple
of school mates, as we've agreed to watch the first Formula 1 race of the
season which is tomorrow morning. As you probably know, the first race is in
Australia, so the race starts at 0500. After that we'll have a brunch together
and probably a fight as we support different teams in the race. I'm a Ferrari
fan myself and one of the other guys is a true McLaren fan, so it should be
fun.
I've uploaded some pictures from STUD.LUF in the gallery so remember to take a
look.
/GEA
17-03-2008
(Monday 1915) Another week on and today
we had the subject Air Operations most of the day. It was about Force Protection which is basically how you secure an airbase when
out on a mission. Quite interesting but I prefare air tactics and Offensive
Counter Air, where we get to plan missions.
Otherwise, the weather has gone bunkers. Both Saturday and Sunday were
fantastic, no wind whatsoever and beatiful sunshine and rather warm
temperatures. Today, on the other hand, we had snow storms
with strong winds all day and it seems that this weather is here to stay, at
least for the rest of the week. Grrrrr.
It's funny how fast time has gone at the Academy. I
had really expected the worst. In just 3½ months it'll be all over and then
it's time to go back to the RDAF Flying school for 3
weeks or so to get reaqquainted with the flying business. It's going to be
great!
Tonight I'll probably start building the A4 Skyhawk model which I hope to
finish and test flyin about 3 weeks time. That's it for now. Stay tuned!
/GEA
18-03-2008
(Tuesday 1025) I forgot to mention
yesterday, that Boeing wants to get involved in the competition for the F16
replacement for the RDAF. They want us to buy their F/A18-E Super Hornet when
the time comes. So this week, our ministry of defence will have a meeting with them
to see if the Super Hornet can fulfill our demands and for them to see whether
they seriously want to take part in the competition. It's going to be
interesting to see the outcome of the meeting.
Right now there's a Fennec helicopter on our school football pitch. It landed
about 15 minutes ago and will be here most of the day. Always nice to see an
aircraft while at school.
/GEA
22-03-2008
(Saturday 1930) I'm enjoying my long
weekend. This coming week, starting on Tuesday, we'll be stationed at Karup AB
in connection with our big subject "Air Operations." We'll be
learning about the Air Force's Combat Support Wing and the Air Control Wing. It
should be quite interesting but I really hope that most of it will take part
indoors as the weather will get even colder than it is already.
The A4 Skyhawk model is getting on quite nicely and if I didn't have to go to
Karup for the week, then I'd probably have it ready for the first test flight
by the end of the week, but anyway, that's life.
It's funny how many hacker attacks I've had on my website
lately, especially since the two tapes released by Bin Laden came out these
last few days. Fortunately none of the attacks managed to hack my website so I guess it's quite secured. That's it for now.
Happy Easter to you all!
Best regards
GEA
27-03-2008
(Wednesday 2320) This week at Karup has
so far been better than expected. We've had quite alot of operations seen from
an Fighter Controller's perspective which is great when you're doing the pilot
training as you get an idea of what things look like from the other side. This
way one has an easier time understanding why the Fighter Controllers work and
do the things they do. Tomorrow and Friday we'll be taking a look at the Combat
Support wing. Hopefully it'll be interesting and relevant for all of us.
Unfortunately we (the Danish defence) lost another soldier in Afghanistan today
and another one got injured but seems to be out of life danger. My thoughts go to
their families.
/GEA
31-03-2008
(Monday 2245)Tomorrow's
a big day as we have the exam in 3 big subjects which
were put together for the exam. It's State knowledge, Cultural understanding
and Conflict theory. I haven't prepared as much as I would
have wanted to, but considering how much time I had to do so, I think I did ok. Hopefully the exam won't be too eventful
and I'll get to talk about the things that I want to talk about instead of
ending up talking about something that I don't feel too confident in. But you
never know what they'll ask about, so it's going to be exciting indeed.
Unofrtunately we (Danish defence) lost another soldier in Afghanistan today,
which brings the number up to
/GEA
01-04-2008
(Tuesday 2200) The exam went well today.
I got a 10, which was the highest score of the day, so I'm happy. It feels
great that those 3 subjects are over now. Later...
/GEA
07-04-2008
(Monday 2355) On my way to bed but I
thought I should mention that we have GME the next 3 days. GME stands (in
Danish) for Grund Militær Efteruddannelse which is
basically a refreshing of the basic soldier skills. As you probably know, all
military personnel have to take part in GME once a year in order not to forget
things such as how to handle a weapon and how to provide first aid or how to
react in a chemical weapons attack. Should be fun. I hope the weather turns out
fine.
I almost finished the A4 Skyhawk model and have uploaded a quick picture of it
in the gallery. Hopefully it'll be ready for the maiden flight before too
long...
/GEA
10-04-2008
(Thursday 2005) Back home after GME and
it feels great. My job during the exercise was to be the shooting range leader
and it was actually good fun. The weather was kind of strange though. Yesterday
it was bright sunshine at one point, and the next minute it starting snowing.
Some things have happened in the meantime. The Danish government has decided to
send 4 Fennec helicopters to Afghanistan in 6 weeks time. The Fennec
helicopters come from 724 squadron based at Karup and we'll be visiting them
next week in connection with the subject "Operations" so it's going
to be exciting to see them getting ready to go into action. At the same time I
hope that they have a safe tour to Afghanistan and return home before too long.
As mentioned we'll be going to Karup to work with the Helicopter wing on Monday
and Tuesday. The 2 helicopter squadrons in Karup (722 & 724) are equipped
with AS550 Fennec and the new EH101 Merlin. Then on Wednesday and Thursday
we'll be going to Aalborg to work and learn from 721 squadron, which is our transport
squadron flying C130J Hercules and CL604 Challenger.
Then in week 19 we'll be going to Skrydstrup to work with and learn from our
two fighter squadrons 727 and 730. Can't wait to smell some jet fuel and hear
some jet "music."
The weather's been really great today so when I got home I charged my model
(the T38 Talon) and went flying. Canada is getting closer and more real. That's
it for now. Stay
tuned.
/GEA
17-04-2008
(Thursday 2325) Back home from Aalborg.
I really missed my little boy this time so it was great to play with him when I
got home.
We learned quite alot from the excursions to Karup and Aalborg. I also got a
clearer idea of what they actually do, what their daily life is like and what
kind of missions they fly. To be honest I thought everything that they do is
very exciting. I would be happy flying any aircraft in the Air Force,
considering that I would have a great job and get a great carreer no matter
what I'll be flying...but damn how I hope I'll get that fighter slot at the end
of the day! Fighters will always have a special place in my heart - enough with
this emtional crap now!
Next week we have alot of physical training in connection with the upcoming
physical exam due in a month or so. However the next exam will be in defending
the Bachelor task and will take part this coming week. I'll do my best to
prepare mydelf for any of those nasty questions that they might ask me. I also
have to get an appointment with the aviation medicine centre as my yearly
medical will be running out soon...
Remember: If it ain't a fighter, it's a target!
I don't wanna fly a target!
/GEA
19-04-2008
(Saturday 1125) I finally test flew the
A4 Skyhawk model today. All went well, however there were some hair raising moments at the beginning of the flight, as the
aircraft CG (Centre of Gravity) was close to the aft limit. But all in all, the
model flies well and I flew her for a full 5 minutes before setting her
smoothly on the grass. I'll upload a couple of pictures of the model later on
today.
Yesterday was a public holiday here in Denmark, so we went to the zoo - but
there was a ½km que at the entrance so I was quick to convince the wife that we
should go to the airport so that the little one could get some fresh air and
see some planes. Ot was nice to get some sun on my cheeks and see the little
one react every time an aircraft was in the vicinity.
Now it's time to get some lunch and begin working on the A4 again. After a test
flight you always find out that some things have to be altered or modified -
fortunately it's small things that have to be changed on the A4.
Have a
nice weekend!
/GEA
23-04-2008
(Wednesday 1830) The weather is still
fantastic and I'm really enjoying it but I better not get too used to it as it'll change before you know it.
This week is a rather unusual week as we have alot of physical training in
preparation for the last exams in the subject. Yesterday, for instance, we had
an 8.8km orientation run. As you know, you can never run it straight so I
calculated that I must have run 13-14km. But as you know, the weather was great
and the forest is really beautiful at this time of the year.
Otherwise we have 9mm pistol shooting which will also be part of our physical
training exam.
Today we had a briefing by Christian Brøndum, a journalist who has written
about the Danish Defence for the past 10 years and after the briefing we had
quite a good discussion among things that journalists and the Defence see
differently.
This Friday I have to orally defend my Bachelor assignmenet. I'm quite anxious
to see how it goes. So far, all of them that have been through their session
got a 7, so in I way I hope to do better, but perhaps a 7 will be good as it seems to be the standard. This exam counts
heavily on the school leaving certificate. The grade that you get will be multiplied by 3 (as if it was
3 subjects) so it weighs heavily on the average that you get at the end. Cross
your fingers for me.
/GEA
28-04-2008
(Monday 1400) The exam didn't go too
well last time. I got a 4 which is ok but less than I
had expected. You can't win 'em all!
Anyway I modified my A4 Skyhawk slightly and test flew it yesterday and it now
goes like a rocket. It's about double as fast and it has no problem going
vertical after a fly by. I can't wait to get it in the air again this week.
Lesson is starting again soon, so I'm outta here. Stay tuned!
/GEA
05-05-2008
(2200)
Here I am at Skrydstrup AB. We're gonna be here until Wednesday to learn about fighter
operations in connection with our subject Air Operations. We're mostly working
on COMAO which stands for Composite Air Operations,
where several countries participate in an air operation, each providing air
assets and you have to make a plan in which you utilize all your assets in a
most effective manner, all depending on their capabilities and your task of
course. The operation is against a "fictive" country using a map from
the real world. It's very interesting but after a long day you just have one
big head ache.
Then next week we have a trial exam in the subject, where we get a task which we have to solve, using all that we have learned
during this last year in this subject. After the trial exam we get some feed
back and we go for the real deal. It's going to be great, as after this exam
there'll only be 3 exams left, all in our Physical training programme.
It's also great to be here at Skrydstrup with jet noise in the background and
seeing the F16's once in a while. It reminds you of what you're working for and
it feels good.
Now I think I'm just going to take a shower and head towards the bed sheets so
I can get some rest and get ready for tomorrow's programme, which includes a
mandatory 3km running test and a muscle test at 5pm. Can't wait! If you're
wondering, I'm just being ironic...
/GEA
11-05-2008
(Sunday 1610) Man the weather is amazing
at the moment. It's been lasting for quite a while now and I'm really enjoying
it. And that's basically why I've been so bad at updating this diary. I've been
out in the sun with my little boy quite alot.
Yesterday I flew my Skyhawk and toasted the motor. I had to make a forced
landing with the motor out and it all went fine. The model actually looked good
with thick white smoke coming out of the back end - fortunately it didn't catch
fire...
This Wednesday we have FLOS Airshow. FLOS is the name of the school (the Air
Force Academy) and the airshow has been organized by myself
with model aircraft participating. The weather forecast looks good and there
will be hot dogs and beer for the participants and audience so it should be ok,
even thought it's after school. Unfortunately my best model aircraft is now
grounded after yesterday's incident...
This week we're going to be sleeping at school Tuesday and Wednesday
as we'll be writing a trial exam in air operations. Then next week we have the
real deal. It's a big task and our group of 4 people will make the best out of
it to get a good grade. Then we all have to defend the task orally afterwards -
indivudually of course! That's it for now.
/GEA
17-05-2008
(Saturday 1355) The Airshow at school
went great and the trial exam in operations went ok too. I managed to buy a new
motor for the Skyhawk so the model was in the air too for the airshow. The new
motor is much more powerful than the old one so now it's really fast and most
of time I fly at ½ throttle with the new one which makes the battery last for
longer flights.
Otherwise not much new. I'll be going to Norway on a
school study trip together with another comrade in June so I look forward for
that. I think it's going to be good fun.
The weekend before that I'm planning on going to the Netherlands to visit two
cousins of mine who are playing baseball for a Dutch team this summer. I just
have to fit it in my schedule and budget, which is easier said than done these
days...
/GEA
27-05-2008
(Tuesday 2205) Its' been a while since I
last wrote something, so I suppose it's about time. Last week we wrote the Air
Operations exam task. The group I'm in (5 people) put alot of effort into it
and made a good job at it I think. Next week we have to defend the task orally,
individually of course. Anyway, as you probably know I've been building an F16
model aicraft and I test flew her today. She tracks like on rails and looks
stunning in the air.
Tomorrow we have the Orientation run exam. Apparently the run is a 10km one,
but as you know you can never run straight from check point to check point, so
all in all I'll be doing at least 15km, depending on how many times I get lost
along the way...
Now I'm off to bed as the F16 model has kept me up late for the past few nights
so now it's time to catch up with some sleep. In exactly a month's time I would
have been Second Lieutenant for a whole day by now. We look forward to it
indeed! Then, just 3 days later we start flying school in Karup, where we'll be
there for 3 weeks, doing instrument flying, formation flying, low-level
navigation and aerobatics in preparation for Canada. It's going to be great!
Best regards
GEA
29-05-2008
(Thursday 2330) The orientation run exam
didn't go too well last time. This was due to a number of reasons. First of all
the run was completely unrealistic compared to the time that we had to complete
it in. We simply didn't have enough time to complete it and the distance was
too long. Apart from that I ran out of energy about 2/3 of the way. It was a
strange feeling that I never want to experience again. I was probably over
dehidrated and my sugar depots ran dry at the same time. Suddenly my body said
stop and neither my body nor my brain could function properly. I had been
running really good up to that point and had been very efficient with finding
the check-points but suddenly I had to stop. Anyway, I
tried to run/walk to the next check points and
actually arrived at the one before last and suddenly I couldn't even stand on
my feet. However my competitive side kept pushing me and I made it all the way
home, almost in time actually. I was close to collapsing and should have
stopped when I got the first warnings but anyway, I suppose I was lucky this
time. Looking back at the whole thing, it wasn't too wise to continue as it
would have been hard for them to find me if something happened in the forest.
I was very frustrated and disappointed and it didn't make me feel better that
over 2/3 of the others also failed the run.
Now it's time to go to bed and get some good sleep.
/GEA
03-06-2008
(Tuesday 1030) I just had my last oral
exam at the Officer Academy. It was the Air Operations exam and I had to talk
about the 50 page assignment that we wrote in the
five-man group. Apart from that I had to talk about NATO Air C2
which is basically NATO Command and Control on both strategic,
operational and tactical levels. It went ok and I kept turning the discussion
onto things that I feel strong in. I got a 10 so I'm happy indeed!
I'm actually off the rest of the week - off from school that is, as I have a gazillion things I have to do at home in preparation for
going to Canada among other things.
My parents will be coming over for the ceremony at the Academy on the 26th which is a great surprise since I didn't expect them to
come.
I look forward to becoming a Second Lieutenant and getting that stripe on my
shoulder.
Now it's time to grab something to eat. Take care!
/GEA
09-06-2008
(Monday 1845) As you probably know we
had the yearl Air Force open day, know by many as the yearly Airshow. This year
it was held at Karup AB. There weren't many new or exotic participants as such,
but the show itself was pretty good. Among other things they made an Air Power
demonstraion, where ground forces who met resistance
were assisted by RDAF helicopters and RDAF F16's. It looked great and the
pyrothecnincs were a real success. I'll start uploading the pictures some time
this week. So far I only uploaded a single picture of the Polish MiG29 which in my opinion was the main attraction at the
show.
Today, the six of us who'll be going to Canada were at the Air Force aviation
medical center for a three-day course which involves
trying the rapid decompression chamber among other things. That will take place
on Thursday and we look forward to it, especially to find out what our personal
symptoms are as a reaction to loss of cabin pressure and the inevitable lack of
oxygen in the body. Then if one day it happens in real life, we know what to
look for...
This coming weekend I'll be going to the Netherlands to visit two of my cousins
who play semi-pro baseball over there. I look forward to seeing them and see
how they're getting along.
Anyway, now I'm off to a friend of mine to watch some European cup football and
eat some pizza, pehaps drink a beer too. Italy are
playing tonight, which is my favorite team, and against the Netherlands is
going to be a hot game.
/GEA
12-06-2008
(Thursday 2025) We finished the
physiological course today. The last thing on the programme was of course the
Decompression chamber. It was a great experience and the whole 3-day course as
such was really good. We learned alot about Hypoxia (lack of oxygen in the
body) and night vision. In the decompression chamber we "climbed" to
In the end we had to experience a rapid decompression where you go from 20,000
to
Tomorrow we have the very last exam at school. It's a physical exam which I'm quite confident in. Last Tuesday's shooting
exam didn't go too well by the way, so I'll make up for it tomorrow...
/GEA
17-06-2008
(Tuesday 1955) I had a great weekend in
the Netherlands with my friends and cousins. It really was a great weekend and
the 10 hour drive per way went much faster than
expected.
Last Friday I had a good run at the exam. I scored a 10, which is the second
best grade so I'm really satisfied with that, mostly because it was our last
exam. You couldn't wipe the smiles off the "children's" faces when
they made it through the goal.
This Thursday I'll be going to Norway on a study trip to their Air Force
Academy in Trodheim. I look forward to it!
Yesterday, the "Canada guys" and myself had a meeting where we
started planning when to leave and how to move over among other things. It's a
great logistic challenge to move across the pond for two years! The plan is
that we all fly to Los Angeles around the 23rd August, buy a sports car and
drive up through the rockies to Canada. It's going to be a great adventure. I
plan on using around $20K - the others plan on using double as much! My plan is
to go for a Ford Mustang...the others are more into Corvettes. Some might even
get a Porsche. Let's wait and see... It's alot of money but it's probably the
only chance in our life to own a sports car of that kind.
Now it's time to watch a big and decisive football game between the Italians
and the French. It's going to be great entertainment, hopefully anyway! That's
it for now. Stay tuned!
/GEA
22-06-2008
(Sunday 2300) Just got back from my trip
to the Norwegian Air Force Academy. Last weekend was a hard one to beat but I
must admit that this one was even better. It was top notch
entertainment to be a guest at the graduation party of class 56. The Norwegians
are great hosts and they really know how to enjoy themselves and making their
guests feel at home - they are wild party animals! As a foreign guest visiting
their country they get you a local date for the whole arrangement. The other
foreign guests were from the usual Euro-NATO countries, this time from the
Netherlands and Finland, although Finland as you know, isn't a NATO member.
They were all great people and I'm sure that I'll meet many of them again in
the future, especially some of the Norwegian dudes who are going to Texas for
their fighter pilot training at the same time that I'll be going to Canada. Now
it's really starting to smell of flying again. I can just imagine when I arrive
at the airport in Canada and guy asks me: "Are you here for business or
pleasure?" Well, my business is pleasure!
Among others at the party there was a retired Norwgian Air Force General who
was a fighter ace in WW2, having flown Spitfires for the RAF in the Battle Of
Britain. He has several confirmed kills and it was an honour to speak to him.
At the age of 92, he is surprizingly fresh.
His speech was good too: Like a lady's skirt, long enough to cover all the
essentials, yet short enogh to keep it interesting.
/GEA
23-06-2008
(Monday 2310) Last school day at the
Academy tomorrow! Then we're off on Wednesday and we have graduation on
Thursday. I can't wait to stand there in front of the General and get my stripe
- not for the stripe's sake, but what it symbolises. The most difficult part of
my training has probably been these two years at the academy. Not because it
was difficult as such, but because it was two whole years without flying. And
now it's over! In less than a week I'll be back at flying school for some
brushing up before I leave towards the West.
Tomorrow is also in important day for me, as my parents come to Denmark in
order to attend the graduation. They'll be here for ten days and I look forward
to having them here. So if I'm not very active on the net the next few days,
well, you know why!
I better get some sleep soon. I'm still behind with sleeping and I think I'll
fall even more behind once my parents get here. Later!
/GEA
26-06-2008
(Thursday 2210) Finally we graduated
today. It felt great to get the stripe on the shoulder, knowing that another
milestone has been reached.
The graduation ceremony itself went great. My parents were present and it meant
alot to me. Afterwards it was rather hard to say farewell to all my mates. Some
of them I won't see for the next 3 years. It's strange that we spent so many
hours every day for the past 2-4 years and now suddenly we all go our seperate
ways.
Tomorrow we have a small party with a dinner in Copenhagen so we'll have a last
chance to spend some time together. All the pilots will start on Flying school this Monday of course, so we have at least 3
more weeks together. Then after that we also go our seperate ways.
Otherwise I got the flight ticket ordered today. A mate of mine and myself will
be going to LA on the 22nd of August and the rest of the "Canada
boys" will follow on the 24th. Then we plan on driving through Las Vegas,
see the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park and drive through the Rocky
Mountains - we look forward to it! Now it's time to get a cold beer and watch
some football.
In the
mean time: Just call me Second Lieutenant.
/GEA
30-06-2008
(Monday 1800) Back at
flying school at Karup AB. We have a lot of stuff to (re)learn
and a lot of new stuff to learn on this three week course. Most of the theory
and most of the flights will be in Instrument flying in preparation for the
course in Canada.
All the T17 checks (and there are quite alot of them!) that we had learned
during the five month course at Flying school have to be relearned within the
next couple of days and the plan is that we get airborne this Wednesday. The
weather forecast looks promising indeed so I'll do my best to be as prepared as
possible - just like the in old days. On the first three flights we'll
basically be repeating, including landing on the grass runway, but then we move
on to new stuff and only use the main runway here at Karup. We'll also be
flying to some of the other bases in order to practise different instrument
procedures, including approaches and departures.
One new thing that we got is the T-6A Harvard II Dash-1 manual in order to
start learning in advance. We'll also be having a test in it at the end of
these three weeks, so there's quite alot of work ahead.
That's it for now. Now I plan to eat some dinner and hit the books afterwards.
Stay tuned!
/GEA
02-07-2008
(Wednesday 1630) I had my first flight
today. It was great to get in the air again. I could feel that I was out of
routine but the instructor said that there was very little "rust"
which is great. I must admit that I did feel a bit loaded when I had to fly my approach which was my first ILS approach ever. The weather
was fantastic yet the ride was bumpy as there were quite alot of thermals.
Otherwise I did some stalls, practised a couple of landings to the grass runway
and then practised a few more on the main runway, which seems enormous after
you've just used the grass runway.
I'm on tomorrow's flying programme aswell. This time I'll be flying some
aerobatics including spins, loops, rolls and I'll be doing my first split-s which I look forward to. Other than that I'll practise
another ILS approach and some more landings to the main runway.
We also have theory lessons in Instrument flying every day and on Wednesday
we'll be having a test in the subject. Hopefully I'll do well. This course that
we're doing cannot be passed or failed as it's just preparation for Canada -
but it would be nice to learn as much as possible in order to be on the leading
edge when we get to Canada. With all this preparation it's no wonder that the
Danish students always finish as the top of the class. That's it for now.
/GEA
06-07-2008
(Sunday 2300) Another
week almost over and a new one ahead. The weather seems to be
deteriorating. However it won't be too much of a problem - on the controrary!
This week we'll be doing instrument flying so bad weather is actually good,
unless of course it's completely hopeless. Tomorrow we have instrument theory
and a flight sim practise on the programme, and if we're lucky we might even
get a flight but let's wait and see how things develope. Now it's bed time. I'll let you know how it went.
/GEA
07-07-2008
(Monday 1650) We started the day with
some MS Flight simulator where we practised flying on radials inbound and
outbound VOR's among other things. We also practised Arcing the VOR and
performed an instrument approach. Then after that it was time to brief and go
fly the real deal. Flight simming is fun but cannot quite be compared to the
real thing. The experience you get when you're up there is completely
different. The weather was a bit crappy so it was ideal for practising IFR
procedures and techniques. The flight ended with yet another ILS approach to
Karup AB. Tomorrow we'll be expading a bit and getting better at what we
learned. Now it's time for some studying and later on I hope to play (and win)
a game of pool or two. Later...
/GEA
09-07-2008
(Wednesday) Yesterday was a pure theory
day and it was hard to sit there for so many hours trying to learn alot of new,
and at times, rather complicated techniques and procedures. Then afterwards we
had to do a flight in the flight-sim room which was actually good fun. The
reason for cancelling flying was today's theory test in Instrument flying.
That's basically why we had to get up to speed in the subject. The test went
fine for all of us I think and myself I only had a couple of mistakes so I feel
that I learned quite alot in the past 1½ weeks. I only have three flights left
on my programme. Tomorrow I'll be flying yet another instrument flight where I
depart from Karup, fly and perform instrument approaches to Billund airport,
then on to Stauning airfield and back to Karup. It's going to be a demanding
flight. Alot of things to manage and good chances for helmet
fire. That's what fighter pilots call it when they're over loaded with
information and feel like their head is burning inside the helmet.
That's it for now. I want to be as prepared as possible for tomorrow's flight
so I better start looking at the different approach plates and start taking
notes. I'll also practise the flight on the flight simulator later on this evening,
which is probably the best way to prepare.
Stay tuned!
/GEA
10-07-2008
(Thursday 2110) Another
day over. The flight to Billund and Stauning got
replaced by a flight to Aalborg where I practised a full localiser approach
procedure and an ILS approach with vectors. I also practised holding
pattern (unvoluntarily due to traffic). It was a good flight and I feel that
I'm on track with regards instrument flying, yet I have to be more aggressive
with corrections when I get off course.
Tonight we had the weekely Thursday GFU meeting. I only got a major fine which is ok, considering that I had done a few
screw-ups during the week...but apparently no-one had noticed them.
Tomorrow, the six Canada boys, me included, will be briefing eachother in an
aircraft system of the Harvard II, under the supervision of an instructor who
had just returned to Denmark after 3 years of instructing on the type in
Canada. I'll be briefing the others in the flight control system of the
aircraft. We'll also start looking at the Emergency procedures of the aircraft,
and by that I mean that we'll learn them by heart since we have a test in them
next week. There are many of them but learning alot of stuff preciesly, by
heart, is nothing new to us. I actually look forward to start learning about
the aircraft. It's gonna be a great time in Canada.
The instructor also told us about what to expect - among other things is a
"cross country" consisting of 15 hours of flying. I plan to fly
across the Rockies to the Boeing factory and museum in Seattle when the time
comes...
/GEA
13-07-2008
(Sunday 1720) Back at
Karup AB for the last time for a very long time. This week is the last
week of our transition course before we move to Canada. All I have left is one
formation flight, probably taking place on Tuesday where I'll be practising
take-off as both lead and wingman, fliying, formation
change and joining up. It's going to be great fun. Other thatn that we'll be
looking a bit more thoroughly into the Flight Manual of the Harvard II in order
to be as prepared as possible to starting flying in Canada. I also have an
appointment at the dentist here at Karup which I don't
look forward to at all - not because it's Karup but because I hate going to the
dentist in general.
That's it for now. I'll probably write a couple of words about my first
formation flight.
/GEA
17-07-2008
(Thursday 1320) Back home at Copenhagen.
We finished the flying course yesterday. For me it was the perfect ending to
finish off with a formation flight. It was such great fun! The first two
nimutes you think: "I'll never learn this" but then you get the hang
of it and time just flies. It is quite a challenge to stick to the leader's
wing especially during turns if the weather is a bit bumpy...and the T17 isn't
exactly the easiest aircraft to fly formation in - mostly due to the lack of
power necessary for formation flying, but also because everytime you make a
power change you have to work quite hard with the rudder to keep the nose
pointing in the same direction. I can't wait to fly formation in the Harvard II
when we ge to Canada, which has a MUCH better thrust
to weight ratio and is a much cleaner aicraft.
Afterwards we delivered back the equipment, had a beer with the instructors,
got the certificates and said goodbye. It was really hard to say bye to some of
the guys. Some of us had been together in all this for 3½ yeas. In good and in
bad, in sickness and in health - just what you're thinking about, like a
marriage! We'd been through alot of stuff together. Alot of
great moments and also a few terrible ones. We got emotional when we had
to go our seperate ways. Some of them I won't see for at least 2 years.
Fortunately I didn't have to say bye to all. The next time I'll see the
"Canada boys" will be in LA in about 5 weeks time. I can't wait! Stay
tuned.
/GEA
29-07-2008
(Tuesday 2045) Enjoying my summer
holidays even though I'm quite busy with preparations for the "big
trip." I have put a bunch of stuff for sale on the net and today my good
old bike got sold. It's starting to feel more real now. I
also been packing my stuff in the container that we've hired to transport our
stuff to Canada. I still have quite alot of things to pack, but we're
getting there!
I've looked at some more Mustangs at delaers in Los Angeles and there's quite a
few to choose from. The weather is extremely hot at the moment so today I took
some time and got some sun in the balcony. 3½ weeks and the "usual"
Danish flag in this diary gets replaced by the US flag initially and eventually
by the Canadian one.
Now I'm off to watch some TV.
Stay tuned - the grass IS greener on the other side!
/GEA