"Med up"

The Navy must really need pilots because I was found "physically qualified and aeronautically adapted" for flight duty!" My “up chit” came after a thorough physical exam. Luckily for me, prospective pilots no longer need uncorrected 20/20 vision. This does mean that I’ll be required to wear glasses while in the performance of flight duties. Fair enough! There’s an IFS class starting next week, but it seems to be full, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get in. Because my FAA Class III Physical from Raleigh is still valid, I should be able to start flight school in the next 2-4 weeks. Until then it looks like I’ll have plenty of time to study for the GMAT and hang out at the beach! I’m hoping to sneak into one of the Basic Officer Leadership Training Course (BOLTC) classes at some point too just to get that out of the way. Well, despite the threatening clouds, I’m about ready to head downtown for my weekly 5K. This reiterates what I learned in college: most people will do just about anything for a free t-shirt (or pizza)!

The Blue Angels at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola

New duty station

It’s hard to believe I’ve been here in sunny Pensacola, Florida for three weeks now! I’m certainly enjoying my time in the “Cradle of Naval Aviation.” This week I completed the first portion of my flight physical. With a little luck I’ll be found physically qualified and get my “up chit” next week! That means I should be classing up for Introductory Flight Screening (IFS), also known as civilian flight training, in the next few weeks. I joined a running club that is sponsored by a local Irish pub, so I’ve run a 5K through downtown every Tuesday evening for the past three weeks. Apparently, if you run the course six times you get a free t-shirt. Halfway there! I also enrolled in the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) preparation course at the local community college. The class started yesterday and it’s been keeping me pretty busy. Other than that I spend a lot of time hanging out at the beach and watching the Blue Angels practice. What can I say? It’s a sweet life!