I like to look back at my career every now and then and gain some perspective. I remeber the day it all started. The first day of 121 ground school. I remeber how lost I was and how nervous especailly after seeing people drop by the wayside with each passing day. Would I be one?

And then it started. The information deluge. I remeber being so overwhelmed. systems, ops specs, GOM, written tests, pre-orals, orals, check rides, LOFT rides.

I really consider the first 121 training the toughest thing I ever accomplished. It got easier with each class thereafter as I learned what info was important to pick out and memorize from the telephone book size manuals. Now I learn every aircraft limitation cold before I even get to class. That's the first thing they bust you on. Everything else you can go to the book.

Then comes the dreaded ORAL. And the even more dreaded CHECKRIDE. Nobody sleeps the night before that. Well maybe the old salts get a wink. Hehehehe!

What was your experience with your first 121 training, or for that matter your first experience with flight training, or a checkride?

121 Ground School wasn't too bad. We had eight, graduated six. One of the two who didn't graduate with us had another offer soon after class started and jumped on it. The other guy slipped through the cracks and should have never been there to begin with. Did the training at Airborne Express. Only four of us are still with the company (the others went on to majors), I am waiting for a class date with another airline as of now (so soon there will be three).

But, I had the correct background to get through any training that comes my way.

After I graduated from the Basic School in Quantico, I went down to P-Cola and waited two months for my classs to start up. What fun that was! Every night at Molly's; every day at the beach. We just called in to let the unit know we were alive. Since I had a PPL, I figured primary would be a snap. A lot of my fellow second Lts got ahold of classroom gouge and NATOPS books. I got myself a nice condo on Pensacola Beach.

When class started, I was in for a rude awakening. Getting into a T-34 which sits tandem is pretty weird for the first time. I was used to a seat alongside me and high wings for reference. I also found out pretty quick that it's easy to get behind a turbine aircraft.

I also found out that the instructors are a lot different from the FBO. The instructors were from the USMC, Navy, and Coast Guard. Each had a very unique style. One Coastie was everyone's buddy. He'd talk to you about the bars on the intercom and engage you in conversation to catch you off guard while he pulled back the power or did something zany to see how you would react.

I learned real quick that checklists are a way of life. I learned to learn the aircraft systems up and down which I still take the time to do today. One instructor that I had--a bald hardass--liked to bust my chops. He would ask very specific technical questions about the T-34. How many pieces of wood in the cockpit, etc. He was a CH-53 pilot and everyone tried to avoid him. Once he pulled me aside in the ready room and we had a little discussion about about my future and my preparation. I caught on real quick, and I thank him for pulling me aside.

The guy who pulled me aside was now Col William Tarbutton, CH-53 Pilot and TRAP Commander in the O'Grady rescue.

I learned a very systematic approach toward the aircraft I flew, thanks to him