Week 2 began on a Tuesday morning at 0545 when we all formed up to run up and down stairs for an hour...I was sore for days afterward but it was fun (looking back...not so much during). Then we had our first exam to start off the morning. I got an A, but that's not saying much, it was one of the easier tests that I've taken. If you managed to stay awake during the slow powerpoint death, then you would have gotten an A too.
We started to learn a little bit about altitude physiology and did some pretty cool stuff this week. It was only a 4 day week, but in that time I spent an afternoon flying on a CH-47 Chinook, one afternoon in the altitude chamber getting hypoxic at 25,000 feet and another afternoon flying the Blackhawk simulator, it was a very busy and very fun week. I even squeezed in some golf over the weekend.
As always...the pictures:
We started the week out by learning about spacial disorientation and how errors are made in the cockpit and what happens if you try to correct them without going on. One particularly dangerous vestibular illusion is "The Coriolis Effect" in which you make an abrupt head movement after a prolonged constant-rate turn that has ceased. It creates the illusion of rotation or movement in an entirely different axis. To demonstrate it, the instructors put me into this rotating chair and asked me to put my arms up as if the Patriots scored a touchdown. Then they spun me around for a bit and then asked me to do that again....as you can see....I was way off center. (Unlike the Patriots, who are now 6-0 baby!) If this happened in an aircraft, you would probably go into a spin and crash.
So after demonstrating the Coriolis effect and realizing my days may be numbered....I decided to model a Samuel Adams Oktoberfest, one of my favorite beers!
I forget what night it was, Tuesday maybe...about 10-12 of us went out to this little Italian restaurant called "Italian Food", haha. It was actually a gem in the rough and was very good. The next night we went to a Japanese Hibachi restaurant which was very good also. I've definitely been doing my share of eating while I've been here. This was at the Italian place...vodka martini or chianti? Hmm...why choose?
The next day my squad went out for our CH-47 Chinook helicopter flight. That's the big helicopter with the 2 rotors. It looks like a big bus, but it's actually the fastest helicopter in the Army because the 2nd rotor provides counter-torque, therefore it generates 100% lift. It's also the only helicopter capable of carrying itself (for example, it can sling load another Chinook). Just some interesting little facts that I've learned in school, haha.
Here's the slow motion movie shot of some of us walking out to the flight line.
3rd Squad!
It was a nice flight and I was able to see Alabama from the air. The great thing about flying on such a perfect day was that both the crew windows were off and the back ramp was down a bit so we had a great breeze coming through and could hang out the window and get a good look around. Here's some pics from the flight.
After a while we came across a good sized river so we dropped down and flew along it a little below the tree level, it was fun. The pilot was a student CW2 that was changing aircraft, he used to fly Apaches.
We all took turns riding in the jump seat to observe the pilots and plug into the ICS (internal communication system) with our helmets.
We stopped in a field that had different weighted blocks for the pilot to practice sling-loading. We got out so we could take pictures of it from the outside (and take a leak!)
I wasn't a huge fan of the new motto "Army Strong", but here's my impession...
Here's the Chinook student practicing his sling load...
The next day, we went into the altitude chamber where we had to go up to 25,000 feet and then take our oxygen masks off to experience hypoxia and identify how many symptoms we had. They gave us a quiz to take once we took our masks off and they were very basic questions, including addition and subtraction, but it got very difficult very quickly. Your mind slows down rapidly when you have decreased oxygen pressure, it's pretty weird.
After the altitude chamber, I went to fly the Blackhawk simulator with the instructor pilot. It was probably one of the coolest things that I've ever done. There are different video screens projecting onto each window, so you can see in front and to the sides, just as if you were really flying. It also moves like a real helicopter, giving you some sense of G forces.
Finally, we ended the week with some golf. Here's one of the medical students, Ryan Knight, with his beer coozy that he carries everywhere...
Me, victorious after a long putt!
The four of us at one of the last holes we played. We took forever and didn't get all 18 in before we had to return the carts. It was relaxing though and we had a lot of fun.
Thanks for reading!
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