tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76839060575596412762011-04-21T14:38:38.282-05:00Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.comBlogger971100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-75707776889513232932009-05-10T22:53:00.002-05:002009-05-10T23:54:14.414-05:00

Well...it's been a while and I figured I should get at least a tie-up type post on here. A lot has happened since January, obviously. I actually failed my Navigation checkride since I tried to do a Single Engine approach while in the weather. Then I hooked the EP for dual fuel filter bypass where he expected me to circle down over the field and I set up a 'normal' 5 mile straightin. So it wasn't

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-30040473735741890742009-01-24T15:06:00.002-06:002009-01-24T15:53:59.103-06:00

Wow, what a crazy week that was...I did make it out to Montgomery over the weekend, and had a great time. I actually didn't leave until Monday too, as opposed to my usual custom of leaving Sunday afternoon. I just felt like I didn't need to rush back last weekend, I guess. Saturday morning Luke and Uncle Gary and I went to Circuit City looking for good deals on their 'going under' sales. We

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-85711241845021287032009-01-16T13:53:00.002-06:002009-01-16T14:01:18.930-06:00

Answer: neither! I got everything briefed up today after showing up 2 hours before brief time, and I thought all of that went really well. Then we stepped out to the jet (and it was freezing today!), and just as we were starting to preflight our plane a van rolled up and told us we were at the 'wrong' one and that they actually had another tail assigned to us. So we moved over to that one, did

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-38591745110687281242009-01-13T21:18:00.002-06:002009-01-13T21:38:39.196-06:00

After my long absence from the blog scene, I have returned! Things have been rather busy since my return to Columbus, but yet, haven't felt as busy as before. I think the fact that we're now off formal release has helped a lot because there is a lot less time spent sitting around doing nothing throughout the day. I still put in long days of course, but when I'm there, I'm working.Christmas break

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-10968628139381721282008-12-18T20:21:00.002-06:002008-12-18T20:36:35.130-06:00

Ok, 4 tries, and 0 successes...what a week! This heavy layer of clouds just will not leave. I have gone in before 5 every day this weeks to spend an hour mission planning and about the same amount of time briefing just to cancel each ride (excpet for Monday which still turned out to be an incomplete). The worst thing was that every single time we knew we were going to fly at 0400 when we looked

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-34788629574431056562008-12-16T18:11:00.002-06:002008-12-16T20:47:40.519-06:00

That's right, this is my 100th post according to my blog interface (I certainly haven't been counting them myself)! Well, in recent news on Friday night we went to Rob's house and had about 6 or 7 from the class over there to grill up some food, watch tv, hang out, and sit around the fire. :) He bought a fire pit last Monday and we were itching to try it out! He got wood for it by dumpster diving

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-442258792156780552008-12-11T19:37:00.003-06:002008-12-11T20:16:25.676-06:00

Wow, this week has just flown by! (haha, no pun intended...) I had the flight on Monday and then a sim on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday was the last of my transition sims and was run like a 'checkride profile'. That went pretty well, and then yesterday was my second to last emergency procedures sim with Rob as a sandbag. I always enjoy those because I know everything that could concievably

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-78973000363428928592008-12-09T21:13:00.002-06:002008-12-09T21:15:36.495-06:00

So, Thanksgiving was a fun time, and the break started out entertaining from the beginning. I woke up really early to be able to make it to Birmingham on my flight to San Antonio on Thanksgiving day. While trying to leave the base I went to the wrong gate and had to make a quick u-turn, and somehow while doing so something I had on the passenger seat (GPS, Ipod, or cellphone, not sure which)

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-38665957209834375222008-11-22T22:41:00.002-06:002008-11-22T22:59:08.100-06:00

Had a good Saturday today. Got a lot of misc errands done around the house including purchasing my Christmas tickets. This afternoon Phil and I went out with a mission to find a shooting range somewhere around here. Since it is Mississippi we figured it should be pretty easy to find a spot since there is so much empty land around here and so many gun-carrying locals and hunters. Well...we ended

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-69165715893727487972008-11-20T21:12:00.002-06:002008-11-20T21:41:13.077-06:00

So, just to update from my last post (a month ago almost to the day), I did finally get the bike sold to John Howell at church. I'm hoping it's a blessing for him especially in saving gas back and forth to college.I'm not even going to try to remember everything that's gone on in the last month, but I will update a bit on any 'spotlight' occasions I can remember and a few things from really

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-39972715460475925442008-10-21T18:39:00.002-05:002008-10-21T18:56:18.589-05:00

Well, I literally spent most of this past weekend trying to get my motorcycles up and running. The Intruder's battery was dead after sitting for 2 weeks before I could talk to the safety rep and get his blessing to ride again so I had to fix that first. However, the bike was not made for easy access to anything. The battery sits under the frame in a little box and you have to get it to drop out

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-55450478700164914012008-10-16T14:04:00.003-05:002008-10-16T14:36:04.262-05:00

Wow, it's almost been 2 weeks since my last update! Part of the reason for that is that not much has really been going on with training besides class, tests, and a couple of sims now. Everything is going really well so far, I've only missed 1 question so far on the 3 tests we've taken, and we'll be taking number 4 tomorrow morning. Both of the sims I've had so far have gone really well, and Ben

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-66833991323695346282008-10-05T19:40:00.002-05:002008-10-05T19:50:13.670-05:00

We did have a great service this morning. The group Mercy's Well sang for the whole sunday school hour and then most of the morning service as well and then Pastor spoke. Then, this was great, he dismissed everyone who wasn't going to stay for the afternoon service and THEN we all (those staying for the service) went into the fellowship hall and had a big lunch together. Two of our teens preached

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-64864369998512562172008-10-03T19:21:00.002-05:002008-10-03T20:38:24.938-05:00

Today was our first test in T-1 academics: Systems 01. It was a pretty easy test and like most of the rest of the class I got 100% on it. However, we were supposed to take the test at 8 this morning, and we showed up only to find that the network was down and we couldn't log in to take the test. So we ended up sitting around until 1030 while they tried to figure out what to do with us. They

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-2531037512682738192008-09-29T16:21:00.002-05:002008-09-29T16:37:29.785-05:00

This morning we reported to the flight room again and we starting 'ground training 01' which was basically just an intro and some more policies and all from the commander. I'm still off my motorcycle until I can talk to our motorcycle safety guy in the flight, who I've not been able to catch. So far like everyone who's taught us today has had some more of message of doom about motorcycle riding

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-8767336274677073582008-09-26T15:35:00.002-05:002008-09-26T15:57:42.532-05:00

Track select was yesterday and praise the Lord I got T-1s like I was hoping for! We had a breakfast in the heritage room as a class and with all guests (parents, friends, etc) and then a mission brief presenting to the families the mission of Columbus AFB. Then we had a mock formal brief and standup so the families could see what it's like for us every morning. For the EP there was a gremlin

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-48827049662347958522008-09-24T12:33:00.002-05:002008-09-24T12:39:21.320-05:00

This is funny...for once there's really not much to post about, and I'm actually posting. So why don't I keep up on here when there ARE things to write about? One's of this life's great mysteries I suppose.Yesterday I only had to go in around 11 to sit FIDO for a couple of hours, and then I was off for the day. Today I only have to be in at 1 for end-of-phase feedback from our flight commander.

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-6417077520855144742008-09-22T12:57:00.003-05:002008-09-22T13:26:28.299-05:00

This morning was not the 'day off' I had anticipated. I want a refund! We had to show up before 0815 to do a full formal report for 09-14 who are the ones replacing us. I did an intel brief on the Mirage 2000 which I put together last night, and then I got stood up too. Our USEM (the guy who leads the EP and knowledge stuff) is new, so he wanted to put a hard face on things. So he told me before

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-91053326701462924812008-09-18T23:07:00.002-05:002008-09-18T23:18:23.626-05:00

Not much has gone on the last couple of days, wich is really nice for a change! Yesterday I had 4 hours in the RSU doing recorder, and before that I got some shopping done for the squadron snacko store. Then today I had the T-38 sim where you basically fly the exact same ILS over and over again but you start at 200 knots and add 50 each time until you do it the last time at 600 knots. Things

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-60234175073692430582008-09-16T22:11:00.002-05:002008-09-16T22:38:34.022-05:00

That's right, I'm done! Flew my last flight ever in the T-6 today! (unless, God forbid, I get FAIPed back here...ugh, I sure hope not!) Today was my formation check ride with Machen, and it actually went really well on my part, I thought. Machen called knock-it-off like 3 different times, once during his Extended Trail lead and twice during my ET lead. Thankfully, everything stayed safe so there

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-57686703355304476652008-09-12T22:49:00.003-05:002008-09-12T22:59:24.486-05:00

Had a solid ride this morning with Machen, which is really good because right now we're scheduled to double turn together on Monday and then check together Tuesday. I really hope the weather holds up so that all happens as planned and I can be done with the T-6! Don't get me wrong, I've had a great time so far, but I'm ready to move on with training.I also got in another workout today. That's

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-34356559742702625822008-09-11T16:50:00.002-05:002008-09-11T17:27:51.846-05:00

Ok, wow, it's been a while! I'm going to start with Labor Day weekend 2 weeks ago. I did make it out to Montgomery and I did take my motorcycle out there. It was a great ride! I did get rained on after the first 30 minutes or so, so I pulled over, took 10 minutes to get my gear on and back on the road, and sure enough, it stopped raining and got really hot. So, I had to pull over again and take

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-85424551282292925622008-08-27T21:53:00.003-05:002008-08-27T22:10:28.376-05:00

Keith and I had the distinct privilege of having the earliest report times today to fly formation together. It went pretty well and my IP said I'm doing really well as far as formation is concerned. But, my pattern work was just down right ugly. My first break to Low Key was just awful, even downright pathetic. I was so far off on my estimates I ended up just making it look like a standard

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-64321513164492496232008-08-27T00:23:00.002-05:002008-08-27T00:29:21.082-05:00

Once again the weather kept us down all day. Then, I was on the board for 2 flights tomorrow including my formation solo, but now I've just got an early flight and then a Recorder tour...oh goody...Picked up that computer today, got him to knock off just a tad for taking both the computer and monitor as a package. I've been fighting it now for 3 hours trying to get a USB wireless receiver Ryan's

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-31365560410039342832008-08-26T00:10:00.003-05:002008-08-26T00:22:08.577-05:00

Ok, let me say from the start: oops, my bad. So I got in a little early today and Lenny caught me and started asking if I was the last one to sit FIDO on Friday. And I started thinking, Friday, I can't remember what I did yesterday let alone on Friday! But, yeah, I was the last one at Fido on Friday. (Fido is the desk in our flight room that is supposed to be 'manned' all day but is in reality

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-88671223957840007152008-08-24T23:07:00.002-05:002008-08-24T23:17:59.138-05:00

Ok, so the title of this post may be a little deceiving, this was pretty much just a 'situation normal' type weekend. Friday night I went with Ryan and Ashley to go see Death Race, which was pretty much exactly what I expected. Lots of killing and action wrapped around a very strained plot line, if you could even really call it a plot. Then Saturday I slept in and Fay hit us sometime Friday night

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-7087213802829280642008-08-22T22:23:00.002-05:002008-08-23T00:11:29.818-05:00

Ok, I have been away from this for a while. It's just been super busy, especially losing a whole weekend to the cross-country. Not that I consider it a 'loss' or anything, it just wasn't a break! I guess I'll start there in my recounting, though. We met Friday to start setting everything up. A big group of other guys was heading to Denver Colorado, but Captain Dove didn't want to head out that

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-68972365530010321542008-08-07T23:47:00.003-05:002008-08-08T00:20:32.392-05:00

Ok, so I was supposed to have my out and back today with a VFR first leg out to Meridian and then a night ride back here to shoot approaches. However, we had some ridiculous storms and bad weather roll in early in the afternoon. However, everything started clearing up enough that we actually were able to make it out, although our plans totally changed and we were fully 2 hours past our original

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-51454391368241897472008-08-06T23:49:00.002-05:002008-08-07T00:15:37.921-05:00

Ok, so, last night when I got the schedule off ATIS, I was not even on there. So it was going to be a nice relaxing (and short!) day. We didn't have to report until 1430 either, so I slept in really late until about 1045-ish (I did NOT want to get out of bed today). Then, while I was in the bathroom getting ready I heard my phone 'message' alarm go off twice in about 4 minutes. Then a minute

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-63366902048178545262008-08-05T19:56:00.003-05:002008-12-09T03:51:57.713-06:00

Well, yup, there goes another REALLY long break without putting up any posts...oops again. I'm so bad at this! Anyways, last week I got through my 4th Formation ride and Mom and Dad got here Thursday night around 730 or so. I was really looking forward to them getting here! Ryan picked them up at the gate as I was still in the squadron, and then I got back as soon as I coule and that's when these

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-81113133243784836172008-07-28T21:03:00.002-05:002008-07-28T21:30:35.189-05:00

Wow, what an action-packed day I had today!! I have a headache...woke up with one too...and I've had a itch in the back of my throat for a couple of days now that I'm praying doesn't develope into anything more insidious. Anyways, we had our formation test first thing this morning and I only missed 1 question, so I was pretty happy with that. Then I went to a formation sim after that (the one and

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-41828863484618824732008-07-27T23:24:00.002-05:002008-07-28T00:06:49.244-05:00

Ok, man, and I'm still trying to keep this thing alive! Once again I'm going to have to back track a bit. This past week I passed the nav test only missing 2 questions. Also plugged through a bunch more instrument sims and rides, and I'm now down to only 3 I-sims and 1 flight left! My cross country will be in 2 weeks, and then my I-check should be pretty much right after that. We're taking the

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-50478352487485065682008-07-22T23:24:00.002-05:002008-07-23T00:19:14.417-05:00

I was so excited yesterday about that formal release; so of course today, I have a 5 hour gap in the middle of the day before I go to my sim which is also the very last one of the day. By the time I got out and walked back to the squadron to put my gloves back and get my gear to go home, all the lights were off! So much for getting home earlier, I was the last one out!!I did run into Bro. Frank

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-39061577769936878282008-07-21T23:26:00.002-05:002008-07-21T23:43:44.244-05:00

Yes! Today was our last day of formal release! Up until now we've not been able to go home at the end of the day until all 12 of us were done with all of our events, and then we'd all sit in the room and the flight commander would formally end the day with us calling the room to attention and reporting out. After tonight, we're allowed to leave as soon as we're done with our last duty of the day!

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-54411717255297146452008-07-19T17:38:00.002-05:002008-12-09T03:51:58.044-06:00

And check out the pictures of my new bike. It's a 2002 Suzuki Intruder 800 with about 10k miles on it when I picked it up. So far I'm really really happy with it. I need to replace the back tire which is pretty worn, as well as the front brakes which are squeeling up a storm. Then there are some more mods I will be making on it over the next months as I have the time and cash, but those will have

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-70687327060237627022008-07-19T17:31:00.002-05:002008-12-09T03:51:58.403-06:00

Ok, below is the picture of our class patch. Watch the clip here if you missed it in my previous post to help you get where the patch is coming from: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZhSkRHXTKlwI think it's pretty good in that the F-E-V-E-R and boldface both really apply to us here and then it brings in the joke from that classic skit. Also, trust me, it is MUCH better than the other 2 ideas that

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-69794909926100635922008-07-16T23:28:00.002-05:002008-07-16T23:38:29.728-05:00

This is our night week, which is an even crazier schedule than ever, but I like it! I had my night flight tonight (every one gets 1 this week and then 1 on the cross-country rides). It was pretty sweet, but the weather could have been better. It looked like a monsoon before we stepped, and then rained most of the time while we were flying to pattern. It was a fun ride and a great intro to flying

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-34254031722025787732008-07-12T23:09:00.002-05:002008-07-13T00:01:25.558-05:00

Ok, it's been a WHILE since my last post. It's hard to stay on it with how busy we've been lately, but I really do want to keep up with this as much as possible, so here goes another bit of review.Last weekend we had Friday and Monday off so Friday morning I headed to Montgomery to be my relatives out there. I got there in time for a great July 4th lunch at Grammie and Grampie's with the Smith's

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-71469617110056945562008-07-03T23:46:00.002-05:002008-07-04T00:03:56.430-05:00

Another week over, finally! This one was only 4 days long but it felt like forever! Thankfully it is now finally over. We reported at 0950 today for CAI academics and then had 1330 formal report and EPQ, which I actually think I passed this time! Yay for avoiding Pro-cap by the skin of my teeth so far...I had an I-sim first thing today and that one actually went really well for the first time.

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-28856815491178586122008-07-02T22:24:00.002-05:002008-07-02T23:01:35.708-05:00

Thank goodness there's only 1 day left! This week and this pace is killing me. I've double-turned every day, and I'm doing it again tomorrow. And I'm not complaining like I'm the one bearing an exceptional burden or anything, everyone is double turning including the IPs, many of which even triple-turned today. I don't know how they do it; and right now we're down to only 3 IPs plus whatever guest

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-82872061118361390762008-06-30T22:53:00.002-05:002008-06-30T23:06:03.499-05:00

So today marked a big step in that after being on the flightline for six weeks 09-10 has joined us in the 37th making them the new 'baby' class of the squadron! It's great seeing them all running around, looking so lost, so scared, so...new...Hehe, I got a good number of friends in that class, so I just have to pick on them a bit. But a lot of them were getting there dollar rides today and I know

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-56468607604665900232008-06-29T22:11:00.002-05:002008-06-29T22:29:20.211-05:00

Had a good weekend, but way too short as always. It was actually quite nice this weekend, though, as this is the first one in about a month that I haven't had a huge test or checkride (or both) or anything of that nature hanging over my head. Friday night I just lazed about here and Ryan and I took our bikes into town and picked up some movies. We made it through one Friday night and then hit the

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-80858690470228881512008-06-27T19:03:00.005-05:002008-06-27T19:58:04.806-05:00

Wow, this week is finally over! I think I double turned almost every day this week, I had my first checkride, took the most failed test of the program, and was sick for the first half of the week. Wow...let's do that again!!Today had a sortie first period and then another area solo 2nd period. The first sortie went pretty well, went down to Gunshy with Long and did some pattern work. My ELPs are

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-57030399459130204962008-06-26T20:56:00.002-05:002008-06-26T21:27:11.158-05:00

All right, so my check ride went really well, praise the Lord! But first, that morning I had to attend the formation that I had stupidly volunteered for. Officership 101: never ever volunteer for anything! Which, trust me, I'd learned at the academy but was a situation where it was going to reflect poorly on our class if no one volunteered so me and 2 other guys saved the day. We had to show up

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-63378073546939958842008-06-24T18:26:00.002-05:002008-06-24T19:32:48.346-05:00

Finally I have returned!! I know it's been way too long, and even last time I posted I was updating from before that...which means I now have even more to update! But fear not, I have some free time (which means about 10 minutes or so) and I'm going to crank through what I can.Now, when we last left our valiant, dashing young hero he was smiling confidently while riding out to his jet. The second

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-59490122473382745302008-06-18T17:27:00.002-05:002008-12-09T03:51:59.115-06:00

So, it's been almost a week since my last update! I will attempt to sum most of the occurances up here without writing a novel in the process. Last Friday I had an OK flight, but for some reason I kept messing up my radio calls, so I got marked down on that and for not finding the VFR reference at Gunshy for a breakout (even though I'd never even seen a breakout before then...oh well).Saturday I

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-8741227477335562332008-06-12T20:24:00.002-05:002008-06-12T20:30:35.396-05:00

Finished another sortie today! That only leaves 2 flights left before my solo, so I should get it next Tuesday or Wednesday! This flight went really well over all, and he said my area work was really good. Only thing i messed up was radio calls, and those just wouldn't come out right today! So when I fly next I need to make sure I get those right because I was actually given an unsat grade for

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-67645221808250501742008-06-11T15:54:00.002-05:002008-06-11T16:17:27.674-05:00

Ok, so this morning I had the EP sim and it actually went really well! I had a really nice instructor, I could really tell he had a passion for teaching and really just cared about me knowing the material. However, he was also one of those guys who completely confuses me. I don't know if any one else has ever had this problem, but every now and then I found people who for some reason I have the

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-7831531574098158482008-06-10T16:08:00.003-05:002008-06-10T16:35:27.365-05:00

Had a pretty good day today. I got up at 4 to get in a little early to prepare my card for the flight I had this morning. I flew with the flight commander and he's a pretty funny dude. I'd definately have to sensor about 90% of what he says if I copied it over to this blog, but he definately knows how to get a point across! The brief was pretty straight forward, and I learned a few new things

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-62046072764972188502008-06-09T18:05:00.002-05:002008-06-09T18:27:18.512-05:00

Had a pretty good weekend. Friday Ryan asked me to join him and Ashley at the bowling alley since she was bringing along a couple of friends as well and guys don't let guys go into situations like that outnumbered! We played a couple of games (and mine were aweful!) and had a pretty good time. Then they came over and we all watched a movie and then chatted for a while before they left. I was so

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-21515589937867341152008-06-07T00:11:00.005-05:002008-12-09T03:51:59.605-06:00

No post today, I'll write tomorrow. Just want to dedicate this one to those who sacrificed so much for our country, and for the rest of the free world. 64 years ago today the greatest amphibious invasion in history was launched against a seemingly impenetrable line of defenses on Normandy's shore. For those of you who have never been there, it's an awe-inspiring sight to see the final resting

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-54553380418758672962008-06-05T23:15:00.000-05:002008-06-05T23:24:22.377-05:00

Not much to share about the last 2 days. Both were long and neither had anything exceptional to write about. Both yesterday and today I was on the schedule to fly but got canceled both times. I hate any breaks in flying like that because there are always things that I quickly get rusty in with so little experience behind me to lean on. Luckily, I'm on the schedule for tomorrow so I'm looking

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-33870872910238287722008-06-04T10:11:00.000-05:002008-06-04T10:20:56.451-05:00

Ok, so it wasn't terrible, but I thought that'd make a catchy title. I did get to fly again today, the first ride of the block, but I was just a little off the whole time. I could never really get into a good rythm and kept making stupid mistakes. O well, like I said yesterday, you have your good days and you have your bad. What was cool about this flight, though, is that it was the first one of

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-40398590537223157922008-06-02T23:58:00.000-05:002008-06-03T00:45:25.311-05:00

Had a pretty good weekend. Friday we got back pretty late so I just hung around the house and chilled and then slept in late Saturday morning. Saturday I got all my errands and shopping done for the week, and I also made a pretty mean roast!I picked up the meat at the commissary and then I decided I wanted a little bit of onion, carrots and potatoes in the roast. And let me tell you, this is why

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-45120451949562953612008-05-30T19:53:00.000-05:002008-05-30T20:04:25.927-05:00

Well, it was only a 4-day week but it was certainly long enough, Uncle, Uncle! Glad that's over with, one more week closer now to graduation and wings! Had my 4006 ride today which finishes up the block, and I was pretty happy with it! I went from 4 bad radio calls yesterday (which at 25c each cost my $1 this morning) to being the only one NOT to get one this evening during second go flying! Got

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-36316035824336791892008-05-29T23:31:00.000-05:002008-05-29T23:44:01.891-05:00

Almost forgot, this is Kenny's graduation Friday! I'll literally be in the air tomorrow during his graduation if my flight goes as currently scheduled, so I probably won't even get to call him until way later. Kenny has also kept the Quinlan Kids tradition of graduating Valedictorian with a 4.0!! Not bad for the 6-foot 'runt' of the litter, huh?Ken, I'm proud of you, little bro', and looking

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-91929317972435424982008-05-29T22:45:00.000-05:002008-05-29T22:59:27.146-05:00

Yes, and the weather cleared today!! I got to fly for the first time since last Thursday today, and I was glad to finally get up again! I was definately really rusty after so long of a break between flights, but I caught up pretty quickly and I got a lot accomplished and made some good progress today as well. I flew with a guest IP today and I liked his teaching style, I'll remember not to mess

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-52721711671494213512008-05-28T21:09:00.000-05:002008-05-28T21:22:44.887-05:00

I almost titled this post 'long day', but then I realized that every day for the next LONG TIME is going to be this long or longer. That being said, today was still a long day. I did not get to fly again due to the weather, but I did accomplish an emergency procedures (EP) sim ride, and actually did fairly well on that. Tomorrow we have a big test on local area procedures consisting of 50

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-37631781593048958032008-05-27T20:51:00.000-05:002008-05-27T22:11:13.166-05:00

We had thunder storms coming through all day today, so nobody got to fly due to the weather cancelations. It was a great day for getting a lot of other things done, and I listened in to a lot of briefs as well as got drilled on a lot of general knowledge questions that we'll need to know in the future for check rides.That crockpot taco recipe Mom sent me worked out great today. I was able to get

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-15629647118456342742008-05-27T09:46:00.000-05:002008-05-27T09:51:52.444-05:00

Well, I've got the meal ready to go in the crockpot so I just have to turn it on as I walk out the door, I've made sandwiches for lunch and pre-dinner, and I still have about 10 minutes until I need to leave. So, I thought I'd put in a quick update on my new game with Chaos.Get this, I think he's missing the dog who became quite the playmate because he keeps meowing and begging me to entertain

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-4900216803766798252008-05-26T19:58:00.000-05:002008-05-27T22:12:00.104-05:00

And the long weekend went by way too fast! Ryan's parents did make it in on Friday and left early Sunday morning. They set up an inflatable bed in the office, which was really to have. They were really appreciative of me allowing them to stay here, as I guess there have been problems with that in the past with other room mates, but of course I just figured I'd want the same if my mom and dad were

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-55008052433692121302008-05-23T11:39:00.000-05:002008-05-23T11:56:17.289-05:00

And we're out for the weekend until Tuesday! Woohoo, what a good long break! But must study as well...Ryan's parents are getting in sometime this evening and they'll be with us through Saturday and leave sometime Sunday morning. I think they're shacking up in the living room or something on an inflatable mattress. Then they'll be taking poor Oreo away from us. It's probably for the best, though,

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-40829589856987986252008-05-22T18:03:00.000-05:002008-05-22T18:16:51.634-05:00

4 flights in 4 days, what a week! While yesterday's flight was rather on the rough and dissapointing side, however, today's was awesome! The weather was beautiful with a pretty solid layer of clouds between 5 and 7 thousand feet. So, when we climbed up to 7k and broke through them, it was beautiful! The sun was shining in a blue sky with a layer of the softest, puffiest clouds you've ever seen,

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-59898392949634855352008-05-21T17:47:00.001-05:002008-05-21T17:56:22.722-05:00

What a long week, I just am NOT an early-to-rise kind of guy! Once again, though, there was a nice moon out on my way to work this morning, the really odd part is that the sun was out when I went to bed...Today's ride was pretty rough. We did pattern work most of the time out, and I still need a lot of work on my landings! The good thing is that I really felt it on my very last landing after we

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-35491331512900785642008-05-20T19:56:00.000-05:002008-05-20T20:07:18.449-05:00

So it's almost 8 and past my 730 bedtime, but I can't let two days go by without at least a quick blog update. These 0345 wakeups are killing me, though! The only consolation is that the last two morning's I've seen a beautiful full moon on my way to work...The dollar ride was awesome yesterday! The weather was great, and the sky was crystal clear. We did an area tour of the West areas so that I

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-59694232457879564212008-05-18T16:20:00.000-05:002008-12-09T03:52:00.029-06:00

This is a picture of our T-6 Texan for those of you who've been wondering what the plane I'm going to fly looks like.And this a picture of Chaos I just had to post after taking it this afternoon! Vicious killer cat...

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-49250749795491123562008-05-18T16:08:00.000-05:002008-12-09T03:52:00.390-06:00

Just finished preparing my dollar to give to the IP giving me my dollar ride tomorrow. It's a tradition that dates back a good ways, evidently, that the student gives the IP giving them their first ride in the plan a dollar, and over the years they've been decorated or adorned in different fashions to commemorate the ride. I'm hoping you can click on the image and zoom in or save it and zoom in

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-1045081494294116752008-05-16T21:17:00.001-05:002008-05-16T21:21:35.534-05:00

Had a great time! There was some really good food, and brother Frank gave a great devotion on personal prayer life. I also met Fran and Frank's other 2 daughters and sat near the three of them and chatted for a bit during the meal. Then a group stayed around after that was over and we played a few games of volleyball. Definitely a good time, and I'm looking forward to the one for next month! Also

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-63685230456783271642008-05-16T16:07:00.000-05:002008-05-16T16:16:59.118-05:00

Wow, what a day! I was up at 0420 this morning, and it was just a long day after that. We had our first sample of what standup will be like this morning, and saw an example EP (emergency procedure) as well which was done on one of the instructors. I was sitting close to where he was standing, and I saw that even his hands were shaking! So I know it's going to definitely be tough on us.I didn't

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-18361297744303233142008-05-15T18:44:00.000-05:002008-05-15T19:07:26.798-05:00

Reported at 0700 and then had a briefing from the squadron commander as a class at 0800. Most of today was spent with a few briefings on everything from patterns, to standup expectations to studying for the rides. We also did a lot of setup on the computers and in our flight room to make sure we all the permissions we need and are able to access the materials that we need to access.Oh, and

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-83971801058645505962008-05-14T21:13:00.000-05:002008-12-09T03:52:00.531-06:00

Tomorrow is Day 1 of Phase II! These past 6 weeks have just flown by already, and it's about to get even more busy! We met our Flight Commander for the first time today and he gave us an expectations briefing in the flight room; which will be our room for the next 5 months of training. Tomorrow we are officially in the 37th FTS (Flying Training Squadron), the Bengal Tigers, and we got the patch

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-62146465778646574542008-05-13T17:59:00.000-05:002008-05-13T18:12:36.995-05:00

Wow, it's a pretty big day! This morning we finally did have our Contact phase exam, and I got my first 100% since physio! I spent 6+ hours studying for this one, so at least it payed off. Also, after 4 solid hours of studying last night, I got an Excellent overall rating on my sim today, and had a pretty good ride. It was quite hilarious, though, as my IP ended up getting himself quite confused

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-45063586767247193352008-05-12T22:47:00.000-05:002008-05-12T22:57:44.905-05:00

This morning was supposed to be our 1st Contact phase exam. However, when we went to load it up, the program froze on every single one of the computers. So, they then realized that there was some sort of software problem with that particular test (brilliant), and we're now supposed to be taking the test tomorrow morning instead.After that failed this morning, I finished up another lesson in the

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-2037629182918612882008-05-10T13:44:00.000-05:002008-05-10T13:54:58.914-05:00

This morning was the Mother-Daughter tea at Lighthouse that I was signed up to help out with. We put all the food together on plates and then served all the ladies during the program. We also kept them well-stocked with beverages of their choice. As a nice fringe-benefit there was a ton of food left over so I had a good brunch myself while I was there! I also got to call home for about 40 minutes

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-54832173537846953912008-05-08T22:37:00.000-05:002008-05-08T22:55:11.967-05:00

This afternoon I had a sim starting at 12. However, I've been totally wiped out lately so I ended up sleeping in a little later than I first planned. So, I could have used about an extra hour or so today to get ready for this one, because my radio calls, checklist fluidity, and my pattern familiarity can all use some work. Starting tomorrow night and then on Saturday I plan on putting in a good 4

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-54492576726804076892008-05-07T23:41:00.000-05:002008-05-07T23:49:27.621-05:00

Wow, so this week has already been super busy. It's almost Thursday and I don't know where the time went! So far, I've had a sim every day for like the last 5 days, and have one again tomorrow. At least its not like today, though! It was near the end of our class this morning when an LSI instructor handed me a sticky note telling me to be ready to brief for a sim by a little after 12! That gave

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-84282326146434121912008-05-06T19:40:00.001-05:002008-12-09T03:52:00.966-06:00

Ok, wow, it's been WAY too long since I've updated here, I know. However, last week quickly got ridiculously busy to the point where I was gone all day and studying all night. I won't try to write on everything from last week, but there were a couple of highlights. I missed only 1 question again on the exam, and I also scored pretty well (for me) on the PFT we took Friday morning. Posted randomly

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-55301417115216318602008-04-28T18:10:00.000-05:002008-04-28T18:29:29.566-05:00

This morning we got up in time to make it for a 0730 Self-Aid Buddy Care (SABC) briefing. Only problem was, we were the only ones to show up...no one was there to instruct us! So, our flight commander apologized, and told us to go home and be back by 9 for our first class of the day. It's funny because promptness is drilled into our heads over and over again here, but so far every base-sponsored

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-30421060418661324652008-04-26T14:46:00.001-05:002008-12-09T03:52:01.296-06:00

So there we were (Chaos and I), just minding our own business with Chaos helping me to study for Monday's sim. We weren't hurtin' nobody, and everything was fine with the world. Then, all of a sudden Ryan came back and we heard the front door open and the clatter of nails on the hardwood floor. And suddenly, in came this other raging beast--tail wagging and tongue licking with plenty of hello

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-57687884012288181952008-04-25T17:08:00.000-05:002008-12-09T03:52:01.626-06:00

Yesterday was a pretty 'typical' day for academics. Right now we're getting into the aeronautics portion of academics, and I don't even know if I can spell it right let alone get all that down! But luckily the instructors have been very helpful so far in putting everything into the level that we need to grasp. Last night I played FF XII for a few more hours after a decent workout. Again, I'm

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-1184646188963857562008-04-23T22:11:00.000-05:002008-04-23T22:13:01.216-05:00

We had a very sobering event today. Here's a news article I found on it from a local Columbus paper: http://www.cdispatch.com/articles/2008/04/23/local_news/local01.txtI can't give out any other information than what's in the article, but to sum it up we had a T-38 go down early this afternoon and the IP and Student both died in the crash. We were on lockdown in the OSS for most of the afternoon

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-43878223244225186542008-04-22T18:28:00.000-05:002008-04-22T18:36:21.599-05:00

Today was a very nice light day here at sunny Columbus. The only thing I had today was an hour and a half review at 3. I was able to get a lot of random errands done during that free time as well as a good review of the topics from the last few days.Tomorrow is the second Systems exam, and I'm hoping to do even better on this one if at all possible. A group of us are getting together at 8 to

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-39351557323771232632008-04-21T17:30:00.000-05:002008-04-21T18:36:55.631-05:00

Have you gone through an entire day where you know you were busy all day, and you feel totally wiped out, but try as you can you can't really remember what you did all day? Today was like that... I have to admit that staying up late playing FF XII probably didn't help anything, but it was worth it! (I think) This morning we had CAIs through about 1230, and then we were at the personnel building

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-33843801748464266482008-04-18T11:08:00.000-05:002008-04-18T11:14:05.432-05:00

Had to run back to the house after finishing this morning's CAIs as I forgot to grab the Systems 2 book which we are now in since finishing the test yesterday. Thought I'd put up a quick update.I couldn't sleep very well last night at all, not sure why; but I kept waking up at all times. I was also sleeping frustrated. If you've ever experienced it, you know what I mean, but it's sleeping with

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-32827132985863079612008-04-17T20:52:00.003-05:002008-04-17T21:11:37.300-05:00

Wednesday was a pretty packed day. We had CAI lessons all morning followed by a lunch at the Club where all the wing leadership ate with us and then had some time to talk to us about various topics relating to Columbus AFB. The food was really good, but you can never quite enjoy it fully if you are sitting next to someone with a bird on their shoulder. It's not like it's their fault, I just

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-17336071417247285682008-04-15T17:11:00.000-05:002008-12-09T03:52:01.927-06:00

So, I got back this afternoon to find that Chaos was just bouncing off the walls to see me! He was so excited I just had to get a picture of him in his state of revelry:And here he is just a second later, can't you see just how happy he is to see that Daddy's home! I was almost afraid I'd have to sedate him before he hurt himself. It's so great to feel loved...cats!And yes, for those of you who

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-91788354581378040922008-04-14T19:56:00.000-05:002008-12-09T03:52:02.207-06:00

The Face of Chaos!So, on Saturday Ryan and I went out, and yes, I found a cat! I figure if I can't be married right now I still need some form of companionship! His name was Chaos, and since I can't think of a name cooler than that, I've decided to let him keep it. After talking to Cindy she said he had to have a middle name, so I think I'll call him Chaos Mayhem 'lolcat' Quinlan. Lolcat is the

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-63129558553395380562008-04-11T18:26:00.000-05:002008-04-11T18:40:06.500-05:00

Sure enough, that Monster came in really handy today! We were out the door around 0515 this morning, and then headed out as a class to a big field on base to launch signaling flares and practice igniting smoke and phosphorous ground flares. And hey, pyrotechnics are always fun!After that, I finally got my egress training done today and then took the FACT. I had a good grader who wasn't overly

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-45615721265933204932008-04-10T22:20:00.000-05:002008-12-09T03:52:02.649-06:00

First, here are some pictures from the altitude chamber yesterday. The first one is just of me chilling out during the 30 minutes of de-nitrogen time at the beggining of the chamber where breath 100% oxygen to clear as much nitgrogen from the body as possible. This picture was taken at something like 20,000 ft pressure altitude where we go off of oxygen and try to fill out a simple sheet with

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-42884348665936906112008-04-09T11:49:00.000-05:002008-12-09T03:52:03.448-06:00

Yes! They finally uploaded! I will hold off on the victory dance until this actually posts, though...Don't want to jinx anything.First, here is our class during the egress training portion. This is to drill us on both ejection procedures and emergency ground egress procedures.We also did night vision demonstrations yesterday, and those cool looking red goggles were meant to get our eyes to start

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-74235552218497064532008-04-07T23:09:00.000-05:002008-04-07T23:21:37.438-05:00

Ok, I've tried this post a few times already and lost everything. So, here it goes again, and maybe the pictures will actually load this time...maybe:And never mind. At five minutes a pop these are just not loading. Will try again tomorrow, but must go to bed. So, check's in the mail...

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-54123723846882999742008-04-07T12:16:00.001-05:002008-04-07T12:24:24.531-05:00

So, as I was sitting in class today paying rapt attention to the briefer, a random thought entered my mind (as they often do): I still need to get a pet here!So, what kind of pet does a single guy going through UPT get? I can't get a dog or cat because I just won't be around enough to take care of one. I'd love to get a ferret (yes, still), but they can also be high-maintainance and may have a

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-74022257204593319142008-04-05T21:23:00.000-05:002008-04-05T21:36:27.271-05:00

Woke up late this morning after staying up later last night doing some reading. Before 1 I started working on my car and finished up around 1830 or so, and it's still not done! I'm trying to put in the sound system that I had in my jeep, which involves in a new controller, an amp, a 6-disk changer, and a 12" sub. So, I had to take the entire dash apart to get at the stereo and pull that out. Then

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-34726226125641257702008-04-04T22:56:00.001-05:002008-04-04T22:58:35.806-05:00

Well, that's it, I've set up the blog and have distributed the info a bit; I'm actually quite curious to see how well this works out. To my first visitors: let me know how you like it!Currently my first 3 days of training are posted below, and I do hope to drop a post this weekend (maybe) detailing a bit of the adventures pre-UPT here in MS.Enjoy, and drop me a 'comment' if you want! :)

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-12753920438187203512008-04-04T22:41:00.002-05:002008-04-04T22:42:37.950-05:00

First day of the physiology portion of academics where we will be until next Friday. Had a pretty good day. The morning was all powerpoint lessons after the OG’s brief, and then got a good 1.5 hour lunch break. The stuff we’re learning is all very applicable to what we’re going to be doing (obviously) and kept me very much in-tuned to the material. My goal is to really stay focused during each

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-30910568060486163432008-04-04T22:41:00.001-05:002008-04-04T22:41:51.840-05:00

Easy day today. Had some generic briefings this morning with our Flight Commander, Capt “Boba” Feth (get it?). He also laid out some general expectations for our class as well; he seems reasonable, but we certainly will want to keep our noses clean. We are all wearing blues right now, and we won’t be allowed to wear our flight-suits until everyone passes two bold-face quizzes in a row. Also, we’

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7683906057559641276.post-32259546751108144982008-04-04T22:16:00.000-05:002008-04-04T22:19:00.553-05:00

Finally, after 4 years at the Academy, and 8 months of casual, UPT has begun! Even so, today was only an administrative day again. This morning at 0730 we reported to 41st heritage room/bar for our helmet fitting. This consisted of putting on a helmet (I’m a Large) and the face mask and getting those tightened and fitted just right. Then we plugged into a testing machine that checks for leaks by

Dan Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05502580340231203207noreply@blogger.com1