Days 22, 23, 24

We continued drawing, learned about charts (one called a nomograph... nom nom nom), and then today, we took the exam for Aviation Science.

I'm glad to get that behind me.

Mathematics, physics, aerodynamics, aircraft blueprints, drawings and charts. Gas mechanics, fluid dynamics, a few basic electrical principles and a whole lot of drawing out of the way.

We watched what might possibly be one of the more excruciating instructional videos ever conceived. It covered the basics of engineering drawings. I'm pretty sure the VC used it to torture American POWs.

In any event, I'm glad to have Aviation Science behind me. Next course is Shop Practices. We start tomorrow, and I'm pretty stoked.

Next week we'll finally be bringing some tools to school. A few hand tools and some dial calipers, but that should be sufficient to get my hands dirty.  The instructor has done an excellent job of mixing the classes up so we don't spend too much time at once in the classroom. I'm sure this tactic has helped his course completion percentages.

We've lost two of our original group so far. One just quit showing up, and the other took a full time position somewhere else. I foresee losing at least two more. But maybe I'm just being pessimistic.

Oh, I got a 100 on the aviation science final, by the way. Which, according to my records, should give me an A for the class. Thats two courses, two As.

I guess I'm satisfied with that.


Yesterday we took a field trip to go see the Space Shuttle trainer, which is now permanently housed in Amarillo, Texas. It was neat to be in a NASA craft. To touch one still warm from flight, and to know that nobody had come in and wiped the seats down between the time the real professionals landed and we were allowed to board.

Really cool stuff.



The aircraft itself is a Gulfstream II. They're not cheap craft, and they're well-built. I think, if the information I was given is correct, that this was the only craft currently in production which met the glide requirements for NASA. That could be jibberjabber, but the G2 did its job for many astronauts.

It is now being kept in a location where I can go see it anytime I feel like it.

Awesome.

(I'm still holding out for a decommissioned SR-71.)