Gearing Up

This is not a flight story, so I apologize to all those who were expecting a jet story. Nope, but nontheless, this is an important step in getting ready for TPS.

Part of the new student process is to check in with the PR shop (Parachute Rigger shop, aka Paraloft). The folks in there are responsible for pretty much all your flight gear. From the boots and flight suit all the way to the survival equipment, they literally are your first and last line of safety should you need to eject. Throughout my 4 years at Pax River, I've come to really appreciate the Paraloft folks. Not only is their job paramount to flying, they bring a sense of security (and sometime comedic relief) to an already stressful situation.

My visit to the TPS paraloft would be no exception...

When I first walked in, there was an older gentleman sitting there, eyeing me as I approached. It must have been the not-so-suave posture I was walking with, or the fact that he has been there forever, but his first words to me as I approached were.. "So, Class 130 student, eh?"

"Um, yeah...but how.. nevermind, I'm Patrick." "Well hello Patrick and welcome aboard, I'm Jerry."

The TPS paraloft is definitely an aviation shrine. There are all kinds of photos, patches, old flight gear (and new gear too of course) in there. It SMELLS of aviation! Jerry introduced me to the rest of the crew....Frank, Bill, Frank, Lynn, and a few others that I've already forgotten their names but will quickly remember come Class Day #1.

"Yeah, I'm here to get fitted for my gear. I'm going to be in the jet curriculum."
"Ok Pat, well, first things first, have you flown before?"
"Well, yeah, I'm a civilian pilot, and I have about 200 hours on an E-6, and only a couple of hornet flights."
"So you've worn the gear before then....good, this should come as no surprise to you."

Hmmm...are they going to start the class 130 hazing at the paraloft? Their smirks seemed to tell me YES, but at the same time, I also got the same feeling of comedic relief and professionalism. Well, this is going to be fun nontheless.

First was to verify my flight suits were the right size for me. 46 Regular, yep, those fit good. Now the boots... yep they fit.

DAMN IT! Ok, this blog is not making me happy. I had A LOT more stuff here, but somehow it did not save it...SO, I will update this more later when my frustrations have cooled down....