Block Two Summary

Today marks the end of block two. Everyone in the class is breathing a little easier. It's amazing! We made it through without losing anyone else! Seems that we're coming together a little more and acting as a real team. Through the past few weeks, we've been forced to look out for and help each other while working in the simulator. The three positions all rely on each other to control traffic safely. If one person screws up... well, I belive the saying goes: "sh*t rolls downhill." Not only does a mistake get you in trouble, if the other controllers don't catch it, they also feel the effects. I think this has helped build bonds between classmates and ensured that we didn't leave anyone behind.

Anyway, overall I really enjoyed block two. It was great to get some real hands-on experience. I have a lot more confidence in where my career is headed as well as a sense of pride in what I'm doing here. The instructors are less forgiving throughout the 3 weeks, but I think it helped all of us pick it up a little faster. Things turned out well for everyone. On our final run (the one that counts toward our GPA), I scored 99 on flight data, 95 on ground control, and a whopping 73 on local control. I was really dissappointed in my local score, but all I can do is move on to the next block.

If I haven't mentioned it before, we are now down to 11 students. We started with 18, and lost 9. However, we've had two from upper classes dropped back into ours (hence 11 total). Surprisingly, out of the 9 we lost, only 2 of our original class have actually been dropped from the school. The other 7 were just set back (they still haven't made their way to block two, though). I expect to graduate with all those currently in my class. From what I hear, block three is a chance to loosen the belt and relax a little. It sounds like from here on out, the instructors make sure you graduate.

If things go well, we should be picking orders in the next 3 to 4 weeks. I can't wait to find out where I'll be headed! I'm hoping for Italy or Spain. next to that, I would take orders to Japan, Norfolk (Virginia), or Washington State. I also wouldn't mind ship duty - I'd really like to travel and see as many places as possible. My choice in orders is all based upon rank in the class. Figuring GPA alone, I'm 3rd or 4th after today. However, after figuring in my "outstanding" on uniform inspection and hopefully an "outstanding" in the upcoming PRT (physical readiness test), I may move up to 1st or 2nd. Since we have 9 Navy students (the other 2 are Marines, and their orders are separate from ours), we'll be given 9 sets of orders. Top person in the class has first choice, and the 9th person would be stuck with whatever is left. Good thing I'm not too picky :) - I'll be sure to keep you updated on where I'm headed.