I packed up my things, excited. I was going to be a pilot!
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Training is harsh. You wake up at the crack of dawn (usually 5:30) and run until seven o’ clock sharp. Then you fall in for breakfast (which may be one of the things I can’t complain about). After breakfast, you have classes from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon. From four to five is free time. I usually spend it in the hangars, getting myself accustomed to the multitude of knobs and gizmos that we learned about in class that day.
From 5:30 sharp to eight in the evening, it’s brutal training. I never knew pilots had to be this physically fit. However, the shock didn’t hit me as hard as it did some others I worked in the construction industry. And I wasn’t one of those chubby dudes you saw working on huge factories- I was actually in shape.
Anyways, this part of camp was brutal. The officers delivered an ultimatum- you have to be able to go through the course in five minutes flat (or less) or you can’t be a pilot. My best is 5:34.