the corioblog : read, and be entertained

“Standard: maintain the assigned heading +- 10 degrees…”

I’ve decided to keep the Black Hawk.

As with most decisions, this was a matter of finding the appropriate context. I was having a hard time doing that earlier because the ideal context, in which I had the opportunity to try both aircraft and choose after, was impossible. It’s no good trying to predict how well one will like something before ever trying it.

I had to step back and look at things from a larger perspective before the choice started to become non-arbitrary. Why did I choose Kiowas in the first place? Because they led very naturally into a progression that could include joining the 160th, or otherwise flying the ARH. Both of those paths assume that I’d make a career out of the Army.

At this point, that isn’t seeming very likely. Of course, I’ll make the final decision much closer to the end of my mandatory service period, but I think I could make more money, and have more fun, outside of the military. If I don’t assume that I’m going to be doing this for my entire career, the Black Hawk starts making a lot more sense. The missions I’d fly in that transfer much more directly into the type of flight I’d expect as a civilian, and the better selection of bases and assignments grow in importance.

Am I doing the right thing, intentionally declining an opportunity which may never again be presented to me? I hope so. Perhaps it’s lucky that there is no way to prove whether or not this was the right decision. I’ll just have to be happy with the choice and assume that it was for the best. It shouldn’t be too hard; I’ll be flying the most versatile helicopter in the Army.

2008 08 27 flight school Comments (0) Permalink

Now I have a choice to make

In more news: I just got an opportunity. I can keep the UH-60, which was my second choice of helicopter–or I can switch to the OH-58, which was my first. I have 24 hours to make the decision.

Pros of switching: I get guns. I get a more interesting mission.

Cons of switching: I class up a month later–enough to be annoying; not enough to take the JLPT. I get fewer and worse duty stations. Higher risk. Lower toque. (Torque is all-important for helicopter flight.)

At this point, I feel like I might as well flip a coin. It all seems implausibly evenly balanced. What do you think?

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(poll closes at noon tomorrow so I can deliver my answer on time)

classing up

Right now, I’m in a bubble. This is just one of those inexplicable absurdities of flight school: as flight training is very expensive and very perishable, one would expect to be rushed through as quickly as possible. Instead, there is a mandatory, months-long wait between finishing primary and beginning training in your advanced aircraft. It’s been institutionalized to the point that upon beginning the bubble, people are automatically assigned to the funeral detail for 30 days, at which point they are automatically removed. This keeps that detail staffed fairly without ever risking anyone’s flight training; there is no chance that the bubble will ever be shorter than that.

I had been proceeding up until now with the expectation that I would join my class within a week or two of Christmas. That was fine, if annoyingly long; it allowed me to sign up for the JLPT on the assumption that with nothing better to do with my time, I could study Japanese.

I went today to see the cadre member in charge of scheduling; if my start date were a week or two earlier than I had expected, I wanted to see if I could delay it until after the test. Instead, I received a surprise: the unofficial estimate by the man who will eventually make the final decision is that I will class up on October 10. This means that I’m likely to finish flight training by the end of January, and graduate from flight school perhaps a month after that.

This is great news, in the sense that it means that I’ll probably be out of Fort Rucker months before I had expected. On the other hand, it makes it unlikely that I’ll be able to take the JLPT. The universal word is that you have to study harder for your advanced aircraft than you ever did in primary. Consequently, there will barely be time to sleep each night, let alone study up in a foreign language. I could possibly switch tests and take the level 4 after two weeks of not studying Japanese; I’d expect to pass, but it seems kind of pointless.

Until I actually get a finalized start date, I’ll keep studying. Even if nothing else, I do enjoy learning the Japanese language. Still, I can’t help but regret yet another missed opportunity to get some sort of formal qualification in it.

2008 08 26 flight school
japanese
what i learned at work today Comments (0) Permalink

Review: Asatte no Houkou

Asatte no Houkou is, at its heart, a fairytale. It conforms perfectly to the classical structure: a normal person leads a normal life. A single act of magic grants a well-intentioned but poorly-worded wish. This creates confusion and distress for the wisher and all around her, but everyone eventually adapts to the new situation. Finally, valuable life lessons having been learned, the status quo is restored.

The problems in fairytales often stem from the fact that magic seems to be a terribly literal-minded force which will only do the absolute minimum which could possibly satisfy a particular wish. This explains the great power and reputation of wizards–scholarly people who spend years in study and weild their power through complex incantations–as they’re essentially the lawyers of a magical world. The problem isn’t accessing the magic; any fool can do that. The trick is getting it to do what you intend. However, this leaves everyone who uses magic without all that forethought out of luck.

In this case, a young girl lives with her adult brother because their parents died. Their deaths brought him back from studying abroad to take care of her. She sees her dependence on him as an imposition, and so habitually wishes at a wishing rock to grow up immediately so as to free him of her. It’s like dropping coins into a fountain; it can’t hurt, but nobody really expects anything to come of it.

One can’t blame her for being utterly unprepared when one day at the wishing rock, she opens her eyes after making her wish and discovers that she now occupies the body of a twenty-year-old. The wishing rock gave her an adult body, and stuck her there without any corresponding increases in maturity, education, or intellect. The rest of the series is everybody figuring out what to do about this.

It’s a story gently and interestingly told. The author clearly subscribes to the theory that anybody can adapt to any situation without too much trouble. If a pauper suddenly elevated could make a good king, than a child in an adult’s body could make their way in the world without too much trouble. The art and music are nothing to remember; it’s the people in this story who keep your attention.

As with any fairy tale, you know from the beginning how things will end. The journey is the important part, not the destination. This one doesn’t really make it to greatness, but it is certainly pleasant enough for its duration.

Genre: fairytale
Emotion: melancholy
BTFS: 0.8

2008 08 25 anime Comments (2) Permalink

I seem once again to be an outlier

I loved WPI. In general, the teachers were competent, the courses challenging, and the people lots of fun. I feel like I got a good education there, despite the fact that I’ve not used it professionally yet. I figured that having a really cool job would make up for a salary cut.

I knew that my classmates were making, on average, twice what I do. What I didn’t know was that this put WPI into the top 10 colleges for getting rich, as ranked by Forbes. I can’t help but think of that as kind of cool. I only wish that my time there still counted for something by the time I re-enter the job-seeking pool.

2008 08 25 WPI
misc.link Comments (0) Permalink

mySQLgame

I guess I’m not the only person who hates writing user interfaces.

2008 08 25 geekspeak
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Glassbooth

There are hundreds of political quizzes out there. Most of them are crap.

Glassbooth raises the bar. It does this by asking first which issues you care about, then finding out where you stand on those issues, and finally matching the views of current politicians against yours. It’s a specialized domain application–they only consider people running for president in 2008–but it works pretty well.

The best part about this is that it’s deeply linked; it shows the facts which back up its appraisal of the politicians’ opinions on each issue, as well as explaining in clear and non-partisan terms what each issue really is.

If you know exactly who you’ll vote for this fall and why, you don’t need this. If on the other hand you have any lingering doubts about which candidate actually stands for what you personally believe in, this is worth looking at.

2008 08 23 misc.link
politics Comments (0) Permalink

True Facts about the UH-60

I picked up the miniaturized version of TM 1-1520-237-10 yesterday. It’s a book, two inches by six by eight: the operator’s manual for the Black Hawk. Today I’ve spent a little time browsing through to find interesting pieces of information.

The rotor system shall not be shut down in winds exceeding 45 knots. Presumably, in such conditions, the pilot is expected to either wait for the winds to die down, taxi into a hangar, or relocate into the lee of the most convenient mountain.
Landings are permitted with 60 knots forward speed and 540 feet per minute vertical speed. In other words, it is allowable to land at highway speed while descending faster than most elevators.
When in icing conditions, pilots may choose either to descend quickly, or to have cabin heat, but not both.
Pilots should be able to identify all cockpit controls and switches blind before attempting to fly while wearing a gas mask.
Braking with the main rotor during a rolling landing is permissible so long as only the tail wheel is in contact with the ground. Once the main wheels touch down, attempting this may cause the main rotor to come in contact with other parts of the helicopter.
With external fuel tanks installed, the right hand tank will vibrate more than the left tank. This is normal. (No other explanation is given.)
Front and side airbags (for the pilots, at least) are standard. In the event of inadvertent deployment, they should be punctured with a survival knife to facilitate deflation.

So far, the biggest change from the TH-67 seems to be that the presence of a second engine opens up a number of additional options. Most emergencies change when the failure of an engine diminishes in severity from “you are now autorotating” to “better keep the other engine within torque limits.” Other than that, systems have been made redundant and safeties have been added. In all, this is just a better helicopter than any I have ever flown before. Let’s hope these observations remain true after I have a chance to actually fly the thing.

2008 08 22 flight school
what i learned at work today Comments (3) Permalink

UH-60 Black Hawk

The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a medium-lift utility or assault helicopter derived from the twin-turboshaft engine, single rotor Sikorsky S-70. The primary mission of this helicopter is that of tactical transport of troops, medical evacuation, cargo, and reconnaissance within the capabilities of the helicopter.

This is what I will fly. Training begins in the next 3-5 months, and lasts 14 weeks. Our initial duty station will be determined about halfway through training. 90% of people get one of their first three choices of duty station. My first three choices: Korea, Germany, Alaska.

Now, it’s just a matter of finishing.

2008 08 21 flight school Comments (3) Permalink

did you know that in japan, you get to learn English all over again too?

2008 08 20 japan
japanese Comments (0) Permalink

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