[FLMarine]

Thought you guys would want to hear that I just finished up with primary flight school down in Corpus Christi, TX. I selected helo's and will be heading up to Pensacola, FL to start advanced flight school for helo's. I'm one of those odd Marines who has wanted to fly nothing else but helo's since I was a kid. The T-34C was a blast to fly but I can't wait to get into a T-57B, which is basiclly a Jet Bell Ranger. I'll finish that off in about six months from now and I'll finally be in the fleet.

[M2 Carbine]

Congradulations. Way to go.^c

You will enjoy the T-57B.

It's a beautiful little Sports Car.
You don't get in it. You become part of it. You fly it by feel and pressure on the controls.
You feel much of the helicopters motion in your butt and back.

I've got about 15 thousand hours in the 206 series and never tired of flying them.

It's got a fair amount of power, flies great, does BEAUTIFUL autorotations and is easy to fly (for a helicopter).

You are in for a treat. Enjoy and be safe.
Send pictures.

Out of Rockport a few years ago. 206L3
A passenger I was picking up took this and sent it to me.

[FLMarine]

I'll post pictures of the helo training when I get them. Here's one or two from Primary flight training with the T-34C in formation flying. These pictures are from my formation solo flight. I'm in the plane on the bottom.

[M2 Carbine]

Is the Navy still using the Rockport Airport for bounce practice?

PHI shut down the base there shortly before I retired and I went back to flying out of Galveston.
I liked flying out of RPT once I got the hang of heading West to get to the beach

I kept trying to get some pictures of the Blue T-34 paint job. I had the idea of building a large scale model Navy T-34 (radio control).
But it's just another project that will never be done.

How many hours did you get in the T-34?

How does it work now with you going into choppers?
Do you stay rated in fixed wing also?

Oh, take lots of pictures, all the time you can.
Man there's so much I missed in my early days in the military.

I was in a F4U4 Corsair and Skyraider USMCR outfit and haven't a single picture of those beautiful machines. :(

[Medpilot 2]

Congrats on finishing. Looks like we were flying out of the same airport. CRP.

[flyandscuba]

FLMArine,

Congrats! Pensacola will be a blast for you. I thought I'd share the photo below with you.... Taken of my first air medical helicopter assignment. Just a "typical" emergency scene landing zone!;P

Be sure to keep an eye out for "Lifeguard 1" (Baptist Life Flight), now operating an EC135. And, "Airheart 1" (Sacred Heart Air Heart) in the BO105....

We'll all be keeping an eye out for you!!!

[flyandscuba]

You'll get to see plenty of views like this too!

[flyandscuba]

One more LZ for you...

[FLMarine]

Yeah, we still use rockport for bouncing. My last flight I did some bounces there and there was a lady sunbathing on a sandbar on the approach end of 14. Needless to say my instructor and I took turns landing so we could catch a glimpse, lol. I ended up with just over 100 hours in the T-34C and 40 hours in the simulator for instrument flight. As for helo training I'll just go right into it, and it will take 6 months until I get my wings. I won't stay rated for fixed wings, actually I was never rated for the T-34C I just learned to fly in it. From what I understand all I have to do in order to get my civilan commercial helo and single engine flight is take a test after I finish advanced. I saw a bunch of the helo's that flew to the rigs when I was flying around corpus. I'll keep an eye out for the life flights while I'm flying around. No way you can miss us with our white and orange "stay away from me because you don't know what I'm going to do next" paint job.

[M2 Carbine]

It probably hasn't changed.
I already had a Private FW license when I got out of Army helicopter training with 200 hours helicopter.
I took the FAA written and got the Commercial FW and Rotorwing.

Later when I was instructing Army students I wanted to get my civilian CFI. I had to rent a helicopter and take the FAA flight test.

The check ride was cut short when a FW twin almost hit us on base (very close).
I landed so the examiner could go chew on the FW pilot's butt.
When the examiner came back he told me we weren't going back up, he said he had seen enough of my flying and passed me.;f

After that if my Army students wanted to keep a civilian log book I would sign off their flight time.

The Army later forbid us CFI's from doing that because a student might drop out of the program near the end because he had near 200 hours chopper time logged.
Ya, like they could get a helicopter job with 200 hours.

I would tell a washed out student, if I thought he deserved it, to send me a copy of his school flight time and I'd pick him up a log book and sign off his time.

[Wulfenite]

Originally posted by flyandscuba
Just a "typical" emergency scene landing zone!;P

Looks like you got a little close to that palm tree.

[flyandscuba]

Those blade tip caps do wonders, huh!

[BillCola]

Very, very, very cool!! Congrats to you & best of luck.

[Dig]

FL, congrats!

I was in your shoes in 1987. Knew I wanted to fly helo's from the start. 17 yrs later, still at it, and no regrets.

keep your head on a swivel and good luck.

[FlyNavy]

You're gonna love South Park...um..South Field. Corpus guy turned helo bubba here. Finishing up my first sea tour. LOVE helos. You can't go wrong. The Marine mission is awesome too. No matter what you do, it'll be tactical. (harder to accomplish in the Navy)

[Tennessee Slim]

Outstanding, Marine! Don’t forget to keep your rotor in the green. I flew the OH-58/Jet Ranger for one of those other branches. All Bell products suck the big one, IMO, but it’s better than non-rotating wings.