Azure blue

  I finally flew again today, after several days of being ship-bound.  I had the first flight of the day, taking off around noon.  The down side to this was that I was briefing when I wanted to be at the worship service this morning.  We did manage to make it to the brunch between our brief and our flight.   The wardroom (that's where the officers eat, vice the "Mess decks" where the crew eats) serves a "fancy" brunch on Sundays from 1000 - 1300.  They turn down the lights, often have carved ham or roast beef, Belgian waffles, real eggs (at least they look real), and other brunchy sort of food.  It's pretty good.  I'd almost pay for it!  Wait a minute… I do pay for it.  Officers pay the ship $7.55 per day when we eat on board.  The crew eats for free, of course.  The food is not much different, actually between the mess decks and the wardroom, is just the manner in which it's served.  I guess there are some differences, but the main menu is generally the same.  On the mess decks, they have a main dish available (such as chicken in some kind of cream sauce or Salisbury steak or chicken in a tomatoe sauce or "BBQ" chicken or fried chicken) and they have a "speed line" where they can get quick, easy stuff like burgers, chili dogs, corn dogs -- comfort foods. :)  We have a similar set-up in the wardroom, with one or two main dishes (similar chicken&rice-based selections) and a made-to-order grill, where they can do chicken sandwiches, burgers, or grilled cheese.  One of my favorites at Midrats is the grilled egg, ham, and cheese.  Nothing like sticking one of those in my gut moments before getting rocked to sleep in the black hole of my rack.

   During our flight, I completed an annual standardization checkride for one of our junior pilots.  The procedures we follow to operate our helicopters come from a book called the NATOPS - Naval Aviation Training and Operating Procedures and Standardization.  The annual NATOPS check is a lengthy process involving an open book and closed book written exam, an oral exam, a simulator chock full of emergencies, and a flight in the aircraft which covers basic procedures as well as more emergencies.  Most of the checkride had been completed before we left San Diego, with only the over-water part of the flight remaining.  So, the first hour of our plane guard flight this afternoon was one simulated emergency after another.  Let's see… We tracked a simulated submarine, had an engine fire that wouldn't go out and forced us to ditch in the ocean (which wouldn't have been too bad, since the water was glossy smooth, azure blue, and 75 degrees! --but I digress), then our torpedo failed to release, the radar altimeter failed, the automatic flight control system failed… it was a tough afternoon.  Fortunately, all those problems "miraculously" resolved themselves and we continued for the rest of the flight in peace.  He passed his checkride.  Total flight time was about 3 1/2 hours.  My rear end is still calibrated for about 3 hours in the saddle, so that last half hour was a pain.  We sometimes fly missions that run much longer… not looking forward to those.  Gotta build up those calluses.  TMI?  We had one of our junior airmen on board for a good-deal ride, to see what we do after the helo leaves the flight deck.  Although it was a long time to sit in the back, he had a good time, got to "fly" the helicopter using the crew-hover control in the cabin, and took a bunch of pictures of the ship and aircraft landing and taking off.  Big smiles when we landed.  It's always cool to take guys up for the first time to show them what these aircraft can do.  They work on them all day long, but it's hard to appreciate the benefit of that work until you see the helicopter in action.

   Tonight we had our first "roll-em".  We pull down the projector screen in the ready room, crank up the "big eye" (video projector), and throw in a DVD.  It was "The Incredibles" tonight.  A pleasant diversion from the shootem-up blood & guts flicks that tend to be popular out here.  Granted, it was a small crowd tonight.  We get another extra hour of sleep tonight, as well (assuming I don't blow it by staying up way to late like I usually do).  I had a little coffee during the movie, so that's a strong likelihood.