Dustin Barbour

Air Force UPT is a pretty sterile flying environment. We fly what are essentially pre-planned missions to a select number of airfields and with the same air traffic controllers day in and day out. So things don’t change much. We don’t deal with class B airspace (the really busy airports… LAX, Dallas-Forth Worth, et cetera), strange airfields or many other things that can throw wrenches into our plans. But that’s all by design. Can you imagine trying to learn the ways of flying while half of your brain is wrapped up in radio calls? Walk before you run, right? However, a student does need to experience the raw environment. Consequently, AETC mandates that we get one cross-country weekend in each phase of training. I did one to Shreveport, LA while flying the T-6 and last weekend I was part of a crew that flew to Houston for the weekend. Below are some pictures.

The original plan was for us to spend the first night in Houston at Ellington Field and then head to Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City for the second night. Weather rolled into Houston on Saturday that pretty much trapped us there. So we gave up on Tinker and instead chose to eat, drink and be merry. Good times were had by all… all those that were drinking, that is.