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Back on the Grid

benorloff@mac.com — 2008-10-13T08:55:46-04:00

Hey everyone! My apologies for not updating in a long time. A lot has happened in the last few months. I went to the aircraft carrier for the first time and landed my T-45 aboard the USS John C. Stennis off the coast of San Diego.

It was more challenging than I expected, but really rewarding to join the exclusive ranks of tailhook aviators. After getting back to Meridian, I got my wings and was designated a Naval Aviator.

Next step was to find out where the Navy planned to send me and which aircraft I would be flying for my career. The Navy decided to send my roommate and I to NAS Oceana, VA for training in the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. Since then, I’ve been in ground school learning how to fly the Navy’s premier tactical aircraft. So far I’ve flown in the jet five times as I transition from the T-45 to the Hornet.

On a personal note, JoEllen and I have finally moved in together. We’ve bought a beautiful home in Chesapeake, VA. The house needs a little work, so Jo and I have been putting a lot of time and elbow grease into getting the house into shape. So far we’ve replaced the carpet in the upstairs, added hardwood floors to the downstairs, replaced a door, and put in a bunch of work into the yard.

Now that we have a home, we decided to expand our family. We got a puppy! Fritzie is our new Saint Bernard puppy and has brought a lot of joy into our lives. She was only 5lbs when we got her in August and is now nearly 40 lbs. She has a lot of love and chooses to express herself through slobber.

Finishing Introduction to Formation Flying

benorloff@mac.com — 2007-11-01T00:58:33-04:00

As we finish up our introduction to formation flying, my roommate, neighbor and I had our 4-plane formation check ride on October 30th. Our instructors were evaluating our ability to fly in a 4-aicraft formation safely. If we passed, the next step would be to do it solo. All the pictures here were taken by our classmate Joe, sitting in the back seat of Lead's aircraft (flown by an instructor). I am flying aircraft 172, Griff ( my roommate) is in aircraft 188, and Allan (our neighbor) is in the tiger-colored (for our squadron) aircraft 109. We did Break-up And Rendezvous (BNRs), cross-unders and cruise maneuvering. After each sequence, we would "shuffle" the formation and do the same things again from a different position.

Click here for Photos and Videos

Jet Training to Atlanta

benorloff@mac.com — 2007-09-01T10:27:35-04:00

Last weekend I took a T-45 out to Atlanta as part of my instrument rating training. It's common to go on cross-countries like this to give me exposure to different airports and controllers that I'm not familiar with. Jo drove out from Charleston and met me in Atlanta. We had a great weekend and got to spend time with Holly's boyfriend Jeff.

Wingings and Golfing

benorloff@mac.com — 2007-08-21T00:38:03-04:00

Just added some photos today. The first set comes from my friend Matt Sevier's winging ceremony in Pensacola, FL this April. He finished the advanced helicopter training sylibus and earned his Navy "Wings of Gold." He recently married his girlfriend Tina and they have moved to San Diego where Matt will undergo further training in the MH-60S.

The second set of photos is from this weekend where I was fortunate enough to fly out in my T-45 to Charleston to visit with Jo. Her Nuclear Power School class was celebrating being half-way done by playing a game of team scramble golf. We had a great time hanging out with each other and Jo's friends.

We're Back Online!

benorloff@mac.com — 2007-08-11T23:20:49-04:00

Hey! Whose job is it to keep this site up to date!?!?

Oh yeah, it's mine. Sorry everybody. I've taken a long time to get internet in our apartment since coming to Meridian. Things have been going very well. Jo is halfway through her six-month Nuclear Power School in Charleston, SC.

In May, Jo and I got promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG)! Yay for more money!

I'm in Mississippi going through Advanced Jet training. I'll be here until June of 2008 when I graduate. So far, the stages of training I've completed are Basic Instruments (BI's), Radio Instruments (RI's) and Familiarizations (FAM's). I soloed last week in a T-45 (which was awesome) and am currently endeavoring to get my Instrument Rating.

I've added some pictures from our wedding. Enjoy!

Click here for Wedding Photos

Life at 7.5 g's

benorloff@mac.com — 2007-04-18T23:13:20-04:00

Hey everybody! It's been a long time since I've updated this site. I've been busy with a wedding, flight school and other things. I'll be posting some updates here soon to get this site current on what's going on with JoEllen and me. Until then, I have this video from last week when I underwent centrifuge training at NAS Lemoore, CA. This training is designed to prepare me for flying jet aircraft in a "high g" environment. Enjoy.

Watch the Video

Flying Formation

benorloff@mac.com — 2006-12-20T14:19:30-05:00

First rule in government spending: Why buy one when you can buy two for twice the price! With that in mind, the military likes to conduct missions with two or more aircraft at a time, hense, formation flying. My form partner John and I had our first formation flight today and it was quite a wild ride. First off, we're not use to being so close to another aircraft (25 feet). We have been taught since day one to "get away" from other aircraft to avoid mid-air collisions. It's become instinct. Looking over your right shoulder to see your friend's face in another aircraft not a wingspan away is more than a little disconserting. During most of the flight the instructors were at the controls, showing us how to maintain proper "parade" position and what it looks like when you are out of position (the "uglies"). After giving a good demo, they would let us have the contols. The very instant that the instructors took their hands off the controls, one thing became blatantly aparent: we are horrible form pilots! Everytime I was at the controls, my position relative to the other aircraft was "wobbly". Very, very "wobbly". But I got better (a little) as time went on.

There are two rolls in formation flying: Lead and Wing. Lead is in front and has two main responsiblities: be a smooth platform for wing to fly off of and to navigate. Wing's only real concern is to stay in the position that lead tells him to. This means constanly watching lead and adjusting position during turns and other maneuvers. Most of the time wing doesn't know where they are (geographically) because they are so fixated on flying next to lead. Flying parade position as wing is VERY tiring and stressful. One wrong control input can mean a bad day for everybody and a whole lot of paperwork.

The flight began with me in lead and John flying wing. Our tactical callsign was "Rogue". I was Rogue 1 and John was Rogue 2. We departed NAS Whiting and transited to the formation working area to the northwest. Once in the area, we began the "parade sequence": four turns in alternating directions, then a crossunder (where wing switches which side he is off lead by flying under lead), four turns again, then another crossunder, a Breakup-and-Rendezvous (BNR) and a lead change. The BNR is an exercise where we separate and then wing joins back up with lead. The lead change is simple: lead becomes wing and wing becomes lead. Now that I was flying wing, we went through the parade sequence again. Once I was lead again, we left the area and came on home.

John and I had a blast during the flight. Flying with another aircraft is both challenging and exciting. Plus we are both huge Star Wars nerds and being "Rogue Flight" was nerdtastic! Sadly, we aren't very good yet at flying formation, but are told that it will come in time. For me, if I go fly jets after this, they ALWAYS fly in multi-aircraft formations. So I better get good at this stuff soon!

Chrismukkah 2!!!

benorloff@mac.com — 2006-12-17T13:52:25-05:00

Jen and I were at it again this year with another installment of the Chrismukkah celebration. Combining the finest traditions of Christmas and Chanukkah, Chrismukkah is about celebrating friends, family, and most importantly... alchohol! Many drinking games were played (including Wii Tennis), movies watched, food eaten (including Ben's famous Latkes) and shots taken. Everyone seemed to have a great time and we're hoping that people take this tradition wherever they go.

See the photos!

Night Landings

benorloff@mac.com — 2006-12-12T22:42:34-05:00

Today was my first exposure to landing at night. As party of the Night Familiarization syllabus, this flight was designed to give me a taste of what it is like to fly at night. A few things change and you rely on your instruments a whole lot more. It became very obvious how easily one could get lost at night and wind up in a bad spot. I had fun and got in 9 night landings.

VT-6 Christmas Party

benorloff@mac.com — 2006-12-10T18:18:03-05:00

Our squadron hosted a Christmas party in downtown Pensacola. Jen and I convinced a lot of our classmates to go and we had a really great time. After the party, we walked next-door and had fun at the Piano Bar.

Check out the photos here!