I started out with 3 helo flights, on the second, I got a call to go fly 2 hours fixed wing.
When that wrapped up, I got a call out of the blue for a helo intro ride.
The guy's name was Brandon, and he brought his 7 year old son Gabriel.
He said he is looking at transitioning possibly into an pilot career, using his G.I. bill. His intro to aviation was from his father who was a private pilot, and took him flying as a kid, and he has had the itch ever since.
His background is U.S. Army, MOS MP. A tour in Iraq, and 2 in Afghanistan. He specialized as a convoy lead, and was hit directly and indirectly 9 times by IED's in his up armor Humvee. His compatriots called him bombeeman. He came back as a Drill Sergeant at Sill. He is in an artillery reserve unit now.
He loved the intro flight, and remarked how surprised he was at the sensitivity of the controls. I finished the day with 3 hours rotary 2 hours fixed, but that paled in comparison to the great American fighting hero I got the honor to take on an intro flight.
