2015 Spouse taxi

Before we left AZ, I got to take part in my 2nd spouse taxi day.  Just like last time, this was my first time leaving a baby with someone else.  First time it was Abbie, who I left with a military spouse friend.  This time in was Jamison, that I left with Megan, our awesome neighbor.  Actually I left all 3 of my kids with her to add to her 4.  Really, she’s awesome.

Riding in the jet is fun, but it’s even more fun to see my husband in his element.  Last time I did this Mark was in the B-course so I couldn’t ride with him.  I had to ride with an IP.  This time, because he is an IP, I got to ride with him and it was 10 times better!  I still don’t really envision him doing this when he goes to work.  When I picture him at work, he’s sitting in his office behind a desk, not strapping on a jet and doing all kinds of crazy stuff.  It’s an odd experience, in a way, watching your husband walk around this multi-million dollar aircraft like he owns it.  Mark is the most humble and modest person you could hope to meet, but he does have a pretty cool job.

   

The mask still makes me claustrophobic so I never hooked it up all the way.  I feel like I can’t breathe when it’s on.  I don’t know how Mark does it.

Mark didn’t make me do all the radio calls, which stress me out.  I had to do them all last time and I was so worried about screwing them up.  It was a lot of fun listening to him talk on the radio though.  Seems like just yesterday he was telling me how nervous he was about radio calls when he was learning to fly the Cessna before pilot training.  (Over NINE years ago – seriously, where does the time go!)  Now it’s like 2nd nature to him and he talks so fast I can barely understand what he’s saying.  It reminded me of how far he’s come in his flying career.

  

I feel pretty lucky to be married to Mark and to be able to do cool things like this.  Never in a million years would I have dreamed I’d be doing spouse taxi’s in an F-16.  We are pretty blessed.