One week down, One to go!

I just finished my first week of Aviation Accident Investigation with the NTSB. It has been a really interesting class with fascinating instructors and some intense scenes of what happens in an aircraft accident. Our instructors are all people who are the best at what they do. They're the ones who are part of the "Go Team" that deploys to major accidents. The are specialists in their fields and I would want them around if something bad happened.

There are a lot of interesting people in my class too. There are about 50 people from all over the world - some work for the government, some fly for corporate companies, some are instructors, some are military. It's pretty diverse, but we're all getting to know each other well since we're all trapped in an auditorium together for 2 weeks. I have been having lunch with fighter pilots, flight school instructors and a lady from Slovenia. What an experience.

There have been several "difficult" things we have seen or heard. We've heard air traffic control tapes, listening to pilots as they crashed. We've seen pictures of debris from fires, in-flight break-ups and "smoking holes" on the ground with not much left that resembles an aircraft. We've studied survival factors, cockpit voice recorders, and probably the eeriest thing we got to see was the wreckage/reconstruction of TWA 800. And that's just the first week. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity.

TWA 800 Reconstruction

This weekend, I get to see my good friend, Liz. I haven't seen her in years we're going to hang out in DC. Fun stuff!

Easter Blessings!

Happy Easter Everyone!

I went to my church's services last night and what a blessing! At the end, they did this thing where people gave their testimony on a piece of cardboard. On one side, it said what they were before, and on the other, it said what they are now because of Christ.

Some of them said things like -
"Drug Dealer" - "God is my provider."
"Self Centered" - "Christ Centered"
"Marriage Divided" - "Marriage saved by God's grace."
"Foster Child and My Birth Parents Didn't want me." - "Christ is my Father and Adopted and Loved."

That last one made us all cry. We were given a little brown piece of paper that looked like cardboard and one side said "Before," the other side said "After." I have been thinking about the things I would write on the before side - so many to chose from. But on the after, one word really says it all - Forgiven. Thank you Jesus! I love you!

NTSB Training

For the next two weeks, I get to take a course in Washington D.C. on Aircraft Accident Investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board Training Center. I have been interested in accident investigation since college (and even my senior year of highschool when I managed to get myself on the NTSB website) and when the chance to take this class came up, I jumped at the opportunity. I'll get to learn all kinds of stuff, like how to conduct an investigation, interview survivors, talk to the media and even look at case studies from real plane crashes. I'm also looking forward to spending 2 weeks in the DC area, sightseeing and seeing my friend Liz, who I haven't seen in a couple years. It should be a great trip! Please pray that it's a safe one for me since I'm going by myself. I'll have a report when I get back!