My Journey to C90

So here I am in Oklahoma City. I wanted to write something after each day, but I have needed a few days to get completely settled. So here we go, my time in Oklahoma City so far...

My Flight Arrives (12/17/08)

My flight landed at OKC around 1430. We are on Central Time here, but I already was in Chicago as well, so no big deal. I have 2 roommates that I am staying with and I have never met either of them. They picked me up from the airport and we were off to our place...

I am currently 2 days away from leaving Chicago for Oklahoma City. As I pack my bags, the fact that this is really going to happen is starting to hit me. It has been almost a year since I first started the application process. Between all of the waiting and the information-gathering (via stuckmic!) the academy has seemed an almost surreal place that I knew was in my future but wasn't sure if I'd ever actually get there. Now it is only 2 days away, and I am starting to get all of the different emotions...

After I received my FOL, I decided to contact my facility to get a tour of the place. I wanted to see what I was getting myself into. My facility is the Chicago TRACON (c90) located in Elgin, IL. It is roughly 30 miles from Chicago O'Hare airport, and about a 30 minute drive from where I live, so it isn't too far.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Everyone who has been to an airport has seen a control tower, but what does a radar facillity look like. Aside from the large sign...

The waiting continues, but at least now I know how long I have to wait.

A few weeks ago while on vacation, I received an email asking if I could make a December 18 class date. Obviously, wanting a class date, I replied that I could. I wasn't thrilled about the proximity to the holidays, but if I didn't go then, who knows how long it could take to get a date. This was not an official date yet though. After a couple of weeks, I called and emailed (several times) to see what the official...

Well, I am not really expecting any news yet. It has been about two weeks since I attended the Chicago PEPC, so I still have about four weeks left until I can start to get impatient. My other job started back up today, so even though I enjoyed having the summer off, it will be nice to get back into a routine, as well as a paycheck. I think it will make the days go by faster as well. They definately went by very fast last year.

Another thing that helped make time go by last year was...