Lady Eagle Day: Vt-7 Spouse's Day at NAS Meridian

I have been looking forward to Lady Eagle Day pretty much since we first moved to Meridian.  Once a year VT-7 and VT-9 have their annual spouses day and VT-9 had theirs last fall, right when we moved here.  Rob was assigned to VT-7 so I anxiously stalked their pictures and waited excitedly for our turn to come around!

Lady Eagle Day is designed as a full morning for the spouses to really get an inside look at what our husbands do each day as flight students.  I thought I had a pretty good idea with all of the studying and conversations that happen around our dinner table but I have to admit, I was pretty amazed by just how much goes into flying that T-45.  I've always been impressed by my husband but this event added a whole new level of appreciation for what he does.

One of the things I was most excited about was getting to wear Rob's flight suit and "my" patches.  The Officer's Spouses Club ordered the VT-7 patches for us in hot pink and we got our own name patches with our own call signs.  But I think I overlooked one thing --- the nine inch height difference between Rob and I!  Oops!  I was a little overwhelmed when I first tried it on but we worked some safety pin magic and I think it turned out pretty great.

The day started with breakfast and mingling in the War Room.  We heard a welcome speech from the CO of VT-7 and then headed out to the vans for transportation to the line shack.  This was one of my favorite parts of the whole day.  Armed with ear plugs, we walked out to the flight line where the planes were practicing landing and "bouncing".  It was amazing to see the planes flying that close!


After the flight line, we broke up into groups.  My group first headed to the control tower to learn all about what is happening "behind the scenes" with the air traffic controllers to keep everything running smooth.  Next, we went down to radar to see even more of what goes into keeping those planes safe in the sky.  It's pretty incredible how much hard work and how many moving parts go into keeping these pilots safe.  I have to admit, I think I'm pretty smart but so many of the things they explained were totally over my head!

After ATC and Radar, we headed to the sim building to fly our first simulated flight in the T-45!  I was so nervous but had an awesome, patient instructor!  I am proud to say I did not crash the T-45 (simulator) and buzz the aircraft carrier and did a loop!  Just call me Maverick ;)

Our final stop of the day was paraloft to try on the guys' gear.  I am always shocked by just how heavy everything is!  While I tried my best to pull it off, nothing beats a man in flight gear! We had a lunch catered by Cater's Market and watched some awesome VT-7 flight videos.

Lady Eagle Day was a blast and I love the community here in Meridian.  I feel like events like these give me such an appreciation for what our husbands do each day and give us spouses a chance to really get to know each other better.  It's hard to believe we have already been in Meridian for seven months and as small as the town is, I am really loving our time and feeling so blessed by our experience here.