Letter from Nicholas

Hey y’all, I’m sorry that it’s been so long since any of you have heard from me. Things have been really crazy here and I haven’t had a lot of free time or internet to spend said time sitting in front of. I just wanted to drop all of you a line and let you know how I’m doing and that I’m thinking of you. Afghanistan is pretty different this time than last time. Living in the desert again is taking some getting used to. The temperature here isn’t that bad yet, but the wind and the dust is awful. We’re in the middle of the “120 Days of Wind” which is pretty self-explanatory. We all pretty much walk around feeling like a bunch of sugar cookies all day long. It’s kind of a drag flying here in the flat sandy part of the country after getting to fly through the mountains last time, but it’s a good learning experience for all the junior pilots who’ve never done it. Helicopters have a lot of power management issues here and flying at night is pretty dangerous, but we’re trying to watch out for them and keep them safe. Our living conditions here aren’t bad at all. We have hardened buildings to live in and showers that are reliable this time around, which is a Godsend. The food here is pretty good; it’s handled by a different contractor, a European corporation, so we’re at least getting to try new stuff. They have a dessert here called Dubai Jalal, which is basically little balls of cupcake or pancake batter or something that they pour corn syrup over that I can make myself sick off of. It’s nice being at a major installation instead of out in the middle of nowhere for a change. My job now is very different than it’s ever been; I’ve only flown a few missions so far and spend a lot of long days walking the flightline, fixing the issues that other pilots bring back, doing a lot of test flights here at the airfield, and generally making sure that my guys always have safe, reliable aircraft that will get them home at the end of the day. It’s by no means an easier job than the one I’ve had the last two trips here, but it keeps me very busy and makes the time pass quickly. My O.C.D. kicks in a lot of the time, just because I’ve had a few bad experiences with aircraft in the past and I take quality helicopters very seriously. It’s nice to not be constantly surrounded by all the drama and quips that surround the “line pilot” community. Crew chiefs and sheet metal workers and engine guys are a lot easier going than pilots and there are a lot fewer egos to have to deal with. I hope you’re all doing well. I haven’t heard anything to the contrary and the old “no news is good news” adage usually proves true. I hope the weather there is nice and you all had a happy Easter. I look forward to making it home from this last deployment and getting started on a more stable life, hopefully with more time to come home and visit. I know Heather is looking forward to it as well. I get bombarded on a daily basis by people trying to convince me to reconsider and continue this career, and I suppose I should take it as a compliment, but I think they just don’t understand that I’m ready for something new and so is Heather. I’ll try to write again soon. I apologize again that it’s been so long since I wrote to any of you, but time and internet bandwidth is at a premium here. Looking forward to seeing you all again. Be safe. Love, Nicholas