My classmates and I just wrapped up week 1 of airline training: Basic Indoctrination, or Indoc for short. It’s an amusing term that tends to conjure up mental images of brainwashing sessions. Rest assured, though, it’s simply a course for new-hires to make sure we’re well-versed in company procedures and policies, as well as the FAA regulations that govern Part 121 flying. And there were plenty of those regulations and policies to learn!
They say that airline training is like drinking from a fire-hose, and this last week I got to experience that first-hand: 8 hours a day of classroom lecture on regulations, homework in the evenings, and an exam to round it all out. With so much material to learn, everyone was a bit nervous going into the exam on Monday. I had managed to fall behind in my homework during the week and I was acutely aware that I had one less day to prepare than my classmates since I take Saturday off. But as the sun set on Friday night, I gratefully put my books and EFB away and thanked God for the rest period He was giving me.
Sabbath was just the thing I needed. I found my way to one of the local Adventist churches and soaked in the heartfelt worship service. A young couple in Sabbath School turned out to have gone to school with some of my college friends. They invited me over to their place for Sabbath afternoon, and it was a great time getting to know these new friends. After the week of being in a group of high-powered and sometimes-crude guys, it was really nice to be with likeminded people again who weren’t just looking to get to the next rung in the career ladder but who were “looking for the city…whose architect and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:10. The day was entirely stress-free and when sunset finally came, I could say I was truly refreshed, both spiritually and mentally.
I think the test ended up being a bit easier than we were expecting. The instructor had been right - the homework and quizzes were really helpful in preparing for the multiple-choice exam. People finished fairly quickly and one-by-one left for the break room to breathe a sigh of relief and then start eagerly comparing their scores with each other. I took my time and then finally pressed Submit. I was a bit surprised by the score - I’d only missed one! I happily left the classroom and headed to the break room. I tried to unobtrusively slip into the room, but to no avail.
“How’d you do?” a cluster of guys asked as they caught sight of me. “It went well,” I smiled. They weren’t satisfied. “No, what score did you get?” After some pestering, I shared my score. A few humorously-intended expletives rang out from the group - it turns out I’d scored one point higher than the highest in the group. They eagerly pried at each person who filtered into the room after me and by the end of the test, they concluded I was the winner. To me, the high score was just a neat reminder from God that His method really does work; honor Him and He will honor you. I just hope that I can be faithful in reflecting that honor back to Him.
With Indoc behind us, we would normally begin aircraft systems ground school right away, but because the airline is getting backlogged in their training department, my classmates and I are being sent home for a short break now. The airline will fly us back to the training center as soon as the schedule opens up, probably a couple weeks from now.
This upcoming course is going to present the next obstacle for being able to have Sabbath off. Ground school is typically a Monday-Friday schedule, but this course is going to have a Saturday session at the end of the second week. I talked with the ground school instructor to find out who I should contact to request an accommodation, and he referred me to a couple people in management. I wrote them an email yesterday and now I’m waiting for a reply. I don’t know which direction it’s going to go, but I’m praying for wisdom on how to navigate this latest bend in the road and that I can represent God and His kingdom to the best of my ability. I’m encouraged by the way God has been blessing the journey so far and I’m interested to see what He has in store next. If He helps me past this obstacle, it looks like He might have already been paving the way for me to be able to get a Sabbath-free sim schedule - but more on that later!
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