Riddller's IFS & UPT Blog

Graduation!

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:30:17 -0600

Today was graduation. 54 weeks of fun/pain/work/play ending in getting my wings. It was all worth it, I'd to do it again if I had to. The graduation ceremony was this morning at 1000. Class 10-05 was sitting in the back in their service dress, just like we were sitting in the back of class 08-05's graduation a year ago. It's weird thinking about all that's happened and things I've done since then, and knowing those guys are all just getting started with it.

We have our graduation dinner tonight, it's a formal deal, us in mess dress and so forth. I guess it's an awards banquet, but whatever. I have to get into the penguin suit one more time!

Anyway, I think this will be my last entry in my blog, I don't see a need to spill the beans on the rest of my life, I'm sure the SERE guys already have enough to hang me with when I go! Thank you to every one who wished me the best and supported me through this process. I first logged on to Baseops.net forums in 2002 when I started the process of getting a commission in the Air Force and becoming a pilot. Now, here I am 7 years later with Air Force pilot wings on my chest, about to head off to my dream plane at my dream base. Overall, it's taken 13 years since I stepped on the yellow footprints at MCRD San Diego (almost to the day), and there's not a single thing I would change, from the route I took to get here to the time line itself. I've received nothing but good advice from this place (Baseops), and I really do hope that what I've written will take some of the "stress of the unknown" away from those just starting the process of getting their wings, and return to Baseops some of what it gave to me. Bottom line: work your butt off to get here, it's worth it.

I'll still look at the comments on here, and if anyone reading this has any questions in the future, you can PM me too.

Thanks all!

Period.

UPT Complete!

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:48:00 -0600

Hey all, sorry I didn't post more details before this, they've had me flying my butt off since assignment night. The way it works after after your Nav check is this:

4 Formation flights

2 Air Drop flights

2 Air Refueling flights

1 Co-pilot flight

Then you have assignment night. If you assign to a plane which does air drop, then you have 3 more air drop flights, another co-pilot ride, and an air drop checkride. If you track to a tanker, it's the same except you do 3 air refueling rides and an air refueling checkride. If you FAIP or track to a plane which does neither (UAV, U-28, MC-12, C-21, etc...) then they just pick which track you finish out on. I did air drop since I'm going to the C-17, and let me tell you, air refueling flights are WAY easier to plan and fly!

Anyway, I had my checkride today, did very well, and now I'm done! Next Friday is graduation, where we actually get our wings, but for all intents and purposes, I'm done with UPT!! Woohoo!

Holy f'ing crap! Assignment night!

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:02:56 -0600

The drop list the IP's gave us was a fraud! C-17's to CHS wasn't listed, but they knew that was my first choice, and me and another guy who wanted it got it!!!

Woohoo! Going to Charleston baby!!!

Formation complete

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:59:41 -0600

So we only get 4 "actual" formation flights, by which I mean only four flights where you work just on formation flying. After that, we do simulated airdrop and air-refueling flights, all of which are done as a formation.

We're also in the process of filling out our drop requests at the moment. Should be interesting to see what happens!

Nav check complete!

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:51:17 -0600

Finally go my Nav check out of the way before the holiday break last week. I did extremely well and am very happy, hopefully that will make up for my dumb mistakes on my Trans check! When we get back from the break, it will be straight into formation and Mission Fam (simulated air-refueling and air-drop flights). Only 4 weeks to Assignment night on Jan 29th!

One more week...

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:07:08 -0600

One week until I Nav check. I was flying only once a week for the last few, which sucks because you lose a lot in that week. Checklists don't go as fast, your not as smooth on the landings, etc... but I've flown twice this week so far and will probably fly on Thursday and Friday as well. That's good, because the flying in general goes a lot better, but bad in that it can be draining. Regardless, I'd rather be flying than not. I should two-check on Monday then do the Nav check on Wednesday. Lot's of stress!

The days are still about the same, show up at 0800 or so if your not flying and hang out until 1300 or so, or show anywhere from 0700 to 1200 if you are flying.

Back to it!

Couple more weeks to checkride

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:34:48 -0600

So I'm about 3-quarters of the way through the Nav phase of T-1's now, which, they say, is the "meat and potatoes" of T-1 training. Had my first low-level flight yesterday, it was fun flying 230 kts at 500 feet, but the completely flat terrain of northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas doesn't exactly inspire youtube videos of yanking-and-banking through canyons... not that the T-1 ever would anyway! There's a number of guys in the "senior class" of my flight who are now Nav-check complete, and are happy to have it over with. It sucks that you have the pressure of your ENTIRE flying career come down to one checkride, but what can you do? I should be there in a few weeks.

I can honestly say I'm still having fun... when I'm in the air. It still makes the rest of the a$$-pain worthwhile!

Later!

Cross Country complete

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:22:37 -0500

Just got back from my cross country. We only get one while we're in T-1's and more than likely it will just be a one-nighter during the week. Some people get to do them over a weekend, by not many. The other student I was with and I went to Omaha then spent the night in Denver. On the way back, we stopped in Rapid City then came home. It was cool getting out of the local area and doing mission planning on the road.

I'm now finished with the first half of the Nav phase of training. I, as well as most of my class, am WAY ahead of schedule because the weather has been mostly good and our flights have been going as planned. At this rate, pretty much everyone should be Nav-check complete well before Christmas, which is cool. Supposedly only our flights through the Nav check count towards our class standing, so it will take a load off of us for the Christmas break if we're done before then.

However, we've also been told that some people have been slacking off after their Nav check and have actually been kicked out of pilot training because of it! I guess the last 3 people to be dropped out of T-1's have made it all the way to the Mission Fam phase! Therefore, I'm definitely going to be staying in the books even after I'm Nav-check complete.

Back to it!

Doin good...

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:59:00 -0500

Had three rides in the "Nav" phase of training now. Good times! Pretty much every ride in the Nav block is an Out and Back, so now I've had lunch in Lubbock and Ft. Worth with the T-1. I'm planning on going to Abilene on Tuesday 'cuz I hear there's a fantastic steak place open in the evenings called the Beehive. We'll see!

The flights are usually two hours out then 2 hours back. You fly someplace about 30 min away, do a bunch of approaches, then continue on to your "outbase" another 30-45 minutes away, do another approach or two, then land and get lunch. One student takes the trip out, then the other student takes the trip back, unless only one student, then you get both legs.

Still having fun! (when flying)

Hooked my Trans Check

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:09:00 -0500

Doh!!!

Had a great flight, only 4 downgrades, and I hook for ground stuff!! I'm a dummy, it was my own stupid fault, but I'm not going into specifics. I just need a swift kick to the jimmy. All my flights have been great up to now, and hopefully that will continue. It just sucks that I get the hook on a check ride! Oh well, guess I have to take my lumps and move on. Ground-88 tomorrow.

The days are still the same. Show at 0530, start briefing between 0600 and 0700, takeoff between 0800 and 0900, fly for 3.2 hours or so, spend an hour debriefing, then grab lunch and study until 1730. Airshow at Vance this weekend, I'll be selling burgers or something on Saturday morning, come say hi!

Later!