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spectre56

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Blog Entries posted by spectre56

  1. spectre56

    A few days left

    By spectre56,

    Well, I'm taking a cue from Riddller and doing a blog about IFS (and hopefully UPT). I know he put a lot of great information in his so i'll try to do the same. Hopefully I'll be adding a different perspective on things.

    So far, everything Riddller has in his opening remarks of his IFS blog holds true...i'll find out for sure when I get there. Also, my supervisor and a Major in my squadron have been trying to help prepare me for this by imitating standup EPs...I am given a situation and I have to bring it to a logical conclusion. Even in a non-stressful environment in my squadron, these are extremely tough. Not trying to discourage anyone, but I can just imagine how it will be at IFS and UPT.

    My buddy and I are driving up there in two days and are staying in Colorado Springs for the night so we can be ready to hit the ground running. I'll admit, driving with my buddy may not end up so well in the end as one of us may go home quicker than the other, but i'm really not worried about it. I'll get reimbursed either way!

    About me: I spent 6 years in the Marine Corps as a KC-130 flight mechanic...basically a flying crew chief. Went through part of USMC OCS and decided that the best thing for and my family was to join the Air Force. So, I enrolled in ROTC and commissioned this past December. So far, it's been a great decision.

    I am going to try to post as much information as I possibly can to help out the guys and gals after me, so if there is anything that anyone wants to know, ask and i'll try to provide some answers!

    Talk to you guys in a couple days when I get there!
  2. spectre56
    Alright, well, I expected to have more lessons learned, but I don't. Feel free to add on to this as necessary. In no particular order...

    - Relax: I was super nervous going there. Don't be. Everyone is very helpful and friendly especially while checking in, but also throughout the whole time I was there. Everyone is really there to help you make it through.

    - If you don't like really hard or fluffy pillows, bring your own.

    - Bring some electronic entertainment: XBox, PS, Wii, etc goes a long way and your classmates will appreciate it.

    - Go somewhere else on the weekends. Me and my buddy went to either Colorado Springs or Denver every single weekend we were there. You are generally not spending much money on food and nothing on lodging, so get out; if for nothing else, to get a room with a window! We stayed at the Hyatt Place: excellent!

    - Drive and stay in Colorado Springs the night before your RNLT date if you are coming from far away. You have to get there in blues and you don't want to be driving for like 10 hours with those damn things on. I say drive because it sucks (for me) to bum rides off of everyone all the time.

    - Learn the boldface and ops limits backward, forward, upside down and in no order in particular before you get there. Also learn the black items on the ops limits: you'll use them just enough to know them by memory. Learn everything you can in the In Flight Guide as far as the departures and arrivals go: it may not make a whole lot of sense, but if you are familiar with them, it helps immensely.
  3. spectre56

    Finally!

    By spectre56,

    Weather cleared up around noonish today and got to do my dollar ride this afternoon! Pretty cool, but I need to put my nose in the books that much more now. That was my only free ride in T-6s and we just went out to the aux field and then to the area to tool around some. Came back after an hour flight and called it a day.

    End of week 1 in phase II and so far so good! We get paid to do this stuff?!?!?! What a deal!

    Have a great weekend!
  4. spectre56

    Still Hangin On

    By spectre56,

    Ok, sorry i've been absent for the last few days...my head's been elsewhere. Had my 88 ground eval on thursday: didn't pass. Had 89 ground eval yesterday: passed. I have been having my doubts about this lately, but thanks to some dedicated family and friends and at least one reader on here, i'm back in the game. I get in a funk sometimes (like everyone else in pilot training at some point, I would suspect) and it takes a lot of poking and prodding to get me out of it. But my attitude is much better now, and i've got a renewed energy for this struggle called UPT. Thanks for everyone's support!

    Had an EP sim this afternoon. It was very evident that I hadn't been in the books as much as I should. I got a good on it, but I know which parts I really need to focus on (all of it!). Oh yeah, got to do part of the standup today...sweet Didn't do great, but didn't get sat down, so that was pretty cool.

    Another day!
  5. spectre56

    Wouldn't ya know it

    By spectre56,

    Well, took the instruments 2 test this morning and, due to carelessness (bad math, marking the wrong answer, etc) I hooked it. That sends me to commander's review. So i'll be in limbo while the wing commander decides my fate. I'm expecting the worst and hoping for the best. All I really know right now is that i've done my best.
  7. spectre56

    Finally

    By spectre56,

    Well, the man has decided that it would be best if I not continue in pilot training. My new assignment, however, will be airfield operations which, from what i've read, doesn't sound too bad.

    It sucks that I won't be able to be a military pilot anymore, but I did try my hardest and gave it my best shot, and it just wasn't in the cards for me. I thank everyone who has been reading this and supporting me along the way. I'll still be around on Baseops about as much as I normally am, but probably won't continue this blog anymore...unless yall are interested in the Airfield Ops field. Actually, now that I mention it, I just might blog about that! That school is supposed to be 2 years long, training with the Guard. Sounds pretty cool since I can't be a pilot. I'm keeping a positive attitude about everything and am certain that everything will work out for the best.

    Oh, big congratulations goes out to Riddller on graduation from UPT! Doesn't seem all that long ago that he started his blog at IFS and now he's done. Congratulations!

    Feel free to leave messages on here or PM me if you want. Take care!
  8. spectre56

    Here we go again

    By spectre56,

    Well, got my RIP this past friday and looks like i'll be heading up to Oregon in June. I'm still super excited about it and can't wait to start.

    Otherwise, things are going well. I got to be a pecker checker the other day which was no bueno, but I got through it. That's about the most work i've done in the past week or so (knock on wood).

    Also, out of all the other folks that were on CR, 3 or 4 have gotten the boot and, surprisingly, one guy just got reinstated! I'm pretty happy for him. The other folks are taking it in stride and should find out what their new jobs are in the next couple of days. There are still 2 or 3 from my class waiting for the word and they should find out in the next couple of days whether they're in or out.
  9. spectre56

    Moving!

    By spectre56,

    Well, I haven't been updating this lately (for the few who are still reading this) because there hasn't been anything worth mentioning going on. I've just been biding my time waiting to either move or go take that FAA test in OK City. I guess the move came first! I'm not sure what's going to happen with that test, but i'll definitely keep you updated on that.

    The movers came and packed our stuff yesterday and took it away today, off to California. We're going to stay a week or so with some family in Dallas before heading off to our final destination.

    Stay tuned!
  10. spectre56

    Colorado Springs

    By spectre56,

    Me and my buddy got to Colorado Springs a little bit ago. We're staying here tonight so we don't have to wear our blues for that long when we actually get to IFS.

    Not too much to post for today...pretty much just driving the whole day (came from Texas). Tomorrow is day 1, so i'm sure i'll have much more to post then.
  11. spectre56

    EPQs

    By spectre56,

    So, did I mention that I really dislike EPQs? Well, I do...why? I busted another one; this time by one question. But I guess that's all it takes. These things are killing me! I understand the material, but i'm just not recalling all the info that we have to read. Ugh, I'll make it...it's going to be tough, but i'll get it!

    Other than that, not much going on today. It's night week so we don't go in until 9ish (am for those who didn't catch that). We don't have many flights this week because maintenance can't keep up with us...or something along those lines. I don't really know.

    Wish me luck and good fortune on the EPQ tomorrow!
  12. spectre56

    Change of plans

    By spectre56,

    Ya knew it was going to happen! Well, dates are still the same, but we'll be moving up to Travis AFB instead of Oregon. Still pretty excited about the move; even a little moreso now that we'll be at an actual base with all the amenities therein. I will be sent to Oklahoma City for a day or so to take an ATC aptitude test to see if i'm "worthy" to be an ATC dude. I guess a lot of people have been washing out of the program so the AF wants to implement this test to nip these things in the bud. I liken it to IFS for the pilots: if you can pass this, then you should be good to go for the rest of the training.

    I have to go through the rip and orders process again so probably won't get orders for another week or two. Oh well!!
  13. spectre56

    Back to work

    By spectre56,

    Well, it's back to work tomorrow. I guess it wouldn't be back to work, since I only popped in for a few minutes last monday...so, just time to go to work. Yeah, that'll work.

    Looked at a bunch of houses and found a few nice ones...and a few duds. My concern is when will DLA and my PCS pay come through so I can put down the exorbitant deposit these places want!! We've got a few on the short list, so hopefully we'll hear about them in the next week or so: the wife and kiddo are getting antsy!

    I'll keep in touch as I get going. Oh yeah, and still haven't heard a peep about that test down in OK City.
  14. spectre56
    Sweet couple of days at work. Almost fully in processed and checklist is almost done...only a couple more mass briefings to attend and i'll be good to go. But I also got word that i might be going to Keesler next month...much, much quicker than originally scheduled! That's awesome!

    Anyway, been hanging around some of the guys just trying to get a feel for what part of their job entails, getting a tour of the field, etc. Good times. I'm trying to learn as much as I can before I potentially leave in a few weeks.
  15. spectre56

    Keesler

    By spectre56,

    So, after staying for a few days with family in Dallas and a couple days with a buddy in Pensacola, finally arrived at Keesler AFB. Mississippi is a "different" place! It's nice and hot/humid down here, but so far, not too bad. I'm ready to start class on Monday, so until then, just exploring the area and getting my bearings. I'll keep updating as stuff happens!
  16. spectre56

    First Monday

    By spectre56,

    Well, I had a great weekend...didn't really do anything! Went up to Colorado Springs and visited the Academy and Peterson AFB. I'm sure our free weekends are numbered since all the classes are a little behind schedule, though.

    This morning we had a boldface/ops limits test and only 3 of us messed it up...yep, I was one of em. I simply skipped over one of the blanks on the ops limits. We then went over the aircraft systems, aerodynamics, performance, airspace and radio communication. Oh, and we had lunch sometime in there also.

    Our flights then split up and we went to PT while the other flight had another class. We switched it up after that: the other flight PTd and we had that class. Before we started the lesson, we had another boldface/ops limits test. Our flight got them all right, but the other flight had one mess it up. They paid for it at PT and now we are good to wear flight suits!

    Good day overall and more classes tomorrow and we get to find out what the formal briefing is all about!
  17. spectre56

    Wed May 7

    By spectre56,

    Well, didn't fly again today. I think a few flights got out this morning, but the weather came in late morning and all flights were cancelled for the rest of the day. Good news was that our flight commander bumped another guy off the flight schedule who was supposed to do his 2nd or 3rd ride to put me on there. I was going to be one of the last flights of the day, but, as I mentioned before, the weather rolled in and it started raining.

    I just studied all day, went out to one of the planes and practiced a preflight and chairflew what my mission would have been. Not a bad day overall. We got let out early and we have a Emergency Procedures Quiz (EPQ) tomorrow so I will be studying for that tonight. It's basically an online test that tests your knowledge of different systems and flight concepts, etc. Shouldn't be extremely difficult and you only need an 85% to pass, but i'm still going to study my butt off!
  18. spectre56

    Pre UPT update

    By spectre56,

    Just a little update for those still reading this. I made it through ASBC and got back home to be on casual for about a month before heading down to Laughlin this weekend. I'm nervous and excited all at the same...I finally get a shot at doing something I've wanted to do since I was little. I'll get there this weekend and report next week, so I'll have something else to put on here then. Wish me luck that none of my crap gets broken/stolen/etc on the way down there!
  19. spectre56

    Pre UPT

    By spectre56,

    I checked in today and it turned out to be pretty uneventful. Pretty much your typical base inprocessing stuff. I got a couple lengthy checklists that I need to complete by next week, but that should be easy. I also got a house on base - those who have been here know - the place we got was, well, less than exceptional. I have a queen size bed and it barely fits in my bedroom. They told me I have a floorplan with one of the most square feet, but it's all in the kitchen...the living room and all 3 bedrooms are tiny. Oh well, i'll get used to it; i'll be too busy most of the time to notice anyway.

    I'm still pretty excited to get started!
  20. spectre56

    Day 4

    By spectre56,

    Day 1 of Aerospace Physiology...sweet. Not too much done today; although, we do get to wear flight suits for most of this, so that's a big plus. We did a bunch of Aero Phys inprocessing and got more briefs from various people (Health and Wellness Center and various instructors). Had some classes over local area survival and learned basic SABC (self aid buddy care), what plants you can and cannot eat, how to protect yourself in a survival situation and signaling. We went out to practice with the signal flares and, to be honest, I was really disappointed. When I did this stuff for the Marines, we got to set off every kind of flare we had...here, we set off one and used the signaling mirror. I was disappointed in the apparent lack of training, but there isn't much I can do about it; plus, I was happy to get out of the classroom, even if only for a little bit.

    Tomorrow is egress training! I still tell myself every day how lucky I am to be in the position that I'm in and doing what I've dreamt about for years.
  21. spectre56

    Day 15

    By spectre56,

    Busy day, sort of. Had a couple CAIs in the morning. I got done with those fairly quickly so I was able to go home for about 45 minutes, then had to go back up to work for a review class, then had a few hours of free time before we took our boldface/ops limits test. Hopefully we all passed it! Did a couple more CAIs after that and headed home.
  22. spectre56

    Day 17

    By spectre56,

    It's friday! We had a review lesson this morning and then I had a couple hours of free time before our sim. I don't know if i've mentioned it yet, but these first 2 sims that we have done is basically a show and tell type thing; the LSI instructors show us stuff in the cockpit and how they work, etc. Had to go directly to Commander's Call after that and get our holiday safety briefing. He was also talking about how he was trying to get the different MWSs to come and have a "fly in" type deal. I think Columbus does that (or did that), and it would be really nice to get touchy feely with the different aircraft that the AF has.

    Going to drop night tonight, so that should be a good time. Have a great weekend!
  23. spectre56

    Day 19

    By spectre56,

    Once again, lots of CAIs and lots of classes. Took our boldface/ops limits today...did we pass? Guess we probably won't find out until after thanksgiving.

    Again, not much to write about today. Sorry.
  24. spectre56

    Back to the suck!

    By spectre56,

    Back to the grind! Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years!

    Well, had EPQ 2 today...not so bueno. So, academics aren't going so well overall and now I'm on procedural and academic CAP. I'm understanding the material, I guess i'm just not retaining all of it that I need to.

    We didn't do anything today besides the EPQ. Supposed to go to the OG/CC call this morning, but I guess there were too many people and all the studs were told to go back to the flight rooms. So we took the EPQ and then had about 6 hours to study. I gotta tell ya, for me, it's tough to sit there for hours on end and get any kind of productive studying done. I'm sure others have this problem too, but that's how the program is designed (I guess) so I just have to grin and bear it.

    At the end of the day, we had standup covering the last set of notes, warnings, and cautions. That went pretty well, so we got let go after about 20 minutes because our flight commander wanted to go home. Tomorrow we get an IP demo for the EP standup. We'll see how this fiasco will go once we start it on Wednesday!
  25. spectre56
    So, there I was, sitting around the table, studying when one of our guys calls the flight room and says that he's sick in quarters (or whatever the AF calls it). Well, our scheduler and flight commander are scrambling around trying to fill the slot (see where this is going?) and they come up with me. Fantastic! Fortunately I had about 30 minutes to get my data card ready so that was sweet.

    I get to the brief and I had forgotten to put winds, fuels, and weather on the card. That didn't go over so well; but that was pretty indicative of the whole flight. Not to mention my IP was cussing at me and generally pissed the whole flight. I only got a couple maneuvers accomplished in the area, then came back to do some pattern work. It was a no grade overall (an 86 ride), but I think he wanted to hook me! Oh well...lesson learned: getting in the books more: got it.

    I also had an instruments review today. Since i'm so far behind the rest of the class in academics, i'm doing these reviews on my own. Everyone else is taking the test on friday, I think, but i'll be taking it sometime next week. I'm really going to have to study hard for this one...it's pretty confusing right now. Fortunately, the guys/gal in my flight are smart and more than willing to help out.

    Enough writing, gonna go to bed soon.
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