Leaderboard

Generals who have probably never set foot in a GA aircraft, telling us what a good thing it is putting the Air Force’s future in the hands of a GA training pipeline, is hilarious to me. I’m not anti GA either; in fact I’m very active in the local GA scene. But GA flying, even the pilot mill schools, is a completely different culture and set up.

that's the fix. wish a general would have had the balls to do that during the 20 year GWOT disaster and wish a general had the balls integrity to say so now with the UPT disaster playing out in slow motion. if you can't do it and the plan being shoved down the throats of line IPs is bull shit, then you should resign in protest. don't be a yes man simply to push a square peg in a round hole sts

It was SUPT until 5-6 ish years ago. I don’t know when Doss started but you did that before UPT if you didn’t have a PPL. That was referred to as IFS, and 2018/19? it changed from IFS (initial flight screening) to IFT (Initial Flight Training) from what I told it was the same but changed from a screening program to a “training” program. 2018/19 is when the SUPT most of us know started its change to the disaster we have now. I’m not super smart on the timeline, but I believe UPT next was a small and short program at Randolf/Austin, T-6 only, straight to a FTU. I think it only produced 20-40 grads. 2021 ish started the 2.0/2.5 and several other syllabus re writes. 22-24 The T-1 started sunsetting, and heavy folks started doing T-1 sim only programs. 2024 the T-1 sim only program sunset. They were not the regular T-1 sims, and while I’ve never been in one, from what I was told tbeh sucked. 2025 -IPT/FUPT. IPT is the training program at civilian schools to get studs a PPL/Inst/multi rating. The “legacy” syllabus being referred to was similar to the 2.0/2.5 but had changes in when checkrides and how the mission phase was executed. (Honestly it might be the 2.5 syllabus, I can’t remember which was which, I started ram dumping that info when I left AD) it’s 20 ish more hours in the T-6 than FUPT. I believe the “legacy” syllabus is still being executed at several UPT bases. To sum that up. legacy = Doss IFT (or PPL) + trans/nav-inst/form/mission in the T-6. FUPT = civilian school, FAA grading standards, time building CFI instructors, FAA checkride PPL/inst Multi, and then 50 hours in the T-6 with no real dedicated nav/inst rides. That being said the “legacy” being referred to is totally different than what most of us went though, and is really only a year or so old.

Your error is the reference to “legacy”. He referring the syllabus before IPT was thing. In that syllabus they got 70? Ish T-6 hours and then straight to the FTU if they didn’t get 38s. I flew with many of the initial IPT studs at CBM, the program is trash.

And, since we must make fun of everything...

Recent visit feedback: Leard can’t read a room, was tone def, and avoided answering most questions. My professional concerns: 1. We don’t have enough applicants for UPT. Forcing more USAFA/ROTC grads to UPT will just result in more DORs. Problem not solved. 2. USAF doesn’t recognize FAA ratings and doesn’t seem to plan to do so. So to drop critical things like instrument training/checks is a massive failure on leadership. It is a wild abdication of our training and qualification that is unacceptable. 3. MAJCOMs don’t have the ability to absorb more inexperienced pilots. FTUs are backed up. Training is being pushed to ops units with wild experience-inexperience ratios. 4. IPT is not faster, cheaper, or better. Nor will it produce the 1500 pilots/year that they think. But as already stated on here, they don’t want to hear that. There is no backup plan for when this doesn’t work. 5. I expect higher attrition rates. Is AETC going to lower CTS when IPT isn’t producing the magical number of pilots? When everything else changes, that is all that is left. Unacceptable. Finally, and we are already seeing this, Q3s and accident rates are already climbing (this is before IPT even started). We are not flying enough nor experiencing pilots at a sustainable rate. SIMs are not a 1:1 equivalent. People need to fly. Throwing more inexperienced pilots at the problem isn’t going to help. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Expected you to say “dibs”

RAT extends on the fuselage bottom right side just about even to slightly aft of the right wing trailing edge. I don't see it but it ain't that big. Flight aware data's shows they got to 400-ish feet AGL. Normal flap for takeoff is 5 degrees so leading edge slats and a little trailing edge flaps, 15 flaps on shorter runways. Flap retraction instead of gear?

remember bois, this is ultimately being rammed through because they don't want to recapitalize the T-6. Just like the Tone, this is the alpha and the omega of the entire rot. The rest is sophist distractions. It goes beyond dereliction at this point; they're straight up conceding institutional sovereignty in chucking our Combat Airman development to the part 141 morass. And I can't get any more inside baseball without doxxing myself, but this guy said a mouthful: 100%. Folks here have no idea how bad. The metrics on IPT are being cooked/suppressed for upper management consumption. The reality is ugly.

Yeah, this is concerning. "In the new model, pilots will earn a private pilot certificate, instrument, and multi-engine ratings in approximately 120 flying hours within a maximum of 139 calendar days. Pilots then complete military specific flight training, earning wings after 108 days—55 hours in the T-6A and 50 hours in simulators. Leard explained, 'Prior to implementing this new program, our fundamental challenge was getting enough flying hours in the T-6A to meet our goal. This new program ultimately provides our pilots with more flight time than the legacy system while exposing them to a greater number of aviation competencies.'" There's a lot in that little snippet that I'm not even sure is factually true. I graduated UPT (technically SUPT) with over 200 hours - most of them were in the T-38. These guys are going to graduate with 175 hours with most of them in some combination of Cessnas and Pilatuses? Hmmm. Not sure they're getting more flight time. Certainly they're not getting more relevant flight time. Maybe he was referring to the T-1 track? Can't speak to what the T-1 guys graduated SUPT with, hours-wise. Does anyone know approximately? My top concern is that this just seems to be trading quality for quantity. Instead of wings with a star on top, can we begin issuing wings with an asterisk? Also, I would like the statement "exposing them to a greater number of aviation competencies" to be substantiated. I doubt this is true. And if it is, what competency did we just discover in the year of our lord 2025 to which I have not been exposed?

That dog don't hunt in Texas! Our governor has already given the order for the National Guard to deploy in advance of upcoming protests expected here, especially in San Antonio. The Austin liberals are shitting squares about it, but it's well within his rights to do so! Some gender-confused misfit toys with rainbow hair will show up, flanked by Mexican flags; but as soon as they start transitioning from "peaceful protests" to rioters there will be enough bubbas around to squash that shit quickly!! We don't put up with that crap for long down here in the Alamo City!

I guess I don't understand the political motivation for deploying the national guard in Los Angeles. The Democrats have almost entirely been responsible for Republicans winning the last few cycles, because their governance inevitably blows up in the faces of their constituencies. California and specifically San Francisco are good examples. Illegal immigration and the trans stuff is another good example. So why save the day when the governor and mayor are protesting your involvement? I feel like a better strategy would be to continue doing what the people elected Trump to do, which is beef up immigration enforcement, and if there's a riot in Los Angeles every time and an illegal is detained, so be it. Wait for the riot to end, then go back in and detain another illegal. It should only take two or three of these riots before Los Angeles is brought to its knees, and then they can request the national guard from the president and allow Trump to swoop in and save the day. I have no love for these "protestors," but California clearly does, so why not let them reap what they sow? If the fear is damage to Federal facilities, use it as justification to move as many federal facilities out of California as possible. Part of the reason the swamp exists is because all of the federal infrastructure is in the most liberal parts of the country. This would be a great excuse for bringing in some more balance.

I'm not thrilled with the idea of using the military to get this under control but the city, county, and state leadership are unable or unwilling to use law enforcement to prevent destruction of property and attacks on Federal personnel executing their lawful duties. Democrats have pandered to these people for so long, they think free speech is throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails. FAFO.