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B Course Washout


Justsaytwo

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Hey everyone,

I just recently washed out of a fighter B course.  It was for many reasons, but ultimately it came down to me getting behind the jet a lot more than I care to admit. I struggled in the program and I gave it my best shot but things sadly did not pan out for me on the fighter side of the house.

I’m hoping to hear from others that may have been in my shoes before on what’s next for me and what options I could have available. Flying aircraft is and forever will be my dream, and I will do anything to make sure I can keep my wings and stay in a seat.

Haven’t really heard of much of a timeline for me as an active duty guy but want to do all I can to set me and my family up well for what’s next. 

Some questions would be:

- will I be limited to only certain aircraft?

- under what circumstance would they strip my wings?

- how will this affect my career down the line?
 

Thanks!

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Sorry to hear that but it sounds like you have a good attitude about it. That’ll serve you very well wherever you end up.

Questions:

1. Yes, you’ll be limited to crew aircraft only now. That still leaves most of the inventory.

2. Your wings will only be stripped if they decide to go to a Flight Evaluation Board (FEB) and that’s the decision from it. I know a bunch of guys that washed out of fighter B courses and the vast majority got offered a waiver to a FEB and reassignment to another aircraft. Only one I know that was FEB’d and lost his wings did some truly heinous things that were deliberate and dangerous.

3. It won’t affect you at all. Just do great at your next jet and you’ll be fine. Plenty of fighter washouts have done great, gone to WIC, made rank, etc. It will all come down to attitude and performance on your next assignment.

Keep up your honest attitude and that’ll do serve you very well. Don’t hide it at your next assignment and just be honest. Don’t do the “they had it out for me and it was all BS” routine. 
 

In terms of future assignments, you’ll fill out a dream sheet and go from there. Let your leadership know what you want and why and they will help you if you’re a good dude.  Try to figure out what mission appeals to you and pursue that. And then whatever you get, that is the best jet in the Air Force.

Good luck!

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Thanks @Danger41!

Awesome, they did offer the waiver for me so I will be pursuing that.

Nobody had it out for me at all, and I take nothing but an awesome experience out of the training. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to adapt to the crew lifestyle and be a better fit elsewhere. I did have the feeling of wanting to hide this experience but you're right I'll just answer peoples questions honestly if it comes up. 

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Sucks that it happened to you, but you’ll be alright. I have a good friend who washed out Viper b course years ago, he maintained the tactical mindset and brought it with him to the Herk. He was/is a standout aviator and dude, he’s done well for himself in his career as well. 

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There are plenty of fighter wash outs doing good work in global strike and carrying far more weapons and gas than they would have had in fighters🤫🤫. Seen dudes move on to squadron command, TPS, WIC, you name it. A solid attitude and work ethic will serve you well no matter where you end up.  

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On 5/30/2023 at 4:20 PM, Justsaytwo said:

Thanks @Danger41!

Awesome, they did offer the waiver for me so I will be pursuing that.

Nobody had it out for me at all, and I take nothing but an awesome experience out of the training. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to adapt to the crew lifestyle and be a better fit elsewhere. I did have the feeling of wanting to hide this experience but you're right I'll just answer peoples questions honestly if it comes up. 

There’s nothing to hide honestly. It’s just your pride that’s hurt no one else will care or look at you like a second class citizen. You gave it your best shot and it didn’t work out! No harm no foul…you’ll look back in 5-10 years and be amazed at how everything played out for the best. 
and you’re gonna be a great mentor/resource down the road for future young guys who struggle. Just be honest and it won’t get weird. The times I’ve looked at guys sideways are when guys try to pretend they were something they aren’t. 

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You sound like you've got the attitude part wired - so good for you.

1. Well no F-somethings, but that said, it depends on what gets written on your form 8s, etc. You could still fly single-seat, depending on what gets written on your form 8s, etc.

2. You should probably already have some sense of whether they were going to take your wings. Why are you asking the question? Did something (or multiple things) happen during your course that makes them think you should be a pilot at all? Or did you just get the vibe that they didn't think fighters were your jam? If it was the latter, you'll keep your wings. My sense of FEBs is that they are a formal process that recommends what they've been recommended to do...

3. If you get to keep flying, you'll be fine. I know someone who washed out of F-15s (post B-course, post MQT), and is now a weapons' officers on another platform. Shit happens, but your attitude will carry you. Own your f-ups, and move on with your life - you will absolutely be fine.

I promise you, flying something else besides a fighter can be every bit as rewarding, and more so, than flying a fighter. It's your attitude that will make the difference. I'm sure it sucks, but try not to dwell on it longer than necessary. Once you start your next B-course, don't look back.

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1 hour ago, ViperMan said:

You sound like you've got the attitude part wired - so good for you.

1. Well no F-somethings, but that said, it depends on what gets written on your form 8s, etc. You could still fly single-seat, depending on what gets written on your form 8s, etc.

2. You should probably already have some sense of whether they were going to take your wings. Why are you asking the question? Did something (or multiple things) happen during your course that makes them think you should be a pilot at all? Or did you just get the vibe that they didn't think fighters were your jam? If it was the latter, you'll keep your wings. My sense of FEBs is that they are a formal process that recommends what they've been recommended to do...

3. If you get to keep flying, you'll be fine. I know someone who washed out of F-15s (post B-course, post MQT), and is now a weapons' officers on another platform. Shit happens, but your attitude will carry you. Own your f-ups, and move on with your life - you will absolutely be fine.

I promise you, flying something else besides a fighter can be every bit as rewarding, and more so, than flying a fighter. It's your attitude that will make the difference. I'm sure it sucks, but try not to dwell on it longer than necessary. Once you start your next B-course, don't look back.

Nothing went wrong in terms of my Form 8 but they did say after my discussion single seat is probably not best for me. I wouldn't think anything I've done up to this point is deserving of being stripped of my wings as I come prepared and give it my best hack, but the paranoia definitely set in for some reason. 

Wow never heard of someone washing out that late, as much as that sucks it's nice to know even in that situation that things turned around for that guy. If there's anything I know how to do after this training pipeline is to take my licks and try and learn.

Appreciate the words, I'll definitely go to my next training with a little extra fire in me.

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7 hours ago, Justsaytwo said:

they did say after my discussion single seat is probably not best for me.

That doesn’t directly reflect on your ability to be a good pilot, just the unique pressures and requirements of flying fighters isn’t your thing, and that’s OK. I’ve recommended to leadership twice in my career an individual needs to stop flying fighters, and they were removed without FEB (post-MQT mind you). They’re doing fine, including one flying for a major. I’ve flown with a lot of pilots (either outside the AF or as an observer in their mil aircraft) who are great pilots, and also with fighter pilots who would die in a GA airplane if I wasn’t with them. The aircraft type you fly doesn’t immediately define the quality of pilot you are (good or bad).

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