Gooooood Morning Air Warriors!
After almost 28 weeks of Primary training at NASWF I am completed. I'd like to pass on some nuggets of wisdom that were either passed on to me by other students and instructors or that I discovered through training. These will be general tools for success in Primary that, for the most part, I did not utilize in highschool or college.
Firstly, time management. You will be doing yourself a favor by prioritizing and executing flight school studying to free up your future so you can attack your future closest alligators. For example, would you rather cram in discuss items or a system the night before a flight and stay up late with worry because the EPOD has 15 notes, warnings, and cautions or would you rather spend an hour or two every day over the weekend studying and simply review the night before the flight?
Second, knowledge. The more you know, the less you guess. Guessing was usually the progenitor to doing something dumb in the cockpit for me and in the air you do't have time to think. For example, guessing where exactly you fly while waiting for Jax Center to get back to you concerning the NMOA if they are delaying while cruising along at 200kts at ~10,000' is not an opportune time. It's one line buried in the FWOP but one you could encounter every day in Contacts. Know it.
Thirdly, reps. Knowing something is great but the only way to cement your hard earned knowledge is reps. For example, after learning the EPs on paper for about a month I spoke the EPs while driving to base and then again driving home. At first it was a struggle, but as I did more reps I became more comfortable. I took away that comfort by turning the radio on for another distraction. Because of this self training EPs were never something to worry about for me throughout Primary. If you don't get in reps like that the knowledge will flutter away as the Primary firehose is cranked full blast.
Fourthly, study buddies. Good study buddies hold you accountable for bringing knowledge to the table, good study buddies allow you the opportunity to learn from a fellow student when they know something you don't, and good study buddies allow you the opportunity to teach a fellow student when you know something they don't. On the other hand, bad study buddies don't do any of that. Make good study buddies. Note: Your friends from OCS/ROTC/USNA may not always make the best study buddies, but that doesn't mean you need to burn bridges with them.
Fifthly, chairfly. The ability to mentally put yourself in flight and focus intently on a profile helps with real world flights. For example, you may only get 10 landings in a Contact flight or 3 approaches in an Instrument flight, but if you go back home that night with your good study buddy and go through the actions and thoughts over and over you will create solid habits for the plane. This comes back to reps as well, as you can only get so many reps in the airplane but you can get as many reps as you want at home with a good study buddy playing ATC, an IP, the wind components, or whatever. If you've flown 1000 times in your mind you should never fear the flight itself.
Lastly, grades. They are NO FACTOR. You cannot control anything but your own attitude and performance so smile, put in your best effort, listen to what the IPs are telling you, and apply lessons learned in the plane to your next maneuver or next event. Grades be damned. I noticed that guys who get wrapped around the axle with MIF and NSS multipliers and all that nonsense really don't seem to enjoy living in the moment of Primary. You can learn from your past but if you obsess about it you'll forget about the present. Playing lots of golf helps with this one...
It gives me great pleasure to look back on Primary with a grin and a laugh or two. I hope your Primary experience turns out similarly.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to PM me.
After almost 28 weeks of Primary training at NASWF I am completed. I'd like to pass on some nuggets of wisdom that were either passed on to me by other students and instructors or that I discovered through training. These will be general tools for success in Primary that, for the most part, I did not utilize in highschool or college.
Firstly, time management. You will be doing yourself a favor by prioritizing and executing flight school studying to free up your future so you can attack your future closest alligators. For example, would you rather cram in discuss items or a system the night before a flight and stay up late with worry because the EPOD has 15 notes, warnings, and cautions or would you rather spend an hour or two every day over the weekend studying and simply review the night before the flight?
Second, knowledge. The more you know, the less you guess. Guessing was usually the progenitor to doing something dumb in the cockpit for me and in the air you do't have time to think. For example, guessing where exactly you fly while waiting for Jax Center to get back to you concerning the NMOA if they are delaying while cruising along at 200kts at ~10,000' is not an opportune time. It's one line buried in the FWOP but one you could encounter every day in Contacts. Know it.
Thirdly, reps. Knowing something is great but the only way to cement your hard earned knowledge is reps. For example, after learning the EPs on paper for about a month I spoke the EPs while driving to base and then again driving home. At first it was a struggle, but as I did more reps I became more comfortable. I took away that comfort by turning the radio on for another distraction. Because of this self training EPs were never something to worry about for me throughout Primary. If you don't get in reps like that the knowledge will flutter away as the Primary firehose is cranked full blast.
Fourthly, study buddies. Good study buddies hold you accountable for bringing knowledge to the table, good study buddies allow you the opportunity to learn from a fellow student when they know something you don't, and good study buddies allow you the opportunity to teach a fellow student when you know something they don't. On the other hand, bad study buddies don't do any of that. Make good study buddies. Note: Your friends from OCS/ROTC/USNA may not always make the best study buddies, but that doesn't mean you need to burn bridges with them.
Fifthly, chairfly. The ability to mentally put yourself in flight and focus intently on a profile helps with real world flights. For example, you may only get 10 landings in a Contact flight or 3 approaches in an Instrument flight, but if you go back home that night with your good study buddy and go through the actions and thoughts over and over you will create solid habits for the plane. This comes back to reps as well, as you can only get so many reps in the airplane but you can get as many reps as you want at home with a good study buddy playing ATC, an IP, the wind components, or whatever. If you've flown 1000 times in your mind you should never fear the flight itself.
Lastly, grades. They are NO FACTOR. You cannot control anything but your own attitude and performance so smile, put in your best effort, listen to what the IPs are telling you, and apply lessons learned in the plane to your next maneuver or next event. Grades be damned. I noticed that guys who get wrapped around the axle with MIF and NSS multipliers and all that nonsense really don't seem to enjoy living in the moment of Primary. You can learn from your past but if you obsess about it you'll forget about the present. Playing lots of golf helps with this one...
It gives me great pleasure to look back on Primary with a grin and a laugh or two. I hope your Primary experience turns out similarly.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to PM me.