Ifs Fex

[eurotrash]

I am deep into the POI here in the Quantico highlands preparing my OODA Loops, DRAW-D's, and OCOKA-W's for the unsuspecting CRF in the next few weeks. However, I was wondering...for those of you that did IFS down in Pensacola, did you use the same airspace that you eventually used in Primary, and if so...did it help? If I should come across the IFS genie later on...and actually get to chose where to do it. Thanks for the info.

 

[Gatordev]

I am deep into the POI here in the Quantico highlands preparing my OODA Loops, DRAW-D's, and OCOKA-W's for the unsuspecting CRF in the next few weeks. However, I was wondering...for those of you that did IFS down in Pensacola, did you use the same airspace that you eventually used in Primary, and if so...did it help? If I should come across the IFS genie later on...and actually get to chose where to do it. Thanks for the info.

The short answer is no. The long answer is: kind of. Many of the IFS airports are w/in A-292, but you're not working the same areas as the Wieners nor bouncing at the OLFs (thank god). I have, however, bounced at 1R8 while some IFSers were getting ready to go on night flights. We quickly left so as not to over-whelm them or have them get in our way.

 

[pourts]

Do IFS in Quantico, especially if they are still giving yall BAH and letting you move out of Graves Hall to do it. This is hard to believe, but it is actually more chill to do it in Quantico. If you forgot to log flights in Quantico, you got a reminder email a week later. If you forgot to log it in Pensacola the day of, you dressed up in Charlies and sat in front of a board.

Most that moved to Pensacola had to wait 6 months to do IFS. Sure you can "sit on the beach" for 6 months but if I were you I would be anxious to start my career.

 

[TheFurr7198]

I did IFS down in Pensacola and if you want a more chill atmosphere then stay up in Quantico for IFS. Down here some of the schools take the screening part very serious and treat IFS like baby primary. My school in Mobile did this but I also thought it made me better because I was flying everyday vice once or twice a week. I waited all of 2 days to start IFS when I got down here and have already received a start date for API. The quicker you get down here the sooner you will have that API slot over the Quantico studs. It sucks having to do the studying and all that while over schools might be more relaxed but its your job to learn to fly and if it makes you better then why not go through it down in Pensacola. The upside to doing it down here is you can also work on your other pre-reqs for API while doing your IFS.

 

[FrogFly]

I'm still confused as to why people would opt out of "sitting at the beach" vs. studying your ass off as soon as you check-in? If you're guaranteed to get a 6 month vacation just by choosing an IFS location, then go there. It's not pipeline/platform selection, just introducing some flight time via a cessna or piper. There's plenty of opportunity to be busy on down the road.

 

[MasterBates]

A Marine wants to make his life harder and pass up on a "good deal"..

Color me surprised! Not.

 

[Gatordev]

I'm still confused as to why people would opt out of "sitting at the beach" vs. studying your ass off as soon as you check-in? If you're guaranteed to get a 6 month vacation just by choosing an IFS location, then go there. It's not pipeline/platform selection, just introducing some flight time via a cessna or piper. There's plenty of opportunity to be busy on down the road.

Some people have their reasons for not sitting on the beach for 6 months. I certainly had mine. Not everyone showing up has just been spit out of the gold bar machine. Generally, this is not the case, but there are some of us that had our issues.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

Yeah, as much as I'd like to sit on the beach for six months, I need to get set up more permanently so my wife can finish school, so I'm trying to get through IFS and API so I can find out Where I'll be for Primary.

 

[FrogFly]

I wouldn't expect everyone's situation to be the exact same. There are always going to be people who have specific needs. However, it's hard not to sit back and laugh at the guys who are so eager to start as soon as possible. You can't blame 'em for their level of motivation, but it makes me wonder what's wrong with a guy who can't recognize a good deal when they see it. It's not like you're going to get passed by for flight school because all the slots filled up while you were out enjoying a life of low responsibility for max monetary compensation. The time before flight school can be spent living like Billy Madison.

 

[Gatordev]

I wouldn't expect everyone's situation to be the exact same. There are always going to be people who have specific needs. However, it's hard not to sit back and laugh at the guys who are so eager to start as soon as possible. You can't blame 'em for their level of motivation, but it makes me wonder what's wrong with a guy who can't recognize a good deal when they see it. It's not like you're going to get passed by for flight school because all the slots filled up while you were out enjoying a life of low responsibility for max monetary compensation. The time before flight school can be spent living like Billy Madison.

Again, your above statement is not always true. Getting passed up in flight school may not be a big deal, but it can affect you down the road. Again, I'm just sayin'.

 

[eurotrash]

Is it really 6 months of "sitting on the beach," or 6 months of Pensacola's version of Mike Company...thanks for the DL so far, I've actually been hearing good and bad about both Quantico, and P-cola...

 

[pjxc415]

it is essentially 6 months of sitting on the beach, mix in a few hours a week of a stash job. florabama one night, seville the next, flounders, capt fun, etc .... fun for about a month then it gets old. i'd much rather be in training during the week and just have fun on the weekend. and lets be honest, primary really isn't that hard. its the least you'll ever work in the Marine Corps, but prob the most youll ever study (words of wisdom from my onwing) ... i thought tbs was tougher solely for the sleep factor. you definitely have to study but when you're getting 8-9 hours a night its not a prob.

to answer the ifs question ... i did ifs at pcola. our main working area is also a primary working area (3), but i've only been there once during primary and i'll never go again. i did three xc during ifs, all 3 times traveled through primary working areas so got to kind of scope them out, but at the time didn't even know they were primary working areas. don't worry about it at all, when the time comes you'll learn the areas.

i understand why the older guys say enjoy the 6 month paid vaca, because they can't do it anymore. but when you're motivated to learn how to fly, its hard not to want to get in that cockpit asap. plus when u work hard, the play hard is that much more enjoyable.

 

[TheFurr7198]

I can see if you had to sit around for six months then actually enjoying it but if the oppurtunity is there for you to start flight school right away then I feel you should take it. Not starting because you feel like getting paid to sit by a pool and not having to burn up your leave is wrong. There are a lot of young marines who need a pilot to put steel on steel or put troops in zone. If you are having to wait because they said so and you have done everything you can do then that is perfectly alright. Nothing you can do about that but there is something wrong if you are just sitting on your butt doing nothing. Sadly I have seen that since being down here in P'cola.

 

[Trev82]

If you do IFS in quantico which you PROBABLY WILL you are NOT operating out of Mike Co. You are attached to mike but you report and operate out of Aviation Training Branch at Mainside. You live off base and if your enrolled and have started flying you dont even muster, you check in at the airport fly, study, wait to fly, backseat, whatever and then go home. If you have graduate TBS but dont start IFS say until the 28th of July you take leave to Coronado, CA for 10 days come back muster on mainside @ 9am study for a couple hours, go to the gym, then go home. You do this everyday until you class up with the airport. They are pretty much voluntelling you that you will do IFS in quantico to relieve some of the pressure down in pcola, unless you are married or have some other extenuating circumstance..hope this helps, i'm going through it now so hit me up if you have further ?'s.

 

[pourts]

I'm still confused as to why people would opt out of "sitting at the beach" vs. studying your ass off as soon as you check-in? If you're guaranteed to get a 6 month vacation just by choosing an IFS location, then go there. It's not pipeline/platform selection, just introducing some flight time via a cessna or piper. There's plenty of opportunity to be busy on down the road.

I am no motard by any stretch of the imagination, but after 9 months of OCS/TBS I want to get in the fight already, not wait another 6 months.