WannabeActual
Member
The reason prof-advance is so advantageous now is that the events you skip are now the 4200 and 4300 events with the higher MIF. For instance, I was one of the first non-instrument rated studs to profadvance in instruments in my squadron about a year ago. I flew 4 I4100 events with a low MIF, 2 I4200 events with a moderate MIF, and 2 I4300+inst. check events with a MIF of 4. Compared to a normal syllabus flow, with 4 of each, especially 5 flights with a MIF of 4 instead of 3, the difference in NSS/multiplier is really dramatic. I finished with an upper 70s NSS, despite having a brand new MIF monster onwing in contacts. Great guy, but when you're someone's first onwing they really don't want to look like a Santa Claus.That's what I don't get. If you have the skills, then you're earning 3's and 4's when MIF is 2's and 3's, so it seems like it would help to just play the game rather than advance. Yeah, more graded events, but if you truly are as awesome as you think you are (and spoiler alert, often times you're not), then why not take the early good grades.
That said, I'm guessing studs think it might help them, but IPs are actually protecting them. The studs just don't realize it. But what do I know?
As far as asking for profadvance, I did end up asking about it, because it really won't 'just happen to you', unless you've already got an instrument rating. It helps to phrase it as "what do you need to see on our next flight to recommend me for profadvance". It's not a super comfortable conversation, and when I asked that question in a debrief, I was pretty openly laughed at. This was just after puking my guts out in the pattern at Goliad on C4101, so I don't blame him. But one week later, he did end up deciding to recommend me after some solid flights where I didn't puke. I skipped one 4200 and two 4300 flights in Contacts, did well enough to advance in instruments, and was really fortunate to get my first choice.
I can say pretty confidently he never would have considered recommending me if I hadn't brought it up. With the pace of scheduling, its entirely possible to finish all of Contact flights in 2 weeks or less. If you don't get that ball rolling really early, it's very hard to get the paperwork in before you end up getting told 'the schedule's already written, so you're going to fly those events anyway'.