NSS changes as of 04AUG08

[SDNalgene]

The major difference is that acclerated guys no longer have as big of an advantage with total graded items.

Actually, accelerated guys really didn't have any advantage built into the equation. That TGI adjustment was merely offsetting the fact that the flights they skipped were the ones where MIF was the lowest. Had they flown those flights they probably would have rocked them and their grades would have been higher without any "bump" needed, but they didn't fly them so to be fair the powers that be adjusted to account for not getting to fly the easy flights and having to do 2 flights worth of maneuvers in 1 flight. The reason that accelerated guys tended to do better had more to do with the training and SA that they had received on the civilian side. Everyone seems to think it is a "bump" because their NSS's are projected without the TGI adjustment, and then at the end they adjust to get the student back to where he should be. It's a win win; the student didn't get hurt and the Navy didn't spend as much training him.

I am curious as to how they will deal with accelerated students now. Without the TGI adjustment there is nothing to balance out the fact that the accelerated guys don't get to fly all of the low MIF flights, but more or less have to fly all of the high MIF flights. Sucks to be them under this new system.

And no, I wasn't accelerated so I am not defensive about this, but if you are honest with yourself and look at the old equation and the flights that people were accelerated through you will see that they weren't getting some unfair advantage.

 

[Gatordev]

We could look at a weekly "NSS Score" that pretty much just showed how we were doing in comparision to our classmates. The "projected NSS" was never even close.

I was starting as Phrog was finishing up, so I think Phrog may have been on the old system. When I went through, there was MPTS and it's math craziness, but what you describe above is all we got. After you finished a block, you could see the projected for that block. Then you added up each block and did something and it was what it was. I remember it being w/ in 10 or less for me.

In advanced, it was the old AA, A, BA system again, so I don't really remember anyone worrying about it until the end. Then there were one or two folks that started counting aboves and comparing w/ everyone else. I remember one girl who went to every single person in our winging class and started snooping around. The only thing that most others cared about was did they have enough aboves to get through. I think our number of aboves was "public" in Stucon, so she could look at the raw numbers and compare out from there. Kind of amusing to watch...in a pathetic sort of way.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I was starting as Phrog was finishing up, so I think Phrog may have been on the old system. When I went through, there was MPTS and it's math craziness, but what you describe above is all we got. After you finished a block, you could see the projected for that block. Then you added up each block and did something and it was what it was. I remember it being w/ in 10 or less for me.

Nope, I wasn't on the old system - I was MPTS as well, but I was in one of the first groups to go through. I didn't pay attention to the projections, because there was such a wild variance in NSS's (my guess is due to the lack of historical data with the new system). I remember it ran the whole gammut from 70+ to less than 35 (and some guys moved on to advanced with sub 35's).

 

[Gatordev]

Nope, I wasn't on the old system - I was MPTS as well, but I was in one of the first groups to go through. I didn't pay attention to the projections, because there was such a wild variance in NSS's (my guess is due to the lack of historical data with the new system). I remember it ran the whole gammut from 70+ to less than 35 (and some guys moved on to advanced with sub 35's).

Damn, you must have started just a couple weeks after webmaster then. I think he was one of the last old school guys to go through and he finished intermediate right as I was showing up. As I recall, he was one of the last few non-GPS players, as well. Must suck to only be able to fly 4 aircraft on the line out of 120.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Damn, you must have started just a couple weeks after webmaster then. I think he was one of the last old school guys to go through and he finished intermediate right as I was showing up. As I recall, he was one of the last few non-GPS players, as well. Must suck to only be able to fly 4 aircraft on the line out of 120.

Websan was in 6 as well? Yup, it's a small world after all. I went to a wedding of one of PSW's coworkers. Met the grooms' brother, and we both thought the other looked familiar. Yup - we were in 18 together.

I do remember some of those non-GPS guys. They always seemed grumpy, since they weren't flying as much as we were. It's not like the IP's would let us use it (although the direct button did come in handy!)

 

[OUSOONER]

I wish I had GPS for diversions...my instructor MADE me do my diversion for my check ride with my chart on my lap, AFD, fvcking grease pencil..and WHIZ WHEEL. All the while, telling me to keep my head out of the cockpit ?!?!? On top of that I'm flying a cherokee warrior with a lawnmower engine and crazy winds aloft flying through a VFR corridor where my left side is Will Rogers Airport and my right is Tinker AFB and to the north (ahead) is downtown OKC with tall buildings

 

[SDNalgene]

It's VFR dude. WAG your way in the general direction, and screw your instructor if you say you will fly north east for about 35 NM and he wants to hear the divert is 038 for 33 NM. Close enough man. All the same, that "Nearest" button in the T-34 sure was sweet, especially when used in conjunction with the "direct to" button.

 

[nugget81]

I wish I had GPS for diversions...my instructor MADE me do my diversion for my check ride with my chart on my lap, AFD, fvcking grease pencil..and WHIZ WHEEL. All the while, telling me to keep my head out of the cockpit ?!?!? On top of that I'm flying a cherokee warrior with a lawnmower engine and crazy winds aloft flying through a VFR corridor where my left side is Will Rogers Airport and my right is Tinker AFB and to the north (ahead) is downtown OKC with tall buildings

GPS is all well and good, but there are too many student pilots (talking civilians here) that are GPS-cripples. What happens when the little magic box stops working because you just had an electrical failure? Pilotage & dead reckoning don't require electricity and are good knowledges to have.

 

[MIDNJAC]

GPS is all well and good, but there are too many student pilots (talking civilians here) that are GPS-cripples. What happens when the little magic box stops working because you just had an electrical failure? Pilotage & dead reckoning don't require electricity and are good knowledges to have.

Or when you lose one or more of your satellites, and thus lose coverage. Happened probably every time I flew w/ the family back east from the west coast in our plane when I was growing up. Generally over the Rockies or the Badlands, or just somewhere that you really had few unique visual references.

 

[Gatordev]

GPS is all well and good, but there are too many student pilots (talking civilians here) that are GPS-cripples. What happens when the little magic box stops working because you just had an electrical failure? Pilotage & dead reckoning don't require electricity and are good knowledges to have.

Totally agree.

Or when you lose one or more of your satellites, and thus lose coverage. Happened probably every time I flew w/ the family back east from the west coast in our plane when I was growing up. Generally over the Rockies or the Badlands, or just somewhere that you really had few unique visual references.

Or any time you enter a turn in the -60.

 

[bunk22]

I wish I had GPS for diversions...my instructor MADE me do my diversion for my check ride with my chart on my lap, AFD, fvcking grease pencil..and WHIZ WHEEL. All the while, telling me to keep my head out of the cockpit ?!?!? On top of that I'm flying a cherokee warrior with a lawnmower engine and crazy winds aloft flying through a VFR corridor where my left side is Will Rogers Airport and my right is Tinker AFB and to the north (ahead) is downtown OKC with tall buildings

Wow, must have been rough Sarah :sleep_125:sleep_125

 

[Rg9]

Wanting to know your NSS throughout..isn't that just one more thing that's going to be on your mind that shouldn't when you're flying/studying? ...

Then why give grades at all? Just have comments on your performance and hide the grades until completion.

My first choice was P-3s, but I was one of those guys trying to calculate my NSS (mostly cause I was curious). It was important to see how I was doing.

Say what you will, but flight school isn't everything . I needed to spend time with my wife, PT, was involved a little in my church, etc. Knowing where I was (from calculating things out myself) helped me balance my life, and as such let me know how I could maximize my performance (and I did pretty well, thank you).

It was also a goal I could strive for. Any lecture on goal-setting tells you that they must be attainable and measurable. Saying "do your best" is, in all honesty, BS. It cannot be a goal of anyone.

If this new system is true, I like it.

 

[BACONATOR]

I went through 99-01, and I never thought about my NSS until I was selecting - and then I was only curious. I spent too much time studying, drinking beer, and chasing women to worry about grades.

I think that's why we got helos.

 

[MIDNJAC]

It was also a goal I could strive for. Any lecture on goal-setting tells you that they must be attainable and measurable. Saying "do your best" is, in all honesty, BS. It cannot be a goal of anyone.

I agree....."do your best" is very ambiguous. It could mean both doing as much as possible, or as little as possible to get by, depending on what your personal situation is. You need some feedback to determine if the amount of work you are putting in, is giving you the result which you want out. I don't think that feedback necessarily has to be in the form of an NSS, but you should at least have an impression from your instructors about how well you are doing from debriefs and just the general grading you received compared to MIF. Knowing roughly how well the average student in your squadron does in each block might help you fine tune your estimate of your progress, but I don't really think that info is entirely needed just for the sake of evaluating if your study habits/etc are up to speed.

 

[Rg9]

I agree....."do your best" is very ambiguous. It could mean both doing as much as possible, or as little as possible to get by, depending on what your personal situation is. You need some feedback to determine if the amount of work you are putting in, is giving you the result which you want out. I don't think that feedback necessarily has to be in the form of an NSS, but you should at least have an impression from your instructors about how well you are doing from debriefs and just the general grading you received compared to MIF. Knowing roughly how well the average student in your squadron does in each block might help you fine tune your estimate of your progress, but I don't really think that info is entirely needed just for the sake of evaluating if your study habits/etc are up to speed.

Sure it is. Maybe not for getting a general impression, but you need it to get a specific one (which is necessary wrt goals, etc.). MIF is pointless except when it comes to passing each individual flight. Why? Cause you can get MIF all through Primary and still fail out with a sub 35 NSS. It doesn't need to be NSS, but averages or something should be clearly published.