Summary of Panel Nav in San Antonio

[Sabre170]

This will be a journal type of entry, as I am down here now and waiting to class up.

So far the check in process has been easy. Can be done in a day (if other people are actually at their desk when you go visit-remeber this is an Air Force Base and people are not always at their desk).

You go to the Orderly Room (Admin) in Khakis and fill out some paperwork, pick up your patches and checkin sheet. Then across the hall is Student Control with an Air Force 2ndLt who has finished the school and being stashed until he goes onto his next school. StuCon will give you the tour and tell you what to do until you class up. Right now I go in every morning and muster at 0830. If there is nothing to do I go home, otherwise it is like C-Pool all over again. The 562 FTS (the Squadron down here) has sort-of organized PT on Wednesday morning at 0800. Last week we ran about 2.8 miles. I have been told that when you class up you do more organized PT.

I am currently looking for any gouge I can get my hands on. So if you are down here and have something you would like to share, PM me. I will post another entry once I class up.

 

[highlyrandom]

TACCO/NAV advanced
Advanced P-3/EP-3
Advanced
"Flying in T-43s"

Not "Panel Nav," that sounds so uncool.

 

[Flash]

TACCO/NAV advanced
Advanced P-3/EP-3
Advanced
"Flying in T-43s"

Not "Panel Nav," that sounds so uncool.

I agree, it sounds so......Air Farce.....shudder

 

[Sabre170]

First week = indoc week.

Monday - StuCon Muster
Tuesday - Thrusday - Muster with class at 0730 and nothing but indoc briefs from anyone and everyone from the Skipper to the base Shrink. Gear Issue - AF gets everything, Navy gets Wrist Watch, Stopwatch, Navigators Bag (whick makes the Knowledge bag from OCS look SMALL), Xenon flashlight, Large Nav MB-4A flight computer, Large and mall plotters, and a divider. Also the AF pays for all velcro and ranks to be sewed on... must be nice since the Navy paid about $60 in Pcola.

Friday - Medical/Dental. Navy guys were out of there in less than an hour.

Next week our class will be in Areospace Physiology. I have head that the Navy does not have to do that again so we might have some time off.

 

[2NFO's]

No you won't do much when the airforce guys are doing phys. If your flight commander is cool you will phone muster if not then you will be there all day. You should find someone with their charts done or someone who is done using their charts and start working on them. The new charts are in the school house (563rd) next to the book store. Any questions let me know. I am hanging out waiting to go to SERE in april.

 

[Sabre170]

I also heard yesterday from our Flt CMD who just came out of a meeting with the Skipper that Pensacola is going to have a test class of about 15 people to skip Randolph, stay in Pcola a little longer then go straight to JAX. Then in a year some Ph.D. will see how they compare to others who went through Randolph. Anyone in Pcola hear anything along these lines?

 

[Sabre170]

2nd Week of class is a breeze for the Navy. Tuesday - Exempt, Wednesday we reported at 1600. Went through a couple hours of training on breathing devices, practiced putting on a rubber suit (not NBC suit but for cold water), then went out side to practice jumping out of a plane onto a escape slide - I've always thought that would be fun... Then we all went to Lackland AFB so the AF guys could jump in the water inflate their life vest (the yellow ones the airliners use) and climb into a life raft... The Navy only had to watch. That was the extent of the AF water survival until they go to SERE school. Next week the Navy does not have to report until Wednesday when we start Intro to Navigation.

 

[TheBubba]

I also heard yesterday from our Flt CMD who just came out of a meeting with the Skipper that Pensacola is going to have a test class of about 15 people to skip Randolph, stay in Pcola a little longer then go straight to JAX. Then in a year some Ph.D. will see how they compare to others who went through Randolph. Anyone in Pcola hear anything along these lines?

Yeah.. that's flying around P-Cola too. Heard it from an O-6 who said that they're thinking of moving it b/c us Navy guys' skills degrade while waiting for the AF guys to catch up to us. Dunno if its just runor mill or actual fact, but thats about what flying around P-Cola re: moving te course here.

Cheers,
Bubba

 

[Swmtb]

Any word on the prospects of selecting the (E)P-3/E-6 out of the VT's at Pcola?

 

[usnmerritt]

Any word on the prospects of selecting the (E)P-3/E-6 out of the VT's at Pcola?

That's supposed to be happening whenever this whole BRAC change happens. They might decide to do it beforehand, but I know the P-3 instructors here say that we are some of the last ones who will choose from here rather than selecting right out of primary.

Either way, its about time someone realized the inefficiency of this program. I think moving it to NASP will be perfect for the Navy guys, but then the AF will have to catch up to where we are. Someone will probably eventually figure out that they should go through the primary training as well, since they are so far behind us when they get to Randolph. It looks like this program will be adjusted several times in the near future to try and make it work right, or at least work more efficiently.

 

[Swmtb]

That's supposed to be happening whenever this whole BRAC change happens. They might decide to do it beforehand, but I know the P-3 instructors here say that we are some of the last ones who will choose from here rather than selecting right out of primary.

Either way, its about time someone realized the inefficiency of this program. I think moving it to NASP will be perfect for the Navy guys, but then the AF will have to catch up to where we are. Someone will probably eventually figure out that they should go through the primary training as well, since they are so far behind us when they get to Randolph. It looks like this program will be adjusted several times in the near future to try and make it work right, or at least work more efficiently.

Although that was informative, I guess I was more curious about the prospects for actually selecting 'panel nav' in general, no matter where the training may be.

 

[usnmerritt]

Although that was informative, I guess I was more curious about the prospects for actually selecting 'panel nav' in general, no matter where the training may be.

All I know is that when I left VT-10 last year, they were only giving 1 slot out per class. Now I think that some classes don't even get a slot period. There really isn't a way to know for sure, because it changes all the time. If you want it, though, just make sure you put it down on your sheet and then work your butt off to do good in the class. If they see that you want it bad enough and have the grades to prove it, they will do everything they can to move slots around and get you one. However, that little clause "the needs of the Navy" always gets people.

I don't know what the future holds for panel nav positions since there are a lot of changes coming, but don't give up hope about it. Just let people know what you want and then work hard for it. Sorry I don't know anymore than this. Good luck.

 

[Swmtb]

All I know is that when I left VT-10 last year, they were only giving 1 slot out per class. Now I think that some classes don't even get a slot period. There really isn't a way to know for sure, because it changes all the time. If you want it, though, just make sure you put it down on your sheet and then work your butt off to do good in the class. If they see that you want it bad enough and have the grades to prove it, they will do everything they can to move slots around and get you one. However, that little clause "the needs of the Navy" always gets people.

I don't know what the future holds for panel nav positions since there are a lot of changes coming, but don't give up hope about it. Just let people know what you want and then work hard for it. Sorry I don't know anymore than this. Good luck.

Hey man, I'll take any info I can get... I can't say that I have my heart set on any particular pipeline yet, but panel nav is looking pretty good. Thanks.

 

[Sabre170]

The last class to graduate down here had 10 Navy guys but for the last couple of months only 4 guys have been classing up. I was selected for the April 21 class but classed uyp early. But when I went into the registra's office only a few people (4 or 5) were on the list after me. For a couple of Primary classes no one got panel nav. Now they are starting the test class of 15-20 to stay in Pcola then go onto the FRS. A recent grad here told me that VP 30 had a six month wait to start. So until the bottle neck gets fixed, I don't think anyone will be coming to San Antonio for a while.

 

[ip568]

Can someone explain why the Navy has so extended NFO training? When I went through it looked like this:

Commissioned
Preflight - 4 weeks
VT-10 - 16 weeks
VT-29 - 12 weeks
Wings
FAETUPAC (FAESOTRAGRUPAC) - 11 weeks (included DWEST)
SERE - 1 week
VP-31 - 12 weeks
Report to fleet squadron

The Air Force kept coming around and saying, "How the **** does the Navy train a navigator to fly a large airplane across the ocean in 12 weeks (VT-29) when we take twice as long?" The only conclusion we could come to was that Navy training was far more intense.

So now the Navy has "gone Air Force" in its training? I understand the base/training consolidation reasoning, but it still sounds like a lot of extra hanging-around. Of course, there was no "classing up." Once you hit Indoc Batt at Pensacola it was a dead run until you got to the fleet.