Well, I am sufficiently far enough removed from my days in Advanced, that I will leave the details to others that are there, but certain things don't change.
- You get teamed up with a FAM partner, your flights are longer in the plane, and there are two of you to one instructor. While your friend is flying, you are sitting behind them in the pax seats. You work on the brief together, the IP may ask questions specifically at you, but you can work that system to your advantage.
- KNOW YOUR PREFLIGHT CHECKLISTS! Spend time in the sim, you can schedule it, or go out to one of the maint birds (that can be HOT!). And work on your switchology (where was that damn boost pump switch?!?) and your response items (the proper response it "CHECKED, SET") etc... Going through those checklists with your fam partner will save you ALOT of grief and time later on. You will get your groundschool study aid, and read through it, then sched some time, and go run through the checklists! A required item for your first CBT BTW... unless too much has changed...
- T44 GOUGE: When I went through there was an inch thick T44 gouge book floating around, I got mine at Kinkos I think, but ask the SNAs ahead of you, might save you some time.
- FAM CASES: Memorize and know the different cases, ie you lost an engine on climbout, at crosswind, on downwind, at the 180, and on final. Read through the books and get that material down, will save you grief in the plane.
- OLFs: Take a look a the outlying fields when you have time, look up the distances and where they are located, ie, you fly down to the valley (Valley of the DOWNS, haha), or head up to San Antonio, etc. There are fields that are TOO SHORT to land at!! Be aware of that, IPs will let you take it all the way in, and then take controls from you, so know which fields are good and not, make it apart of your approach brief if you havent already. Look at the approaches to some of the airfields you will be flying to (especially in the valley, ie Brownsville), you finish one approach and is straight onto another one with short vectors, be prepared.
- Take lots of water with you to the plane, especially in the summer time, it is hot in the T34, but the T44 and C12 are OVENS until you get the damn AC on. I also brought a small towel to wipe my face off, good old 113 degree Corpus weather!
- LEFT AND RIGHT RUNWAYS!!! Read back those clearances and don't land on the incorrect runway!
- Course rules, a joke compared to the complex ones at Whiting...
- SIM sucks, no visuals, or motion (T44 I am talking about), but still all the stuff you need to work on instrument wise and to get those EPs down.
- CRM!! Cockpit/Crew Resource Management, work together to solve problems, the IP will help you out to an extent.
- Purchase an AIM/FAR and a highlighter, a lot of your briefing material that you need to know is in that book. Mine was dog earred and highlighted/written in by the end of training. Alot of the IPs are getting out to go to the airlines (or were, haha, or maybe not so haha), and are studying this while getting ready to take their tests.
- IPs ARE SNEAKY! While they don't want to get a flight violation, in many cases while you are task saturated, through center or approach will let you get far afield of where you are supposed to be. A lot of those controllers KNOW what you are going through, and some are sadastic and will gleefully give you short vectors as you hop from one approach to the next (front course LOC to backcourse anyone?). Importance of knocking out your approach briefs quickly and logically, while handling in flight malfs... OH JOY!
There is probably more, but can't think of it at the moment. Best advice as always is getting the gouge from fellow students ahead of you. All in all, a good time, and you probably will NEVER be that good of an instrument pilot again, until you go back there as an IP (if you do). The best is finally getting those wings at your winging party! Have fun.
As for Corpus, there are a variety of places to live, and I honestly (unlike Pcola) don't have any recommendations for you. I did not like Corpus at all (it did have highspeed internet though). Good thing is to go up to Kelly or Randolph in San Antonio for the weekend, you can get the BOQ rooms up there for cheap for the weekend, and enjoy the riverwalk.
I'll dig around, maybe I can find some of my T44 gouge...
Differences between the two? Main one already mentioned about the type rating. Then again, you get to go fly a P3, so go figure.... AF IPs are in both squadrons, so you won't get away from them in VT31. AF IPs just LOVE to quote equations on you, and have you compute the VDP or how far the radials are apart on your approach, ie what are you going to lead with, etc... I went through 31 and enjoyed flying the 44, I have heard the same about the C12, whichever floats your boat I guess...
Good link though.