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Naval Introductory Flight Training (NIFE) Phase 3 AAR: Flying

RoarkJr.

Well-Known Member
NIFE phase 3 replaces IFS. The intent is to model the training after primary to better prepare us. There will be no validators after a certain point in the near future. It consists of flight prep, flight support events at assigned FBO, and 6 flights and a check ride in a Cessna 172. Phase 3 indoc takes place after you pass the air navigation exam, but before the weather exam. After passing phase 2 academics, phase 3 begins the following Monday with an all-day class on land survival. Thanks to COVID ours was via ZOOM. Tuesday began "flight prep", consisting of classes on various topics like ORM, CRM, Aviation Safety, etc. During this week we are expected to memorize the memory item EP's and limits for the Cessna. On Friday you are quizzed on that and must pass with a 100%, or, at least, correctable to 100%. Failing is embarrassing because passing the EP/limits exam triggers the start of your flight suit Friday.

The following Monday is orientation at your assigned FBO, either Skywarrior at Pensacola International or Skywarrior Jack Edwards. I believe that proximity to your home address is how they determine where you'll be assigned. Monday-Thursday you will have 3 sessions of 2 hour blocks in the cockpit procedural trainer, which is essentially a cessna cockpit in the building. There weren't explicit instructions so my partner and I just ran through the entire hollywood script while one of the civilian instructors watched. We added comms, landing pattern, and whatever else as we progressed. There is a digital simulator there too but I haven't seen any students use it.

Thursday is the CFI brief, which is essentially a reiteration of a lot of the info and some more stuff on how to brief. Friday is your first flight. You will fly weekends if necessary (I did due to the hurricane delay) but most likely you won't unless there's something like that. Expect a flight daily until your 7 flights are up, but there could be a day off thrown in here or there. For example, I did my check ride Wednesday whereas some other studs from my class didn't do theirs until today.

Flights begin with the brief, which consists of talking over IMSAFE, ORM, timeline, TOLD card, weather, notams, bird risk, and whatever discuss items are required for the flight/block you are on. There are 3 blocks. The first 4 flights, C4101-C4104 are the first block. C4201-C4202 is block 2 and the check ride is the final block. You should fly with the same instructor for the first block, and different one for the second, and will have a military instructor from NASC for the check ride. You must meet Maneuver Item File (MIF) score for each graded item on that block.

After the brief, you get headsets, keys, ATIS, clearance, and then head out to the cessna for preflight. Overall, every flight has the same structure. One stud takes off from KPNS, does high work at one of the practice areas, then does ~6 touch and goes (probably more) at one of the non-towered airfields. Then the students switch, the second stud does his/her touch and goes, goes to the practice area for high work, then lands back at KPNS for post-flight and debrief. You get your grade sheet, log your flight in the system, and that's it.

I have a virtual reality flight simulator with x plane 11 that I put about 20 hours in prior to starting, so I felt confident going in. However, you get significantly dumber once you climb in the cockpit (especially if it's your first time) so do what you need to do. I'll share some of my recommendations. The first thing I worked on was memorizing the hollywood script completely. Not entirely necessary as the FTI states that only a few of the checklists are required to be memorized, but it helped me practice easier in the VR sim. Once I had the memory item checklists memorized, I began adding the FTI procedures. During flight prep week, as soon as you get your FTI, start studying it, highlighting it, tabbing it, etc. The checklist is not enough. Yes, it has the descent checklist, for example, but the FTI will tell you that you should be descending with carb heat on at 1500 rpm, or that the difference in RPM between L/R mags shouldn't exceed 50, etc. The FTI will also spell out the racetrack landing pattern and associated altitudes, airspeeds, and RPM settings (know all of this cold). Obviously it will also spell out each of the maneuvers (level speed change, stalls, and turn patters). In short...start studying FTI ASAP.

Once I had the script down, integrated the comms, and had maneuvers memorized, I took turns practicing the maneuvers and landings, and then worked up to doing full flights in the sim in study groups where we could all help/correct each other. Understanding trim, rudder, the landing pattern etc. helped a lot. I understand not everyone wants to drop big bucks on a home sim but you can at least download x plane 11 mobile and fly their cessna ( I believe it's free) and/or print out a static cockpit picture to put on your wall or something. For what it's worth, once I started actually flying I quit the sim so as to not interfere with the feel of doing everything IRL.

Skywarrior's website has a NIFE tab that has all of the pubs you should need. The instructors are all pretty relaxed (mine was a hard-ass but I'm grateful that he pushed me). A lot of the instructors are young, but the ones who aren't are military retired. Anyway, they all came off as being genuinely concerned with teaching and preparing us. There seemed to be a lot of unknowns as far as expectations go, but looking back as long as you prepare and are safe, you'll be fine. Hopefully this helps. Feel free to DM if you want.
 

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
And from what I understand the CFI's are often as young as the students and generally young guys building time to get to a regional. A simple course in use and effect of controls, power + attitude = performance, and basic pre solo maneuvers without the stressors would be appropriate. The idea should be setting up students for success in primary, reducing attrition, and building confidence. The syllabus as described seems inadequate and appears to be another attrition gate.
 
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RoarkJr.

Well-Known Member
And from what I understand the CFI's are often as young as the students and generally young guys building time to get to a regional. A simple course in use and effect of controls, power + attitude = performance, and basic pre solo maneuvers without the stressors would be appropriate. The idea should be setting up students for success in primary, reducing attrition, and building confidence. The syllabus as described seems inadequate and appears to be another attrition gate.

PAT principle is definitely in there but i could have done with reduced stress. Obviously I’d love to be the “don’t care about grades here to work hard and have fun” guy but, even despite my excessive preparation it was stressful knowing that a pink sheet was always on the table. It wasn’t, like, “oh you lost 150ft on your turn pattern, pink sheet.” They would give you a chance or two to fix stuff even for the graded flights.
 

scoolbubba

Brett327 gargles ballsacks
pilot
Contributor
I mean, we've only tried unsuccessfully to figure out how to make military aviators cheaper with non-military airplanes and instructors for two decades now.

What's one more half-ass attempt at it?

Probably a better use of time and money would be rewriting the sim syllabus to add early ones or add time to the blocks so they're more like a flight with less slewing or interruptions and abbreviations. You could even give studs a checkride in the OFT before they hit the flight line. I understand that this doesn't support sky warriors ambitions of being the shittiest fake little USN flight school it can be, but that's a sacrifice we'll all just have to get on board with.
 

flgator92

Well-Known Member
None
As an SNFO, I really enjoyed my Piper solo in IFS. Too bad they got rid of it. Free solo on the Navy, and the only one I'll ever get! Feels like way more work than is necessary at that stage in the game, we'll see if it actually "reduces" primary attrition. Landing a Piper at 65 kts in the VFR box pattern isn't the same as landing a T6 at 110 kts in the USN racetrack pattern. I doubt it will reduce attrition. The dumbed down academics in NIFE vice the old API syllabus may just increase it... who knows!?
 

RoarkJr.

Well-Known Member
As an SNFO, I really enjoyed my Piper solo in IFS. Too bad they got rid of it. Free solo on the Navy, and the only one I'll ever get! Feels like way more work than is necessary at that stage in the game, we'll see if it actually "reduces" primary attrition. Landing a Piper at 65 kts in the VFR box pattern isn't the same as landing a T6 at 110 kts in the USN racetrack pattern. I doubt it will reduce attrition. The dumbed down academics in NIFE vice the old API syllabus may just increase it... who knows!?

Phase 3 doesn’t use box, it uses racetrack pattern. Hit before landing checklist on the 45 downwind, start the 4 t’s at ~abeam runway numbers: Transition (carb heat on, power idle, 10 flaps, white arc 30 flaps pitch down for 65kias descent), trim, turn, talk.
 

FLGUY

“Technique only”
pilot
Contributor
Word on the street is that API instructors (The officers, not the civilian CFIs) will now start instructing in these cessnas in lieu of/alongside the civilians. Any truth to this? Those are the rumblings we’ve heard in our fleet squadron, as we had a guy who just went to Schools command.
 

RoarkJr.

Well-Known Member
Word on the street is that API instructors (The officers, not the civilian CFIs) will now start instructing in these cessnas in lieu of/alongside the civilians. Any truth to this? Those are the rumblings we’ve heard in our fleet squadron, as we had a guy who just went to Schools command.

Well it’s already happening in one sense. Civilian instructors do 6 flights, military instructor the last flight. There’s no way the instructors will be all military. All of them are dual hatting at the least already, and every SNA/SNFO will go through the program. Would have to have a full time cadre of military instructors. Not to mention the aircraft, as I’m sure SkyWarrior would not be happy about firing their 30 or whatever instructors.
 

zippy

Freedom!
pilot
Contributor
Well it’s already happening in one sense. Civilian instructors do 6 flights, military instructor the last flight. There’s no way the instructors will be all military. All of them are dual hatting at the least already, and every SNA/SNFO will go through the program. Would have to have a full time cadre of military instructors. Not to mention the aircraft, as I’m sure SkyWarrior would not be happy about firing their 30 or whatever instructors.

The military IPs do the last flight because SkyWarriors has been caught intentionally failing students on their checkrides in order to bill additional training events to the government.

Never underestimate SkyWarriors ability to cut costs and corners in training instruction and maintenance wherever they feel they can get away with it.
 
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