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Accelerated Syllabus

puggle

New Member
Who is typically being placed on the accelerated syllabus?

I have about 300 hours and a Commercial certificate with Instrument rating.
 

wlawr005

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Who is typically being placed on the accelerated syllabus?

I have about 300 hours and a Commercial certificate with Instrument rating.
I don't know how they place you, but don't do it. The accelerated syllabus removes all the low MIF flights at the beginning of blocks and only leaves the high MIF flights towards the end of blocks. It leaves you little margin for error if you don't knock it out of the park.

There are some IPs here that can add some detail here and/or correct me if I'm wrong.
 

mad dog

the 🪨 🗒️ ✂️ champion
pilot
Contributor
I'm not and was not a military IP...but I'd agree with @wlawr005. I went through primary (VT-2) in the 1986-1987 time frame and there was a "double pump" program where SNA's with prior flight experience/ratings would fly 2 syllabus hops per day instead of 1 syllabus hop per day. I was not in the "double pump" program since I had zero flight experience/zero ratings but some of my peers were in the "double pump" program...and it did not go well for them on many occasions. They were "double pumped" until they received a down...and then they could revert back to the regular 1 syllabus hop per day gig. My point is that you don't want to receive ANY downs...so why put yourself at risk. Not sure if that's the way it works now but that's how it was back then.
 

zippy

Freedom!
pilot
Contributor
Who is typically being placed on the accelerated syllabus?

I have about 300 hours and a Commercial certificate with Instrument rating.

When I was at the VTs we weren't doing it. That may have been squadron specific but house the number was 400 flight hours before we considered it on the T-34. It was decided that there were not going to be accelerated syllabus students in the T-6B when we transitioned (We had enough problems not attriting students in the beginning thanks to a lack of standardization amongst IPs).

Things may have changed. Double pumps in the VTs were the norm outside of pre-solo events. There was a time where the only way to get a student single pumped was to put them on SMS.

Each squadron policy changes every few years though so anything is possible.
 

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
This is purely anecdotal, but there was a guy at VT-27 who did that when I was there. He had 1500 hours or so flying various civilian aircraft. He didn't do well and I'm not sure where he ended up. Another good friend of mine had a bunch of hours and opted for the normal syllabus. He did great and wound up flying Hornets. I don't remember what the criteria were, but it was more than the 100-ish hours of civilian PPL time that I had.

I'd say do the normal syllabus and enjoy just being in flight school. Sure, it might take a couple of weeks longer, but you'll enjoy it more, and do better. Good luck to you!
 

wlawr005

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
@zippy alluded to the fact it varies by squadron/wing. The one guy I knew who did it had 5000 RJ hours and went on to fly Supers in Lemoore.

His syllabus was tailored as I described above, no early block stuff in contacts or instruments.

In any case, I know plenty of guys with prior flight time (well more than 300 hours) who elected to stay under the radar and complete the normal syllabus. I don't know you personally, but 300 civilian hours doesn't exactly scream experience. It would highly depend on what those 300 hours were spent doing...
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
At the end of the day, your score that is part of the equation on determining what you select is based on statistics and what is "average." If you're adding data points to pad the statistics, thus making you "better than average" early on, you're only helping yourself. Remove those opportunities, you start off "at average" with fewer opportunities to offset the data.

wlawr and Zippy are giving good advice. If you're truly crushing flight school, then enjoy the flying (because it really can be fun) AND the additional free time since you won't have to be studying as much. But DO NOT assume you'll crush it solely because of your 300 hours.
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
Am I the only one here who thinks its not fair to the people with zero hours to *not* put someone with previous flight time in an accelerated syllabus?
 

wlawr005

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
It's a valid point. My Primary NSS was a 64, but I rolled a week for selections and ended up finishing behind a guy with a 79...it dropped my NSS to a 59.

My whole time in the training command I always got stuck with a pilot doing a community transition, a prior airline guy, or some other dude who made my performance gravitate toward the slightly below average side numerically.

It wasn't until the FRS that advantages began to even out as those guys were unable to leverage their prior experiences tactically. Even then, I had to compete against SERGRADs who were tight with admin and all the NFO retreads who were prior Lvl III/IV and were just switching seats.

The boat has always been the great equalizer. We all suck at the boat.

Anecdotally, I will offer that I've seen just as many guys with prior flight time attrite or just not make it through the whole tailhook syllabus.
 
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puggle

New Member
@zippy alluded to the fact it varies by squadron/wing. The one guy I knew who did it had 5000 RJ hours and went on to fly Supers in Lemoore.

His syllabus was tailored as I described above, no early block stuff in contacts or instruments.

In any case, I know plenty of guys with prior flight time (well more than 300 hours) who elected to stay under the radar and complete the normal syllabus. I don't know you personally, but 300 civilian hours doesn't exactly scream experience. It would highly depend on what those 300 hours were spent doing...

Those 300 hours were solely in a training environment.
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Am I the only one here who thinks its not fair to the people with zero hours to *not* put someone with previous flight time in an accelerated syllabus?

As has been mentioned here on AW before (and as wlawr shows anecdotally), the prior flight time can often cause just as many issues as benefits (depending on the individual). I've seen it with studs I've flown with, as have others.

Besides, what better lesson to teach prospective aviators that it's all about timing in our line of work? Get thrown in the deep end with above average players (aviators, managers, leaders, etc) then the solution is easy: just don't suck!
 

HokiePilot

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
First of all, congrats on 300 flight hours and a commercial ticket with instrument. I know that took dedication and resources. Don't ever volunteer that information. The only advantage of the accelerated syllabus is for the Navy. It cost less. It never helps the individual.

The best piece of advice I can give to people with significant flight time who go to flight school is: Accept Instruction! If an IP shows you how to do it, do it that way. I don't care if that's not the way you have always done it. I told you the way to do it. Sometimes we teach you things in the military because that is the best way to do it in our profession. Other times it is just the way all of us have ever done it. The IPs are trying to mold you. Let them.
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
The IPs are trying to mold you. Let them.

Sometimes, there's a disparity between how you were taught in Advanced and how you should fly in the Fleet. Trust the IP when he tells you to do it differently <cough> trim <cough>. It might just save your life sometime.
 
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