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About to commission soon, what to do?

W

Wahine

New Member
Hello,

I'm currently a MIDN that was service selected as a student naval aviator back in October and will report to flight school soon. What should I do to get ready before API? I've done my best to read through some of the material and tried to decrease my run time.
 
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Randy Daytona

Randy Daytona

Cold War Relic
pilot
Super Moderator
Stay healthy. Don't do anything stupid like try out for American Ninja, skydiving or anything else that could medically disqualify you. I would suggest getting rid of a motorcycle as well (sold both of my Harleys) - too many people texting and driving. Also, put $100 in your wallet and keep it as an emergency taxi ride for a night out drinking. A DUI is the epitome of stupidity in today's command climate. Remember - you are selected to be a naval aviator - and if you screw up there are 100 candidates who would love to take your place.
 
FormerRecruitingGuru

FormerRecruitingGuru

Making Recruiting Great Again
Wahine said:
Hello,

I'm currently a MIDN that was service selected as a student naval aviator back in October and will report to flight school soon. What should I do to get ready before API? I've done my best to read through some of the material and tried to decrease my run time.
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Being that you're in NROTC, do you know any classmates who are SNA's and are a year or so ahead of you? Also, what did your aviation LT say? Plenty of resources that you have just a stones throw away.
 
W

Wahine

New Member
They told us about some of the study materials and what it was like living in Pensacola and stuff, but Im worried about the wood chip trail run. I know its more than the regular 1.5 mile run.
 
Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester

Robot Pimp
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Staying in shape is probably the most profitable use of your time between now and then. Don't freak out about the chip trail; it does inevitably hurt people's run time, so practice running it a few times while you're in A-Pool and don't be anywhere close to the minimums, just in case of a bad day.

Studying ahead is not that useful. You don't know what you need to know and memorizing everything won't help. Have a look through the materials and gain a passing familiarity with it, but don't bother 'studying' it.

We're foot-stomping the stay in shape thing not because API is physically tough. It's not; though as with most things, being in shape will make things generally easier. It's because you will eventually have bad days in the TRACOM. Some concept you're just not getting or you just can't get your head in the airplane or whatever. When those bad days happen, your reputation will precede you. You want your PRB or the Commodore to look in your ATJ and see a squared-away student who just hit a rough patch, not someone who flunks 'easy' events like the PRT or the FAA exam.
 
AllYourBass

AllYourBass

I'm okay with the events unfolding currently
pilot
Wahine said:
Mind me asking what does ATJ stand for?
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It stands for Aviation Training Jacket. It's basically the folder documenting your entire studenthood throughout the journey of aviation training. You want your ATJ to fly under the radar as much as possible and not be filled with colorful pieces of paper that say things like "Failed PRT" or make mention of some sort of breach of officer-like qualities (e.g., DUI, tardiness). What Uncle Fester was getting at in his last sentence is this: Flight school is hard, and there are academic and performance-related events that might prove to be stumbling blocks (hey, everyone has a tough flight here or there). But some students establish an early record of failure on relatively easy events. Things like PRTs and simple exams are events that leadership feels you should have under control—it doesn't speak well of your ability to manage tougher events down the line (e.g., the remainder of your military career) if you can't make it past the smaller hurdles.

Oh, by the way, congratulations on your selection! It's going to be so worth it.
 
Beans

Beans

*1. Loins... GIRD
pilot
Nail down your Aviation LT for an AMA/gouge session after classes are up and before you detach. I did that 3yrs w/ my 1390s.
-Former Aviation LT (as of Friday!)
 
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