Air Force Guy Headed to Whiting

[fastnumber15]

Ok before anybody gets upset here let it be noted I did search first and turned up useless information.

1)I am headed to NASWF in in May 09', then go to Air Force Introductory Flight Screening in Pueblo, CO for six weeks, then back to Whiting for Undergraduate Flight Training. Everyone has me confused over the stages of training. I dont believe I go throught API. I think I go straight to primary after my IFS. Anyone have any advice to offer as to their knowledge of this subject.

2)Noone seems to know if I will be in the texan or t34c. I am hoping texan so that when I trasition back to AF I will be up to speed on digital cockpits. Any info on this. Any info is greatly appreciated. Not familiar with navy pilot training at all as compared to AF. Really shooting for t-38's here, so want to do my best at Whiting to get my shot. Thanks in advance.

 

[Brunes]

Well....Lets see.

You will go to API-I had 6 Air Force types (both pilot and CSO...OR WSO...or whatever they are) in my API class.

I am assuming you are a pilot cause you said you were going to Whiting- Pilots (for the time being) fly the T-34....If you are a Nav type-you'll be in the Texan. You are going to end up going thru transition into your final aircraft and you'll get plenty of time to get used to the equipment you'll be working with.

Hope that helps you out!!

 

[e6bflyer]

You will get all up to speed when you are stashed at VT-3 with the fifty other second lt's doing odd jobs. I can't believe they are sending you here and then back to Pueblo for IFS and then back here again, but I guess it makes sense to someone.
Air Force guys go through the same syllabus as Navy guys. You will go through API. Primary is all the same regardless of service. It is all covered under the CNATRA MPTS, which is available on CNATRA's website. The only difference is if you track select T-38's, you will do a top off form syllabus.
You WILL be flying the T-34. The T-6 has been pushed back quite a bit, and with a new plan coming out soon (from a very reliable source, a credible rumor) that may do away with two PA flights, the cruise form syllabus, and further G limit the T-34 to deal with wing/airframe hour/fatigue issues, I suspect that the T-6 is being pushed to the right at least a few more months.
Don't worry about the fabled analog to digital transition, it takes no time at all.
Have fun while you can, because you will be drinking from the firehose when you get here.

 

[fastnumber15]

Thanks for the quick responses. Really helpful info. I'm sure I fall right into the crowd of over eager Lt's ready to get started. I have a crazy schedule.
25 March ASBC followed by:
Whiting Field in early may followed by:
IFS at end of July followed by:
Whiting in September and finally:
IFT mid September.
It is alot of downtime and TDYing around.
Not much information is flowing right now because of my 6 month wait time to enter active duty.
Again thanks for any further info!

 

[jazzdude]

Are you doing ASBC enroute, or after you check-in at Whiting? I'd push to check in at Whiting first just to get your name in the start date list (based on when you arrive on station).

AFPC doesn't know what they are talking about with start dates at Whiting...your start date is based on when you arrive on station relative to everyone else.

So your timeline should look something like this:
ASBC -> IFS -> API -> Primary

Also, at API, you'll do all of the water/swim events

 

[bunk22]

You WILL be flying the T-34. The T-6 has been pushed back quite a bit, and with a new plan coming out soon (from a very reliable source, a credible rumor) that may do away with two PA flights, the cruise form syllabus, and further G limit the T-34 to deal with wing/airframe hour/fatigue issues, I suspect that the T-6 is being pushed to the right at least a few more months.
Don't worry about the fabled analog to digital transition, it takes no time at all.

Delay what? Number 10 of 5 . Supposedly, still coming next fall but at a rate of 4 a month, not enough to replace the aging T-34C at an adequate rate. I spent an hour with the Commodore on Wednesday (with the Saudi Liason) and we discussed exactly what you mentioned...the PA flights, cruise form, etc. The Saudi's are obviously interested in the info and their Commodore is visiting this month.

 

[fastnumber15]

Yeah I am ASBC enroute. Check into Whiting 1 day after ASBC graduation. AFPC has me already sheuduled with an exact IFT class start date so it seems their ducks are in a row. Probably why it took so long for me to get my assignment. I guess we will see.

 

[HuggyU2]

I don't know if they still do it, but when I was nearing my ROTC commission, I called AFPC and got on their "moment's notice list", since I was scheduled to wait 9 months. Sure enough, an opening came available, and I was in pilot training 17 days after college.
If you have the flexibility to drop everything and go, look into it.

 

[scoolbubba]

Delay what? Number 10 of 5 . Supposedly, still coming next fall but at a rate of 4 a month, not enough to replace the aging T-34C at an adequate rate. I spent an hour with the Commodore on Wednesday (with the Saudi Liason) and we discussed exactly what you mentioned...the PA flights, cruise form, etc. The Saudi's are obviously interested in the info and their Commodore is visiting this month.

How much more can be cut out of primary because of the age of the T-34 and convince everyone students are getting adequate training in a beat up aircraft? Are they waiting for a wing to actually fall off?

 

[Gatordev]

How much more can be cut out of primary because of the age of the T-34 and convince everyone students are getting adequate training in a beat up aircraft? Are they waiting for a wing to actually fall off?

They're not really cutting anything. When I went through, there was no Cruise Form and only 2 less PA flights. Don't think of it as cutting, just "readjusting" to the way it was.

The other day I was hearing about the G-limit change from a FITU IP who was helping us with some stuff over at Jax. Studs can't do loops at 3.5 Gs, how the hell are they going to do it at 3? The T-6: TRACOM's very own V-22.

 

[scoolbubba]

That's more along the line of what I was getting at. PAs require a certain amount of G's to do, otherwise the P part kind of falls off. What happens when the plane can't take those g's anymore?

 

[Gatordev]

What happens when the plane can't take those g's anymore?

It's not that the plane can't take the Gs anymore (and we can split this if necessary), but that it can't take them continuously anymore. The G limits aren't an absolute. There's several T-34s that pulled 7+ Gs and landed fine. The problem comes with fatigue. Those 7+ G aircraft most likely didn't fly again (one of them is on the stick at Whiting and I think was a 9 G oops). The aircraft have service lives, so you can bend them to 4.5 continuously for the length of the service life. At that point, someone needs to go in and inspect them to see if they can continue. Any time you go over the 4.5, it shrinks the window of the service life. The problem (as I understood it before I left) was that the plane was hitting both its service life window as well as its over-G window.

Another piece of interesting (I thought) information was when you over-G an aircraft, it doesn't mean the plane is actually over-G'ed. You may pull 4.7 in the rear cockpit, but they then go into the airframe itself and look at the individual G counters. If they've clicked over, it's an over-G. If not, they reset the meter and press.

All extra info...schoolbubba you may have already heard this stuff.

 

[D_Rob]

If you feel like being a nerd on you wonderful Sunday afternoon,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_(material)

 

[HokiePilot]

I always thought that the T-34 on a stick at Whiting was this incident, but the article say that after taking 9.7 Gs, the aircraft is still flying.

http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/media/approach/issues/nov00/pdf/RideofLife.pdf

 

[Gatordev]

My understanding (though it could have just been bad gouge) was that the one on the stick at Whiting was a very low pullout, similar to the story you posted, but due to a bad spin/spiral. I'll have to ask a bud of mine to see what he says. Maybe E6B has heard a similar version.