Really who did you hear about this?
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API Aerodynamics
- Thread starter Robert Allen
- Start date
The base newspaper had an article about it and I talked to one of the students who graduated right before the "test class" was finished who explained the changes.
Are fleet pilots/NFOs demonstrating a lack of fundamental knowledge of Naval Aviation history? Seems like a silly addition, but if that's what we have to do, guess it's time to start freshening up on it.
From what the newspaper article said, it seems like they want to increase the workload on the student to make API more of a challenge, which is also why they shortened the course by two days.
Agreed x2. When I went through (T-34's only at the time, aside from Vance), they still had T-37 stuff in the aero book. Your instructor is going to literally foot stomp the important stuff, and I doubt the concepts have changed much, even with a fancy HUD.
Because it's SUCH an indicator of future success.
I've met O-6s who barely passed API. Do you have basic study skills? Are you willing to open mouth and insert firehose? Yes? Great. Off to Primary to start figuring out if you can actually fly an airplane.And today's winner of the un intended euphemism of the day contest is Nittany!
Just checking if anyone's awake . . .
In the new syllabus the staff has replaced all of the T-34 specifications with T-6B specifications, but there was nothing game-changing; the laws of Newtonian Physics still apply to both airplanes. The real changes are that Lift and Drag is now in Aero1 and stalls are now Aero2, a chapter on TAF's, METAR's, and weather reports was added to Weather along with some other revisions, FR&R had sections added/modified, but Engines and Nav remained pretty much the same. The course was also condensed by about 2 days and they added a new 'PT Program' which takes up about an extra hour a day; which does not sound like much but adds up to a lot of lost study time. The Aviation History stuff is at the end, after survival training, and is nothing you should worry about.
Originally the the order of the tests was going to be mixed up, so it would be: Aero1, Weather, Aero2, Engines, FR&R, and Nav last but that was changed due to the Icepocalypse we had during Week 1 of Academics. Our tests were given in the old order of: Aero1, Weather, Aero2, Engines, Nav, and FR&R.
I believe they were aiming for around a June/July timeframe to implement the new course permanently. Some things may change as well due to the student/instructor inputs during the class so this write-up may not be 100% accurate once that time comes.
All of that being said, the same rules still apply: study hard, manage your time well, don't suck, and enjoy the little things.
Originally the the order of the tests was going to be mixed up, so it would be: Aero1, Weather, Aero2, Engines, FR&R, and Nav last but that was changed due to the Icepocalypse we had during Week 1 of Academics. Our tests were given in the old order of: Aero1, Weather, Aero2, Engines, Nav, and FR&R.
I believe they were aiming for around a June/July timeframe to implement the new course permanently. Some things may change as well due to the student/instructor inputs during the class so this write-up may not be 100% accurate once that time comes.
All of that being said, the same rules still apply: study hard, manage your time well, don't suck, and enjoy the little things.
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I wouldn't completely write off the possibility of flying the T-34C. VT-28 is scheduled to class up a T-34 class tomorrow and their projected conversion to the T-6 is now through 2015. Only IUT's can write off flying the T-34C at this point, as all new IUT's are now going through the FITU for the T-6 and 28 guys will fly with VT-27 until the conversion is further along.
WEGL12
VT-28
This must be the result of several classes in a row having people fail the PFA on the first Monday. One class about a month ago had seven failures including one guy running a 15+ minute run. A-pool had a meeting about making sure everyone stayed in shape and the possibility of starting up mandatory PT each week.
As far as academics, I know several people that were in the experimental class and from the sound of it, it was no big difference. I should be starting in two weeks and everyone I have talked to make it sound like the transition will be the end of the summer. So right now everything is the T-34 pubs.
For the OP, just from my observations. I knew several people that studied for API starting the day they checked in A-pool. Overall it didn't seem like the extra study time helped. Most of the guys studying before classing up did worse than the people I knew that just studied once starting academics. Not telling you not to study but be careful of over studying. One guy probably knew the pubs better than anyone because he read them 15 times before starting API. He barely passed academics because he couldn't stop over thinking every question on the test. The way the tests are written may also have had something to do with it but it seems like just listen to the instructors and they will tell you exactly what to study. Like I said, I should start in two weeks so all this is second hand advice but I plan to just read ahead the day before each section and take notes in class then study those points in the sections. I'll let you know how it goes once I start.
They advise us upon checking in to not study as they will teach us what we need to know. One instructor told us about a class that had a high faliure rate because they continuted to overthink and try to reach for more outside information. Their advice "forget everything you know about avaiation when classing up" and just learn what they tell you.
WEGL12
VT-28
May be the same class I was talking about because if I remember right they had 5 or 6 roll back because of academics. But you are saying basically what I have heard from people that have already gone through is to not study ahead of time.
Wow... I don't even know where to begin with this. If I were in charge of API, and a student failed the intro PFT/PFA, you would be gone. No appeal, no second chance, nothing, "thanks for trying (but obviously not very hard), get the fuck out". That's an amazingly unacceptable first impression. Don't be that guy.
Secondly, there is no need whatsoever to study before classing up at API, unless you're knocking out PME or something, then focus on that. I'm pretty sure no one in my class (way back when) even looked at the books beforehand. We certainly never talked about how much each other prepped or what have you. Relax. They will teach you what you need to know and what to study. And that studying should not interfere THAT much with the drinking and partying you should be doing.
API is not hard. If API is really, really hard for you, perhaps you picked the wrong line of work.
+1. Enjoy the paidcation and enjoy the most time off until classing up.