Ok... so I started NFO primary about two weeks ago. I figure I'll let y'all know what its all about for those of you SNFO's on here who've yet to start and such.
There's a summary of the NFO pipeline on here, and its a good one. But I figure I'll give y'all my take onwhat my class is getting now.
I'll try to post about once a week or so during ground school and after each flight/sim event, or when something happens.
Enjoy.
Here's the first two weeks:
Week 1 (1-5 May)
So I'm done week one of Primary. Not too hard of a week... but busy.
Monday: Nothing but check-in briefs. First was the academic brief. They laid down the academic failure, leave/liberty and a few other policies, as well as told us which squadrons we were in. I am in VT-4 (Training Squadron 4), Home of the Warbucks... yes, I am a fighting drunken duck. After the academic brief and Wing Commodore brief, we sat and talked with the CO, STUCON Officer, Class Advisor and the Academics Officer. The XO was supposed to be there, but he had a meeting that ran over. The VT-10 guys did the same on their side of the house. Us guys in VT-4 got call signs... nicknames that pretty much make fun of you.
Tuesday: Tues AM was more checkin stuff. Medical records checkin and the Chaplain brief. Tues PM was the start of academics: Metro. More on Metro later. After metro, we went to the PR guys to turn in our helmets and get fitted for G-suits. I ended up having to exchange my helmet for an XL... the large was just a tad too small.
Weds & Thurs. Wednesday and Thursday were more Metro. We got an intro to the computer based training (CBT). The CBT modules are the absolute most boring things in the world. That being said, they help immensely in learning the material. Honestly, the more time spent on the CBT's, the better you'll do on the test.
Friday was the metro test. Not too hard. 50 questions, multiple choice, computer based. Unlike API, you get your score about 5 seconds after you finish the exam. I got a 94. Not too bad, but 2nd lowest grade in the class. After the Metro test, we had the syllabus brief. Short, sweet and to the point. In the afternoon, we started T-6 systems. Didn't go in depth about anything, just an overview. We're still waiting to find out if our class will be the Guinea Pigs for the new two-test format of systems or still go with the old one-test format.
Random tip: Sims. Start early, go often. Memorize EP's and limitations before you start primary. Once you start, go to the sims and practice EP's and checklists. It'll get you more comfortable with the cockpit layout and what switches, buttons and levers you'll be using for the different procedures. Basically, practice your switchology as often as you can.
Ok... now you're prolly asking yourself "What's metro?". Well, metro is how to read the million and a half different types of weather reports you'll come across as an aviator, and how they affect your flight plan. You learn wich notices affect the different phases of flight, what each one means, and which ones you need to pay attention to. For instance, you learn that you use a TAF (Terminal Airdrome Forecast) to figure out if you need an alternate landing site. However, you also learn that if you're landing there at 8pm, and a PIREP (Pilot Report) comes out at 5 pm, you probably don't need to pay too much attnetion to it. Stuff like that. To put it simply, its that art of making heads and tails out of what the weather guessers are saying.
Week 2 (8-12 May)
T-6 systems. That's about all we did this week for class. The fist systems book goes from about Monday-Thursday, and the 2nd systems book starts on Thursday, if you keep up the LRC lessons according to the schedule. Systems isn't all that hard. The catch is that its alot of information thrown at you very quickly. You could turn T-6 systems into a 2-semester college course and still not cover everything. We get it in just about a week and a half or so.
Basically, you learn about all of the different systems in the T-6: Fuel, electrical, propulsion, hydraulics, etc, their normal and abnormal operations, faults that can show, and what to look for to identify different emergency situations.
Now's about the time to have the EPs and procedures down almost cold. You should know all of the bold-face memory EPs and where to find the other EPs in the pocket checklist. You should know cockpit switchology cold too, as well as have gone over all of the checklists a few times. Some people think that they can learn the cockpit and EP's during week 3... not really. Aside from studying for systems and metro, week 1 and 2 should also be spent familiarizing yourself with the cockpit, as from what we've been told by classes ahead of us, week 3 is pretty busy (3 test week) and should be spent preparing for the sim events. I'll let y'all know about that next week.
Primary rumor mill:
The rumor mill running around Trawing-6 right now is that we'll be moving from having our inflight guides strapped to our kneboards to actually having the pocket checklist strapped to the kneeboard. The appearant reasoning behind this is that the PCL and the in-flight guide checklists are slightly different. Both work to successfully start up the aircraft. But the PCL is taken directly from the USAF Dash-1 manual (USAF eq. to NATOPS)and the inflight guides aren't. Both work equally well. Yet some of the necessary checklists are not in the PCL... go figure. More onthat when we get official word.
By the way, we also found out that we will not be getting two systems tests, as it didn't get approval in time. We'll be getting the one 50-question test at the end of the block rather than the two 35 question tests.
Cheers,
Bubba
There's a summary of the NFO pipeline on here, and its a good one. But I figure I'll give y'all my take onwhat my class is getting now.
I'll try to post about once a week or so during ground school and after each flight/sim event, or when something happens.
Enjoy.
Here's the first two weeks:
Week 1 (1-5 May)
So I'm done week one of Primary. Not too hard of a week... but busy.
Monday: Nothing but check-in briefs. First was the academic brief. They laid down the academic failure, leave/liberty and a few other policies, as well as told us which squadrons we were in. I am in VT-4 (Training Squadron 4), Home of the Warbucks... yes, I am a fighting drunken duck. After the academic brief and Wing Commodore brief, we sat and talked with the CO, STUCON Officer, Class Advisor and the Academics Officer. The XO was supposed to be there, but he had a meeting that ran over. The VT-10 guys did the same on their side of the house. Us guys in VT-4 got call signs... nicknames that pretty much make fun of you.
Tuesday: Tues AM was more checkin stuff. Medical records checkin and the Chaplain brief. Tues PM was the start of academics: Metro. More on Metro later. After metro, we went to the PR guys to turn in our helmets and get fitted for G-suits. I ended up having to exchange my helmet for an XL... the large was just a tad too small.
Weds & Thurs. Wednesday and Thursday were more Metro. We got an intro to the computer based training (CBT). The CBT modules are the absolute most boring things in the world. That being said, they help immensely in learning the material. Honestly, the more time spent on the CBT's, the better you'll do on the test.
Friday was the metro test. Not too hard. 50 questions, multiple choice, computer based. Unlike API, you get your score about 5 seconds after you finish the exam. I got a 94. Not too bad, but 2nd lowest grade in the class. After the Metro test, we had the syllabus brief. Short, sweet and to the point. In the afternoon, we started T-6 systems. Didn't go in depth about anything, just an overview. We're still waiting to find out if our class will be the Guinea Pigs for the new two-test format of systems or still go with the old one-test format.
Random tip: Sims. Start early, go often. Memorize EP's and limitations before you start primary. Once you start, go to the sims and practice EP's and checklists. It'll get you more comfortable with the cockpit layout and what switches, buttons and levers you'll be using for the different procedures. Basically, practice your switchology as often as you can.
Ok... now you're prolly asking yourself "What's metro?". Well, metro is how to read the million and a half different types of weather reports you'll come across as an aviator, and how they affect your flight plan. You learn wich notices affect the different phases of flight, what each one means, and which ones you need to pay attention to. For instance, you learn that you use a TAF (Terminal Airdrome Forecast) to figure out if you need an alternate landing site. However, you also learn that if you're landing there at 8pm, and a PIREP (Pilot Report) comes out at 5 pm, you probably don't need to pay too much attnetion to it. Stuff like that. To put it simply, its that art of making heads and tails out of what the weather guessers are saying.
Week 2 (8-12 May)
T-6 systems. That's about all we did this week for class. The fist systems book goes from about Monday-Thursday, and the 2nd systems book starts on Thursday, if you keep up the LRC lessons according to the schedule. Systems isn't all that hard. The catch is that its alot of information thrown at you very quickly. You could turn T-6 systems into a 2-semester college course and still not cover everything. We get it in just about a week and a half or so.
Basically, you learn about all of the different systems in the T-6: Fuel, electrical, propulsion, hydraulics, etc, their normal and abnormal operations, faults that can show, and what to look for to identify different emergency situations.
Now's about the time to have the EPs and procedures down almost cold. You should know all of the bold-face memory EPs and where to find the other EPs in the pocket checklist. You should know cockpit switchology cold too, as well as have gone over all of the checklists a few times. Some people think that they can learn the cockpit and EP's during week 3... not really. Aside from studying for systems and metro, week 1 and 2 should also be spent familiarizing yourself with the cockpit, as from what we've been told by classes ahead of us, week 3 is pretty busy (3 test week) and should be spent preparing for the sim events. I'll let y'all know about that next week.
Primary rumor mill:
The rumor mill running around Trawing-6 right now is that we'll be moving from having our inflight guides strapped to our kneboards to actually having the pocket checklist strapped to the kneeboard. The appearant reasoning behind this is that the PCL and the in-flight guide checklists are slightly different. Both work to successfully start up the aircraft. But the PCL is taken directly from the USAF Dash-1 manual (USAF eq. to NATOPS)and the inflight guides aren't. Both work equally well. Yet some of the necessary checklists are not in the PCL... go figure. More onthat when we get official word.
By the way, we also found out that we will not be getting two systems tests, as it didn't get approval in time. We'll be getting the one 50-question test at the end of the block rather than the two 35 question tests.
Cheers,
Bubba
