College Academic Preparation

[BoxerCLC]

Hi. Can anyone tell me what classes I should take in college to help prepare myself for Primary Flight School. Are there any classes that just fit really well or will give me an advantage.

Also, what is the curriculum like for Primary???

 

[rare21]

nothing in college prepared me for primary. i seriously dont remember a darn thing from college so i wouldnt worry too much about it. just learn how to study get a groove or a routine and stick with it if it works.
This was primary for me:

1st set of simulators
first familiarization flights
basic instrument simulators and flights
last set of fams up to solo
solo
radio instrument simulators and flights that lead up to checkride
precision aerobatic flights with a few solos
basic formation flights
cruise formation flights


in college i thought that me being an idiot at calculus and physics would kill me in flight school, but its the opposite there is none of that crap in primary.

 

[bch]

just enjoy college man, it will in no way effect your performance in flight school. I had horrible study habits in college, that all changed the first week of flight school with little heart ache.

As far as classes, pick a major that will allow you to enjoy college.

 

[squeeze]

just enjoy college man, it will in no way effect your performance in flight school. I had horrible study habits in college, that all changed the first week of flight school with little heart ache.

Along those lines...
Let me just say that had I studied as much in college as I do in flight school, I would have been a damn Rhodes Scholar. College is for having fun, and oh by the way, getting a degree. I might get slammed for saying this, but once I decided on my profession, the degree became a means to an end, and I just picked something that interested me.

 

[skidkid]

Same here I was a military history major and took no calc and only liberla arts physics. I did have a very good High school physics teacher who covered a lot of Aerodynamics so that helped a bit but if you come away from college with three things: study skills, social skills and a degree you will be set up to be a great aviator and officer.

 

[kaiangel]

I would say to pick a major that you enjoy and think that you can do well in. Flight school is about memorization, study habits and stress management. We had many guys in my school pick difficult majors and then it turned out that their GPA's were too low to be selected SNA. Myself (Poli Sci) and my buddy (International Relations) were the two that got selected. So remember that GPA is much more important than major. Also, just like everyone else said, there aren't any super advanced concepts in Primary. There is just a whole S**t load to learn in a short amount of time. All you need is dedication and you will do fine.

 

[goplay234]

I would say as long as you can do basic (adding and subtracting) math in your head, you will be fine. The rest you will have to learn when you get down here. I agree. Had I studied like this in college, I would have definitely had a higher GPA.

 

[ET-Mike]

When it comes to Primary, who has the best gouge? When you are sitting around in the A pool, is that when you are studying or is that when you are playing golf?

 

[bch]

best gouge for primary is the pubs they issue you. I had a buddy that would study only from bryanweatherup.com. the IP's read the gouge too, so you can guess how that turned out.

So many guys get wrapped around the axel of finding good gouge to make studying easier. The amount of time that they waste, would be the same amount if you jsut went the pub and read the book answer. That being siad though, the gouge can be a good place to direct you where to look if you cannot find something.

Enjoy A-pool, it will be the last time you can be a completely unresponsible beach bum for a long time. All API is memorization. you can smoke API if you can memorize stuff, regardless if you understand it or not. During FAM's and RI's there was really no golfing. Just wakeup, brief, fly, go home, study go to bed for a couple weeks at a time.

 

[ET-Mike]

Man, I can't wait to get there....

 

[goplay234]

Yeah, gouge is only good for API. After that, you gotta hit the books. I am in the FO world, but the test got easier in Primary...Guess that was because I actually cared how I did. Plus, the instructors really want you to do well on the test. The way they explained it to me was, if you are going to fail, fail on the flight line, not on a test. The flight line is the measure of what you can do. It shouldn't be a piece of paper. That being said, study your butt off for the tests. Nothing looks worse than failing a written exam. Look, flight school is simple (not easy, simple) if you study and are prepared, then you shouldn't have a problem. You will run into bumps, we all do, but if you work hard you will get through it. When I started I wondered if I would ever get my wings, now I just wonder when they will come. Good luck.