E-6 TACAMO Questions

[roughraider]

Hello All,
I just selected E-6 TACAMO last week, and report to Vance in mid-December and have many questions about E-6 training.

First: I have heard most of the horror stories about Vance, and Air Force training, but am wondering about how long T-1 training takes? Do/did you like it?Do advanced students have to live in the Q or can you live out in town? If you live off base where is a good place to look?

Second: I was told I would not start advanced until May but am wondering if the Air Force is big on stash jobs or if they send you to a student pilot day care center everyday? In addition, what would be the most beneficial form of studying to get ahead and make advanced as painless as possible?

Third: For all the E-6 drivers who might read this thread...How do you like the E-6 community? What is the most rewarding part of your job? Any Advice?

Thanks for your time and all the best!

 

[Jaxs170]

OK, most of these questions you can find the anwser to if you do a search so here is a quick summary:

Yes, AF training sucks while you are going through it, especially the transition phase which is the first third. Just suck it up, you'll realize it wasn't so bad once you get away from it for a while and back to Navy training at the RAG (SERE has that effect, helps redefine what really sucks in life). They will make you live in the Q if it isin't filled, but if it is you can live out in town, but I'll warn ya there aren't many good places in town.

Reporting in DEC classing up in MAY??? What is the deal with that? Is it b/c of the reduciton in pilot slots for TACAMO we have heard rumors about? I have no idea what they may do with you for that long of a time, all the folks I have known who went there didn't have nearly that much down time. You can try calling up there and asking what they will do with you. Try to get in touch with Kay Rainer or Major Tucker (if he is still in charge of T-34 transition studs). Go onto Vance's web site from a gov't comp and find the T-34 transition student handbook (its called something like that), it will have phone numbers.

TACAMO is a great community still, as one O-4 put it: "We've got it pretty damn good here". Now, that being said there are a lot of rumors floating around about our future and what shape it may take and no one seems to have any definite anwsers. Our skipper thinks we'll be OK at least for another decade, but time will tell. Flight time is kinda tight right now as there are too many pilots, but they are fair about dividing it up so everyone gets their fair share for where they are at. Overall it is still an awesome job and place to be. If you got more questions send me a PM.

 

[McNamara]

Hey, I don't mean to derail your thread, but I was just wondering what exactly TACAMO guys do. I flew with an instructor in Primary who was an E-6 pilot, but we didn't talk that much about it. Good luck in Vance, I have a friend that just came to Corpus from there and he had a decent time with the Air Force.

 

[tacamo]

Send me a PM, we can talk and I will tell you everything that you could ever want to know about T-1 Training and what I know about VQ life.

Mo