• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

For You AF VT-3 Guys

Status
Not open for further replies.
hey Primary guys, do they still call it an NSS with the new system? Just curious.
 
Spin said:
as the jet guys there put a really bad taste in his mouth
Click to expand...

hey now, let's not typecast jet guys - we get a bad enough rap from primary IPs as is... those are AIR FORCE jet guys.... pretty much anyone in the AF will come off that way.
 
Pags said:
Quit trying to game the system dude. One base is not going to be able to guarantee you a jet slot over another. Guys get jet slots out of all the bases. There's A LOT more factors involved than just the base. Go wherever you want to go. Do you want to live in oklahoma? than go to vance. want to live in southern georgia? go to moody. want to sit on the beach? go to whiting. And you're not gonna be behind the power curve. If that was the case, do you think the AF would keep sending its people to Whiting? And finally, and I know this may shock you,but after a few months of primary, you may decide that heavies or t-44s are more your speed than t-38s. I saw it happen to many people I knew.
Click to expand...

Pags,

First let me say that I appreciate your input. However I did disagree with a few things that you said. Allow me to clear things up for you...

I'm not trying to game the system at all. Allow me to explain...
Each UPT base for us AF folk have a certain number of T-38 slots allotted to them. Moody, historically has had the highest number of 38 jets available to students who qualify for the airframe. The reason why we AF guys do not want to go to Laughlin is because, historically, they have only had around 7 T-38 slots available to each Active Duty AF class. Moody, on the other hand, has been known to produce almost double the amount of T-38 jets available to the class.

Here is the kicker...class size between Laughlin and Moody are normally very close...so which base would you pick in that situation? MOODY wins hands down.

You can call it gaming the system if you want to, but every AF guy who is selected for pilot training is very concerned about where he/she goes if their goal is a T-38.

As for your comment of...

Pags said:
And finally, and I know this may shock you,but after a few months of primary, you may decide that heavies or t-44s are more your speed than t-38s. I saw it happen to many people I knew.
Click to expand...

If you think I don't know that already, then you are greatly mistaken. This may surprise you, but I've seen the same thing happen to a few of my buds who have track selected to T-1s. I suggest you go back and read my first paragraph of the second post I made. I think I made it pretty clear that I realize things can change.

What it comes down to "dude", is that I would like to be at a base that offers the highest number of T-38 jets to those students who qualify. Sure, things can happen and I could decide that I would like to go T-1s. However, as of right now, I'm shooting for T-38s and I will choose which ever base offers the highest 38 slots.

So that leads me back to Whiting. For us AF guys, we know little about the training and that is why I started this post. I lack good information when it comes to Whiting...I'll be the first to admit that...however, I'm hoping that you could shed some light on the T-38 opportunities out of Whiting.

Basically it is coming down to Moody or Whiting for me. Whichever base offers the most 38 seats I will go with.

Thank you for your help Pags. There are no hard feelings here.

Peace,
THRILLER
 
THRILLER said:
So that leads me back to Whiting. For us AF guys, we know little about the training and that is why I started this post. I lack good information when it comes to Whiting...I'll be the first to admit that...however, I'm hoping that you could shed some light on the T-38 opportunities out of Whiting.
Click to expand...

Like I said earlier, everyone i've known who has wanted 38s and who was qualified has got them. I couldn't tell you if there's a certain number of slots alloted to whiting, but I've never heard the AF guys talk about that.
 
If I had Thriller's T-38 aspirations, there is no doubt that I would do my best to line up the cards straight in order to achieve a dream as he is trying to do. Who wouldn't? I don't see the system being 'played' here. Every student is given a dream sheet for their preferred base; nothing wrong picking the one with the most T-38 slots. What would be wrong if the cards don't fall into place and some guy ends up with a chip on his shoulder.
flyboy.jpg
 
FlyingFortress said:
If I had Thriller's T-38 aspirations, there is no doubt that I would do my best to line up the cards straight in order to achieve a dream as he is trying to do. Who wouldn't? I don't see the system being 'played' here. Every student is given a dream sheet for their preferred base; nothing wrong picking the one with the most T-38 slots. What would be wrong if the cards don't fall into place and some guy ends up with a chip on his shoulder.
flyboy.jpg
Click to expand...

FlyingFortress,

Thanks for the post. You really hit the "nail on the head" about the chip on the shoulder thing. I'm just going to give it my best, study hard, learn a lot, and have some fun. If things don't pan out with the 38, then at least I gave it my all...ya know? BTW, who is in the picture that you posted and is that a Del Rio bird?
 
THRILLER said:
For us AF guys, we know little about the training and that is why I started this post. I lack good information when it comes to Whiting...
Click to expand...

Man, I'm in the Navy and had little info about either Whiting or Corpus before I went. I knew nothing about the training, I just went to the place where I thought I'd have more fun and wanted to go. Guess thats the difference between the Navy and AF :icon_smil , there's no way to "game" the system, at least not that I know of.
 
gregsivers said:
Man, I'm in the Navy and had little info about either Whiting or Corpus before I went. I knew nothing about the training, I just went to the place where I thought I'd have more fun and wanted to go. Guess thats the difference between the Navy and AF :icon_smil , there's no way to "game" the system, at least not that I know of.
Click to expand...

Gregsivers,

Ya, there isn't a way to game in the AF either. All we can really do is do our homework on each base, list our preferences, and cross our fingers.

Unfortunately, some Detachments in AFROTC don't give their cadets good information about each UPT bases. Luckily I have been fortunate to have several sources that have the information. In AFROTC, once you get your Pilot Slot, it is basically up to you to make the decision on where to go...for most, there is very little information out there.

I've been researching my options for over 2 years now, and had put my sights on Moody as #1. Then, about several months ago I came across a Viper guy who went to Whiting...and that is where it all started.

Now, about 3 months into my research on Whiting for us AF folks, I have to decide again (August is when my requests have to be in to AFPC).
Pags had mentioned that every AF guy who wanted 38s (and could qualify) got one. He's not the only person that I've herd this from and as of right now, I still feel that I have to do some more homework on Whiting.

I've got some time and with a little luck, some perseverance, and the help of some of you NAVY guys...I'll make the most educated decision that I can...and will share the wealth of information with my fellow AF peers.

No regrets


Peace,
THRILLER
 
THRILLER said:
Now, about 3 months into my research on Whiting for us AF folks, I have to decide again (August is when my requests have to be in to AFPC).
Pags had mentioned that every AF guy who wanted 38s (and could qualify) got one. He's not the only person that I've herd this from and as of right now, I still feel that I have to do some more homework on Whiting.
Click to expand...


While I am not an AF pilot, you need to understand something. There are times where this happens in the NAVY too, it has nothing to do with where you went to primary. There were times where "jet drafts" have gone on. It was not becuase they went to a certain base for training, it was becuase the service had a large demand for jet pilots.

If you are basing you decision of where to go in Primary solely on the fact that you think it will get you jets..... well good luck, I hope it does not bite you in the a$$
 
thriller-

i am a Marine who went to Vance JSUPT for primary and now i'm back at whiting for advanced. if i could go back and do it again and have a choice, i would choose whiting for primary...so my advice would be to choose an AF base for your entire UPT experience. the main reasons i say this are that it is a bit of a headache making the mental transition from one style of training to the other. another big headache is staying one place for a few months and then PCS'ing to another place. if you go UPT, you will be in one place from day one until you get your wings. overall, from my experience i dont think it matters much on where you do primary (AF speak phase I and II) in terms of selecting jets, helos, or heavys. whereever you go, there you are and if you do your best, you will get what you want, and in the end you will be happy. a caveat to this is when i started at Vance, most of the guys in my class wanted T-38's and by the end of primary, there were only maybe 5 or 6 guys who still put them number 1. out of about 14 or 15 AF guys, i think only one was really disappointed in his track select. in the end, it's only 6 months of your life and a tiny fraction of all the flying you will do in your career, so don't stress over it too much. where ever you end up, do your best and things will pan out. best of luck.

Semper Fi
 
  • Like
Reactions: bch
bch said:
While I am not an AF pilot, you need to understand something. There are times where this happens in the NAVY too, it has nothing to do with where you went to primary. There were times where "jet drafts" have gone on. It was not becuase they went to a certain base for training, it was becuase the service had a large demand for jet pilots.

If you are basing you decision of where to go in Primary solely on the fact that you think it will get you jets..... well good luck, I hope it does not bite you in the a$$
Click to expand...

bch,

That is a valid point that you bring up and by no means am I basing my decision solely on the fact that I will get a T-38. It is simply a matter of deciding what goals I have for myself and what base offers (at the time) the best road toward my goals.

Things like quality of training and time spent in training do weigh heavily on my mind. Sure, I realize that things can happen and demands for pilots in certain airframes can change.

However, all I can do right now is base my decision on historical data. Moody definitely is the best AF UPT base (ENJJPT excluded) to go to if you want the highest probability of going T-38s. This is simply because, although the class size remains consistent with the other 3 AF UPT bases, they are allotted more T-38 slots.

As for Whiting, I'm simply searching for the good’s and bad’s and will base my decision as a future AF pilot, as responsibly as I can.

As for "biting me in the a$$", I'm not basing my decision solely on the 38. I've done research on both Moody and Whiting and both are very close on my list right now. Moody offers me AF style of training for Primary and Whiting offers me, from what I gather, a more "study on your own and go fly" type of training. Both bases have their pluses: Whiting with the beach and NAVY flying and Moody with the AF training environment.

It will be a tough decision, but if Whiting offers a higher percentage for the 38 to us AF guys, then I will put it first. Sure there are factors that play a vital role in whether one gets a 38 track, but with that considered, if one base offers a better shot at the Talon, then why not choose that one? This is exactly what I’m trying to figure out right now.


I really do appreciate your input...

PEACE
THRILLER
 
Thanks Mountain,

Good pointers there. Looking at the overall UPT experience is a good bit of advice. For me, if I go Whiting, I will go to Vance after Primary (The exact opposite of you)

Do you think, based on your experience, that it would be wise to go to Moody for UPT and stay there throughout training? This way I would be in the same AF type environment throughout all phases?

Thanks again

THRILLER


BTW...Do you prefer going by "Mountain"?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top