Hobbies During Primary

[JTW]

I classed up for T6 in September and selected in the middle of February 2012. Some of my classmates took a month or two more but some finished a month earlier than me. Did MX just go right down the shitter? I was lucky I never had one down plane or ever had to wait to get a bird. But there were still T34's around so I'm assuming that since everyone is flying the texan now there is a shortage? Well there was one flight (my first solo) while I was taxiing with nose wheel steering on I would take my feet off the pedals and it would steer well off to the right. I turned it off and it went perfectly straight. I decided to take it anyway since I felt it was fine with NWS off and when I told MX when I got back an airframer said "oh I know exactly what is wrong, they rigged that NWS wrong last night".

 

[whitesoxnation]

I will say that I wish I had of utilized my off time better. Taking an online class or two is totally doable. If you want to knock out prereqs for a masters program or start on a second degree you will have time to do it.

 

[Gatordev]

I will say that I wish I had of utilized my off time better. Taking an online class or two is totally doable. If you want to knock out prereqs for a masters program or start on a second degree you will have time to do it.

As with everything, it depends on your timing. Obviously everything is slow right now, but that will change with time. When I went through Primary, it took me 15 weeks, which is approaching the speed of plaid (it helps to do all your RI sims in one weekend). That was with doing pretty much nothing for almost two weeks due to a mishap (not mine) during the first block of Fams. Once I got the hang of it, as has been said, it wasn't overly taxing, but there wasn't enough free time to take classes.

Eventually they'll figure out the contract issues and it will pick back up. Until then, like you said, enjoy the time and make it "profitable" if that's what floats your boat.

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

This seems like the right thread for my question: do you get weekends off at Primary? I've been thinking about doing a Tough Mudder for a while, and the way the timing is working out, it looks like I'll be somewhere between finishing API and starting Primary at that time.

 

[MGoBrew11]

This seems like the right thread for my question: do you get weekends off at Primary? I've been thinking about doing a Tough Mudder for a while, and the way the timing is working out, it looks like I'll be somewhere between finishing API and starting Primary at that time.

Depends where you're going, what squadron you get, etc.

I classed up right away, as did a 7 or 8 guys from my API class (this was for Corpus). Everyone else from my API class sent to Corpus and all of the Whiting folks had a few weeks before they classed up. Everyone that is reporting to Corpus right now is waiting a few weeks, can't speak for Whiting.

 

[Swanee]

This seems like the right thread for my question: do you get weekends off at Primary? I've been thinking about doing a Tough Mudder for a while, and the way the timing is working out, it looks like I'll be somewhere between finishing API and starting Primary at that time.

Nope, 7 days a week, 365 days a year you will fly. There is absolutely no time for boozing, hanging with the other studs, beaching, or chasing tail...

 

[A Day In The Life]

This seems like the right thread for my question: do you get weekends off at Primary? I've been thinking about doing a Tough Mudder for a while, and the way the timing is working out, it looks like I'll be somewhere between finishing API and starting Primary at that time.

If you head to Whiting you'll have most of your weekends off. They do run Saturday sims every other week and each squadron usually has a couple of RI or form flights on the weekend.

 

[phrogdriver]

Don't do anything that has a schedule, e.g. sports clubs and such. You can't guarantee your availability, and it's a punk move to sniv for a club sports game.

The thing about flight training is that there are periods of total nothing interrupted by total balls-out effort, and you don't necessarily know when those will be.

My housemate in primary made a really nice coffee table from scratch while on standby for his forms.

Think individual-effort hobbies, be that homebrewing, biking, or whatever. BTW, homebrewing isn't a money-saver--do it 'cause you like it, not for the savings.

Don't get hurt. While I've done some f'ed-up stuff, it's been AFTER wings. While a winged aviator will get some slack for getting hurt, as a former flight school IP, I would not have much sympathy for a self-induced med-down student. That's speaking as a guy who got his ear half ripped off playing Australian Rules Football.

 

[Hotdogs]

I highly recommend going to the UWF Library and acting like your studying but really figuring out a way to hit on all the undergrads/interns/grad students. Most of my down time was spent playing beer pong at frat house sized stud theme parties. However, I was a non-academy, single dude with no kids, so you might be interested in more equisite, nerdy, family minded, or mind stimulating activities. Come game time though, most of that went out the window, until my instrument check in the HTs, then I partied an ungodly amount until the skid FRS.

 

[KilroyUSN]

Unless you brew Mead... and then it is also for the love of money saving

 

[zippy]

This seems like the right thread for my question: do you get weekends off at Primary? I've been thinking about doing a Tough Mudder for a while, and the way the timing is working out, it looks like I'll be somewhere between finishing API and starting Primary at that time.

Depends on the weekend. Don't plan on it being the norm, especially if your wing is behind in production, but most of the time you get weekends off. There is always the chance you'll be scheduled for weekend OPS depending on if the phase of your training can support it.

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

Thread revisit...forgot to thank you guys for your responses. Just checked into Corpus this past weekend, should find out which squadron I'm in tomorrow, but they're telling me either way I'll likely class up sometime in February (gov't shutdown, backlog, other words). The nearest Tough Mudder is in May, so that'd be about three months into my training. I figure I'll sign up for it as an individual ("As you were! Individuals!"), so if something comes up, I can just skip it. Money goes to WWP so it's not a total loss, basically just a donation if that happens.
Just curious, anyone else here do Tough Mudders?

 

[CommodoreMid]

I was supposed to do one in May, but I got sent to the boat to be an LNO instead. FML. Moral of the story, do shit in flight school/RAG on the weekends when you have a reasonably good chance of having your weekends be sacred. Every time I hear flight school students say they can't wait to be in the fleet I want to do the Billy Madison thing of grabbing their faces and yelling at them never to say such things and to cherish it!

 

[picklesuit]

This is what I tell my onwings:
Monday morning to Friday afternoon, the Navy owns you (in Primary)...when you walk out Friday pm, put the work shit away. No studying, no chair flying, nothing.

Go fuck off and take a break. Married? Hang out with your family. Single? Go get laid. Wake up Saturday, do it again. Beach, bar, whatever...Sunday, get up, sober up, do whatever you do Sunday until 1600...then study for two hours (assuming Monday flight) and get to bed early ready to get worked hard for the next five days...

You must step away from the helmet fire or it will consume you.
Pickle

 

[Pags]

This is what I tell my onwings:
Monday morning to Friday afternoon, the Navy owns you (in Primary)...when you walk out Friday pm, put the work shit away. No studying, no chair flying, nothing.

Go fuck off and take a break. Married? Hang out with your family. Single? Go get laid. Wake up Saturday, do it again. Beach, bar, whatever...Sunday, get up, sober up, do whatever you do Sunday until 1600...then study for two hours (assuming Monday flight) and get to bed early ready to get worked hard for the next five days...

You must step away from the helmet fire or it will consume you.
Pickle

Pretty good advice here. I didn't study or work on FRI or SAT in flight school or college. You have to find time to do something for yourself even if that something is just sleeping in late and watching football all day. Spend that time doing what you like to do ; drink, sleep, watch movies, brew beer, ride bikes, go for long runs, surf, road trip, make models, read a book that isn't NATOPS, work on your people skills and talk to people who aren't in flight school. It doesn't matter what you do; just take some time for yourself to recover from the prior week and to mentally prepare yourself for the next week.