IFS possibly cancelled

[MarineCFR-->SNA]

I spoke with a Marine in Headquarters Marine Corps today and he said that IFS for Fox Co (Sept '06) may be scrapped. IFS was supposed to start 22 June, but bed space is lacking at TBS so the bodies that were to do IFS might not be able to be accomodated. He said that it will probably just take place at Pensacola after TBS. Has anyone else heard anything of the sort and have a bigger picture on whats up with the situation? I'm doing PTAD right now and am getting sick of living with the folks.

S/F

 

[phrogpilot73]

I spoke with a Marine in Headquarters Marine Corps today and he said that IFS for Fox Co (Sept '06) may be scrapped. IFS was supposed to start 22 June, but bed space is lacking at TBS so the bodies that were to do IFS might not be able to be accomodated. He said that it will probably just take place at Pensacola after TBS. Has anyone else heard anything of the sort and have a bigger picture on whats up with the situation? I'm doing PTAD right now and am getting sick of living with the folks.

S/F

Even if IFS as a program gets scrapped, no biggie. I never touched the controls of a plane before Primary. And here I am.

 

[MarineCFR-->SNA]

It's not that I even want to start IFS. I just want to get to Quantico. I would love to start TBS early, but anything that gets me out of my parents house would be great. I was depending on IFS, but I guess it's going to be a long summer here in Boston (which I loved when I had my own apartment.)

 

[Herc_Dude]

Things are really full over here right now. All the guys from Alpha are getting crammed in over there in Graves for IFS. You are going to do IFS, I doubt they are getting rid of the whole program, at least no word of that is getting around. Im sure anyone could complete Primary and be a fine pilot without IFS, but its a nice program that gives you some hours and expirence.

Looks like you might have to tough it out this summer with the parents. You better enjoy it, you will get here and be neck deep in TBS before you know it...

 

[Harrier Dude]

What the hell is IFS?

 

[raptor10]

Introductory Flight Screening (IFS)

The U. S. Navy's IFS Program utilizes FAR Part 141 certified pilot schools to screen prospective Naval Aviators for the skills and attributes necessary to successfully complete Navy primary flight training. IFS provides Student Naval Pilots (SNP) with 25 hours of civilian aviation flight training and associated ground training prior to beginning the Naval Aviation training pipeline (Preflight Indoctrination). Students enrolled in IFS must meet the following program requirements: solo within 36 days (commissioned officers) or 60 days (pre-commissioning); solo within 15 flight hours; complete at least three solo flights; complete one solo cross country flight; fly a minimum of 2.0 solo flight hours; fly a minimum of 24.0 total flight hours; complete the program within 60 days (commissioned officers) or 100 days (pre-commissioning).

 

[Banjo33]

Even if IFS as a program gets scrapped, no biggie. I never touched the controls of a plane before Primary. And here I am.

Yep. There you are.

 

[Harrier Dude]

I never even heard of it and I'm here.

 

[scotty008]

No, IFS isn't going anywhere. O'Bannon Hall is slammed right now, especially with The Naval Academy mids on deck and Delta picking up next week. Doing it after TBS actually provides a nice winding down period before heading down to P-cola, where you get to wait around some more. Funny that you want nothing more than to get to Quantico, whilst I wanted only to escape...

 

[Herc_Dude]

No, IFS isn't going anywhere. O'Bannon Hall is slammed right now, especially with The Naval Academy mids on deck and Delta picking up next week. Doing it after TBS actually provides a nice winding down period before heading down to P-cola, where you get to wait around some more. Funny that you want nothing more than to get to Quantico, whilst I wanted only to escape...

You and me both ... I get to leave tomorrow ... and it seems like it will never come.

 

[pdx]

I never even heard of it and I'm here.

In my opinion, IFS doesn't really prepare you for much or give you any skills to speak of. What it is really for is to screen out the retards who don't really want to be pilots or nfos. While I was around IFS, we lost almost 10% of the people in IFS due to DOR. No kidding 7 out of 87 dropped and 1 was attrited (couldn't land a Cesna?). I have heard some of the senior primary IPs say that IFS has decreased the amount of washouts in early stage fams. Otherwise, not much has changed.

It's a lot cheaper (and better) for the Navy to pay $2500 or so for 2 months of civilian flight school than to waste 4 fam flights and 2 months of API on someone who never really had a chance to begin with.

I was shocked at first to hear of people DORing in IFS, but after I talked to some of them I realized they didn't know what they were getting themselves in for. One girl I remember very distinctly. She could quote most of the lines in Top Gun, she wore her dog tags everywhere (even swimming in the pool or out clubbing), and she never tired of talking about how 18s are so much better than tomcats. After 3 flights in IFS, she quit because "landing just seems kind of scary." WTF?

 

[p1brule]

I'm graduating TBS in 2 weeks. All my boys have orders for IFS. The married ones are goin in P'cola, nonmarried here in Quantico. word.

 

[pdx]

I imagine IFS will be a change from TBS. For me it was wear shorts and flip-flops, work 4 hours a day for 3-4 days per week. I studied as much as possible, but I still had plenty of time for drinking, sleeping, and other hobbies. I was banking on the theory that anything I learned well and truly understood from IFS would carry over into API and Primary, which is mostly true.

 

[MasterBates]

Are they making FAA ticket holders do this? Also, does it mean the "accelerated" studs no longer exist?

 

[Circle K]

IFS has never been for ticket holders... actually, if you had soloed a cessna and could show them your log book you "validated" no ticket required.