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New to VT-2
- Thread starter megrey06
- Start date
- Status
Elder
US Coast Guard C-130 Demonstration Team
VT-2 is good place to be. I loved it. I just selected this past Thursday and am gone. I'll miss hanging out at the line shack BS'ing with everyone waiting on planes or weather.. well, maybe just a little.
Plan on the following:
1. Flying everyday, Monday - Friday. You MIGHT fly BI's and RI's on the weekend, ans possibly night contact stuff. But FAMs, PAs and FORMs will not be flown on the weekends.
2. Schedules will do thier best to put you through in the following order: Fams (1-4/5), BI's, Fams 5/6-12(13=check), PA's, Forms, RI's, VNav's (2 day, 2 night). You'll get 2 night contacts somewhere in the mix of all that - the're cake.)
3. Occasional duty.
Keep the hand out of what course ware to complete by when somewhere handy, like your fridge.
Try to review your ATJ (Aviation Training Jacket) twice a week in Student Control.
Review, tally, etc your Flight Log Book in Log and Stats at the start of a new month for the previous month.
Keep your on-wing informed of any personal or professional problems you are having. If on-wing isn't available, class advisor (you'll get all this briefed to you when you check in).
Get out to the static plane just north of the VT-2 line shack by the hanger when you get the time. Make sure you're out there learning where everything is before FAM 0. Bring your pre-flight handout. There are also pictures of the systems in the VT-6 side of our squadron building. Feel free to go down and look at the pictures.. That's what they are there for - nobody will say anything.. I spent a lot of time looking at those pictures before my FAM Check Ride.
The Instructors are there to help you learn how to fly and get you the training/services you need. The're not there to boot you out. Use them and other students.
One thing *YOU* must do is study. Some days it might will feel like the program is impossible. It's not. You have to do your part. Learn the procedures. Sounds like a simple conecpt, and it is.. sometimes it's harder to put into practice. Chair fly the procedures before Fam 1 - Turn Pattern, Level Speed Change, Power Off Stall, Power On Stall, Slow Flight, etc. YES, they will be demo'ed to you, BUT, you must know the procedures cold. They're not hard.. like 3 to 6 steps each. Just look them over several times, make sure you have it, then close your eyes and say them out loud.
DISCUSS Items at briefs. You should know as much as you can about the subjects listed in the discuss items. Most can be found in the FTI (Flight Training Instruction). Some may be found elsewhere. When in doubt, check http://www.navygouge.com - it's a pretty good source especially for Fams and PA's. Again, read through it several times, then, try to spout out the stuff without looking at the material - do this several times.
DRINK A LOT OF WATER. Both on the ground and in the plane. It honestly helps the brain to absorb and recite information and helps to keep you relaxed.
I'll tell ya, if you know your stuff on the ground, the IP's will bend over backwards to help you in the plane. But you have to do your part. I have a friend who finally was attrited after 17 un-sats. That's a lot. Reason they held him on so long is, he knew his stuff cold on the deck.. could just go on and on about anything and everything. Problem was, he couldn't get it all together in the plane. Was rather sad to see him go.. smart kid, motivated and dedicated.. and he was in RI's.. Even an O-4 IP who had transferred caught me out in town and asked how he was doing.. I mean, that's how much they care if you are doing your part.
And remember - don't look too far ahead. Hang in there. Early to mid-fams suck - period. They're not hard when you look back.. looking back I'm like, "Why the hell was I so stressed". I imagine 90% of SNA's going through feel like quitting at some point and time. But you will have bumps. You will have bad flights and you'll have great flights. You'll get stuck with a not so nice IP, then you'll fly with some that won't say much at all. Just hang in there. Life seems to get better after your first solo.
You just have to remember your dreams before you started and know there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. That there are wing of gold waiting for you.
Good luck!
Plan on the following:
1. Flying everyday, Monday - Friday. You MIGHT fly BI's and RI's on the weekend, ans possibly night contact stuff. But FAMs, PAs and FORMs will not be flown on the weekends.
2. Schedules will do thier best to put you through in the following order: Fams (1-4/5), BI's, Fams 5/6-12(13=check), PA's, Forms, RI's, VNav's (2 day, 2 night). You'll get 2 night contacts somewhere in the mix of all that - the're cake.)
3. Occasional duty.
Keep the hand out of what course ware to complete by when somewhere handy, like your fridge.
Try to review your ATJ (Aviation Training Jacket) twice a week in Student Control.
Review, tally, etc your Flight Log Book in Log and Stats at the start of a new month for the previous month.
Keep your on-wing informed of any personal or professional problems you are having. If on-wing isn't available, class advisor (you'll get all this briefed to you when you check in).
Get out to the static plane just north of the VT-2 line shack by the hanger when you get the time. Make sure you're out there learning where everything is before FAM 0. Bring your pre-flight handout. There are also pictures of the systems in the VT-6 side of our squadron building. Feel free to go down and look at the pictures.. That's what they are there for - nobody will say anything.. I spent a lot of time looking at those pictures before my FAM Check Ride.
The Instructors are there to help you learn how to fly and get you the training/services you need. The're not there to boot you out. Use them and other students.
One thing *YOU* must do is study. Some days it might will feel like the program is impossible. It's not. You have to do your part. Learn the procedures. Sounds like a simple conecpt, and it is.. sometimes it's harder to put into practice. Chair fly the procedures before Fam 1 - Turn Pattern, Level Speed Change, Power Off Stall, Power On Stall, Slow Flight, etc. YES, they will be demo'ed to you, BUT, you must know the procedures cold. They're not hard.. like 3 to 6 steps each. Just look them over several times, make sure you have it, then close your eyes and say them out loud.
DISCUSS Items at briefs. You should know as much as you can about the subjects listed in the discuss items. Most can be found in the FTI (Flight Training Instruction). Some may be found elsewhere. When in doubt, check http://www.navygouge.com - it's a pretty good source especially for Fams and PA's. Again, read through it several times, then, try to spout out the stuff without looking at the material - do this several times.
DRINK A LOT OF WATER. Both on the ground and in the plane. It honestly helps the brain to absorb and recite information and helps to keep you relaxed.
I'll tell ya, if you know your stuff on the ground, the IP's will bend over backwards to help you in the plane. But you have to do your part. I have a friend who finally was attrited after 17 un-sats. That's a lot. Reason they held him on so long is, he knew his stuff cold on the deck.. could just go on and on about anything and everything. Problem was, he couldn't get it all together in the plane. Was rather sad to see him go.. smart kid, motivated and dedicated.. and he was in RI's.. Even an O-4 IP who had transferred caught me out in town and asked how he was doing.. I mean, that's how much they care if you are doing your part.
And remember - don't look too far ahead. Hang in there. Early to mid-fams suck - period. They're not hard when you look back.. looking back I'm like, "Why the hell was I so stressed". I imagine 90% of SNA's going through feel like quitting at some point and time. But you will have bumps. You will have bad flights and you'll have great flights. You'll get stuck with a not so nice IP, then you'll fly with some that won't say much at all. Just hang in there. Life seems to get better after your first solo.
You just have to remember your dreams before you started and know there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. That there are wing of gold waiting for you.
Good luck!
This is great advice. Heed it.
Hey Elder, that kid that attrited, I hope they made him an SNFO. If he knew his stuff but just couldn't fly, sounds like he'd do fine as an SNFO, as long as his SA was good. But, I'm just a lowly SNA. I've heard of it happening though.
Hey Elder, that kid that attrited, I hope they made him an SNFO. If he knew his stuff but just couldn't fly, sounds like he'd do fine as an SNFO, as long as his SA was good. But, I'm just a lowly SNA. I've heard of it happening though.
Elder said:
Elder,
Thanks for the advice/info. I appreciate you passing it on. Good luck to you at Corpus, and perhaps we'll cross paths at some point.
Fly Navy, hope to see you around.
Got my systems test in the morning. Spent most of the afternoon with the enging cutaway in the classroom and at the static plane.
-Matt
Thanks for the advice/info. I appreciate you passing it on. Good luck to you at Corpus, and perhaps we'll cross paths at some point.
Fly Navy, hope to see you around.
Got my systems test in the morning. Spent most of the afternoon with the enging cutaway in the classroom and at the static plane.
-Matt
Fly Navy said:
Maybe... maybe not. I've heard of the same thing happening to a lot of folks in the program here too-- know their sh!t on the ground, but once you're flying 300 knots at 500' AGL, the brain slows down, you're heads down in the cockpit going "Uhm... uhhh... I was 20 seconds late to Point Bravo... uhhh.. and half mile right... means I got a... ermmm... right crosswind... no, left crosswind... and I made a 60 degree turn, so I gotsta..."
Meanwhile the IN is going "Hey, wasn't that Point Delta we just passed while you were d!cking around with your computations?"
Bottom line is that you can know your procedures cold, but if you can't think on the fly and flex when things don't go as expected, you won't make it in either program.
Not meaning to interfere with the discussion. Carry on, stickmonkeys
TurnandBurn55 said:Maybe... maybe not. I've heard of the same thing happening to a lot of folks in the program here too-- know their sh!t on the ground, but once you're flying 300 knots at 500' AGL, the brain slows down, you're heads down in the cockpit going "Uhm... uhhh... I was 20 seconds late to Point Bravo... uhhh.. and half mile right... means I got a... ermmm... right crosswind... no, left crosswind... and I made a 60 degree turn, so I gotsta..."
Meanwhile the IN is going "Hey, wasn't that Point Delta we just passed while you were d!cking around with your computations?"
Bottom line is that you can know your procedures cold, but if you can't think on the fly and flex when things don't go as expected, you won't make it in either program.
Not meaning to interfere with the discussion. Carry on, stickmonkeys
Notice I said SA. Situational Awareness. I was implying that as long as he could think in the air, but didn't have the stick skills, MAYBE he'd make a good SNFO. It happens from time to time.
EODDave said:
Remind me again where I said that happened in the Mentor? Of course there's not too many flying in the T-34 anymore, so it's a moot point... in the T-6 you start VNAVs at 180/1500... go to 240/1500... then 240/500 in the Jayhawk and up to 270/500... and you start at 300/500 in the Sabreliner once you get to Advanced. But thanks for playing
Fly Navy said:
I know what SA is. The point I made is that just because you can kill a brief doesn't mean you'll be able to make it as an SNFO. If his problems were strictly stick-and-rudder as an SNA, yeah, he'll probably end up doing well. But don't think for a minute there aren't people around here who know their procedures cold and sound like champs in the brief... but who have lousy SA in the air and can't put two and two together. See it all the time. The big difference is that in NFO-land, they'll extend you a little bit more slack because they don't hafta worry about you soloing LOL
hey tacamo, long time no see. hope everything is going well up there. just started forms this week, so i'm in for a little wait now.
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