NFO Pipeline

[WhiskeyWarhead]

Hey everyone, I'm going to OCS in Jan and got selected for NFO. I wanted to see if anyone has a solid pipeline for NFO hashed out? I found the old forums from early 2000's but in the mix everyone has conflicting info. Some say you get lots of hours, some say you get 5 hours behind the stick. What's the run down and at what point do we separate from the SNA? What's the expected wait time before NIFE, still shorter than SNA, and why? I'm married with a house and kids should I bother trying to move them down there, or are we not on the 2-3 year track like SNA?

Please and thanks!

 

[ea6bflyr]

Hey everyone, I'm going to OCS in Jan and got selected for NFO. I wanted to see if anyone has a solid pipeline for NFO hashed out? I found the old forums from early 2000's but in the mix everyone has conflicting info. Some say you get lots of hours, some say you get 5 hours behind the stick. What's the run down and at what point do we separate from the SNA? What's the expected wait time before NIFE, still shorter than SNA, and why? I'm married with a house and kids should I bother trying to move them down there, or are we not on the 2-3 year track like SNA?

Please and thanks!

SNFOs and SNAs are together for initial training only (NIFE).

After NIFE, SNAs head up to Milton, FL or Corpus Christi, TX for Primary. Pipeline.

After NIFE, SNFOs stay at NAS Pensacola for Primary and Intermediate (Advanced: Pensacola for Strike Fighter). Pipeline.

Don't worry about how many hours of stick time you will get during your training. You will get enough stick time to understand the basics of flight operations to build your situational awareness. After you finish your stick time, you will then continue to practice your communication skills as well as your navigation skills.

If you are planning to go Strike Fighter, you can plan to be in Pensacola for about 15+ months. Shorter if you go Maritime (P-8) or AEW (E-2).

Bring your family. Get base housing or live out in town. You will have some down time and should spend every minute with your family. Once you hit the fleet, you will be gone quite a bit. I too was married with two rugrats during flight training. I couldn't imagine doing it differently.

 

[WhiskeyWarhead]

Thank you so much this is exactly what I was looking for!

 

[Waveoff]

You will get zero "stick time" in the piloting sense. Even during the contacts stage where you are sitting in the front seat of the T-6A, you will be directing the aerobatics, pattern work, and takeoff/landing navigation and radios. If you have a cool IP, you'll get to have the controls for a few minutes here and there.

 

[Waveoff]

With a wife and kids, highly recommend the East Hill area of Pcola. You will get told during check in though, flight school doesn't care that you are married in the curriculum sense. Do not expect bankers hours flight times, or only mid day sim periods just because you have a wife and kids. That's not to be mean, just set expectations. Your family will also have to understand that you will be bringing work home with you plenty of times. Studying on the weekend with your classmates, having study parties, etc, is crucial to learning the material and bouncing questions off each other.

Highly recommend coordinating with your wife so that someone has the kid covered so you can stay late or go to someone elses house (or have people over to yours) and review the pubs, checklists, EPs, and so on. Don't be "the old guy with a kid who does everything alone".

Edit: I remember being told day 1 "tell your spouses now that you are cheating on them with the Navy until you get your wings." You will have plenty of free time don't get me wrong. Enjoy your time in the waiting pool, but expect periods of work hard study hard. You'll be there with your family for a year or so, don't forget to enjoy the beach, rent a boat from the marina, visit natural springs, and whatever other vacation-ey things you can think of.

 

[WhiskeyWarhead]

With a wife and kids, highly recommend the East Hill area of Pcola. You will get told during check in though, flight school doesn't care that you are married in the curriculum sense. Do not expect bankers hours flight times, or only mid day sim periods just because you have a wife and kids. That's not to be mean, just set expectations. Your family will also have to understand that you will be bringing work home with you plenty of times. Studying on the weekend with your classmates, having study parties, etc, is crucial to learning the material and bouncing questions off each other.

Highly recommend coordinating with your wife so that someone has the kid covered so you can stay late or go to someone elses house (or have people over to yours) and review the pubs, checklists, EPs, and so on. Don't be "the old guy with a kid who does everything alone".

Edit: I remember being told day 1 "tell your spouses now that you are cheating on them with the Navy until you get your wings." You will have plenty of free time don't get me wrong. Enjoy your time in the waiting pool, but expect periods of work hard study hard. You'll be there with your family for a year or so, don't forget to enjoy the beach, rent a boat from the marina, visit natural springs, and whatever other vacation-ey things you can think of.

Yes thank you ?? my wife already knows I’ll be doing my own thing a lot trying to survive, hence why we were considering them not moving. My wife isn’t even back from Air Force BMT and tech school (ANG) and I’m going to be out the door as soon as she back so we really want to be together and are going to make it work as best we can. Only issue is the damn guard wants her to go from Florida to AZ every month for drill, no quarterly ? and there is no way I’m going to be able to take kids to and from school on the travel days so that’s going to be a challenge.

 

[WhiskeyWarhead]

You will get zero "stick time" in the piloting sense. Even during the contacts stage where you are sitting in the front seat of the T-6A, you will be directing the aerobatics, pattern work, and takeoff/landing navigation and radios. If you have a cool IP, you'll get to have the controls for a few minutes here and there.

Good to know, sounds about right!

 

[Waveoff]

Yes thank you ?? my wife already knows I’ll be doing my own thing a lot trying to survive, hence why we were considering them not moving. My wife isn’t even back from Air Force BMT and tech school (ANG) and I’m going to be out the door as soon as she back so we really want to be together and are going to make it work as best we can. Only issue is the damn guard wants her to go from Florida to AZ every month for drill, no quarterly ? and there is no way I’m going to be able to take kids to and from school on the travel days so that’s going to be a challenge.

Im not a VT instructor, but during flight phase, I’m sure they would be willing to work with you since it’s a mil to mil situation as much as feasible.

But I hope it’s not new news, there isn’t much Navy going on in AZ what with the lack of water and all… I don’t know how the guard works (or if COLO counts for that) but I hope that’s something you can work through. If you P8’s you could feasibly stay in Jax for a good chunk of time (FRS, sea tour, shore tour, second sea tour, DH).

 

[Flash]

You will get zero "stick time" in the piloting sense. Even during the contacts stage where you are sitting in the front seat of the T-6A, you will be directing the aerobatics, pattern work, and takeoff/landing navigation and radios. If you have a cool IP, you'll get to have the controls for a few minutes here and there.

Do they no longer do FAMS in NFO Primary?

 

[jollygreen07]

Do they no longer do FAMS in NFO Primary?

There are five fam flights in SNFO Primary. Stick time is still a thing, more or less depending on the IP’s comfort level and student's ability to do NFO things. If you can’t do your part, I’m sure as hell not letting you fly.

 

[Gatordev]

depending on the IP’s comfort level

<giggles in SNA Primary IP language>

 

[jollygreen07]

<giggles in SNA Primary IP language>

Yeah, I get it. Spent plenty of time teaching pilots, too and it blew my mind when we didn’t have the SNFO’s flying everything. It’s just not something we train to in our FITU.

SNFO training is awesome in that you don’t have someone actively trying to kill you, but I can say I’ve been challenged as a pilot more here than in pilot primary. This centers around the fact that you are flying while instructing, not sitting in the back waiting for junior to fuck up.

When junior is telling you to turn left when you need to go right, reading back incorrect ATC directions, in the weather, things can go downhill quickly.

 

[Gatordev]

I get it, too. And I figured it would be received well by someone who actually had the experience, like yourself.

 

[Flash]

When junior is telling you to turn left when you need to go right, reading back incorrect ATC directions, in the weather, things can go downhill quickly.

I didn't realize you were an IP of mine...

 

[ea6bflyr]

Time for a sea story from my time as an instructor at VT-86:
We are RTB from an X near Mobile, AL. Me, Contract Pilot, and SNFO in the mighty T-39N. I don't recall if it was a Radar Nav hop or a Low Level. Anyway, we are headed from SIMMS VORTAC (SJI) to TRADR (NAV Fix at the bottom of Mobile Bay). Pretty easy to radial track outbound from SJI then turn left at the DME to head to Pensacola. I notice the student is being blown off radial and should add more crab to compensate for winds.

So, as a newly minted Instructor I ask "How's that point to point (PTP) doing to TRADR". I really should have said "Hey, looks like you need to sweeten up your PTP". The student looked at his point to point, then told the contract pilot to turn left 90 degrees. We are in the middle of Mobile Bay. I'm like WTF? The pilot starts a left hand turn. At this point, I tell the pilot to go back to previous course and ask the student why he was making such an aggressive course correction. He thought his TACAN was on Pensacola (NPA) and was correcting to how TRADR is defined off NPA TACAN not SJI TACAN. I learned that words have meanings, and that was the last time I used that phrase. The student had a loss of SA based on my question.