• 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

NIFE Phase 3 - Flying 2023

Mouselovr

Well-Known Member
Contributor
NIFE is divided into three phases.

Phase 1: Also known as “APool”. This is the wait time/ steps needed to complete BEFORE starting phase 2 (academics). Please see my post history that generally explains A pool. (Slightly outdated due to SNAJOC) Pre NIFE APool Life/ Air Water Survival Gouge 2022 | Air Warriors

Phase 2: Academics Please see my post history for academics details/gouge https://www.airwarriors.com/community/threads/nife-phase-2-academics-details-2023.49505/

Phase 3: Flight

In this post, I will break down Phase 3: Flight

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Phase 3 of NIFE is comprised of 3 days of ground school and 7 total flights.



Airports: NIFE is flown out of civilian flight schools in either Pensacola or Gulf Shores, AL. Which airport you attend is determined by your address on file. You can request to switch at the discretion of the flight office. Both schools have the same syllabus.

Ground (Cock Pit Trainers (CPTs)): Before your first flight, you’ll have 3 days of familiarization. You’ll get a full tour of the exterior and interior of the plane. You’ll sit in the plane and get to push all the buttons and levers and discuss some of the maneuvers performed in flight.

Flights: Flights are divided into Block 1 (4 flights) and Block 2 (2 flights). As most NIFE students have never touched a plane, the expectation for Block 1 is progressive while Block 2 is to cement your skills before the checkride. If you have significant flight experience, you’ll have the option to expedite flight phase and skip to the checkride.

Checkride: While Block 1 and Block 2 are taught by civilian instructors, the checkride must be graded by active duty or prior military. Typically, it is an instructor from the command. Every instructor runs their checkrides a little different, but you’ll do an abridged version of your prior 6 flights and a longer brief.

Backlogs: In an ideal world, Phase 3 is meant to occur the week following academics as the entire syllabus can be finished in 2 weeks. In the real world of weather cancellations, instructor availability, military check rides, and prior backups, you could wait weeks to months to start. There is also a priority list based on international status, branch of service, and designator.

Failures: People do fail flights, and it is rarely for actual flying. Almost all failures are due to a lack of knowledge of checklists used in flight or information needed in the briefing room. I heard of more CFI, prior 1000+ hours pilots failing their checkrides than anyone else due to not reviewing basic information. Do not underestimate flight phase and get slapped with a silly pink sheet.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My 2 cents:
Study. The IPs are not trying to fail you but people really underplay Phase 3 at the detriment of other students. Two of my flight partners had failed prior flights. The first email from the Phase 3 office will contain a series of documents which will include:

-Emergency procedures (EPs), limits, and the 5 flight checklists. You need to know these all cold.

-Read the FTI to know all the discussion items needed for your brief. Study a brief in advance.

-Read your Hollywood Script. Know the general flow



Flight phase is fun, but it can be very overwhelming and stressful if you have never flown before. It’s okay to not be a master of the Cessna after 7 flights. The military wants to see you develop basic skills and be safe over buttering every landing after 10 hours. It probably wasn’t until my 5th flight that everything started to click and flying became an absolute blast.

~Mouse
 

jollygreen07

Professional (?) Flight Instructor
pilot
Contributor
Man, times sure have changed. I did IFS out of Destin with a former trucker who would show us how to land using nothing but the trim wheel. IFS wasn’t stressful AT ALL. We had pattern and cross-country solos, too.

Also, stay below 3k working the area over the water west of JKA. Please and thank you.
 

Mouselovr

Well-Known Member
Contributor
Man, times sure have changed. I did IFS out of Destin with a former trucker who would show us how to land using nothing but the trim wheel. IFS wasn’t stressful AT ALL. We had pattern and cross-country solos, too.

Also, stay below 3k working the area over the water west of JKA. Please and thank you.
Yes. They've now modeled NIFE flying after expectations in Primary. As a result, its more stressful, but it makes the transition a lot smoother.
 
Top