SNA Lateral Transfer

[Recovering LSO]

Posting this here so other's like yourself can read it in the future if they search - more than happy to trade some PM's with you personally if you want.

Primary isn't necessarily supposed to be fun. Sure, you can have fun and some people do, but depending on your natural God given abilities, motivations and work habits it can be less than enjoyable. I had a great time in flight school but I had somewhat of a fatalist outlook on it. I was 100% certain that at some point I would suck at something and they would attrite me - that made enjoying each flight a lot easier when I was pretty sure that I was on borrowed time.

Also, realize that FAMs aren't necessarily the best of times either. Sure, you're learning how to fly and for some people that is enough, but for others the constant criticism and feeling of being overwhelmed are not comfortable. Unfortunately the constant criticism and frequent feeling of being in over your head won't go away. There's always going to be something. The difference is that as you continue on in your training and in your career you'll have more experience to draw on to give you the confidence to deal with those situations.

PM if you'd like to chat further.

 

[Brunes]

I"m just a little bit out of Primary- but everything posted above hits the mark if you ask me. I was MISERABLE in contacts. Felt like I should just DOR and stop wasting peoples time. Got thru that solo and- It turned out to be pretty good after that. Advanced has been fun pretty much the whole time (with a little bit of frustration here and there)

If you are interested in a "fresh from Primary" point of view- Hit my PM box.

 

[torpedo0126]

also primary complete from Vance a few weeks ago...I can tell you I was miserable through 70% of primary. The only thing I could do to MIF was throw up or go to the spin chair. There were a couple of times I just wished the Doc would cut me right there. I also didn't really enjoy IFS until I had finished and was looking back (airsick issues). I hated soloing as well. I much preferred having an IP breathing down my neck than being all by myself without a second set of eyes. My outlook completely changed on cross country. I got to fly instrument approaches into Denver at night followed by a VFR flight through the mountains. By the end of the XCountry things started to click for me. Instruments didn't upset my stomach and I started to realize 'hey, maybe I can do this.'

Anyways, there were plenty of people here that hated most of primary until the end--when they knew everything and felt confident in the plane.

 

[SoxFan524]

I'd agree to stick with it at least past your solo. Pre-solo contacts are some of the most stressful times in Primary. I found the flying to be a lot more enjoyable after getting through my checkride. At some point things will click and you'll feel a lot more confident in your abilities. I struggled in IFS, and was still questioning whether I was cut out for this business as I got to my 1st solo, but am very glad I pushed through the tough parts.

Like others said, primary is not meant to be fun. It can be, but that's not the point. I know several people who hated primary and are now thriving in advanced. Everyone I know who's finished primary likes their advanced aircraft more than the T-34.

 

[scoolbubba]

To pile on: stick it out. Pre solo contact flights suck like you read about. RI's suck too, but that's the system in general. We get beat up flying airplanes for 2 hours a day. It's not a bad deal, when you think about the alternatives.

Give it a shot at flying by yourself, even if it's just in the pattern. That's when it clicked for me; I "got it" as far as the fun part of flying bombing around the pattern in a T-6 and then on my PA solo's, really wringing it out and feeling like a BAMF. Instruments after that sucked balls, but then I got to fly forms and have literally never felt so terrified/excited/cool all at the same time. If you still hate it after the solo, it might be time to figure out plan B, but at least give it an honest shot.

 

[Jim123]

Tough spot.

FWIW, post holiday/leave in January is the highest DOR month for primary SNAs.

Tangent to the conversation, but my brother dropped out of college in January (several years ago) and never went back... dumb move.

@OP: Wait until at least February[/I to make up your mind]! Seriously- it gets better.

 

[Pags]

I'll just add my .02 as another winged guy:

Contacts suck. I hated contacts in primary AND advanced. It gets better. I downed my initial safe for solo in T-34s. On the re-check, I learned a lot and it really clicked. Wait until PAs to make your decision, that way you'll at least get to solo.

Feel free to PM with any questions, etc.

 

[BACONATOR]

Whoever said (too lay to scroll up) that if you hate primary then quit is only ONE opinion (and a bad one in my mind). I pretty much hated primary, mostly cuz of my squadron climate and some pretty big douchebag IPs, but a lot of it had to do with the structure and nature of primary. It's like each milestone in any fraternity. You get treated better and better as you go and prove yourself more. You are a piece of shit in primary, just barely less than OCS/ROTC/Academy etc. You have proven nothing and until you do, you walk on eggshells. Even at the end of a given training (primary, advanced) you'll notice how differently you're treated, partially because you're well known and more familiar, but you're on your way out the door and have generally proven yourself.

Flight school (and lesser so, ANY flight evaluation. Even HAC HAC in the fleet I'm sure) is basically the aviation equivalent of a dude staring at you for two hours watching your every move and critiquing you.

"Woah, dude. did you just move your hand?"

"No..."

"No, SIR.... yeah you did"

"I didn't realize..... sir"

"Goddamn it! Did you just scratch your balls!? Why would you do that?"

"Uh... they were itchy, sir"


Being so closely watched and evaluated is uncomfortable for most/all people. If you can't get over making fun of yourself when you vomit out a retarded ass radio call, or flub a procedure, brain fart an EP or generally fuck up once in a while in front of a laughing audience, THEN you need to evaluate a possible career change.

 

[FLYnotCFI]

Did any of you have previous civilian flight experience before primary? If so, did it help? Thanks!

 

[OUSOONER]

Did any of you have previous civilian flight experience before primary? If so, did it help? Thanks!

So far it's helped with being comfortable locating shit around the cockpit and MAYBE a little bit of SA..other than that, it's probably an even playing field unless you've got your instrument. Even then..people with thousands of hours have attrited flight school.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Did any of you have previous civilian flight experience before primary? If so, did it help? Thanks!

This is by far one of the most commonly asked questions on this website......the search function is your friend. And yes, many of us had prior civilian time before learning the Navy way.

 

[fighterpfeif]

Attitude matters more than what is in your civilian logbook. Be the sponge of knowledge...quite and absorbent.