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The basics of API

Pistol719

Will Over Skill
pilot
Contributor
I just had lunch in cubi a few weeks ago for the first time (Just got down here) I can only imagine the shenanigans that went on in the P.I.
 

phrogpilot73

Well-Known Member
For some enterprising studs out there - go talk to the cubi point manager, see what you can do about having later hours on Fridays or whichever. I'm sure they won't turn down the money.
Happy hour at Cubi Point?!? Hell, I may have to figure out a way to bring some Phrogs down for that!
 

Uncle Fester

Robot Pimp
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
You're probably on to something there. The Cubi is run by the Museum, and I can't imagine the old-school salty dogs who run the NMNA would turn their noses up at you. "The Club sucks, sir. We want a real O-Club. What can we work out?"

Maybe not a Fallon-style, 'secure when the last drinker leaves or passes out' regimen, but later Friday hours, happy hour for those in uniform, or something.

Project for some enterprising ensigns.
 

FastMover

NFO
None
I like where this is going. The food there is great and most of the staff that works there are very cool. I still make it a point to go there at least once whenever I visit. Awesome atmosphere and if the old dudes came to hang out it would be all the better. You guys should go find CAPT Rasmussen or ADM Hoewing and work something out.
 

parrothead08

KCCO
pilot
The Club is completely outside the chain of command. Sodexho has a contract with MWR to run the joint (along with the Starbucks, etc), and the base CO has zero authority over how it's run.

Sodexho has been trying to run the traditional NASP O-Club into the ground for years now...it's way more profitable to do catering/special events than lunch and drinking. They deliberately scuttled the Lighthouse restaurant. They couldn't just shut it down; they had to show that business had fallen off. So they went from a full menu, full buffet, full staff at lunch to three-item buffet and one (count 'em) waitress. Amazingly enough, business fell off, and now they're catering and special events only. Except for the Chief's Club...Sodexho was unable to shut it down despite their best efforts. I had all this from one of the managers.

I think the low point was when the NASP CO couldn't get the Club for a command function because a civilian wedding party had already booked it. Completely civilian. Not some admiral's daughter or anything.

SODEXO is gone. They lost the contract. MWR runs it now.
 

leo20307

Rhinos
None
Just an update in the spirit of the thread:

API is not hard. I'm your run-of-the-mill Liberal Arts/mathematically challenged college graduate who was a little nervous going into it (even after reading these posts) and I did just fine.

I studied two/three hours a day plus group study three nights a week. Ask the instructors for help---I went after class on several occasions and they helped immensely. Read the test questions thoroughly. If you know the material, you will probably know the answer before reading the choices. Eliminate the wrong ones and then pick the "most right" answer. I actually thought NAV was the easiest test because there were basically less ways to trick you into a bad answer. ENGINES was the hardest (read: most overwhelming at first) for me but the trip to the museum to look at the different components made all the difference. Bottom line is don't blow it off and not study, but you can have a life during API. The guys who attrited were the ones who failed to grasp the concept that as student aviators and FOs this is our chosen profession and we need to constantly raise the bar for ourselves.

A couple of notes on the swimming: it's a welcome break from the academics as others have mentioned. I'm not a great swimmer by any measure but I breaststroked to a nice 55 min mile.If you're not great, they just put you on swim hold. No big deal.

I wish we had more time at the land survival building. Paul Levins is the absolute man.

**A heads-up for you guys reporting in the late summer and fall 2012, come ready to swim right away. Apparently the NASC pool will be closing for maintenance towards the end of the year and one of the possible fixes for pipeline continuity is doing the water survival swimming during your time in A-pool.
 

Criminal

God's personal hacky sack
pilot
Leo hit the nail on the head for about 98% of it.

A little different perspective on one thing. For me, ENGINES was by far the easiest. NAV for me was semi-easy, then sucked on the exam and barely passed. But that type of crap happens no and again.

Only thing to add on the swim... It seems more important to go in be very comfortable in the water than being a good swimmer. They will train you to be a good (enough) swimmer. So if you can, go swim and have fun whenever you can.

Yes take it seriously, study, but don't forget to relax and have a beer or two when you can.
 

Criminal

God's personal hacky sack
pilot
Ehhh, they are alright. A little overpriced IMO... The "Naval Yard" is better and cheaper.

Was the O'club good back when you were around?
 

Criminal

God's personal hacky sack
pilot
Usually about 50 questions. You are given 1 hr for all execpt for NAV which is 4 I think. Most people take 30 mins on most, and most of the time on NAV. They are kinda tricky, not to hard, but you have to know the information.
 

BUDU

Member
Every single test, I had time to go back and not just check my work, but re-take the entire test at least once. Even NAV. Nobody wanted for time.
 

Recovering LSO

Suck Less
pilot
Contributor
Every single test, I had time to go back and not just check my work, but re-take the entire test at least once. Even NAV. Nobody wanted for time.

Don't rush through the NAV exam. I did practice problems until I was blue in the face and was very very confident going into the exam. So confident that I rushed through the test and ended up failing it due to a math error that cascaded throughout. I'm convinced that NAV exam failure is why I flew a jet with three NFOs for almost ten years.....
 

BUDU

Member
Don't rush through the NAV exam. I did practice problems until I was blue in the face and was very very confident going into the exam. So confident that I rushed through the test and ended up failing it due to a math error that cascaded throughout. I'm convinced that NAV exam failure is why I flew a jet with three NFOs for almost ten years.....

Actually sir, I felt like I was moving pretty slowly for most of the test. I didn't realize it had only taken me about an hour to complete until I looked up at the clock after finishing the jet log. I got a 98, and I think I only changed one or two answers after going back, so I don't think I rushed too badly.

Although I still don't know what that one question I got wrong was.
 

GS-W

AH-1 W
Just finished API. This is some terrible, terrible gauge. Marines, don't listen to any of this. Our attrition rates are 30%, Navy/AF/CG is 2% because they are allowed to fail more tests. API is not easy. 3 out of 10 marines are re designated for a reason. As for swim, TBS swim qual tread is more difficult. People who don't do well in the swim here are the same people who start walking after 1 mile of running on the PRT and would not pass the fat% test for the Corps.
 
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