-
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
THIS WAS MY EXPERIENCE AT VANCE, SHARE YOURS. 21 May 2008
- Thread starter JMO20
- Start date
Aight fellas,
The range of response has been like the colors of the rainbow. Some people think I'm being a whiney brat.
So for the things in my original post that have a stench to them. My bad, I'm sorry. I hope those of you who haven't gone through flight school just see that you never really know how it will work out and weird stuff can happen for a range of reasons.
Hope I didn't disrespect anyone and if I did, I sincerely apologize. No joke.
J.
The range of response has been like the colors of the rainbow. Some people think I'm being a whiney brat.
So for the things in my original post that have a stench to them. My bad, I'm sorry. I hope those of you who haven't gone through flight school just see that you never really know how it will work out and weird stuff can happen for a range of reasons.
Hope I didn't disrespect anyone and if I did, I sincerely apologize. No joke.
J.
My take on vance:
Sweet ass airplane. The texan kicks ass and is a blast to fly. Probably the newest plane I'll ever get to fly (I'm not holding my breath on the MMA being finished before I jump ship to corporate america and buy my yacht). Formation was especially fun, and being permitted to do some cool things on my own that I might never be able to do again was pretty exciting.
Solid bunch of guys, IPs and Students alike. Say what you will about the air force, I didn't have a problem with my instructors. Screamers were few and far between, and the reserve IPs (mostly retired 0-4s and -5s) were some of the most knowledgeable and helpful instructors on the flightline. Our flight, and class as a whole, were a pretty tightknit group of guys who would party together (granted, we really only had 3 bars to go to so there was a pretty good chance you were hanging out on the weekend whether you wanted to or not).
Enid is the worst place I have ever been to. The attitude of the locals is disturbing to say the least. Sonic is gourmet cuisine to the locals.
Everyday I saw something that made me think i was living King of the Hill. Oklahoma is the worst state, especially if you come from one of the coasts, or anywhere with topography/scenery. My first three weeks there made me want to go to the flight doc and ask for a couple pounds of Zoloft.
12 hour days suck balls, but they do help you build a bit of camaraderie (a la military school). You won't study. You will goof off. You will go home and wish you had studied.
JSUPT is all about the haze. Putting up with BS is [a raw] part of the deal for AF guys, and for the Navy guys who end up there. There's a reason they call them orders and not suggestions.
I got what I wanted out of it, and ended up with the platform I'd wanted since day 1. Some people do not. I volunteered to go there, sort of knowing what I was getting myself into. I thought the T-6 would be fun to fly, and seeing how another service did things couldn't be a bad thing.
However, Vance is not the cure all magic trick that will take a 42 NSS and get them a tailhook slot. Flight school is flight school in that you get out what you put in.
All of this being said, I am EXTREMELY glad to be back on the Navy side of the house. I surfed all day today, and I'm going night fishing pretty much once I'm done this post. Rough life while I wait to hook up to the next firehose. My advanced pubs are being put to good use right now propping up a dresser with a leg broken off.
Sweet ass airplane. The texan kicks ass and is a blast to fly. Probably the newest plane I'll ever get to fly (I'm not holding my breath on the MMA being finished before I jump ship to corporate america and buy my yacht). Formation was especially fun, and being permitted to do some cool things on my own that I might never be able to do again was pretty exciting.
Solid bunch of guys, IPs and Students alike. Say what you will about the air force, I didn't have a problem with my instructors. Screamers were few and far between, and the reserve IPs (mostly retired 0-4s and -5s) were some of the most knowledgeable and helpful instructors on the flightline. Our flight, and class as a whole, were a pretty tightknit group of guys who would party together (granted, we really only had 3 bars to go to so there was a pretty good chance you were hanging out on the weekend whether you wanted to or not).
Enid is the worst place I have ever been to. The attitude of the locals is disturbing to say the least. Sonic is gourmet cuisine to the locals.
Everyday I saw something that made me think i was living King of the Hill. Oklahoma is the worst state, especially if you come from one of the coasts, or anywhere with topography/scenery. My first three weeks there made me want to go to the flight doc and ask for a couple pounds of Zoloft.
12 hour days suck balls, but they do help you build a bit of camaraderie (a la military school). You won't study. You will goof off. You will go home and wish you had studied.
JSUPT is all about the haze. Putting up with BS is [a raw] part of the deal for AF guys, and for the Navy guys who end up there. There's a reason they call them orders and not suggestions.
I got what I wanted out of it, and ended up with the platform I'd wanted since day 1. Some people do not. I volunteered to go there, sort of knowing what I was getting myself into. I thought the T-6 would be fun to fly, and seeing how another service did things couldn't be a bad thing.
However, Vance is not the cure all magic trick that will take a 42 NSS and get them a tailhook slot. Flight school is flight school in that you get out what you put in.
All of this being said, I am EXTREMELY glad to be back on the Navy side of the house. I surfed all day today, and I'm going night fishing pretty much once I'm done this post. Rough life while I wait to hook up to the next firehose. My advanced pubs are being put to good use right now propping up a dresser with a leg broken off.
I can second this post. I was at Vance a few classes ahead of JMO20. It is really bad to hear about a fellow stud doing badly...especially if said stud is from not only a different flight, but a different SQUADRON.
JMO20, that guy was YOU.
And as for the 70 and 77, I talked personally to the skipper of yer squadron and the XO of ours (as they were selecting the same week of my class) and they EARNED those grades. When I hear an IP use the words "best stud I've ever seen" I don't take that lightly.
As a Navy guy who went through Chair Force training, and now am in the Advanced Pipeline (FAM 4) I don't think T-6's gave me any advantage for this airframe. I can't speak to the jets or helo's just the T-12. I NEVER had beta...which means I have NO idea what I am doing when I taxi...seriously, I feel like the special kid getting to be "pilot for a day" sometimes. I think we may have had really good instruments instruction, but I have never done:
a timed turn
an ASR
a partial panel approach
an in air EP (my IP used ICS failure for that check in the block)
...and I was primary complete with 3 whole PAR's (1 flight) and 2 AOA patterns.
Needless to say my learning curve here at Corpus has been steep.
JMO20 I told you at Vance to lose the attitude and not bitch about "being wronged" Hopefully you learn this by the time you hit the flightline. Remeber, this is a small Navy...once you get a reputation, it is hard to lose.
As to the IP's, every flight has a hammer and a santa. You don't fly every flight with the same IP, and yer grades are a representative of the subjective view of ALL of those pilots. That means the WHOLE flight (plus checkpilots, and the skipper for any 89 rides) have to be in on said conspiracy to screw you. Not likely. Those IP's were good people, they really worked hard to train us to a standard that would not embarrass THEM when we left Vance and went to advanced. (even the FAIP's)
I would gladly go back to Vance, I had a good time, the program was fair, and if you have a problem with your grades the time to say something is at the beginning/middle of primary, not the end.
You graduated with a 33, you are lucky to even have a pilot slot and a plane waiting for you. Remember you are training here with a guy who got a 52 NSS and worked their ass off to fly the P-3, it was my first choice...and you are flying in a squadron with a guy who had a 58, wanted jets, and got P-3's. Please keep bitching about my airframe, it will get you far at VP-30 (especially with the FE's)
To the rest of you, sorry about rambling:icon_smil
Primary was:
40% Check
30% Flight Commanders Rating
20% everyday flights
10% academics
(I think)
You my friend, have never visited sunny Meridian, MS, or sunny Lemoore, CA, or you would have the opinion that shiaty locals are seemingly par for the course
People that have never been to Vance get so hyped up on here when others ask about it, you almost can't help but have a negative opinion of the place even before arriving. The sooner people realize locations change frigain semi-annually in our business the less they'll whine and the more they'll look for things to like. There are positives in everything.......except P-3's:icon_tong
You my friend, have never visited sunny Meridian, MS, or sunny Lemoore, CA, or you would have the opinion that shiaty locals are seemingly par for the course
haha clearly. who wants to fly jets when you have to spend 14 months in mattridian or kville? I spent my time in a (true) dump ass town in the center of americas lower intestine. (pcola/corpus do not count. at least they have a beach and bars) I'll pass, thank you.
I'll take corpus to jax then whidbey or K-Bay any day. Airplane's Broken? damn. I guess we'll just have to stay in ______ (insert exotic locale here)
Seriously, nothing like diming out a guy that you have to work w/ everyday.....especially over the net.
At least if you give out his NSS, follow it up w/ something like:
"and you, @sshole, you're lucky to be here!"
it might make it go over a little better!
dude gave out his own NSS
Perfect candidate for P-3s.
