Read my old posts. They are still accurate
All the old posts are still accurate.
As for housing, they are now requiring everyone (including us of the Maritime Mafia) to live i nthe dormitories, unless you have a family here. Expect a 4 week wait to class up, then about 4 weeks of academics (think API, but without an instructor... it's all done on computer).
When you hit the flightline, your world will end. Tomorrow is day Eleven of the "Fifteen Day Program" for my class. We arrive at the ready-room every morning at about 0515. we then set the room up for FORMAL BRIEF. During formal brief, you sit at attention for 45 minutes... while your class assigned "Weather Officer" gives a short formal weather report, then you go around the room reciting NOTES WARNING AND CAUTIONS that you memorized the nigh before. Expect between 12 and 20 of these that you must memorize VERBATIM and be able to say while standing at the POA without any hesitation.
After NOTES WARNINGS AND CAUTIONS, you will be asked random questions about your excessive reading assignment from the night before. After you go through these questions, one of your lucky classmates (or you!) gets to stand at the POA in front of the IP and the class and go into insane detail about how you would recover an aircraft given a set-up and Emergency Procedure that the IP tells you. "I will then use my left hand to retard the throttle at a quick rate. When it is in IDLE, I will then use my Pointer and Middle fingers of my left hand to raise the PCL Gate approximatly one inch. Then I will move the PCL all the way aft. I expect this will shut down my engine. I will then watch for a fall in N1. I will see my NP begin to fall, as well as my ITT. My Master Warn and ....." etc.
You will fvck it up. They will make you feel like an idiot.
On average, My days so far in the 15 day program have basically stood like this:
*0500 - 1700 in the flightroom, flying, sims, or studying. You cannot leave for meals.
*1700 - 1900 Dinner, and Study NOTES WARNINGS & CAUTIONS
*1900 - 2200 Studying/Reading the assignments for the next day
*2200 - 0345 BEDTIME (I'm lucky, I know of a few guys that dont allocate even 5 hours to sleep a night)
*0345 - 0445 Shower, Review that days Emergency Procedure, Eat Breakfast, last minute studying of NOTES WARNINGS & CAUTIONS
*0445 - 0459Drive to the base, park, and get to work!
And the rest depends on your Flight Commander. I'm not saying any names, but some of the AF Captains here lhave their ENTIRE flights on CAP, (Commanders Awareness Program) and also requires the class to come in on Saturdays for 12 hours (Half my class is in a flight like this).
Welcome to Pilot Training. Welcome to Vance. Prepare to miss Pensacola.
The T-6 is fun... There is not much recreation to be had here. You will probably have NO social life until your classes start, and then your class will become your social hub. You will study with them at a coffeeshop in the evenings, you will see them during the day, you will go to that one guy who's offbase house on the weekends with a keg and a deck of cards. And that's about it. Especially while you're fresh to the flightline, don't expect to have time to do much other than study. I know you've heard that before... and if I was in your shoes, I wouldn't take what I'm saying as serious as I should. But you WILL study harder here than you did in Pensacola. You will work harder, and study longer, and perform worse on tests than you EVER have before. That's just how it works when they give you a 5 pound bag and 15 pounds of sh!t.
