When did you wing & how long did it take?

[HercDriver]

Just a rough idea to see the ebb & flow of the process from API to putting on your wings of gold for different communities at different times. Also, at the time was it Faster than Avg, Avg, or Slower than Avg in your time to wing, and where (which community) did you wing.

Me:
Winging: Apr 2000
Where: Advanced props in Corpus
Time from API to Winging: 16 mos
Faster/Avg/Slower: Slightly faster (only because of no time btwn API and Primary and one week btwn Intermediate and Advanced)

 

[Intruder Driver]

As an NFO:
Winging: 30 Serp 1979
API to winging: 8.5 months
In the A6 RAG: start to first fleet trap: 7 months

As a pilot:
Winging: May 1984
No API; Whiting to winging (jets): 21 months
In the A6 RAG: start to fleet: 9 months

 

[Gatordev]

The problem w/ this "poll" is that things got so jacked up from 2004 to 2006 because of all the hold ups. Primary didn't suffer too badly, but the HTs definitely got setback. I only bring this up since a Coastie started the thread, and the majority of CG pilots go the route of HTs.

 

[HercDriver]

Yeah, Coasties are atypical (in many ways), but my reasoning was more for the newbie on the forum to get some idea how timelines move back and forth. Feast or famine, fast or slow...but usually somewhere in between is what I'm guessing we would see.

 

[MasterBates]

Winging: Jan 2003
Where: HT-8, South Park
Time from API to Winging: 11.5 mos
Faster/Avg/Slower: F'in Rocket Sled.

 

[phrogpilot73]

When: 26 Jan 2001
Where: HT-18, South Whiting Field (Helo Bubbas of the world unite!)
Time from API to winging: 17 months
Speed: Fast when I was in the cockpit, slow in the sim (instructor strike)

 

[bunk22]

Commissioned...MAR 93
API...Nov 93 (tear knee up on cross country, have surgery)..finish Aug 94
Primary VT-27...Aug 94 - Mar 95
Intermediate VT-31...Mar 95 - Aug 95
Advanced VT-4...Oct 95 - Jul 96
Winged...26 Jul 96

API to winging (not including med down for knee surgery)...1yr 11mos

VAW-120...Dec 96-Jun 98 (med down for 9 months)...moral of the story, careful what you tell the flight doc.

 

[Scamahmrd]

Commissioned: December '04
API: June '05
Winged: Oct '06
Fleet: ???

 

[Gatordev]

When: 26 Jan 2001
Where: HT-18, South Whiting Field (Helo Bubbas of the world unite!)
Time from API to winging: 17 months
Speed: Fast when I was in the cockpit, slow in the sim (instructor strike)

Alright shortbus. You just hit the strike at the wrong time.

API to Wings (2000-2001): 15 months due to back log in the HTs. Primary was like 17 weeks. Then again, that was back when we had intermediate.

 

[MasterBates]

No more intermediate?

(Loop) --->>>Me

 

[S3Dude]

API: Oct '99
Primary (Corpus): Nov '99-Mar '00
Advanced (Kingsville): Apr '00-Mar '01
Time to Wings from API: 18 months
S-3 RAG: Oct '01-Aug '02 (I was stashed at VS-41 in San Diego for the summer of '01, it was awesome)

No more than 1 week in between API/Primary/Advanced, I could have used some breathing time.

 

[HercDriver]

Commissioned...MAR 93
API...Nov 93 (tear knee up on cross country, have surgery)..finish Aug 94
Primary VT-27...Aug 94 - Mar 95
Intermediate VT-31...Mar 95 - Aug 95
Advanced VT-4...Oct 95 - Jul 96
Winged...26 Jul 96

API to winging (not including med down for knee surgery)...1yr 11mos

VAW-120...Dec 96-Jun 98 (med down for 9 months)...moral of the story, careful what you tell the flight doc.

Any cool stories of how you hurt your knee on your cross country? I'm picturing you jumping up on a bar somewhere and slipping on a coaster.

The moral of your story is well taken...the best you can hope for when you visit the flight doc is to break even.

 

[nittany03]

Commissioned May '03
API April-June '04
Primary July '04-March '05
T-45 TS June '05 - July '06
Winged July '06

Volunteered for 6 months of grad school in P-cola to help even out the student flow, so I got a late start. 6 weeks wait before Primary and 2 months before Advanced, so my total time was around 26mos. from API. 3 years and a little over a month from commissioning.

 

[Sabre170]

NFO - P3
Commissioned April '05
IFS - May - June '05
API June - July '05
Primary Oct '05 - Jan '06
Intermediate (Randolph AFB) Feb '06 - Aug '06
Winged Aug '06
FRS Start - Jan 07

 

[bunk22]

Any cool stories of how you hurt your knee on your cross country? I'm picturing you jumping up on a bar somewhere and slipping on a coaster.

The moral of your story is well taken...the best you can hope for when you visit the flight doc is to break even.

Not really a cool story. It was the second day of API and I was practicing the course. The course is a bit different now days.....anyway, it had rained the night before which wasn't a big deal until I finished and as I was slowing, I went to step on a large wooden beam that defined the course. It was wet and my foot slipped off, into the soft sand while my body went the other way. Two big pops were heard and more importantly felt and down I went. Tore just about every bit of cartiledge or whatever it's called in the knee and tore about 3/4 of the ACL. Fun stuff