This is good stuff- General Welsh speach at Air Force Academy

Sorry for the long absence, but we've been busy... SERE, PIQ, PCS, etc. I'll post more things soon once we get settled from our PCS, but for now... this is a MUST WATCH video. Incredible speaker.

Enjoy!

Packing for IFS?

I've had a couple people ask about what to pack for IFS, so here's what I'd say.

• Toiletries (deodorant, soap, shampoo, etc)
  
• A few pairs of jeans
• Some T-shirts
• A few collared shirts or Polos
• Church clothes (if you'd like to go, there are options around town)
• Casual shoes
• All your uniform stuff--boots, socks, undershirts, flight suits, name tags, AETC patches, flight gloves, blues, flight cap, etc. (Don't need Service Dress or ABUs at all)
  
• Flying Stuff like a kneeboard, pencils and pens, notepads, notebooks, etc
• Laptop and printer (if you can, having a printer is pretty handy)
  
• Workout clothes (including PTUs)
• If any part of your training is between 1 Oct and 30 Apr, bring flight jacket. It's also recommended during this time to bring thermal underwear and a black watch cap.
• Paperwork wise: bring several copies of your orders (I usually start with 10), medical certificate, Pilot's License (if you have one), CAC, etc.
  

If you're driving, you'll have plently of room to pack, so don't be stingy with it! If you're flying, several airlines allow 2, 3, even 5 bags to be checked for free. (Check their website for more info). There is a little shopette in the Doss facility, but they have a very limited supply.

Click for Doss's "Arrival Guide"
Base Op's IFS page

Did I forget anything? Did YOU forget something when you went to IFS?! Comment below if you have any other ideas or suggestions!

FAQ: What kind of stuff (like kneeboards and such) should I plan to buy for UPT?

Great question! There are a lot of things involved in UPT that will cost you money, so it's certainly a good idea to be able to plan ahead a little bit. Between buying patches, kegs for track select and assignment night, shadow boxes, banquets, etc. it can get expensive. Here are a few suggestions of other things you may find useful to have. These are just my personal recommendations, and there are several options out there. Other stores may carry similar products at different prices; some of these products are also available at your local Exchange (formerly known as "BX"). If you get a group order with other friends, you can sometimes get a price break too!

Kneeboard from Flyboys ($33.95) will be very useful for holding mission data cards, approach books, etc.

Clipboard from Flyboys ($7.50) is a little cheaper alternative to a full kneeboard. In T-6s, you'll have a G-suit with a strap on it that some students will use to hold clipboards like this in place. Or have a kneeboard on one leg and a clipboard on the other.

Pen Holder from Flyboys ($3.99) will most likely be available from the Life Support guys in your T-6 squadron, but things like this can be very handy when you're balancing flying and writing down assigned altitudes or other airborne clearances.

Checklist pages from Flyboys ($13.75) some guys will use these to put their approach plates in or for some pages in their In Flight Guide (IFG). Personally, I don't use these, but a lot of guys do.

Crew Bag from Flyboys ($90.95) is the bread a butter bag for most T-1 students. It has enough room for the Dash-1 along with several other notebooks with several smaller pockets to hold your kneeboard, pens, water bottles, etc. (Some students do just go with a big black backpack instead...)

Noral Leg Strap (~$10) is one of my favorite additions I didn't start using until T-1s. It's way easier than having a second kneeboard, and the clear strap is nice because it doesn't obstruct your view from any important lines on the plate.

Pilot's Log Book ($29.95) is very handy for recording all your flights and hours. Keep good records... you never know when you might want them!

Sunglasses- (T-1 guys) find a pair of sunglasses that will comfortably fit under the ear muffs of the David Clark headset you'll be issued. You want thinner ones near your ears when you're wearing those things for several hours!

Those who are in UPT or done with UPT, comment below with any other ideas!! Keep the questions coming!

#4- So you wanna be a pilot...

Let's say you're in ROTC, for example, and you're almost to the point where you need to decide about whether you want to put in for a pilot slot or not. You think being a pilot would be sweet, but you're not really sure you'd like it. You end up giving into the peer pressure and throwing your name into the hat. A few months later, you get a pilot slot! A few years later, you're in UPT... and you hate it. It's definitely NOT for you.

Unfortunately, this is not as rare as you might expect. UPT is tough, and if you're not all in, then you won't like it. And now-a-days, with all the Reduction in Force (RIF) and Force Shaping programs that come and go pretty consistently, if you drop out of pilot training, you could be kicked out of the Air Force! And what's even worse, is that the Air Force has made some former Lieutenants pay back their tuition from the Air Force Academy or their ROTC scholarship money! (My feelings about that are a whole separate issue...) (Reference Air Force Times; also saw this from personal experience.)

How can I avoid this happening to me?

1. Be true to yourself. Don't let peer pressure convince you to try to be a pilot. Being a pilot isn't the only "cool" job in the Air Force; anyone who says that is ignorant. (It DEFINITELY is super cool, but it's not for everyone.)
2. If you can afford to, try to get a few flights at a civilian flight school. Flight can cost anywhere from $80-$120/hr wet (meaning, including fuel) at some flight schools (depending on location, aircraft available, fuel cost, etc). It's expensive, but it's worth it. I'd personally recommend getting about 5-20 hours. If you can, try to solo at least once. It'll be a big confidence booster!
3. Find someone who's a few years ahead of you and pick their brain. Ask them about a normal day at IFS and at UPT, what their biggest struggle was, etc. Another good question is, "If you had to do it all over again, would you?" They don't have to turn into a formal "mentor" or anything, but if they did, it can only help you and your career.
4. Talk to your cadre and/or friends at your detachment that really know you as a person. Heed their advice. If your detachment commander flew F-16s for 20 years says that he doesn't think you'd like it, he probably knows what he's talking about. However, a 4-year Captain that works in personnel (no offense) may not be as good of a sound board to bounce your thoughts off of.

Basically, you're going to have to do some soul searching and praying to determine what you should do. Ask a lot of people for advice and compile it all. Again, If you don't love flying now, you probably won't love it in T-6s...

For tonight, I'll leave you with this picture...
Enjoy! :)

#3- Looking for Help

We're starting to grow and get more hits and followers! Thanks to all who have shared so far! Keep it up!

The main purpose of this post is to ask for your help- I want to add some more information about a few different topics that I, personally, am not an expert on. Here are a few topics that I want to add or topics that I want to have more info on.

• More current update on ROTC
• More current update on IFS (especially more current gouge files)
  
• Information about the T-38 track
• Corpus/T-44s
• Ft Rucker/ helicopters
  
• Advice for Guard/Reserve pilot wanna-be's
  

I'm always looking for general feedback too! I think the site looks great, but I know there is always room for improvement! Send me your ideas!

Tonight, I'll leave you with a great video from Vance that should get you pumped up!

#2- All the Places I've Flown... So Far

This is a little map program I made a few months ago to track the places I've flown to in the past few years.  They're marked with the ICAO identifier, the year I first went there, and "C" for civilian flying and/or "M" for military flying.  It's pretty neat to look back and see the places I get paid to fly to :)

Enjoy!



(If you click on the map, it'll take you to the wayfaring.com site)

#1- Welcome!

Welcome to my first post on The Road to Air Force Wings.  As of the time I write this, I still need to update the Join Spouse and ASBC pages, but everything else is up and running!  Thanks in advance for your patience with going live and the growing pains associated with that.

This page is all about being able to do my part to help out those hoping to attend pilot training for the USAF.  If you have any topics you want to hear about or have any feedback, please let me know!  I'll be posting several small updates over the next few days to get the ball rolling.  If you like what you see, subscribe, follow, and invite friends to do the same!  Also check out our Facebook page too!  (see graphic on the right)  Lastly, the advertisements at the bottom help support the blog; sorry for the inconvenience of them.  However, if you want to click on a few of them, you'd be supporting a good cause! :)

Blue skies and smooth landings!