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| B-2 with two F-117s |
What's the hardest part about UPT? Managing your time and knowing what is the most important thing to study at that particular time. Some people pick this up easier than others, but it's something everyone will have to handle... and most people I've talked to about UPT agree that this is certainly one of the toughest things. The flying skills will come with time, but when you have 2 flights, an EPQ, standup, and an academic test all in one day, how on earth do you prioritize that?! (And yes, that IS a realistic example- happened to me a couple times-- and one of those flights could be a checkride too!) First, know that if you hook an academic test, it will definitely highlight you. Avoid being placed on Academic CAP (Commander's Awareness Program). However, if you hook too many EPQs or get "sat down" during standup too many times in a row, you can get put on "Pro-CAP." (That's for Procedures.) So, tests are a big deal. (Disclaimer- I am NOT encouraging you to show up for a flight unprepared or to get lazy!) If you were to show up for a flight every now and then a little less prepared then you'd like, and you have an off day, so what. It happens-- to everyone. It's pretty hard to "hook" a flight, unless you just do something blatantly unsafe, or if you're coming up on a checkride, and you're really not getting it. So take that for what it's worth.
What's the T-6 like to fly? The T-6 is a blast for most people... except the ones who get airsick early on. The plane itself really is a sporty little plane. When you first fly, unless you have a lot of hours in high-performance aircraft, you'll probably feel like you're going so fast. After a few weeks or months, you'll get used to it, and your SA (Situational Awareness) will drastically improve. Remember- lots of rudder and always trim!
What's the T-1 like to fly? Chill. Auto-pilot, crew, eating and drinking (not beer) while flying, etc make the T-1 a lot of fun in a much different way than the T-6. Typically, the T-1 environment is much more laid back... unless you take advantage of that or start sucking.
What's the T-38 like to fly? Don't know, but you pull a lot of G's. More 38 info will be posted soon!
What's the T-1 like to fly? Chill. Auto-pilot, crew, eating and drinking (not beer) while flying, etc make the T-1 a lot of fun in a much different way than the T-6. Typically, the T-1 environment is much more laid back... unless you take advantage of that or start sucking.
What's the T-38 like to fly? Don't know, but you pull a lot of G's. More 38 info will be posted soon!
How will I be ranked and evaluated during UPT? Every test, every flight, every EPQ, every stand up, every etc is considered. 50% of your total ranking is your commander's ranking (FLT/CC), and each flight commander has a little different way of ranking their studs. All your checkrides scores, daily ride grades, USEM events, etc go into the MASS ranking- some kind of unknown computer formula that rack-and-stacks all the class. Even if your class is split into two flights in T-6s, you'll be ranked against your entire class, not your flight. Fortunately for most students, everything kind of starts over for Phase 3. You'll get new IPs, class commanders, and flight commanders. The DG program, for example, is specifically based on the top 10% in Phase 3.
What's the typical washout rate at IFS? What's the washout rate at UPT? I don't know about Air Force wide statistics, but from my experience and friends' experiences at IFS, I'd say that 1-3 people per flight of 25 ish will wash out/drop out. At UPT, classes (~30 people) will probably lose another 2-5 people due to dropping out, washing out, or some kind of medical issue.
I'm getting married before UPT starts. What should I tell my fiancee to expect during UPT? What can I do to make it better for us as a couple? Well, obviously, I'll have to get the boss's approval on this answer, but here's my best shot, without going all Dr. Phil on ya. We got married shortly before ASBC, then I quickly came back and left again for IFS, then started UPT. It was a little bit of a whirlwind, but I think that having a spouse during UPT is a HUGE bonus. (Don't go get married solely for that reason though!) The little things that single guys have to worry about all the time- cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc- can be shared responsibilities between you and your wife. You do need to have a serious heart-to-heart with her as early as possible so she knows what to except- 13 months of busy-ness, studying, flying, and a little bit of grumpiness. Some days, especially early on in T-6s, will be like this: 0400 wake up for 0445 show time. 0500 formal brief. 0730 takeoff. Quick lunch then 1330 takeoff. 1600 standup. 1700 released. When you get home, you'll be dead, probably frustrated and annoyed, and possibly angry. Your spouse just needs to know that there will be a lot of days when you come home like that, and you may need a few minutes to relax. And no, you don't want to talk about it! :) But seriously, imagine that schedule and trying to eat dinner together, study for a couple hours, then go to bed to get your 8 hours of sleep, which of course you'll get every night <cough, cough>! Where's the time to spend with her?! (That's what she'll be thinking when you talk to her!) You will NEED to establish ahead of time when your time together could be. Some couples may say Friday nights is with friends, all day Saturday is spent together, and Sunday is study day (after church, of course). :) You'll just have to find a system that works well for you and keep everyone happy. It may take some tweaking after you hit the flightline, so just make sure both of you are ready. (Not all days are that bad, by the way.) Lastly, when you do have free time, prioritize. You need to balance your life- you can't study all the time, and when you're not studying, your spouse needs to be your priority. Remember, even if you have a great career and become a general and all, you will leave the AF one day. When you do, make sure she's still around to keep you company! [This answer has been officially endorsed by my wife!]
What will UPT be like for my spouse? Answer from my spouse coming soon!
NEW! What is the housing situation like for student pilots? For student pilots without dependents, you will be place in the dorms when you arrive. The base will have some kind of rule along the lines of 90% occupancy is mandatory. Until the dorm manager has 90% occupancy, they will require you to live on base. Once they reach 90%, they'll allow people to move off base (if they want to) in the order that they arrived to the dorms. Usually the new studs come in waves. For instance, if you're in the dorms before all the academy grads show (late July or so), you'll be able to move out pretty soon because they'll all show the same week. From my experience (before I got married I lived in the dorms) and from talking to my friends in the dorms, it seems like most people can move out after 2-3 months if they want to. When you do move out, some bases will allow to go move into on-base housing with 2 or 3 other students and make a little money by splitting the cost of that house. Most apartment complexes will allow you to have a military clause in your contract where you can get out of it early if you get PCS orders. If you get sent to Ft Rucker or Corpus, you may need to utilize that! Here are a couple pictures of a dorm at Vance. Have a different picture of what dorms look like on base? Please contact me, so we can share it here.What are my options in the Guard or Reserves? If you have questions about the Guard or Reserve, please shoot me a message, and I'll get you specific answers for your situation. Wants Check has some good info including a list of all the Guard or Reserve bases and what aircraft they have. You do have to apply to specific units who will then hire you and send you to UPT, so the process is pretty different than what active duty guys have to do.
How much should I expect to pay for uniforms and what do I need to buy? I'll try to provide more specifics soon, but the Mess Dress (required uniform for all officers) alone will run around $450. If you haven't yet, start saving now! :/
What is the military star card and what benefit does it provide for me? Ask the customer service desk at the Exchange or visit the website, but basically you can get a $500 line of credit to use in the Military Clothing and Sales Store (MCSS). All uniform items that go on this card are interest free (not sure if it's limited to 6 months or not though)! You also get 10% off your first day's purchases (via a credit to your account), so if you open it then buy your mess dress and all in the same day, you can save some dough. It's worth looking into if you need to buy a lot and haven't been able to save a lot during college. (If you want, you can also get a Chase credit card that doubles as your mil star card.)
- AFB- Air Force Base
- ANGB- Air National Guard Base
- ARB- Air Reserve Base
- ASBC- Aerospace Basic Course
- Boldface- emergency procedure response that requires immediate action in the jet; these are print in "bold face" in the Dash 1
- CAP- Commander's Awareness Program; can be for Military, Procedures, Academics, for Flying; program is designed to "get you extra help" when you need it, but it highlights your struggles to squadron/group/wing leadership at the same time. (There's also Airsick CAP.)
- Dash-1 is basically the "owner's manual" for an USAF aircraft. It describes all the systems, checklists, emergency procedures, crew duties, ops limits, adverse weather, etc.
- EP- Emergency Procedures
- EPQ- Emergency Procedures Quiz
- Gouge- the generic term for study sheets and such passed down from class to class
- IAP- International Airport
- IFR- Instrument Flight Rules
- IFS- Inital Flight Screening
- IMC- Instrument Meteorological Conditions
- IP- Instructor Pilot
- Join Spouse- aka Mil-to-mil couple; Join Spouse initiatives allow mil-to-mil couples to get stationed together (if the needs of the AF allow). This is sometimes erroneously referred to as "Joint Spouse," but AFI36-2110 clearly says "Join Spouse." (Attachment 8 of that document is the main Join Spouse reference.)
- JSUPT- Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (like at Vance; they have Navy/Marine officers there too)
- MOA- Military Operations Area (special airspace designated for military aircraft to maneuver in)
- Ops Limits- Operating limits; for example- max oil temperature
- PPL- Private Pilots' License
- Stand Up- a type of EP training where a student is called up to the front of the room, given a scenario, then he must talk the instructor through (in grave detail) about how we would Maintain Aircraft Control, Analyze the Situation, Take the Proper Action, and Land As Soon As Conditions Permit.
- TDY- Temporary DutY (basically, a business trip)
- ROTC- Reserve Officer Training Corps
- SA- Situational Awareness; basically, it's being able to recognize everything that's going on around you and know and prepare for what's coming up next
- STS- "So to speak" (kind of like a "that's what she said" that's typically more common among fighter types
- Studs- short for students
- SUPT- Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (more proper that UPT since we have the two Phase III tracks)
- UPT- Undergraduate Pilot Training
- USAF- United States Air Force
- USAFA- United States Air Force Academy
- USEM- Unit Standardization and Evaluations Monitor (the IP that administers stand ups and EPQs)
- VFR- Visual Flight Rules
- VMC- Visual Meteorological Conditions
Have a question that isn't covered here? Contact me!
