IFS (Initial Flight Screening) information

[spectre56]

From CAFB they are saying we get 1 day official travel and 3 days permissive. Staying with buds along the way/way back is gonna help, instead of paying lodging costs out of pocket, but how exactly they are paying the mileage to us isn't quite clarified. As in, if I'm going to Albuquerque in the 3 permissive days, and then driving up from Albuquerque to Pueblo on the day before IFS begins, will they end up paying mileage only for that leg of the trip, or will mileage be from CAFB to Pueblo.

It makes a difference in how I'll end up spacing the trip out, and whether or not I will even have claims up to the cost of the plane ticket. If they are paying the full mileage, that alone is enough to bring the cost equal to the plane ticket, but if not, I might be holding on to alot of other receipts to try to get reimbursed.

When I went last year (6 weeks), I was "allowed" 1 day of travel per my orders from Dyess to Pueblo. I took 2 and there was no problem. You're allowed 350/400 miles (can't remember which one) for a travel day by car. I had no problems claiming 2 days of travel and neither did my buddy I went with who came from Pensacola. Hope that helps just a little.

[MojoF16]

Does anybody know if we can carpool to IFS? I was planning on riding with a bro from AMS but one of my friends who just graduated a class or two ago said this is a bad idea. He carpooled and said if he hadn't gotten lucky and finished the same day as his ride they were going to make his ride leave and force him to buy a plane ticket home?...sounds ridiculous to me and I'd rather not drive my poor guardbum Honda out there.

[spectre56]

Does anybody know if we can carpool to IFS? I was planning on riding with a bro from AMS but one of my friends who just graduated a class or two ago said this is a bad idea. He carpooled and said if he hadn't gotten lucky and finished the same day as his ride they were going to make his ride leave and force him to buy a plane ticket home?...sounds ridiculous to me and I'd rather not drive my poor guardbum Honda out there.

I carpooled with my buddy when I went up there. Yeah, it was a risk at the end, but it worked out great for me. They seemed like they would work with us if one of us got done first.

[Guest GonnaFlyfoLife]

Hey all, I have a few questions about IFS.

A few weeks ago I pulled an Ab muscle really bad. I can run and do any physical activity besides exercises which solely focus on the abs (ex sit ups). I'm going to go to IFS this Monday, and I hear that they give you a physical fitness test. Will they care if I end up doing 0 sit ups on the test, but still manage to get a score of above 80?

I was put on profile for this (the flight doc said if I was on flying status he would NOT ground me for this injury), but the profile was taken off because my superiors advised me to go to IFS anyway and just don't do sit ups. Any insight as to what happens with injuries at IFS?

[Jenkspaz]

Hey all, I have a few questions about IFS.

A few weeks ago I pulled an Ab muscle really bad. I can run and do any physical activity besides exercises which solely focus on the abs (ex sit ups). I'm going to go to IFS this Monday, and I hear that they give you a physical fitness test. Will they care if I end up doing 0 sit ups on the test, but still manage to get a score of above 80?

I was put on profile for this (the flight doc said if I was on flying status he would NOT ground me for this injury), but the profile was taken off because my superiors advised me to go to IFS anyway and just don't do sit ups. Any insight as to what happens with injuries at IFS?

When you inprocess Day 1, you'll visit with the MSgt that's in charge of all medical issues at IFS. Spin him up on all of this and he should be able to take care of you and advise you on what you'll need to do. He's a pretty cool dude, so I doubt he'll tell you you can't fly or anything like that. You may even be able to delay taking your PFA until later in the course (like they do with the studs that don't pass their first one). At any rate, this probably won't be that big of a deal.

[Guest cabeto]

I just got back from IFS and have to say it was a pretty good preview of things to come at UPT.

Aside from all the other adivse on this thread I did have something to add. On the day that you get there you will have a lot of downtime after your inprocessing is complete. I would suggest going over to the KPUB tower and asking the controller if you can hang out for a couple of minutes to see how ops are handled at the airport from a different perspective. During my time at IFS we kept on being told that our comm was "atrocious". Instead of sitting around and watching CNN on your TD -0, take a couple of hours and head over tho the tower, it will pay off once you start flying.

I spoke with one of the controllers from the tower after our pre-solo brief and he said that they would be more than willing to let any studs from IFS up in the tower to watch ops.

Just my two cents...

Edited July 8, 2009 by cabeto

[summe32c]

Check out the Diamond line... here: https://www.diamondaircraft.com/index.php

Find a place near you that has diamonds for rent, and get a few hours. IFS trains in the DA-20C1. Its stick and rudder. When you find a place near you, ask em if you can fly from the right seat a few time to get the feel for the "right handy stick and left handy throttle" feel.

I'll be there in Feb. I have most of my hours in Pipers...so I plan on getting a little right seat stick time as well...

IFS link here: https://dossifs.com/aircraft.html

-summers

EDIT: you can use the locater function on the Diamond site to find a location near you!

Edited July 9, 2009 by summe32c

[jice]

Do you have the option of flying cessnas or gliders instead of the piper? While the piper is superficially similar to the diamond, I would be willing to bet that a cessna's (150/152/172) or glider, given the da-20s motorglider heritage, flight characteristics will better match the diamond's. In my experience both the cessna and diamond aircraft require much more precise energy management for landing and both get blown around a little more by gusts and up/downdrafts due to the light weight and low wing loading. Cessnas are generally easier to find and, if you can find a 150 can be rented wet for under $90.

I'm making these statements based on time in 150/152/172s, the DA-20's big brother the DA-42, and Piper Arrows. If anybody with more appropriate experience disagrees I defer to them.

[HiFlyer]

Do you have the option of flying cessnas or gliders instead of the piper? While the piper is superficially similar to the diamond, I would be willing to bet that a cessna's (150/152/172) or glider, given the da-20s motorglider heritage, flight characteristics will better match the diamond's. In my experience both the cessna and diamond aircraft require much more precise energy management for landing and both get blown around a little more by gusts and up/downdrafts due to the light weight and low wing loading. Cessnas are generally easier to find and, if you can find a 150 can be rented wet for under $90.

I'm making these statements based on time in 150/152/172s, the DA-20's big brother the DA-42, and Piper Arrows. If anybody with more appropriate experience disagrees I defer to them.

I would tend to disagree only to the basic point of choosing between aircraft. Based on my experience (I've flown all the Cessna, Piper and Diamond single engine aircraft discussed here plus several others), and what I know about the AF training process (as a former T-38 IP) and IFS, I really don't think it matters much what aircraft you fly. The whole point of IFS is to introduce you to the Air Force training system...the way they do things. Much of the stress is on the ground procedures...classroom learning, flight standups and EP exercises, customs and courtesies, etc. Certainly you have to be able to fly to the satisfaction of the civilian instructor corps, but that's only a part of the process, and their standards are pretty much basic FAA PPL standards (with perhaps a little more emphasis on precision). The fact that you have time in the DA-20 is nice for a flight or two because you're familiar with the cockpit, but the aircraft does not fly that much different from either the C-150/152 trainers or the C-172/Piper PA-28 series...the latter only being slightly "heavier" on the controls due to their slightly heavier construction. Any flying time will help, any right seat time will help slightly. Switching from yoke to stick will not be a significant issue and I seriously doubt success at IFS will be significantly affected by which aircraft you fly prior to arrival. If you can, fly a Diamond (20 or 40) just for a personal comfort and familiarity, but if there's no Diamond, any light aircraft will do. Books, people...get in the books!!! THAT will make a difference.

[jimbobpow13]

Pardon my noob-ness. What books are you talking about? Just basic flight principles?

Thanks

[HiFlyer]

Pardon my noob-ness. What books are you talking about? Just basic flight principles?

Thanks

As much basic knowledge as possible (a private pilot ground school course would help if you can swing it and haven't already done it), DA-20 flight manual/operating info, gouge on DA-20 normal and emergency procedures (elsewhere on this site), etc. You should know the bold-face EPs before you walk in the door.

https://dossifs.com/usaf/Docs/DA20_BOLDFACE.pdf

Edited July 9, 2009 by HiFlyer

[Jenni]

Has anyone on here attended IFS in November? My boyfriend will be doing just that, and we're wondering if he gets time off for Thanksgiving. He's tried calling the base there for an answer, but they haven't gotten back to him for the past two weeks. If so, how much time do they get, and can they fly home? Thanks so much for any help!

[VFR800]

Has anyone on here attended IFS in November? My boyfriend will be doing just that, and we're wondering if he gets time off for Thanksgiving. He's tried calling the base there for an answer, but they haven't gotten back to him for the past two weeks. If so, how much time do they get, and can they fly home? Thanks so much for any help!

Standard AETC is to expect Thurs and Fri off. You should be able to fly home, but don't expect to be able to leave early on Wed, and you should be back Sun afternoon for crew rest. Speculation only, but probably very accurate speculation.

[contraildash]

I really don't think it matters much what aircraft you fly. The whole point of IFS is to introduce you to the Air Force training system...the way they do things. Much of the stress is on the ground procedures...classroom learning, flight standups and EP exercises, customs and courtesies, etc. Certainly you have to be able to fly to the satisfaction of the civilian instructor corps, but that's only a part of the process, and their standards are pretty much basic FAA PPL standards (with perhaps a little more emphasis on precision).....Books, people...get in the books!!! THAT will make a difference.

Exactly. IFS wasn't hard flying wise for the folks I knew with prior experience. More so it was everything HiFlyer mentions above. We did have a few folks wash out due to their inability to fly, however if you busted your rear and rocked out all the other stuff, they went out of their way to get you through the program. That's just what I saw when I was there. I don't think I knew of anyone that washed out due to non-flying stuff there, however sucking at GK, EPs, ect in UPT will get you booted out the door quicker than swapping ends in the flare for a tail strike will!

[dontshavemyhead]

There was a pilot select at IFS that got washed out fairly late in the program (week 4) because he flat out could not land the airplane.

I've had some rough landings in the Katana, ones that I thought were terrible, but the IP said they were "safe," so this guy must have really been performing some carrier landings with the nose pointing 15 degrees off of center line to get the boot for landings.

People do fail the EPQs and stuff. In fact, I know of someone who has failed the same EPQ 4 times. Yes, there is a test bank of 100 some-odd questions. I know.

[Guest onetwopi]

Hope I'm not repeating questions here ...

Can anyone confirm that ALL UPT candidates go to IFS? I.e. I am active duty hoping to pick up a spot in the coming board. If selected, would I definitely attend IFS?

And does anyone know the timeline/procedure for active duty guys getting picked up? Board releases results in Feb. Then do you PCS to your UPT base and then TDY to IFS? Or is IFS en route? Any chance for SOS in the mix?

Thanks!

Edited January 7, 2010 by onetwopi

[HiFlyer]

Hope I'm not repeating questions here ...

Can anyone confirm that ALL UPT candidates go to IFS? I.e. I am active duty hoping to pick up a spot in the coming board. If selected, would I definitely attend IFS?

And does anyone know the timeline/procedure for active duty guys getting picked up? Board releases results in Feb. Then do you PCS to your UPT base and then TDY to IFS? Or is IFS en route? Any chance for SOS in the mix?

Thanks!

Currently, all active Duty go to IFS...there have been some variations in the past with Guard and Reserve guys. The normal progression is OTS, Brooks, UPT base (or UPT base-Brooks...it varies), then TDY to IFS from your UPT base. If you already have your commission, it will be pretty much the same except no OTS. SOS is a ringer...no clue there. I'd say that would be up to the flesh peddlers at Randolph for an SOS class.

[letsgofast]

Or you could use chair-fly.com or use the high-res picture of the DA20 cockpit found on the WantsCheck Gouge Vault. I've attached it.

[StoleIt]

Is this the actual diamond aircraft flown at IFS? Cause it's 60 bucks...! The title says USAFA, but I noticed the layout looks right.

https://www.trainingcrue.com/DA20-USAFA-1-1-Scale-Cockpit-Poster-p/dm2fl_00_11gen.htm

Kinda hard to judge with a picture that small:

But here ya go:

And this looks close:

With the cockpit poster link, it shows "USAFA" on it. I believe their DA-20's were slightly different. I recall because they had those old USAFA cockpit posters in the flight room for stand up and I got sat down because I referenced the wrong engine #'s on the poster instead of the IFS ones...so slight differences from the USAFA to the IFS DA-20's I guess.

[yzl337]

the posters have some differences from the actual aircraft, but its close enough, all the training posters in the Doss facility are different from the aircraft anyway

[Guest CombatDescent]

Is there any sort of posted schedule for IFS? I've looked around, but have come up empty handed. I have the list of upcomeing OTS dates, so I am trying to see how much time I will have inbetween OTS and IFS. Recently a guy from my old squadron was farting around his new Ops Squadron for about 1.5 months inbetween.

[HiFlyer]

Is there any sort of posted schedule for IFS? I've looked around, but have come up empty handed. I have the list of upcomeing OTS dates, so I am trying to see how much time I will have inbetween OTS and IFS. Recently a guy from my old squadron was farting around his new Ops Squadron for about 1.5 months inbetween.

You're probably out of luck. There is no real "schedule" for IFS...it could be within weeks of OTS, or months down the road. The only thing you can assume is that after OTS you will do MFS at Brooks (if you are a pilot and haven't already done it), then sit at your UPT/UNT base for some period of time, then do IFS for about 3-4 weeks, then go back to your base, then eventually start training. I've seen guys go to IFS within a few weeks of reporting, and other guys sit on casual for four or five months before going. The only relationship I know of is the sooner the start date for your class, the sooner you go to IFS.

[JBueno]

Anyone know how much free time students have during non-duty days or if we're allowed to stay off-campus overnight? I'm thinking of bringing some fishing/camping gear on the off-chance I can get away for a night.

[HerkNav]

Anyone know how much free time students have during non-duty days or if we're allowed to stay off-campus overnight? I'm thinking of bringing some fishing/camping gear on the off-chance I can get away for a night.

As long as you aren't flying on the weekends you can go up to Denver, C-Springs, or pretty much wherever (within reason) for the weekend. The non-duty days are yours to do whatever with. I usually studied or was recovering from the Friday nights downtown, which isn't the greatest, but fun nonetheless.

[HiFlyer]

Use caution. It isn't a vacation. While the weekend off-duty time is yours, you will be expected to arrive Monday morning with lots of new knowledge. My son spent a significant percentage of his weekends in the books and said it was pretty obvious during the week who had used the time wisely and who hadn't! It isn't about flying, its about learning flight info and the local procedures. He had his PPL and over 60 hours in the DA-20 and still had to work his rear end off to do well!!!