General info on UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training)

[Guest Slye]

I have a family wedding that I'd really like to attend on a weekend about three weeks into UPT. I'm assuming we'll be in academics during that time. How likely is it that I'll be able to fly out, say Friday night/Saturday morning and return on Sunday? If it's possible, would it be advisable due to the high workload and studying or is the material still relatively managable at that point? Thanks for the info!

[mmkk111]

It's going to be tough to get the green light to go. I'm not sure how it works at AF bases, because I'm with the Navy over at Whiting Field. If you are leaving the local area (which for the Navy is 350 miles from base) you must be on leave. During academics it was very hard to get leave approved unless it was an emergency. Weddings are usually not approved, but don't hold me to that. Since it is on the weekend, there shouldnt be too much fuss about it. The problem comes when you miss your plane home (for whatever reason) and you arent back in your seat on Monday for class.

It's generally a case-by-case basis. I'd ask someone as soon as you report in and see what the policy is.

[Sneedro]

How does the transition from Academics to the flight line work. Do you get a day off between or are you one day in class, and the next day flights are beginning?? Same question for phase 1 and 2. Are you one day flying a tweet and the next day people are no longer in your class and you are flying a T-1/38/ect...

On a side note, how many people are typically in a particular UPT class??

Thanks for the info.

[Toro]

You get plenty of days of in UPT - They're called Saturday and Sunday. Other than that and holidays that may fall on a Monday, you won't get any days off. There will be a transition period, it's not like you're sitting in class one day and then you're strapped into the cockpit. You'll have plenty of P-missions (academics on various new subjects), but it's not time off by any means.

[Guest CurbyNBK]

yeah...how many people are in a UPT class?

[Guest CurbyNBK]

As I understand it, students at UPT will wear blues during phase one and eventually get into flight suits. Is this correct? Will we wear BDUs at any point? As a pilot, how often will I wear BDUs after UPT? Speaking of BDUs, has anyone seen the new Army ones? Pretty slick I think. Maybe the AF shoud take a cue from the Army and Marines and go digital and not tiger stripe. Oh wait the AF did already take a cue from the Marines...their hat :rolleyes: Anyway, I was just curious because I will be on AD soon and I was wondering how many sets uniforms I should get of each.

[Baseops.Net]

You will wear blues for a very short time in Phase One - once everyone gets issued their flightsuits, and gets patches, etc. you should move to flightsuits.

As far as BDUs - you may (if you want to) wear BDUs during your egress/parachute training, survival school, etc... Most guys do prefer to wear BDUs for such events as your flightsuits will get TORN UP (you only get issued 3)...

After Winging, you decide when you want to wear your BDUs - what I mean is you can wear flightsuits as your duty uniform but sometimes it will be more practical/comfortable to wear BDUs - various ground duties in the desert (you can remove your BDU Blouse to stay cool)... etc. I wished I had brought my BDUs to Germany (in the summertime) because the damn bunker was so freaking hot (Germans don't have Air Conditioning)...

[JS]

Originally posted by Sneedro:

How does the transition from Academics to the flight line work. Do you get a day off between or are you one day in class, and the next day flights are beginning?? Same question for phase 1 and 2. Are you one day flying a tweet and the next day people are no longer in your class and you are flying a T-1/38/ect...

On a side note, how many people are typically in a particular UPT class??

Thanks for the info.

You will know beforehand your track select date and the date that you will transitition from academics to the flightline - supposedly those dates have been set for the next 5 years. But you are correct when you say that one day you will be in academics and the next you will be at the flight line. Same goes for phase II to phase III. You will be in your T-37 flight one day and in your T-1/T-38 flight the next day (and yes, there seems to be a lot of times where the transition occurs in the middle of the week). Like Toro said, you will not be flying the T-37/T-1/T-38 on the very first day you hit the flight line, but on the other hand they don't wait very long before your dollar ride (usually the 2nd or 3rd day on the flightline after some preparatory ground school missions).

As a side note, you are not done with academics when you leave the phase I part of UPT. You will be doing academics concurrently with flying for all of phase II and phase III as well.

Currently there are around 25 people per UPT class at CBM and they get split into 2 flights once they hit the T-37 flightline.

[Guest CBStud]

Just so you know, from Tweets to 38 or T-1's it's not usually like you're flying 37's hardcore until the end then all of a sudden the next day you're flying the 38. The last weeks in Tweets are generally very slow going because the IP's push the timeline to be ahead of schedule. We had only a few flights in our last two weeks. We had lots of time to chill and just think about the next phase. When you start phase 3 you have more academics. 38 academics is about 2 weeks and you'll have sims mixed in with that. By then you know enough about the jet to take care of stuff in the front seat and you start flying. It's off from there.

The class splits after track select but you'll still be in the same class and graduate together. You just won't hardly see them.

[Guest Mary G]

At Laughlin we never had to wear them - only once for pictures. But during phase one we were in flight suits every day. Of course - that's assuming your phase two flight commander doesn't put your flight in blues for messing up the simple stuff . . . Hehehe

[Saluki]

At Sheppard, you are in flightsuits from day you get there if you want. I graduated in May 02, went to Sheppard in June 02 and wore flightsuits from the second day I was there until, well now during IFF. If your thinking about the timing, yep, I was casual here for 8 months prior to starting ENJJPT and wore a bag every single day and definetly during pilot training. I think this is still how things are done, but I think that's just at Sheppard.

[Guest RoninCo]

On the topic of uniforms, during pilot training, i wore my bdus a total of 0 times. blues once as i left primary (i flew with the navy at whiting field) for Vance. Blues while i inprocessed Vance then not again till winging (several years ago). Since then, i only wore BDUs to survival (you will RUIN at least one flight suit if you wear it), and blues at ops group formations for people getting DUIs. YAY!

Tip: Get those pants a few sizes bigger =) body by AF aviation baby!

-RoninCo

[Guest x-wing]

what subjects are covered during flight line?

[Stiffler]

At Vance, we get plenty of time off on the holidays. For 4 July, we get fri, and mon off (sts), and thursday is a half day. For memorial day, we got a half day friday, and monday off (again sts).

Really, UPT is a fun job...busy, but if you keep a good attitude you wont mind going to work everyday.

[Guest rumblefish_2]

I know the original dude is going to Vance, but here's how things work at Sheppard...we have three weeks of academics in tweets and then we hit the flightline. Our sims suck so we don't really get good sim training, therefore we get a few extra hours in the jets instead (and for the different syllabus). T-38 academics are a week long and then it's on to the flightline. We get all of the federal holidays off with the AETC downdays thrown in. At the end of the fiscal year we usually get one or two days off depending on how soon we get done flying all of our hours. Classes usually average about 30, split into two flights.

[JS]

Originally posted by x-wing:

what subjects are covered during flight line?

If I remember correctly (at least at CBM) in phase I you cover physiology, T-37 systems, aero, flying fundamentals, weather and basic instruments. In phase II you will study advanced instruments, navigation, and more navigation. The phase II academics of course runs concurrently with flying and sims.

[Guest Aces-High]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if I could get some input on what specific aerobatic maneuvers you do in UPT? I am doing aerobatic training in a Pitts just to get used to rolls, loops etc, and to better my flying, but I would also like to at least get a feel for some of the UPT maneuvers that are currently being used.

Thanks,

Aces

[HerkDerka]

Aileron Rolls, Loops, Split-S, Cuban Eight, Clover Leaf, Barrel Roll, Immelman, Lazy 8, Chandelle. That's about all I can remember.

HD

[ 26. June 2004, 15:43: Message edited by: HercDriver24 ]

[JS]

Originally posted by HercDriver24:

Aileron Rolls, Loops, Split-S, Cuban Eight, Clover Leaf, Barrel Roll, Immelman, Lazy 8, Chandelle. That's about all I can remember.

HD

Keep in mind that lazy-8's and clover leaf's are different in the civilian world. I did a few hours of acro in the civ world just to wet my beak before UPT. I would say it helped, but may not be worth the $200/hr if your sole purpose is to try to get ahead a little at UPT. If you are doing it for fun and to make you a better civ pilot, then go for it. Just try not to focus on the civilian way of doing cloverleafs.

Oh yeah, if you count spins as acro, then you might want to practice them a little in your civilian acro. I had around 8 spins under my belt before UPT and it helped me get a jump on spins in the tweet (even though it is quite different, the fundamentals are the same)

[Guest NateERAU]

I was just curious what the different types of UPTs for example I have seen JSUPT, SUPT, ENJJPT, and UPT. What are the differences? I have also heard that ENJJPT is the one to go to. Do the ANG send pilots to anyone of these? Thanks

Nate

[HerkDerka]

There are a few different names, but only two actual types of UPT:

SUPT and ENJJPT

Basic difference is SUPT is specialized. This means that you start primary in the T-37 or T-6, then track select to either fighter/bomber, tanker/airlift, T-44, or Helos. You then complete UPT in your specialized track.

ENJJPT is NATO training. Primary in the T-37, advanced in the T-38. No chances of Herks, Heavys, or Helos.

UPT is just a moniker the air force uses that is used to cover any and all types of undergraduate pilot training in the Air Force. For example, both an SUPT graduate and an ENJJPT graduate will say "When I was back in UPT". It's just a common term.

JSUPT is a joint Air Force/Army pilot training conducted at both Vance AFB and NAS Pensacola. Basically the AF sends some students to the Navy and the Navy sends some students to the Air Force to train. That's the only difference between SUPT and JSUPT.

HD

[ 12. September 2004, 05:38: Message edited by: HercDriver24 ]

[Guest NateERAU]

Thanks a lot for the reply!

Is it just the needs of the Air force that determines which UPT a student will attend?

Does the ANG use the same system?

Thanks Again

Nate

[Guest lovelacm]

For the most part, it's the needs of the AF. I've heard of a case or two where an individual was sent somewhere close to home for training... but then again, I've heard of plenty of cases of just the opposite (ex. living at Hurlburt and being sent to Vance... not so close to home).

The ANG uses the same system for the most part. However, for the heavy drivers, the unit has more of a say in which direction the STUD will go (ex. a Herk unit that wants its STUDs to take the T-1 track instead of Corpus Christi.. or just the opposite).

Which Riddle campus are you attending? East or West?

If you're in Det 157 country, please pass along greetings to Marie from all the boys at Ramstein.

Cheers!

[ripster]

Is there a list of the awards/accomplishments presented during graduation that a stud from UPT could get? Is there an award for knowledge? Best stick? Etc...

[C17Driver]

Top Academic, Top Stick, Leadership, and Distinguished Graduate...Those are the ones I can remember. Earning one or two of the first three does not mean one will also get DG.