General info on UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training)

[Guest Pappy]

We have guys here from both types AF UPT and Navy JPPTS (primary). The Navy training is wayyyyy more laid back. You are treated like an adult. Its up to YOU to study and be ready for a flight. There is no holding of hands or any BS. If you are not scheduled to fly that day, then you dont go to work. If you are flying, you go in an hour early to get ready, brief with your IP (no mass brief), go fly, debrief and then go home. The Navy and Marine guys that come here to Meridian for Strike training have some serious decompression issues. They just cant believe the freedom.

However, there is one drawback. Time to train is slightly longer. The Navy is working on that, but overall it takes an extra month or two for one to complete training.

[ 15. September 2004, 09:00: Message edited by: Pappy ]

[Guest nickythefish]

My class date is 19 NOV but my orders say RNLT 12 NOV. Can anyone explain what happens that first week before class starts? Is there really that much in-processing?

Also, I don't think you're expected to show up with Bold Face and OPS Limits memorized but how many people actually do? If you do, how much does it actually help?

[Chuck17]

Start memorizing. The first week WILL be that much inprocessing. You have to go everywhere - except the flightline... you hit medical, dental, finance, SF (if you have guns) and for vehicle tags, housing to get a place to sleep and study... and on and on. A week is a nice amount of time, I think I had 3 days. In any case you will have plenty of time to work on memorizing ops limits and boldface and still get inprocessed. Show up knowing them cold and life will be a LITTLE better - trust me once you hit the flightline you will be looking for any way to make life even a LITTLE better. Get to work!

[ 13. October 2004, 08:46: Message edited by: ChuckFlys17s ]

[Smokin]

Having JUST finished all that stuff a last week, it will take the full time to check in. I would even follow IGB's advice and show up early if you can. My RNLTD gave me one work week to get everything done and I didn't have time to finish everything. Had I shown up a day or two earlier, it would have helped out a lot. Since you're probably casual right now, your CC will probably let you go early. Also, I think it will help to know that stuff.

[Guest dmc1557]

It might help to learn that stuff now, but you'll have more than enough time to memorize once you get here. Unless you have a hard time with that sort of thing, you can get it cold in a couple 2-3 hour flashcard sessions. And if you show up early, you'll have have enough time to do many flash card-ish type activities. Here is a routine to get you ready for UPT...

1)Friday, start drinking around 6-7pm (heavily too, because that's you're first day of freedom in a week)

2)Wake up late on Saturday (around 7-8 am because you're used to getting up at 5 remember)

3) Have drinker's guilt and struggle with the decision whether or not to have a health day and maybe polish up on the Dash 1 or something (since you probably don't have the -1, simulate by telling your girlfriend that you'ld go shopping with her mother....anything that doesn't sound fun with a hangover)

4) Have somone that you've only known for a couple weeks call and invite you to watch football and drink more beer, go to the lake etc, and bask in the enjoyment of having something else to do besides study and be amazed at how quick you can drop important tasks to hang out with a strangers)

Here's where the payoff is

5) Wake up early again Sunday (not quite as early because now you're working on a two day hangover) Then accomplish the following in order

- Sit for a while deciding whether or not you want to read 100 pages of the Dash 1 for the next upcoming EPQ, chairfly your way around the pattern a couple of times, read the 11-248 to polish up on some manuevers, memorize squadron standards, etc.....don't forget to cuss yourself for waiting till Sunday to get started.

- Before making the decision, have an alarm set to simluate the CAI lab opening time...get to the computer lab (you can simulate by sitting for a couple hours in a very quiet and hot room and reading your private pilot materails for several hours).

- Wake up Monday, dump all the info you crammed in during the computer session and make a 95 on the instruments test.

- Let your guilt suddenly fade away, begin looking forward to Friday again! At somepoint during the week don't forget to do simulate doing something incredibly amazing like...I don't know..maybe flying a brand new airplane upside down at 200 knots, doing spin recoveries at 18,000 feet etc..anything extrmely fun.

That's my UPT prep, hope it helps

[Anon Ymous]

I was just wondering what exactly you get issued at UPT and or IFT. And what are the necessary things to purchase (along the lines of Kneeboards and flight bags). Thanks

[Rocker]

For UPT: They give you three flight suits, Nomex gloves, a light-weight cold weather jacket, a heavy-weight cold weather jacket, a few pairs of cold weather socks, two pairs of longjohns, leather gloves, a flashlight, a gianormous Casio watch, "mickey mouse" ear protection (that I've never seen anyone actually use), a flask, the standard-issue crappy kneeboard, helmet bag, and probably some other stuff I'm leaving out.

The only thing basically everyone bought was a "Flyboys" nylon kneeboard for the In-Flight Guide. And of course you get your helmet and mask, G-suit (for T-6s), and harness, but you have to give all that stuff back.

[ 07. December 2004, 16:15: Message edited by: Rocker ]

[Guest ruckerstud]

Ditto on the kneeboard. However, you should keep the crappy issued kneeboard, that way you can use one for your in flight guide and one for your checklist. One last thing, get the goretex boots if they have them, the all leather flight boots are servicable, but the goretex are better.

[TheInner]

Rocker, you must be at a T-6 only base because at a Tweet base you won't see any Tweet drivers NOT using the mickey mouse ears. Just remember, they might not look cool but after one year as a FAIP and I am already having to redo my hearing test during my PHA.

[JS]

Originally posted by BeerMan:

Yeah the $11.00 Top Gun sunglasses seem to only work for the LTCs and above! At Vance you also get issued a communist green fur hat and a skull cap to wear in the winter. Also...every Tweet base uses the Mickey Mouse ears. Just like Inner meantioned, if you don't you'll be deaf in about 20 minutes!

Cheers,

BeerMan

We also got the commie green fur hat here at CBM even though I don't think it ever gets cold enough to need it. I guess it is for future use at colder bases.

[pcola]

At pcola we got an extra flight suit, a cheapo hand held stop watch (in addition to the G-Shock), a ginormous flight gear bag, and a crazy orange switch blade knife, but only one coat, no green hat (duh, it's Florida), no flask, and no leather gloves.

BTW, Rocker, I can definitely picture you wearing those sweeeeeet sunglasses.

[Spartacus]

I was just wondering what the actual work load and a typical day is like at UPT. I know that there are some discussions on this, but why is it so increadibly hard? Is it because people get airsick, or because you have to processes a lot of information so quickely etc? Also, what kind of stuff do they do to you (PT, written tests, marksmanship, Officership etc?) I have read a lot about UPT but I can never find anything about stuff like I mentioned above.

Any insight would be awesome!

[Guest NoseArtGal]

A typical day is 12 hours long. The morning starts with a standup where the IPs will quiz your class on emergency procedures and you may be called on...you stand up and talk about how you'll handle the EP. There is also an exercise given analyzing the days wind and traffic pattern procedures. Once a week you're given a written test. The rest of the day depends on your schedule. You may fly a sim sortie or one or two actual sorties. There is quite a bit of time of just hanging out in the flight room studying. Regardless of your schedule, you'll spend 12 hours at the squadron. After you're released, your time is yours. Most guys will study for their next ride.

I'm not sure UPT is incredibly hard for most people. If you really want to fly for the Air Force then it won't be that bad. You'll want to study, ask questions, and improve. It just takes a lot of work. If you really want it...then the work isn't bad. It's the people that really don't want to fly that much and that want to have a "normal" life that have problems. In UPT you need to eat and breathe flying and leave a normal life for later. UPT is a lot of work. But if you like what you're doing...it doesn't seem quite so much like work.

You don't have to be superhuman to complete UPT. But you do have to work. And you do have to be on top of your game. The real problems in UPT start when you have a bad day... If you have a bad day in UPT (hook a checkride or whatever) then the noose around your neck tightens and the pressure magnifies. That's when it starts to get really tough. You don't ever want to find yourself thinking "if I fail this ride then I'm done." So make sure you bring your A Game to every flight and keep yourself out of that pressure cooker.

PT in UPT isn't bad. Much of it's done on the honor system or at least used to be. You'll have several written tests in UPT before you start flying and at least one a week when you start flying. Marksmanship is not a factor in UPT. Officership...just do the right thing and avoid problems with local law enforcement when you're out drinkin with your bros.

UPT isn't too difficult. That being said, don't sigh a breath of relief. Go there thinking it's gonna be the hardest thing you've ever done (it might be) and use that to push you. If you go there thinking it's a cakewalk you're definitely starting with the wrong attitude. The biggest thing to take with you to UPT is acceptance that your only reason for living is to get wings. For one whole year, that is the only priority in your life. Once you accept that you'll be fine.

[Spartacus]

Concerning the written tests etc. What are they on? Probably everything, but are those really hard. Do they consist of things like aeromedical factors, aircraft performance, aviation weather, flight proceedures, engine specs and performance, math?

[Toro]

You have academic tests that correspond to whatever classes you're taking at the time, but I think the weekly tests that NoseArtGal is referring to are the Emergency Procedure Quizzes. They're usually 15-20 (mostly) multiple choise questions taken from the various different regulations.

[Guest NoseArtGal]

EPQs...yup that's what I was referring to. You'll be told what sections of the regs the EPQs will test from. So just study those sections each week and you should be good to go.

[Rocker]

Some of the fun academic subjects you'll cover in academics during phases one and two are Aerospace Physiology, Aircraft Systems 1 & 2, Flying Fundamentals, Aerodynamics, Instruments 1 & 2, Navigation, Weather, Formation, and maybe a couple of others. As the others have said, it may not be the hardest thing you've ever done, but you'd better be ready to work. It can be interesting, tedious, boring, fun, disappointing, exciting, embarrassing, tiring, and rewarding all in the same day. But regardless of what it is, it's a bunch of work. The big thing, like a lot of other things, is keeping a good attitude.

[Guest Keebler]

I'm headed to good old Vance in the next couple of weeks and I'm wondering what to expect the first few days of UPT?

[163 FS]

Know the Boldface/Ops Limits like 135driver said. I'm a tweet Faip at vance and there is nothing that pisses me off more than when a new class doesn't know the Boldface.

Have fun during your casual status, but be ready to buckle down for 55 weeks once you hit the flight line. Don't burn yourself out though, I always gave Saturday to my wife and had a baby two weeks into 38s so I had my hands full to say the least.

The big task is to prioritize the time that you do have once you hit the flight line.

As one of my most respected IPs says, "Make your next sortie your first priority." Very clear, but you are responsible for a lot of information(Stand Ups, Stan Tests, etc...)

Good luck.

[Scooter14]

Like hart11B said, know the Boldface/Ops Limits. There is NO EXCUSE to not know it on the first day. Not just you, everyone in your class. We had a couple of brain surgeons that spent too much time at Scooters and continued to hook the daily boldface. We checked each others work, but when you read thirteen boldface in a row, THROTTLES and THROTTIES looks the same.

Anyways, we ended up having to turn in three a day for a while, and if someone messed up, they were up to five. It pisses the IP's off to no end, not to mention the rest of the class, who is trying to get ready for that next sortie.

Get your class to know it BEFORE you hit the flightline, and get together on the weekends and pound out (sts) some in advance, and check them over, with more than one set of eyes. I would check them, and others would still find errors. It worked for us. Talk to senior classes. Work together. The pattern stuff, systems, etc. will come (sts) with time. Know the Boldface.

Take Friday night through Sunday morning for yourself, except for those hellish Instrument tests, it will preserve your sanity.

Don't say "Well, civilian pilots do it this way", especially if you are flying with a former Cobra pilot as an IP. You WILL get your ass handed to you ;)

Good luck. It's a lot of work, but someday, you will miss UPT.

Or so people tell me. :confused:

[Guest thefranchise]

In UPT now @ Whiting.

Anywho discussion came up and wondered what the reality was in the AF ranks for UPTs who are in the T-38 track of training that voluntarily ask for re-assignment to T-1/T-44? Does that ever happen and can it happen?

Thanks

[Guest CBStud]

Once you start phase 3 you cannot just switch. It might be possible to switch from a fighter to a heavy after you've been flying for a while but not the other way around. Bottom line is make a good decision and be happy with what you get.

[Guest Apollo]

You can get a heavy drop out of T-38s. However,

less you change within the first couple weeks,

you are stuck with T-38s. I've heard of people

not yet starting T-38s at Vance changing to T-1s

after some thinking... but after you start.... I

think it would be kind of rare.

[Guest pinko]

Also for VT3 you can track 38s, do the a-form program, and if either you dont want to continue, or if the IPs dont think you can hack 38s at Vance, theyll switch you back to the Tone.

[zrooster99]

You can always go buffs or bones out of '38s.