UPT Visiting Home

[alphadeltaIII]

I am currently awaiting dates for OCS and UPT and I have a question that I have had a hard time finding an answer to. How feasible is it to make a visit home on weekends from upt? My reason for asking is because I currently have a girlfriend, but she will not be able to move with me because she is still in school. I know that this depends on what base I get selected for, but I am really keeping my fingers crossed for Columbus ( I live in Georgia). I also have a Piper Comanche that I was thinking I may could take with me and keep at one of the local airports and use it to fly back to Georgia some weekends which would only take about 2 hours(From Columbus). I know that I wouldn't be able to go back to see her every weekend, but I was hoping that I could at least make the trip once a month. Is this even possible? And are students allowed to take leave on the weekends? Any help would be appreciated.

[Fly4five]

Don't count on it. UPT is a learning environment and everything is so condensed into a little over a year that you wouldn't have time. Plus you're asking about taking a pass which is pretty much impossible to get from the command while you are a student unless there is a family emergency. I would have her come to you. Its your only option really.

[FishBowl]

You should be fine. I know of people in UPT that leave almost every weekend; long distances, too. You'll just have to do a 29B. 

[sqwatch]

I went trough UPT in deal rio. I was never there on the weekends. In fact, I was in Austin so much I rented and apartment there with a few other guys to save on hotel bills. However, my situation was slightly different in that I am the best pilot to ever grace AETC's program and I didn't show up to a formal training course worried about my long distance relationship. YMMV.


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[11F]

Whether it's easy or hard to get away on the weekends or not, life in the USAF with a spouse/loved one is all about expectation management. Set her expectations now that it is unlikely you will be able to travel to see her very often at all -- anything more than that and you are her hero because in her mind you pushed he limits just to see her.

If she wants to know what time you'll be home, tell her 8pm even if you think 6pm is possible.

Tell her that two 365s could happen before you hit 20yrs. If you only do one, or even none, she'll feel like she's won.

Words to live by from a fighter pilot in my first squadron. Expectation management.

[hispeed7721]

As far as the plane goes - a buddy in my class who is a civilian crop duster had 2 planes stashed at GTR in Columbus during UPT and we utilized them frequently, mostly to fly to Biloxi on weekends and hit the casino.

11F hit the nail on the head for training - expectation management. Mainly yours, in that you should expect her to break up with you while you're gone. If you think it's going to happen and it doesn't, you win.

[ATIS]

Take it from this stupid 0-1 back in 1992....when my first training command 0-5 told our class:  "...you can always find another girlfriend.  You get three yellow sheets in your training track, you won't find another place to become a Naval Aviator".

It all comes down to priorities and managing expectations (already mentioned above).  Be honest with yourself and those around you....and live them.

 

Break Break

Side lesson:  Don't sit next to the douche that asks the Commander if he can take leave to see his girlfriend every weekend during training.  To this day I can't believe that question came from the mouth of a "boat schooler" (aka: Naval Academy). 

ATIS

[alphadeltaIII]

Lots of good info here guys.

[Jaded]

On the other hand - I totally disagree with the overall message from some of you guys.

Prioritize your loved ones over your work. That still applies in pilot training. The divorce rate is significantly higher than the UPT washout rate.

[ViperStud]

My number of banged chicks is also an order of magnitude higher than different aircraft flown. The Viper is more important to me than my at-the-time gf who was awesome, but would have been a time drain. 

Going to UPT is in some (minuscule) way like training to be a pro athlete or male nurse - a few years of intense training that go a long way toward defining your professional career. UPT -> wingman was almost 3 years for me. What's more important, chasing the dream of flying or your current girlfriend?  Only you can answer that. Maybe she is the one and won't be there if you prioritize flying - but I think the latter rules out the former.

For me, my current slam piece wasn't worth it. I went to UPT single and prioritized two things - flying fighters and being with the bros. I made some lifelong friends; two of them were groomsmen. Zero regrets and a metric shit-ton of buffoonerous stories. YMMV. 

Edited September 7, 2016 by ViperStud

[matmacwc]

42 minutes ago, ViperStud said:

My number of banged chicks is also an order of magnitude higher than different aircraft flown.

The ones that were born male don't count.

43 minutes ago, ViperStud said:

 I made some lifelong friends; two of them were groomsmen. Zero regrets and a metric shit-ton of buffoonerous stories. YMMV. 

Which wedding?

[Duck]

I thought we still called that a "civil union", never mind that is just for Eagle guys.

[ATIS]

 

5 hours ago, alphadeltaIII said:

Lots of good info here guys.

Not trying to take the wind out of your sails Alpha, but you have OCS and potentially flight school ahead.  Go get some wind under your wings learning to serve, some of your questions may be answered for you as time goes by.  Keep your head up and your options open...that gives you flexibility.  A lot of decisions are going to be made for you by The Man (timing, locations)....out of your control (finger crossing won't help...but good grades might).  Flexibility is key.  Best of Luck. 

[#41]

I don't mean to hijack but I have a question that may relate:

I'm Reserve and my wife will be staying in place for school while I'm in UPT. Everything I've heard to this point is I'll be in the dorms since I'm unaccompanied. Does anyone have details on dorm rules/regs? Will I be able to stay off-base in a hotel when she visits? I know she can't stay with me. OP may be interested also.

[Kenny Powers]

Pretty sure you can do whatever you want, just don't start too many fires.

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[HuggyU2]

On September 6, 2016 at 5:02 PM, ViperStud said:

My number of banged chicks ...

For me, my current slam piece ...

So classy.  

[viper154]

Go home, you don't need a pass as long as you leave after the duty day on Friday and show up to work Monday. If you are a married reservist you can live in the dorms or off base (because you are married). You can sneak your wife in the dorms or stay where you please while she visits. If I had a dollar every time I knew someone who had a girl illegally stay in their UPT dorms I would have thousands. It's not like basic where they are "patrolled". 

[dannoc]

1 hour ago, #41 said:

I don't mean to hijack but I have a question that may relate:

I'm Reserve and my wife will be staying in place for school while I'm in UPT. Everything I've heard to this point is I'll be in the dorms since I'm unaccompanied. Does anyone have details on dorm rules/regs? Will I be able to stay off-base in a hotel when she visits? I know she can't stay with me. OP may be interested also.

Seriously, do they call them 'dorms' now?  I'm an old timer..went thru UPT in 1975.  Dorms were college nomenclature.  BOQs is what we called them.  I think there were some rules for 'guests' in the rooms (which had a little kitchenette), but nobody followed them.  Picked up my girl on weekends in my '69 vette and she cooked and made life more pleasurable at Willie '74-75.

[M2]

On 9/6/2016 at 2:47 PM, ATIS said:

Side lesson:  Don't sit next to the douche that asks the Commander if he can take leave to see his girlfriend every weekend during training.  To this day I can't believe that question came from the mouth of a "boat schooler" (aka: Naval Academy).

In fact, memorize this...

[HU&W]

13 minutes ago, M2 said:

In fact, memorize this...

Why on earth do they wait until War College to teach this.  It should be required reading for EVERY commissioning source.

[ViperStud]

1 hour ago, HuggyU2 said:

So classy.  

And on purpose. Sorry (not really) dude, but I am strongly in the corner of those that say going to UPT and balancing a high-maintenance girl at the same time is a very dumb idea. It's not just because of the year at UPT, but also because it's a harbinger of things to come when TDYs, deployments and/or long days start to pile up. 

If a relationship (and woman) is not strong enough to deal with rare visits and short calls for the duration of UPT, save yourself the trouble. If more of us understood this, far fewer of us would have had starter wives. 

[Spoo]

Why didn't you just say that the first time? You know, instead of spouting off like a complete douche?

[sqwatch]

Why didn't you just say that the first time? You know, instead of spouting off like a complete douche?

Words to live by. Took me 6.9 years to learn this and sometimes i re-hack the currency just for fun.


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[ViperStud]

Brevity is the soul of wit. Instead of my first comment I could have said: Kind sir, thy women will come and go in life; unfortunately even some of those with which we exchange vows. Your career (10-20 years at least) will be directly affected by your priorities in UPT. You will (probably) only have one MWS but, statistically speaking, you will have far more women. (See, my first comment said the same thing but was far more succinct). 

My second comment regarding my then-current squeeze - shock factor desired to highlight one of the great weaknesses of our species: getting wrapped up in the moment with your significant other and failing to see how much of a bad fit that person actually is for you in the long-term. Others see it. Maybe you are lucky enough to have that rare friend who will open his mouth. In the end, only when you realize she was nothing more than a misprioritization will you be able to concentrate on what's really important, in this case UPT. Shit I think I just described my ex-wife. That being said I would have saved a lot of words just calling her something that would offend your sensibilities. 

Lighten up, Francis. 

 

Edit: where the hell are the pics?  We could be getting trolled here. Pics or she doesn't exist!

Edited September 8, 2016 by ViperStud

[Spoo]

Hey champ, don't worry about offending me. By all means, please continue using similar "witty" references.