Struggled in UPT?

[ARAMP1]

Lots of good advice here, so I dont feel the need to add anything (except the stare at the VSI 90% of the time...dont do that).  Just wanted to say that I was probably on CAP more than I wasn't throughout all of UPT.  I tell people "I graduated in the top 10% of the bottom 20% of my class."  But, I went on to be an instructor in three different airframes.  Currently in the Reserves and a captain at FedEx.  

Bottom line, dont sweat it, keep giving 100% and dont give up. 

[Homestar]

From my perspective from sitting in more than a few OG staff meetings where CAPster slides are briefed....

Attitude is (almost) everything.  If you can keep your mind open to learning, study efficiently, and learn from your mistakes most IPs will do their best to make sure you have every opportunity possible to make it.  CAP is not punitive.  It's an awareness program and is designed to get you past your current difficulty so that you can successfully complete UPT.

I hooked a bunch of rides in the Tweet.  It sucks every time.  I went on to DG two follow-on AF training programs and fly all over the world with some pretty awesome pilots on some pretty amazing missions.

Keep your eye on the prize though and try not to get discouraged.  If it were easy, everyone would do it.

Good luck.

Also, yeah....don't stare at the VVI.

 

[Mikey Donuts]

Like others said, work on your scan game. Figure out how to trim that airplane so that it only requires a light touch on the controls. If your airspeed is changing you should be trimming. I fought the jet hard in tweets and the jet always won so I tamed that bitch by trimming her. Like a big old bush. Trying to muscle the airplane around is a massive SA sapper. All of your focus is on keeping the airplane where you want it. That should become second nature just like driving a car.

Build SA by chair flying the shit out of your sorties with a bud pressing you as others have said. You should have a good idea of what is coming up and what you’re going to say/do at every point in the sortie. When you get the inevitable curveballs they will be easier to handle if you know what normal looks and feels like.

Imagine if you were in a fight but you knew what and when 80% of the other guy’s moves were going to be. You would destroy him. Right now you can’t control your limbs and have no clue what the hell is going to happen when the other guy gets to swinging. Most of your battle can be won before you set foot in the airplane.


Probably my best piece of advice: If you’re sitting there in the airplane and not doing anything you’re probably fvcking up. Always ask yourself “what am I missing?” That’s how you catch and correct your mistakes. Don’t be a frantic spaz about it, but just coolly recognize that you fvcked/are fvcking/are about to fvck something up and need to figure out what it is and how to fix it.

Good luck!

-Retired tanker guy, GP chief of training, Schoolhouse EP,  Southwest, FedEx. Hooked T-37 solo, T-37 instrument check, T-1 phase check, T-1 mission fam check.

Edited June 17, 2020 by Mikey Donuts

[FLEA]

I'll add this too. Don't be afraid to speak up and ask questions, even seemingly stupid ones. 

For some reason a lot of people in UPT, myself included, get weird there. We forget it's supposed to be a training environment and focus more on the competitive aspects. Then we get this weird idea that we don't want the IP to know that we aren't sure of something or we might be making a mistake so we just stay silent about it and hope it goes away or works itself out. 

If that's you dude, speak up. You might get lambasted once or twice for weak GK but often you will find the concepts you struggle with, or the things you have difficulty retaining, so did many others. Even something simple like an ops limit, speak up. Maybe that IP also struggled memorizing that number and he will tell you a stupid limric or story that will make you laugh, but guess what, you'll never forget it again . Furthermore, better to nip those lose ends in the bud when they expose themselves to you early, than to let them build until the end of a block or a check ride. If you get to the end of a phase and still have basic questions you are never going to catch up. Ask questions early and often. People have way more patience for stupid questions with a week 3-4 trainee than with a week 20-21 trainee. 

I dunno. Maybe that's common sense but for me it took like 6 years in my career to figure that out and I looked like an ass every flying training program i went through. 

[YoungnDumb]

19 minutes ago, FLEA said:

I'll add this too. Don't be afraid to speak up and ask questions, even seemingly stupid ones. 

 

This.  Ask questions often, if one person doesn't give you an answer you understand then find someone else and keep going until you get an answer that works.  Also try learning by more than just memorization, I found that if I draw stuff out and explain it back to someone I pick it up much faster.  So don't be afraid to grab a white board and sit an IP down and go over something.  One of my favorite things to do as IP was to sit down with students and draw stuff out and explain things to them.

[Majestik Møøse]

You may have heard other students and IPs saying, “If you ain’t first, you’re last,” but that’s just not true. You can be second, third, fourth...hell you can even be fifth.

[XC-]

Dude I sucked in T-6s.  in 38s something clicked and i started to shine.  Don’t worry about hooking a few rides...the checkride is what matters for the most part.  One thing that helped me is I read on here somewhere you should be able to fly your entire mission without looking at your IFG or any notes with a few exceptions.  Also, don’t chairfly a perfect sortie. Chairfly with a friend and have him throw breakouts, go arounds, medevac procedures, when not to do the break turn...etc. If you always chairfly contingencies they will never surprise you when they happen.  

[HU&W]

This has quickly become one of the most useful threads in this forum.  So much wisdom here. Should be required reading for new studs. Except the AOB/VSI thing. 

Edited June 17, 2020 by HU&W
Grammar

[JBueno]

You’re clearly humble, so keep that up.

Don’t overthink your problem. You said you were off altitude. Problems feel massive in UPT, but try not to overthink it. Small problem, small fix.

I oversped the flaps once and automatically hooked. Spent the next day in the fake sim (CPT?) talking myself through touch and goes. Made myself a head case and hooked a few rides in a row.

Also, take time every week to get as far away from UPT as you can and just relax, whatever that looks like for you. Run, ride, turn wrenches, whatever. Get plenty of rest every night.

Despite how you probably feel, most people struggle at some point in UPT, with something. Keep your head down, your chin up, and be a good dude with a great attitude and you’ll be fine. 

[elvis]

8 hours ago, HU&W said:

His has quickly become one of the most useful threads in this forum.  So much wisdoms here. Should be required reading for new studs. Except the AOB/VSI thing. 

Started a little over a month ago, and this was a very refreshing thread to read. 

[TreeA10]

My .02 cents as a former T-38 and A/OA-10 IP.  If you are interested in working hard and improving, your IPs are interested in working as hard or harder for your improvement. If you don't care or give up, they will care for a little while then they will give up. So, stay in the fight and keep busting your butt, asking questions, asking for help. I was always impressed by the hard working students that didn't quit so I didn't quit them. 

What happened yesterday or 6.9 seconds ago is history. Easier to say than execute but don't let past mistakes create future mistakes. You have a jet to fly NOW and a mission to complete. You can discuss errors/corrections in the debrief. Never walk away from a debrief without a thorough understanding of what went wrong and how to fix it AND, as importantly, what went right to reinforce that knowledge/skill set. 

 

Edited June 17, 2020 by TreeA10

[Uptapplicant2019]

Update... after hooking two and getting on cap, flew every day this week and got good’s on all the rides. So off cap and feeling good before my solo. Appreciate all the help on here, I think something worth mentioning is being able to consistently fly was a huge plus. 
 

great community, you rock!

[Bender]

Yay, we don’t suck!!! #poundmetoo

~Bendy


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[brabus]

[CharlieHotel47]

Dude... I hooked and faired 8 “TO THE BALLERs” rides in T6s. Never put on flying Cap but was close to it. Always managed to get Es on all my check rides. Things would always click by my 2check.

Not everyone learns at the same pace. Some bros learn quickly and crush it from the beginning. Others, like my self... took a little longer. Stay motivated and keep moving forward.

At least your not taking the easy way out which is to DOR like I hear some STUDs in the new class have done already.



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[bfargin]

22 hours ago, CharlieHotel47 said:

Dude... I hooked and faired 8 “TO THE BALLERs” rides in T6s. Never put on flying Cap but was close to it. Always managed to get Es on all my check rides. Things would always click by my 2check.

Not everyone learns at the same pace. Some bros learn quickly and crush it from the beginning. Others, like my self... took a little longer. Stay motivated and keep moving forward.

At least your not taking the easy way out which is to DOR like I hear some STUDs in the new class have done already.



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Does DOR mean the same as an SIE (self initiated elimination)?

[mcbush]

Yeah, DOR is drop on request