UPT IP Life

[Johntsunami]

I'm a current AMC dude on the VML this cycle. I love my current airframe but I do not love how much I've been on the road this assignment and I'm looking to spend more time at home.

I'm looking for input from any current Laughlin/Vance/Columbus IPs to share their qualities of life. How often you fly per week and typical/expected work hours. I have bros in my squadron who were former UPT IPs and I have spoken with them but I would like to hear from current IPs, if able. Not sure if it's still a thrash implementing the 2.5 syllabus or if it's a somewhat predictable work schedule at all now.

Thanks.

[raimius]

Depends a bit on your job.  If you are a flt/CC, ADO, etc.  Plan to double turn most days (except when MX can't supply tails/wx days).  If assigned at the OG/WG, you might fly a couple days a week and do office work the rest of the time.  

So, line IPs stay pretty busy flying and try to fit in office time where they can/have to.  10-12hr days are pretty common.  Attached IPs--depends on the job.

Expect a weekend XC every couple months, unless you volunteer more frequently.  The faips take most of the XCs, to get out of town.

You'll be home most days, but it may vary between 1800-2030 pretty frequently.  

Laughlin experience, anyway.

[The46IsntThatBad]

9 hours ago, Johntsunami said:

I'm a current AMC dude on the VML this cycle. I love my current airframe but I do not love how much I've been on the road this assignment and I'm looking to spend more time at home.

I'm looking for input from any current Laughlin/Vance/Columbus IPs to share their qualities of life. How often you fly per week and typical/expected work hours. I have bros in my squadron who were former UPT IPs and I have spoken with them but I would like to hear from current IPs, if able. Not sure if it's still a thrash implementing the 2.5 syllabus or if it's a somewhat predictable work schedule at all now.

Thanks.

Consider going to the FTU if you don't want to leave your airframe. Altus actually is not terrible IMO if youre a 135, 46, or 17 guy, and it's basically the ultimate networking assignment. You're going to meet someone from about every guard/reserve unit in your MWS, and you're going to meet someone that flies for every airline.

[Lord Ratner]

It's been a long time since I was a UPT IP, but I always had a simple hypothetical for the tanker guys I flew with that were debating the assignment. You can adapt this to whatever your current airframe is. 

If it was a Wednesday, middle of the day, and I came to your desk and told you that I had a pattern only sortie about to step, and you had no beans left, no requirements, nothing in your desk job that required you to skip the flight; basically, if you did it you would be doing it for nothing other than to hop in the plane and fly a little. It hasn't been a while since you've flown, and you haven't been flying your ass off. Just... Do you *want* to fly? 

If the answer to that is "hell yeah," then you're probably going to enjoy UPT. 

If you're the guy who would rather use the time to catch up on some low priority tasks, or maybe hit the commissary so you don't have to after work, or whatever other simple life and career tasks we all have, then it's probably not for you. 

Bottom line, if you just fucking love flying airplanes, it's hard to get a job as good as upt. If flying planes is just how you pay the bills, then moving your family to the least exciting cities in America is probably not going to be particularly fulfilling.

Edited November 2 by Lord Ratner

[viper154]

2.5 is dead. Follow on syllabus is significantly better. However, T-1s, both the jet and sim program are completely going away. T-6 studs will all come with a multi/instrument rating from a handful of contracted civilian schools around the country. If they don’t get 38s they will being going straight to the FTU after T-6s. 
 

You will be home pretty much every night, some days by 1500, some not until 2300. Flying (T-6) will depend on your job and desires. I showed up knowing it was my last assignment, and requested to not get some bs job and just fly as much as I can. I double turn most days, and occasionally triple, but I’ve never been forced to fly a 3rd, if I do it it’s on a voluntary basis. Other folks fly more like once a day, or every other day. If you love flying and teaching, you will love the job. For me personally, it’s super rewarding watching these kids go from not being able to strap into the plane, to doing off station formation departures in busy class B airspace, 6-9 ft from another airplane. 
 

T-6 fleet is facing some mx issues, should be sorted out soonish, but I hear PIT is taking awhile to get though now a days, up to several months past projected grad dates. 

[raimius]

6 hours ago, viper154 said:

T-6 studs will all come with a multi/instrument rating from a handful of contracted civilian schools around the country.

Who said that?  It doesn't check with anything I've heard or the AF has done lately.

[Inertia17]

3 hours ago, raimius said:

Who said that?  It doesn't check with anything I've heard or the AF has done lately.

Initial SGTO just finished in Austin. Round 2 just started, not sure where.

This is just the beginning, some...interesting...ideas in the works right now.

[viper154]

5 hours ago, raimius said:

Who said that?  It doesn't check with anything I've heard or the AF has done lately.

 19th sent a full birdie around to the UPT bases a few months ago for a briefing. SGTO class has already graduated the civilian school and will start flying T-6s this month. I don’t remember all the dates and timelines but this will be the norm for all studs in the next 12-18 months I believe. 

[HossHarris]

Watching / causing the light bulb to go on above some kids cranium is absolutely worth it. Very rewarding. 

[contraildash]

Initial SGTO just finished in Austin. Round 2 just started, not sure where.
This is just the beginning, some...interesting...ideas in the works right now.

At what point we just offload all our pilot training to the civil sector. /sarcasm

I’m curious to see how this is faster, more cost effective, what oversight there is on the civilian schools, and how it is actually going to produce better pilots. The amount of flail the past few years by 19th AF was wild to watch, and it continues. Maybe we should just stick with something for a bit rather than live in a constant state of change. Guess I’ll find out soon as I just got back to UPT (T-6 IP).


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[Inertia17]

2 hours ago, contraildash said:

At what point we just offload all our pilot training to the civil sector. /sarcasm
 

Be careful what you wish for...

[SurelySerious]

Be careful what you wish for...

If you can make a pork barrel contract out of it in someone’s district, there’s definitely some lobbying for it somewhere.

[wikz]

On 11/2/2024 at 3:00 PM, viper154 said:

2.5 is dead. Follow on syllabus is significantly better. However, T-1s, both the jet and sim program are completely going away. T-6 studs will all come with a multi/instrument rating from a handful of contracted civilian schools around the country. If they don’t get 38s they will being going straight to the FTU after T-6s. 
 

You will be home pretty much every night, some days by 1500, some not until 2300. Flying (T-6) will depend on your job and desires. I showed up knowing it was my last assignment, and requested to not get some bs job and just fly as much as I can. I double turn most days, and occasionally triple, but I’ve never been forced to fly a 3rd, if I do it it’s on a voluntary basis. Other folks fly more like once a day, or every other day. If you love flying and teaching, you will love the job. For me personally, it’s super rewarding watching these kids go from not being able to strap into the plane, to doing off station formation departures in busy class B airspace, 6-9 ft from another airplane. 
 

T-6 fleet is facing some mx issues, should be sorted out soonish, but I hear PIT is taking awhile to get though now a days, up to several months past projected grad dates. 

wow, I did not know the 2.5 syllabus was dead. if selected for 38s, will they still be taught under civilian schools?

[viper154]

7 hours ago, wikz said:

wow, I did not know the 2.5 syllabus was dead. if selected for 38s, will they still be taught under civilian schools?

The current syllabus is more similar to what us older folks remember going through, but with some changes, mostly better. 
 

 Yes, instrument/multi from civilian school, T-6s at your normal UPT bases with mil flying IPs, then T-38s or straight to FTU 

[Polar Bear]

How long is UPT for heavy flyers, 5 months?

[viper154]

2 hours ago, Polar Bear said:

How long is UPT for heavy flyers, 5 months?

Idk exactly how long the civilian school is, 2-3 months ish, I’d expect 4-5 months on the T-6 SGTO syllabus as written, so you ain’t far off. 

[Clark Griswold]

 Yes, instrument/multi from civilian school, T-6s at your normal UPT bases with mil flying IPs, then T-38s or straight to FTU 

If they won’t keep a military multi engine trainer that sounds about right then


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[yzl337]

On 11/1/2024 at 10:41 PM, Johntsunami said:

I'm a current AMC dude on the VML this cycle. I love my current airframe but I do not love how much I've been on the road this assignment and I'm looking to spend more time at home.

I'm looking for input from any current Laughlin/Vance/Columbus IPs to share their qualities of life. How often you fly per week and typical/expected work hours. I have bros in my squadron who were former UPT IPs and I have spoken with them but I would like to hear from current IPs, if able. Not sure if it's still a thrash implementing the 2.5 syllabus or if it's a somewhat predictable work schedule at all now.

Thanks.

my first year and half; I flew between 7-10 times a week, one cross country a month, sometimes two while I was in the squadron. Adding in Ops Sup and SOF duties, I cut that slightly, usually for 1 SOF shift and 1 Sup shift a week, sometimes more once I was running both programs. As an attached flyer up at the wing I generally flew 5-6 times week and only a handful of cross countries a year. Workday was generally 10 hours minimum, 12s were pretty common. Even with all the flying and work I never missed a parent teacher meeting/practice/or school assembly and was home by dinner most nights and weekends. 

I would do the job again in a heartbeat. It can be a bit of a merciless grind, but the T-6 is ridiculously fun to fly and teaching the students and mentoring FAIPS made for one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had. I was feeling very similar after a decade of being on the road. The locations can be a bit of a challenge, particularly for family, job prospects and schools can be a challenge in those towns, but its workable IMO. 

[LookieRookie]

On 11/3/2024 at 1:15 AM, raimius said:

Who said that?  It doesn't check with anything I've heard or the AF has done lately.

There’s a huge bill to recapitalize the T-6.

 

its not going to happen.

[HuggyU2]

On 11/2/2024 at 9:15 PM, raimius said:

Who said that?  It doesn't check with anything I've heard or the AF has done lately.

I'll see if I can contact the Lieutenant and get the details (and will post if I do), but around March we sent a casual LT to one of these flight schools to get some ratings, Enroute to UPT. 

[LookieRookie]

3 minutes ago, HuggyU2 said:

I'll see if I can contact the Lieutenant and get the details (and will post if I do), but around March we sent a casual LT to one of these flight schools to get some ratings, Enroute to UPT. 

It’s called IPT and is part of FUPT which is the AETC/a5/8s brain child. It’s the whole plan of t-7s for everyone

 

col or general leard

[wikz]

has anyone ever been an IP for fighter B-courses and want to share their 0.02 cents?

[icohftb]

33 minutes ago, wikz said:

has anyone ever been an IP for fighter B-courses and want to share their 0.02 cents?

 It's a great job

[TreeA10]

Did the A-10 Reserve RTU at Barksdale for 8 years.  We flew B-course, TX-course, Senior Officer course (mostly Active Duty guys), IP Upgrades either RTU or line, and Sandy Upgrades.   Flew my butt off as a full time reservist and as much as I could when I went part time.  The B-was the most fun, TX-the easiest, IP Upgrades were rewarding teaching guys how to teach, and the Sandy upgrade was challenging because of the need for rescue assets.  We could take an IP to Sandy 1 in two weeks.  (Not sure Sandys still exists)

Overall, a good gig molding the future fighter force.

Edited November 10 by TreeA10

[HossHarris]

13 hours ago, wikz said:

has anyone ever been an IP for fighter B-courses and want to share their 0.02 cents?

It’s wonderful.  I’ve done both. 
 

it’s like UPT in that you get to make the light bulb come on and that’s deeply rewarding. 
 

it’s also like UPT in that after a while it’s like groundhogs day on a 6 month cycle….”here’s what you’re going to fuck up on this ride and how not to” and they still make the exact same errors. 
 

but fighters!  And other fighter pilots! And highly motivated students! And jalapeño corn! And FNITFJB!  And namings!  And roll calls!

sometimes you’ll get a bit of that atmosphere in a UPT squadron…but very timeline and commander dependent.