So since finishing up IFS in February I successfully defended my Masters thesis (hallelujah!) and then spent what has felt like ages sitting around Wichita Falls waiting to start my next phase of training, my official pilot training. Usually pilot training is known as Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) but my program is a little different. I am about to start Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot training (ENJJPT) and it differs from UPT in a few ways. First of all, whereas the UPT programs at the other bases usually have just American pilots, I am participating in a multinational program that has pilots and instructors from the US, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Greece, and Turkey. Additionally, halfway through UPT, pilots are tracked into various trainer programs for different types of airframes. However, in ENJJPT, everyone is tracked into the "fighter/bomber" track, thereby increasing their chances of getting assigned to a fighter or bomber. So my program (starting 25 April) will last 55 weeks and, assuming all goes as planned, I will finish this program 17 May 2013 and be off to my next assignment!
First step in UPT is Academics and then the T-6 phase. We start with a few days of Aerospace Physiology where we learn about flying and the effects that it has on your body. Then we have 23 days and a total of 222.1 hours of academic training. In addition to that we have 118.5 hours of Ground Training which includes physical training, officer development, and other such boring things.
After academics, in the first week of June, we will receive our Dollar Rides (the first ride in any new aircraft is called a dollar ride) and after that we will be off and running with our flying training. The first plane we fly is the T-6 Texan, a single engine, two seated trainer. In the T-6 stage we have a total of 40 simulator sorties (for 51.9 hours) and 85 flying sorties totally 118.5 flying hours. Of those, we'll have 6.8 hours of solo time.
The T-6 stage will take us through to mid-November. At that point we will finally feel like we actually know what we're doing with the T-6 and yet we'll have to start all over again. However this will be with the T-38, a jet trainer, so I can't even begin to imagine how awesome that will be!!
I'll try and write about exciting things that happen as I go along but no promise... If anything I promise a post at the end of Academics and start of T-6s and again at the end of T-6.
First step in UPT is Academics and then the T-6 phase. We start with a few days of Aerospace Physiology where we learn about flying and the effects that it has on your body. Then we have 23 days and a total of 222.1 hours of academic training. In addition to that we have 118.5 hours of Ground Training which includes physical training, officer development, and other such boring things.
After academics, in the first week of June, we will receive our Dollar Rides (the first ride in any new aircraft is called a dollar ride) and after that we will be off and running with our flying training. The first plane we fly is the T-6 Texan, a single engine, two seated trainer. In the T-6 stage we have a total of 40 simulator sorties (for 51.9 hours) and 85 flying sorties totally 118.5 flying hours. Of those, we'll have 6.8 hours of solo time.
The T-6 stage will take us through to mid-November. At that point we will finally feel like we actually know what we're doing with the T-6 and yet we'll have to start all over again. However this will be with the T-38, a jet trainer, so I can't even begin to imagine how awesome that will be!!
I'll try and write about exciting things that happen as I go along but no promise... If anything I promise a post at the end of Academics and start of T-6s and again at the end of T-6.
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