Date: 2011-08-16 00:14:49
I started this blog to help new aviators prepare for what they are getting into. When I found out that I was going to Corpus Christi, I was ecstatic, but I knew that my blogging wasn't going to be useful anymore. Why? Because the Air force is pulling out of Corpus Christi NAS in the next year and I'm one of the last classes to go through here. That means that not a whole lot of Air Force guys are going to benefit from my experiences here. I would like to recap some of what I've done here though.
When you get here, you assigned to a “pool” in Training Wing Four. All that means is that they don't have a spot for you in VT-35 or VT-31. You have to “muster” (Navy word for roll call) everyday and PT three times a week until you get assigned to a squadron or until you get a stash job. While you're waiting, they can make you sit watch, which is 8 hour shifts 24 hours a day. It's super boring, so try to get an easy stash job until you're assigned to a squadron. Stash jobs are like working in the book store, or making copys for people.
The V in VT stands for fixed wing and the T stands for trainer. So there are two advanced training squadrons here, VT-35 and VT-31. VT-35 flies the TC-12 and is about half the size of VT-31, which flies the T-44A and the T-44C. I worked the night shift over at VT-35 in hopes of being placed there because I heard that the IPs were cooler, the squadron was smaller and they treated you more like a person, and because you can get a type rating for the B200 out of training. I sat around doing that for about 2 months before I was placed in a class.
The Air Force numbers their class based on the year and the sequential number of classes, i.e. 11-01, 11-02, 11-03…. The Navy does it a bit different, they still use the year, but they number them based on week of the fiscal year the class startes. Since they start a class every three weeks, classes here are like 11-01, 11-04, 1107…. So I stared UPT in class 11-11 and finished in class 11-24 without being washed back!
When you get here, you have to go around base and get people to sign off on a checklist that Training Wing Four gives you. it's basically to show you where everything is; most of the time you walk in and they just take the sheet and sign it. It's a pain, but take you time because the sooner you finish it, the sooner you can be placed on watch and the sooner you have to muster. One person you'll get to know is Richard. He's… interesting. You understand when you meet him.
After you get placed in a class, you start academics. Both squadrons start together and go over weather, flight and course rules, NATPOPS, etc… and then spilt up for systems classes. The absolute first thing you should do when you get there is get with your buds in the classes ahead and get “The CD”. It's not the Air Force and gouge is king! I know several dudes that only studied the gouge and got through. The CD has briefing guides for all the flights, checklist explained and detailed, a video of some instructors going through every checklist, and study guides for all the tests you take in the program. If you want to do well, get the gouge.
After that you have your first CPT, or Cockpit Procedures Trainer. You MUST have all the callouts and checklist steps memorized before this sim. They will rip you a new one if you don't. After going through the sims, you get assigned an OnWing.
Your OnWing is the instructor that you fly your first seven rides with. They do it so you have a bit of consistency when you start flying. The best advice I can give to someone who wants to do well in training is to knock the OnWing flights out of the park. They have the lowest MIF in the entire program, so if you can get 2-4 excellence's per on wing ride, you can raise you overall NSS by a lot.
After contacts, you do some night flights and start the instrument phase. Here's the flow: Basic Instruments sims->Radio Instruments sims->Basics flights->emergency sims->emergency flights->cross country->Review stage->Check. It goes really fast. Study hard and don't suck, that's my advice.
Then you go into the service specific phase. For the AF, it's Low Levels and tactical formation. The awesome thing about these flights is they don't factor into your NSS. That makes them pass/fail flights. Mostly, they are a lot of preflight planning, but the flights are pretty fun.
I finished first in my AF class and got my first choice: AC-130U's! I had the most family here with 16 people. It was awesome to have them here for my winging. I'm a real Air Force Pilot now!
I guess this will be the last entry into the blog for awhile. I don't know when I go to survival school, but that's blog worthy. And I'll log my experiences at the school house in little rock too.