The Tortoise and the Hare

Blood is pumping a little faster; nerves are jumpy; palms are getting sweaty. Yes folks, we are officially 72 days away from graduation. While this may seem like quite a few days, for those of us who have been at this for almost a year, it’s more like the blink of an eye.  At this point, C has remaining 2 checkrides (one next week), 17 flights, and 1 sim.

So, what happens next?

Coming up in less than 8 weeks is the night that most of our active duty pals await even more than graduation: Assignment Night. This is the event where each student finds out their first assignment – aircraft and location. Some people say that first assignment makes or breaks a career; others say it’s simply the first step in a long journey. Either way, it’s a pretty exciting deal. Personally, it’s a little anticlimactic for us (much like track select), since we already have our assignment, but we are thrilled to discover the fates of the rest of our UPT family.

Two weeks later, the real celebrating begins during the graduation festivities – concluding with the much-anticipated pinning of the wings.

But wait! The voyage doesn’t stop there. After graduation, our journey continues almost immediately. Before returning to our home base, C will attend three follow-on trainings. As we have just received our dates, we learned the C will leave for SERE (Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape – Combat Survival Training) and Water Survival five days after graduation. During these, he will learn survival techniques in a classroom setting and then actually survive in the wilderness.  Upon his return, he immediately leaves for Pilot Initial Qualification training. Another training? Basically, pilot training works like this: First, they teach you how to fly a plane (the Air Force way); then, they teach you how to fly a plane similar to your assignment; and finally, they teach you how to fly your actual designated plane. The upside is that C will only be about three hours away for the 4-6 months of PIQ.

It all seems like such a whirlwind. Here at UPT, we all seem to be trapped in a dichotomy of time: while some days/weeks/months seem to crawl by, it’s hard to fathom that a whole year has gone by since we began this process. It’s coming to an end, and yet, it’s not.

Groundhog Day

It’s come to my attention that my posts have been rather sparse lately. This is largely due to the fact that very little has changed in UPT-land. In fact, I’m feeling a bit like Bill Murray these days…

C is about halfway through the T-1 program, in the Navigation block (the second of three blocks). He passed his first checkride and has begun flying to outbases. We received the fantastic news on Friday afternoon that the class is no longer on formal release! The flight room has now become less of a prison and more of a refuge.

To help out our very busy men, two of the other class spouses and I have taken on a bit of class fundraising to help cover the costs of assignment night and graduation events. Students are responsible for footing the bill for these events, which can get pretty costly in the end. We have been working with local restaurants to set up fundraising nights to earn a portion of the proceeds.

As it is summer, H and I have been enjoying a lot of quality time together. Most of our days are spent like this:

We love spending evenings and weekends with C, though since the poor guy has been flying like a mad man lately, his evenings sometimes look a lot like this:

Life keeps rolling, even in UPT when it sometimes feels like time has stopped. Actually, it’s amazing how quickly the time has flown as graduation draws nearer and nearer…

A Day in the Life

Recently I’ve reported on the return of the 12-hour day (perhaps complained is more accurate – sorry about that), but often I am asked: What does he do all day? Straight from the horse’s mouth, here’s a run-down of the average day of a T-1 student: 

·         0520 – Report to the flight room for mission planning

·         Sometime between 0545-0615 – Begin flight briefs with the IP (go over everything pertinent to the flight – weather, NOTAMS, flight plan, etc.)

·         1 hour after flight brief, pilots and IP “step” to the jet – Visit the operations desk to receive aircraft assignment and tail number, a weather briefing, and any pertinent information for operations

·         Proceed to the aircraft for pre-flight – take-off is 1 hour after step

·         The flight lasts approximately 3.3 hours and typically involves traveling to the MOA (Military Operations Area) to practice basic maneuvers like steep turns, traffic pattern stalls, vertical s maneuvers, and slow flight. They proceed to an out-base (out of the local area, often out of state), fly the traffic pattern, and return home. About half-way through the flight, the students switch seats, with the non-flying student sitting in the jumpseat to observe.

·         Upon return, the students and IP debrief the flight for approximately 1 hour

·         Formal Brief (1 hour to 1 hour, 45 minutes) – Led by the USEM (Unit Standardization and Evaluation Monitor) the students engage in “Stand-up”, an emergency procedures evaluation of sorts, and may be given an EPQ (Emergency Procedures Quiz) or boldface test.

·         When still in the academic rotation, students then proceed to an academic class, lasting approximately 1-2 hours

·         1720 – Released to go home, eat dinner, study for the next day’s activities, and go to bed early

·         Repeat, 5 days per week (more or less)

The T-1: C's home away from home

The Ultimate in Gated Communities

Among the many choices an incoming UPT family has to make is the decision about where to live: on base or off. I’ve heard this dilemma so many times, I thought I’d devote a blog to it. Honestly, I had no intention of living anywhere but on base, seeing as we are only here for a year, but after being here for about 9 months, I can see why some struggle with the decision.

Pros of Base Living:

• C  Convenience – Even on a small base, we have pretty much everything we need here, without having to ever leave the gates. Actually, there have been weeks where I haven’t left base at all (though those weeks made me a bit stir-crazy). Plus, I get a lot of exercise because everything is within walking distance. Not to mention, we save a ton of money on gas!
• C  Security – Some neighborhoods boast a “gated community”. Mine boasts a gate and guards who carry M-16s. Somehow, I feel pretty safe here.
• C  Instant friends – At first I was a bit bothered by my new home’s proximity to its neighbors, but I soon learned that being so close space-wise, builds relationships much more quickly. The faces become very familiar, the children like another of your own. Whether poolside, at the park, or grilling in the backyard, it’s pretty difficult to feel secluded for long.
• C  Maintenance – On most bases, housing is now contracted out to companies who build, rent, and maintain the homes. This means that if my drain clogs or a tree falls in my yard, maintenance is just a phone call away. With a husband who is preoccupied with all things UPT, it’s pretty nice not to have to worry about those sorts of problems. Even my yard is mowed for me once a week. (Note: Are things necessarily done the way I want them all the time? No. But at least it’s one less thing to worry about.)
• C  Utilities are Included – At least for now, all utilities are included with our BAH. It’s especially nice during the winter and summer, not having to worry about elevated heated and cooling costs, though we do try not to abuse the resources.
• C  Feeling of Community – Even having only been here less than a year, I am amazed at the camaraderie I’ve witnessed here. From fun base events and opportunities for kids, to coming together during times of tragedy, there are few places that can claim the true spirit of community that exists on a base.

Cons of Base Living:

• D  Security – Yes, this is both a pro and a con. Fortunately I value safety more than I value the ease and timeliness of getting home, but I admit, the occasional delay and random searches are a bit irksome at times. Probably, this is why I avoid leaving base some days.
• D  HOA on Steroids – If you live in a covenanced community, you know what I mean. Everything is regulated – holiday decorations, wall-hangings, pet restrictions – you name it.
• D  What happens to one, happens to all – Much like in an apartment building, if power is lost to one apartment, typically it affects them all. If water is shut down for maintenance, it’s off in the whole community – for as long as it takes to fix it. (This happens surprisingly often!)
• D  Quality of Accommodations – Could we get a nicer home for the same money? Probably. But again, the temporary nature of this assignment really devalues this in my mind. The houses are renovated and fine, at least for the short term.

All in all, minor annoyances included, I would not change our decision to live on base. I feel like the pros definitely outweigh the cons, and regardless, we can do anything for a year!

Delusions of Grandeur

Remember waaayyy back in November when I told you about the 15-day program? (If not, refresh your memory here) It’s back! I’m not sure if I was just deluding myself, but I somehow had it in my mind that Phase 3 might be a little easier on the family life. I thought that maybe a big-boy aircraft meant big-boy treatment. I was mistaken.

C in the T-1 sim - Part of a very full schedule

Don’t get me wrong, hitting the flightline is exciting! C is back in the cockpit where he belongs and flying an aircraft that he really enjoys. But learning a new aircraft, no matter how many you’ve flown, is never an easy task. The T-1 is bigger, has more systems to learn, new checklists, new procedures – it’s basically starting from square one again. Plus, the T-1 is a crew aircraft, meaning a pilot and co-pilot are required for flight, adding an additional teamwork component that they didn’t experience in T-6s. With all of the “newness” comes the need for hours upon hours of studying, which means we are back to that familiar schedule of seeing C only for dinner and the much-cherished Friday nights and Saturdays.

Rumor has it that the schedule starts to even out once the students are more comfortable with the plane and the proper amount of “hazing” has been accomplished. Only time will tell…

Déjà vu

So much has changed since C began Phase 3 in UPT! He works long days, comes home only to study for hours, lugs huge binders and texts around with him everywhere…wait…that sounds…EXACTLY THE SAME! From the family perspective, not much has changed at all. It may be a bit different for him, reading about a new aircraft and all, but the environment remains status quo.

The sun may be shining, but the studying persists

Like in the T-6 program, he will go through academics and sim training before getting into the aircraft for his dollar ride. Since the T-1 is a crew aircraft, he will be paired with another student for both his sims and flights (like an airliner, there is a captain and co-pilot who split the duties) – likely, his partner will remain the same through all or most of the program.  

The benefit of moving onto the final phase of training is that the students are now considered “big boys” (and girls) and are given a bit more freedom. C is, once again, able to come home for lunch (schedule permitting) and, though his schedule is somewhat irregular at present, he is no longer working 12-hour days (at least for now). In a way, starting Phase 3 is like going back to the beginning, complete with the itch to be airborne. 

Let's Hear it for the Boys (and Girls)

The Air Force likes to celebrate. Celebrate becoming an officer, getting a promotion, getting a new assignment, leaving an old assignment, retiring, and, in our case, finishing UPT Phase 2.  Last Monday C’s class went through the ritual called Track Select. As I mentioned before, this is when each member of the class finds out their “track” or which aircraft they’ll fly for Phase 3. Suspense was in the air for the active duty members who didn’t already know their track. After ranking aircraft choices in order of preference, each nervous person was called up individually to receive the news (in front of about 100 of their closest, er, strangers). Each had a custom slide, with their name, hometown, college, comical picture, and “most likely to” results (most of which were completely belittling and very funny). 

After they were introduced, a new slide revealed 3-4 aircraft options, each fading until only their assigned aircraft was left. In one case, the exposed track was, in fact, nothing more than a trick played on a very anxious lieutenant, who, heart-broken one moment, discovered that he indeed had been granted his lifelong dream to fly helicopters. (The collective gasp was brutal!) In, I believe, every case, the students were granted their first or second choice and most left the room walking noticeably lighter than when they entered.

T-1s here we come!

After each student was assigned their new track – to which, I might add, they almost all had to report the following morning – awards were presented to each flight. At track, two awards are given: “Top Stick” goes to the pilot who showed the most excellence in flight; and “Hard Charger” goes to the student who persevered through the program, while maintaining a positive attitude. It was during this part of the evening that our surprise-faces were genuine when C was honored with the “Top Stick” award for his flight. H & I couldn't be more proud!

Top Stick

Once the festivities were complete, most went home for dinner and an early night in bed. After all, the next day, they went back to the beginning.