The Stuff of Which Dreams Are Made

Assignment Night: Big event 1 of 2 that marks the end of UPT. Anxious faces, shaking hands, nervous laughs. What does the future hold for the students and spouses of Class 12-01?

For all of the tension leading up to the big night, the final product was extraordinary. Date change and facility obstacles were completely forgotten as the decked out hangar filled with supporters and food. 

The night was truly a celebration. Never have I seen so many happy faces, so many dreams realized. 

The assignments (known as “the drop”) were cream of the crop and at the top of nearly every student’s wish list. The excitement was contagious, even for those of us who already had our assignment. C and I rejoiced with his classmates – these people, who have become like a family over the past year, have a career of adventures ahead of them and we could not be more thrilled.  

No Room at the Inn

The day has finally come. As I write, C is sitting next to me studying for his LAST, FINAL, ULTIMATE checkride in UPT.

Not only does this week conclude the flying portion of C’s UPT journey, but we have also arrived at Assignment Night for his classmates. No more wondering about the future – as of Friday, the students of C’s class will know what their airborne destinies hold.

And, I am happy to report, we will not be holding this important rite of passage in a cornfield like I had feared throughout the past two weeks. You see, about two weeks ago, the date was changed. Not such a big deal (unless you were a family member with plane tickets or requested time off). But, of course, the changes couldn’t end with a simple switcheroo of the calendar. Instead, the scheduled facility was already booked for the new date, sending the class members into a tailspin of brainstorming (no pun intended). Every suggested venue was shot down by booking, personnel, or other logistics, so that as of last week, the poor lieutenants were all ready to receive their assignments, with no place to do so. But hooray! A venue has finally emerged and promises to hold a night of much rejoicing and the potential to create an Assignment Night for the record books.

And so the countdown begins (or continues)…4 days until Assignment Night; 18 days until graduation. Life is sweet.

Innocence

Despite living and breathing all things pilot training for the last year, our lives have continued to progress in other arenas as well. We’ve all celebrated birthdays, gotten haircuts, had the flu…normal stuff. Today, however, was a big milestone in the life of our family: the first day of kindergarten.

These days, it seems that the beginning of school is routinely associated with a certain loss of innocence; parents are no longer the most influential people in a child’s life and friends take on a much greater significance. As a teacher (on hiatus), I’ve witnessed firsthand the “mature” experiences of today’s child and the rapid progression from baby to teenager – kids seem to be in such a hurry to grow up. I’ll never forget the day one of my sixth grade students asked me what brand of mascara I use.

This short-lived childhood and the inevitable loss of control (someone else is responsible for keeping my kid safe during the day) are the things that scare me the most as a mother. But, as I looked into the eager (and slightly scared) eyes of my little girl this morning, I knew she was ready, even if I was not. The rational side of me knows that this is the turning point not where I lose my little girl, but where the foundation that C and I have laid for her is put to the test.

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!