Marine Flight School Primer
Flight School Primer
FORWARD:
This Flight School Primer, written by Marine Lieutenants who have successfully earned their wings of gold, was written to enlighten you, the TBS Lieutenant, about flight school. The thoughts expressed within this document are unedited original
opinions of the Lieutenants involved with the project. That is why it is called "The Flight School Primer Written By
Lieutenants for Lieutenants". The Flight School Primer is a good read which paints an accurate picture of life in the Naval
Aviation Training Command (NATRACOM) from the perspective of individuals who, in the recent past, were right where you
are now-tired of running around the northern Virgina countryside and hungry for information about Pensacola and flight
school. The authors were tasked to provide the information to you about flight school that they wished they had had when
they were still at TBS. So here it is. Enjoy! The Commanding Officer of MATSG, Pensacola is looking forward to your arrival
in Pensacola and your assignment to start the most challenging and rewarding experience in your life.
PART ONE: STUDENT NAVAL AVIATOR (SNA)
JETS AT NAS MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI
T-2/TA-4/T-45
API is the beginning of a student naval aviator’s career. Although it plays no part in your community selection, it is
necessary to help build a solid foundation for the remainder of your training. API is a six week course, it incorporates four
weeks of classroom instruction with two weeks of physical activities. The courses covered in the first four weeks include:
Flight Rules and Regulations, Engines, Meteorology, Navigation, and Aerodynamics. The two weeks following the
academic portion include swimming, obstacle course, and both water and land survival training.
The academic portion of API is covered at a rapid pace. Most students liked to study in small groups to help disseminate
the information covered in the classes. There is plenty of "gouge" floating around to help you comprehend the subject
matter taught in class. The API library contains course tutorials on tape that are very helpful. If you have some time in the
student pool before you begin API these tapes should be viewed as you will definitely benefit from them. Once the
academic portion of API is complete the more enjoyable portion begins.
The fifth week begins with swimming and other water survival training. The survival strokes include breast stroke, side
stroke, and back stroke. For all you competitive swimmers out there, the instructors have no interest in seeing your form.
They will only attempt to change your habits as they did at TBS. Survival techniques in flight gear are introduced next.
These techniques include: treading water, drown proofing and the buddy tow. It takes an entire week to cover all the areas
listed above with the grand finale a one mile swim in flight suit.
The class will be taken to the swimming pool once again during the last
The class will be taken to the swimming pool once again during the last week, where students are taught to free themselves
of waterlogged parachutes. Following this is the devices: The famous dilbert dunker that was used in "An Officer And A
Gentleman" and the helicopter dunker (a device used to help you orient yourself while under water upside down). The next
event is the Pensacola bay drop. The entire class is taken out in liberty boats, and dropped in the water. A helo then flies
out so each student can attach their torso harness to the winch of the helicopter and demonstrate the proper technique for
extraction.
The most important thing to do at API is to get through it so you can
get on with flight training. Conceptually, it's not terribly
difficult so have fun! But, remember, the grades in API are skewed far
to the right because everyone is working as hard as
possible get started in flight school on the right foot.
PRIMARY
Primary Flight Training, this is the stage that will make or break you
if you have aspirations to become a jet pilot. Your flight
grades out of primary determine whether you select jets. You have just
finished API and you are probably feeling pretty
good about yourself. You are very motivated to hit the books and get
ready for the Turbo Mentor. However, more likely than
not you have at least a couple of weeks off. My suggestion to you is to
enjoy your time off. Do not go out on your own and
get the NATOPS and study on your own. If you feel compelled to get
ahead of the game make sure that you study with
somebody who is already in T-34's. This is very important!!
Finally the day has arrived and you are checking in at Whiting or
Corpus. You'll hear lots of rumors going around about the different
squadrons (one is harder, etc.). Don't sweat it. VT-2 was the "hard
squadron" when I was going through, and
almost everyone I checked into VT19 (Meridian Intermediate Squadron)
with was from VT-2. From this point till the day you
finish Primary I suggest you become an Aviation Monk. You need to eat
sleep and breath aviation. If you really want Jets
you have to be totally focused once you start ground school because it
comes fast and furious. The grades you get out of
ground school don't affect your selection grade but I will tell you how
well you learn the systems of the T-34 will affect your selection
grades. Every flight you go on you will be quizzed in some way on the
systems of the airplane and the emergency
procedures. The better you know these the better your grades will be!
Bottom line.... don't take ground school any less
seriously because it does not directly affect your selection grades.
Part of ground school is the dreaded CPTs (cockpit
trainers), my advice is don't spaz and you will do fine. Just ensure
that you get in there and practice as much as you can.
OK... you have completed ground school and you have finished all of
your CRT's. It's FAM time. Flights in the training
command will pretty much follow the format of a preflight brief with
the instructor you are flying with, the flight itself and the
debrief You will follow this format every time. For your first FAM
flight you are expected to know various emergency and
aircraft procedures COLD. These things are spelled out for you in the
Master Curriculum Guide. The point is that you
cannot come to that first brief kind of knowing the information. You
have to master the information. Remember what I said
before about fast and furious. At this point you basically have a fire
hose stuffed down your throat and you are trying
desperately to swallow all the information being fed to you...
Focus....be the Aviation Monk. Give up the TV Give up
anything that takes away from your focus on aviation. Be the T-34. You
will not have to focus this hard through the entire
program but it is very important to focus now.
You will find yourself saying, especially after your first few flights,
it would not be bad flying Helos. Everyone feels this. What
you are doing is hard, very hard. Do not expect to be a natural stick.
Most importantly stay focused, try harder, do not give
up! Somewhere during your FAM flights you will be doing BFs (Basic
Instruments). Dont sweat these as they are mostly
done in the simulators. Don't let your guard down either. I witnessed a
guy get a pink sheet in the brief for not knowing his
EP's.
Following FAMs are PA'S (Precision Landings/Aerobatics). There are only 5 of these flights so enjoy them. These flights
are mostly to increase your confidence by doing loops, barrel rolls, etc. The best part of this stage is you get two solos.
However, you cannot let your guard down. I have seen quite a few guys get into trouble during this stage because they start
to get cocky. I have seen this cockiness manifest itself a couple of ways. The person feels that they know all they need to
know and start to slack on studying or they start doing stupid things in the airplane. Avoid these things because either of
them could prevent you from getting Jets and even more importantly could kill you.
Next stage of training is FORM’s (Formation flying), this is a
good stage to really excel because if you select jets you will be
doing quite a bit of form flying. In fact, everything you do except for
FAM’s and instrument flying involves flying from either
section(2 plane) or division(4 plane). The key to flying forms is
RELAX. Make sure you are wiggling your toes and trim trim
trim. Never stop triming…ever, if you have stopped trimming its
because you are lazy.
The final stage is RI’s (Radio Instruments). You will start this
stage by going back to ground school for two weeks. I repeat
my caution do not take ground school any less seriously because it does
not directly affect your selection grades. YOU
have to know the info well enough to be able to fly with it (i.e.
COLD). My advice for this stage is to practice practice
practice. Go to RIOT trainers (you'll figure out what these are when
you get there). Get as much simulator time as you can.
Usually this involves signing up for open sims, and then waiting
around. Remember there is nothing more important than
getting ready for these flights. If the only way is to get practice
time is to wait around for eight hours, take your books with you and
wait. The only
way to become proficient in your Rl procedures is to practice them in
the sim and the RIOT trainers. The bottom line for
doing well during Primary is to focus. Especially if you have no prior
flight time you need to try a lot harder than the next
guy. There are a number of little tricks that can help.
1. Study with a partner- this is invaluable.
2. For studying EP's-juggle, bounce a ball against the wall, juggle a soccer ball, shoot baskets. Do something that
requires concentration while you recite the EP's and again use a partner.
3. Take the poster of the cockpit you get when you start ground school
and set up a little cockpit. Chair fly every
flight. Do this until you just cannot stand it any more. During these
chair flights go through your procedures, the comms and give yourself
emergencies. I guarantee you will get emergencies in the plane so you
should practice them on the ground.
4. For any of the simulator portion of the program get in the sims as much as possible. Make that your #l priority.
Your sim grades can help immensely toward getting you jets.
5. Become an aviation monk. You really have to give up your life for a couple of months to get jets, especially if you
have no prior flight experience.
6. Stay in shape- lots of guys get fat ITS TOTALLY UNSAT TO GET FAT.
7. Don't ever get so competitive that you screw people over to make yourself do better. The reputation you make in
flight school will follow you to the fleet.
8. Remember that while the IP's have reputations, so do you. If you make a bad name for your self it will hurt you
even before you go flying.
9. If something is not working don't be afraid to ask for help. Ask your fellow students as well as the IPs.
10. Chew gum in the airplane it will help you believe me!
11. TRIM TRIM TRIM and then TRIM some more.
12. Dont sweat the grades and they will take care of themselves.
13. Remember always that you are a Marine first, last and always.
T-2C Intermediate Strike Training
This has to be the most deceiving stage off flight training. Many
people want to take their packs off, thinking "I made it, I got
jets!" This belief comes about for the following reasons:
1. The augmentation rate for jet pilots is ridiculously high;
2. You will become a carrier aviator and be eligible to join the Tailhook Association;
3. The airlines look highly on military-trained jet pilots;
4. Your choices of aircraft are the AV-8B Harrier, the F/A-18 Hornet and the EA-6B Prowler, all of which are very cool;
5. You won't be a slow-moving target; and finally
6. You now have the opportunity to do what most people can only dream
about. These are good reasons to want to fly jets, but you have to stop
and think why.
From the start, the pace is fast and furious. If you thought Primary was a lot to handle, STANDBY. You will usually be flying
twice a day, and that does not include lectures. The flying is tough, but rewarding. At this stage the bar has been raised.
The margin of error is much smaller. Oh, by the way, did I mention that you are moving almost twice as fast as you were in
Primary. This means that everything is happening that much faster. It is much easier to get behind. Expect to find yourself
hanging on to the vertical stab at times trying to catch up to the jet. This happens to the best of us and it is not uncommon.
Most instructors understand this.
The Intermediate phase of training is also a lot of fun. In every stage you will be amazed at the amount of trust and
confidence your instructors have in you. For the first time you get to do four plane formation hops, fly the gun pattern with
four other planes, and go on cross countries. Cross countries in a jet are cool, mainly because you can get anywhere in the
continental U.S. in 2-3 legs. If you do get a chance to do a cross country, make sure that you go to air shows. You are
treated like royalty, most of your expenses are covered (as long as you are a participant), and the parties are a blast.
On a more serious note, flying jet aircraft require a lot more
attention. Like I mentioned earlier, things happen a lot quicker.
That is also true with respect to emergencies. In Meridian, we fly the
T-2, then the A-4. These are both very old aircraft. Old
aircraft, have more problems than newer ones. Therefore, it is
important to really study your emergency procedures
continually. A wise man once said "complacency kills." I can not stress
this enough. Flying aircraft with a single navaid and
a single radio really makes you plan for contingencies. Having a plan
will save your fife, not just in flying but with everything
you do.
Flight school is a lot of hard work that is a lot of fun. If you are an
aspiring student naval aviator, regardless of your platform,
I have two words of advice for you:
1. If you are not having fun, then you are in the wrong business,
and 2. ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN.
TA-4J Advanced Strike Training
Advanced Strike Training holds the most challenging but rewarding training in Flight School. Advanced consist of twelve
stages that total 105 flight hours in the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. The program starts with instrument training including Basic
Instrument, Radio Instrument, and Airway Navigation. Over 65 hours are spent in simulators refining instrument flight and
emergency procedures. Heavy emphasis is placed on flying solo with assorted emergencies in instrument conditions.
Systems knowledge and Emergency Procedures must be second nature along with a fundamental understanding ofFAA
and OPNAV rules and regulations. The phase culminates with an Air Nav check flight. Passing the check flight results in an
FAA instrument rating and a ticket to take the Skyhawk on an instrument cross country solo.
Graduating from instrument training is true cause for celebration. The next phase is FAMS. FAMS take place in the front
seat. Flying from the front cockpit is an exhilarating experience. It is the first time the performance limits of the A4 are
investigated. A clean A4 will roll 720 degrees per second, lose 20,000 to 35,000 feet per minute in a spin, or fly at Mach.85.
FAMS include stall series, out of control recovery, aerobatics, and landings. Carrier landings are practiced every hop along
with assorted emergency landings. Emergency landings include Abeam Precautionary Approaches and StraightIns. The
Abeam PA requires the pilot to take the Skyhawk from 2000 feet above the runway to a flared landing without touching the
power. Straight-Ins simulate an overpowered or under powered stuck throttle requiring quick assessments of energy states
to determine how to fly the approach. FAMS end with a solo flight that build the student's confidence for the training to
come.
Now that the student is a competent Skyhawk pilot, it is time to learn to employ his skills tactically. This begins with
mastering formation. Formation requires immense concentration at first but soon becomes second nature. Advanced
formation flying is done as close as five feet of wing tip clearance and includes barrel rolls, wing overs, instrument
approaches, and night formation. The phase includes two plane (section) formation and four plane (division) formation.
Flying with a fellow student is fun, but flying with a fellow student carrying MK-82's and 20mm ammunition is better. This
describes one of the most popular stages. Weapons. Weapons usually brings the squadron to El Centro, CA. Here the
student learns the basics of bomb dropping and strafing on computer graded targets. Flying the Skyhawk in the weapons
pattern will take you as low as eight hundred feet at four hundred and fifty knots. The pattern happens quickly when you are
diving at the ground with full military power. The bomb must be dropped at proper altitude, airspeed, dive angle, G, level
wings, zero yaw, and pipper on target, assuming no wind (no problem... right?). The pattern includes three other A4s
working in harmony to destroy the target. Flying the weapons pattern with other aircraft develops a high sense of
situational awareness that’s necessary for tactical aviation.
The next stage is Operational Navigation. ONAVS require the student to
fly a predetermined route at five hundred feet and
anywhere from three hundred to four hundred and fifty knots. The route
is flown using terrain features and prominent land
marks to navigate. ONAVS teach terrain masking for ingress and egress
to and from a target to avoid radar detection. The object of an ONAV
route is to put bombs on target within a ten second window.
Weapons and ONAVS give the student an unparalleled confidence in flying the A4 which is preparation for the next phase.
Air Combat. ACM starts off with the student offensive, nipping at the heels of the bogey. As the flights progress the fighting
becomes an anything goes fight for the shot. ACM will take the Skyhawk to its limits. It is not uncommon to go ballistic,
requiring immediate Out of Control flight inputs. Next, the student is placed in a defensive posture and taught tactics to
neutralize the fight. Flying defensive ACM teaches one big lesson, never become defensive. Fighting your enemy looking
over your shoulder is uncomfortable. Realizing that his 20mm cannons are hunting you requires aggressiveness and a
determination to win. The finale of the ACM stage is 2 vs. 1. Two students gang up on an instructor. This teaches how to
employ a section of aircraft tactically in a mutually supportive role. It is also a final chance to take out any aggression on
your instructor.
Advanced strike training is the compilation of many phases of training. All areas work together to build a tactically and
technically competent warrior worthy of wings of gold. It also provides the student the opportunity to fly a battle-proven,
legendary, vintage aircraft. Skyhawks forever!
CARRIER QUALIFICATION
Carrier qualification (CQ) will be the most exciting phase of your
flight training career. Although extremely challenging, it
should not be feared. The training received during intermediate and
advanced stages prepares you wen for the experience.
The CQ stage begins with work-ups. Your CQ class will spend two weeks
bouncing at home field, where you win practice
carrier landings and hone your ball (The Fresnel Lens) flying skills. A
landing signal officer (LSO) is on hand to grade every
pass. Half of your landings will be done at night to further perfect
your flying skills. If everything goes well at home field, the
LSO will give you your field qual and send you to the boat.
The first day begins with a four plane launch led by an instructor. The flight will be vectored approximately 100 miles off the
coast for a rendezvous overhead the ship. When signal Charlie is given the flight will begin its approach for the ship. Don't
be shocked by the apparent small size of the ship. It is much larger than it looks. The jets will break overhead the boat at
300KTS and 800 feet AGL. After the break, you will slow the jet to on-speed (130kts) and perform the landing checks.
Abeam the stem of the ship at 1.0 to 1.2 miles, your first carrier approach begins.
The important thing to remember here is try to stay calm. The biggest problem flight students have is they get so nervous
that basic procedures and flying skills are forgotten. If you can stay relaxed you will do just fine. You will learn specific
procedures for maneuvering your aircraft to land safely on the boat. Follow them, they work. The next thing you know you
will be making your ball call Just like Maverick) and trapping aboard a carrier. Following the trap the taxi directors will
untangle you from the wire and taxi you directly to the catapult.
Now the best part of CQ begins; the cat shot. The power of the cat stroke can not be described in words. No kidding, the
navy should sell tickets; its amazing! The deck crew connects your jet to the cat while giving you various hand signals.
Once attached, throw the throttle to the stops and wipe out the controls. Give the cat officer a salute and hold on as you
accelerate from 0 to 130KTS in 2 seconds with 16,000 lbs. of steam pressure kicking you in the rear. After the stroke, you
climb to pattern altitude, turn downwind, and do it again. CQ is definitely one of the most challenging stages in your flight
school career. It will demand the most concentration and your best flying skills. Throughout primary, intermediates, and
advanced, concentrate on all your landings. Analyze each one of your passes and try not to make the same mistake twice.
Jets at NAS Kingsville,TX.
T-45TS Syllabus
It is difficult to write a synopsis of training for the potential student, since we now have the hindsight of finishing the
program. If you have made it to this stage in the flight school marathon, then you are definitely on your way to an incredibly
exciting, demanding, exhausting, but worthwhile nine months.
When we found out that we were headed for Kingsville, we were excited.
Jets. Aircraft Carriers. The works. If you have
been selected for jets, then you have proven to yourself and the Marine
Corps that you are one of the best prospective
aviators around, but that's not good enough. Just like your previous
training, you will not be expected to be an expert
aviator on arrival, but you will be expected an expert in academics
always. The TS syllabus is nine months long, and there
are a myriad of stages in the training, therefore it is difficult to
become as proficient as you would like to be. You will need to
be your own toughest critic, harder than the instructors. What the
instructors are expecting is you giving 100% improving,
and learning from your inevitable mistakes... not perfection. When you
get done with the program, you'll look back over the
past nine months, see your foolish mistakes, and think of how much
better you could have done. However, the whole point
is that you have demonstrated your abilities as a naval aviator and you
will have your time in the fleet to become the master
that you want to be.
The T-45 TS syllabus will be your most challenging and consuming building block to date, but it will also be the most fun. As
Marines who have been here and done this, the best advice we can give you is to always have fun and learn as much as
possible about yourself and flying.
The program is divided into two phases, you will have around 200 flights. Roughly one-third will be in the simulator, and
roughly one-third will be solo. The break down is as follows:
Phase I (Intermediate);
B.I.s (Basic Instruments)
R.I.s (Radio Instruments)
Fams (Familiarization's)
Forms (Formations)
AirNavs (Airway Navigation)
I.R.s (Instrument Ratings)
Night Fams (Night Familiarization's)
C.Q.s (Carrier Qualifications)
Now for Phase II, where you start to actually feel like a military
pilot. The order for Phase II will vary for each class or
student. It will be based on weather, det opportunities, and other
factors. Dets are something which will make Phase II very
interesting. The det, or detachment, will involve about 20 jets being
taken to places like El Centro, CA, or Key West, FL, for
two to three weeks of intense twice-a-day, six-days-a-week flying. This
is done because the winters in Kingsville leave quite
a bit to be desired in terms of flying, and the finesse from Phase I
will give way to the aggressive nature of fighter and attack
aviation. You will find that the instructors teach differently, as they
are now imparting their techniques upon you. They
expect you to be able to fly the jet, their job is now to teach you the
finer points of tactical flying.
Guns will give you the opportunity to fly the jet in the most dynamic
environment you have encountered thus far. You will be
flying with three other aircraft in gun pattern which weaves around a
fourth aircraft lowing a banner. Five aircraft in the sky,
each cruising at roughly 350 knots, in a highly fluid environment,
means situational awareness. You will find the key to
success in Phase n in situational awareness. As stated before, the
instructors do not expect perfection, but they do expect
proficiency and professionalism. One key hallmark to being a good pilot
is situational awareness. You will need to be able
to maintain sight of the other aircraft, be able to project their
future flight paths, and understand your role in a big picture.
This will apply for all stages in Phase II. Guns are a very demanding
stage, simply because you have not faced this type of
flying, but if your basic fundamentals from Phase I are good, you will
crush the learning curve. The T-45 does not have an
actual gun, but the HUD will provide you with a pipper (sight) and
allow you to fly as if you were actually shooting the target. Following
the hop, the instructor will evaluate your gunning skills by looking at
your VCR tape from the flight.
Tactical formation will give you your first chance at understanding
mutual support, ACM 101. This is a really short stage,
providing you with the basic knowledge of how to fly in a section in
'bad-guy' country. It is a lot of fun, and these skills will be
needed for the reminder of Phase II.
WEPS gives you the chance to drop bombs. You will actually get to drop bombs, but they are practice bombs. Twenty-five
pound, blue Mark-76s, fondly referred to as 'blue death.' While your accuracy is graded, again, situational awareness is
paramount. You will be in a pattern with three other aircraft, at speeds as high as 450 knots, bombs flying, performing the
jet to its limits, and still be expected to maintain a keen sense of situational awareness. This stage is a prime example of
where the flying is so demanding that you will become completely overwhelmed, and you will need to fall back on those
good fundamentals.
Night Forms are fast and furious. It is a mere four flights, giving you a basic introduction into flying formation without
daylight. Enough said.
Operational Navigation is a blast. ONavs, or low-levels will simulate
the art of planning, studying, and executing a low-level
attack mission into 'bad-guy' country. You will experience the thrill
of flying a jet at 360 knots, a mere 500 AGL. The first few
times are real eye-openers, but then you really start to enjoy the
ride. The planning is tough. Each flight will involve about
12-16 hours of chart preparation and memorization. This is very tedious
work, but when you are flying at 6 miles a minute,
the importance of good preparation cannot be overemphasized. One bit of
advice for this stage, go on the road. Kingsville,
TX, is probably the flattest spot vou have ever encountered. Most
students will agree, doing these low-levels out west in the
mountains is the best training you can ever get. We did ours out there,
and it was a great experience. ONavs will culminate
with 'Road-Recces' (road reconnaissance flights). You will fly these
with a fellow student and put your tactical formation
skills to work as you simulate a section attack into 'bad-guy' country.
Definitely a great time.
Now you are ready for Top Gun, Kingsville style. ACM will be an
incredible roller coaster ride, not only in the jet, but in
terms of your performance. You will learn the basic offensive,
defensive, and neutral fundamentals of air combat. You will
learn how to perform the jet to the limits of its envelope, while being
able to capitalize on the mistakes of the bandit. You will
spend 9 flights learning I vs. I tactics, and then you will take your
'bag-of-tricks' into the arena of 2 vs. 1. Here you will be
paired up with a fellow student and you will gang up against an
instructor. All your skills of tactical formation, situational
awareness, air-to-air gunnery, and your shear desire to kill will make
or brake you. This stage is definitely a high-point of your training,
and you will often find yourself asking that age-old question, "Do they
actually pay me for this?"
Now for the most incredible experience of your life. Probably one you
anticipated since you were a little rug rat. Landing on
the boat. You will take a $20 million jet to a $4 billion aircraft
carrier to do what very few aviators have ever done, get a trap.
You will spend two weeks doing FCLPs again, honing up your skills in
the pattern and on the ball, as well as developing
your relationship with the LSO that will bring you aboard. The need to
focus on the prize of qualifying is more crucial here
than in any stage. You need to eat, think, and sleep while thinking
about your pattern and ball flying skills. These two weeks
will zip by and you'll wish you had more landings, so try to take
advantage as much as possible on every landing you get in
Phase II. Make every pass count, and learn something every time. After
your FCLPs, you will head out on a det to wherever
the boat is and become a Tail hooker. Your first pass is solo, and is
really unnerving, but your LSO would not let you go if
you were not ready. If they send you to the boat, you can qualify. When
it is all over, you will have gotten your ten traps and
ten catapult shots, and your life will never be the same.
There is an awful lot of work involved. Your nine months here will mentally, physically, and emotionally drain you. The prize
of earning your wings though, is one of the greatest achievements you will ever make. Just like anything else in the Marine
Corps, whatever you put in, will pay out in dividends. Just come in ready to work and play hard, and you will have the time
of your life.
VANCE AFB
So you want to fly with the Air Force? Even though the Air Force is noticeably different from the Marine Corps and the
Navy, their flight school, called Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT), is similar.
When you arrive at Vance AFB, the first thing you will notice is that
the gate guards have a little less "snap and pop" that
those at Quantico. Just let it go. Over the next 6 months you will give
yourself an ulcer if you try to make the Air Force fit the
image you were given of a military unit at TBS.
You will check in to UPT at the 8th Flying Training Squadron (8th FTS). There is a Marine admin NCO there to take care of
your paper work. He can help you with almost any problem... use him.
API at Vance is similar to Pensacola. There are all of the same
academic classes and athletic events as in Pensacola, its
just run slightly different. The Air Force work day for your stage of
training is 12 hours, e.g. if you arrive at 0500, you should
not expect to go home until 1700. Sometimes things will change and you
will get out early. A little hint: if you get to Vance
early and have time before classes start, do you best to get all of the
medical screenings out of the way. They take a lot of
time and can make a long day even longer. If you get them done before
the rest of the class you are free for that, block of
time while everyone else is getting poked and prodded... study or sleep.
In the beginning, until you get used to the schedule, sleep will be something that you want to get as often as possible. If
your studies can survive, try to sleep as much as possible This will allow you to be fresh for the next evolution allowing for
better work and performance. The better the grades the better the chance of getting jets.
As soon as you can, start memorizing EP's, or emergency procedures. The
Air Force lives on memorizing EP's. There are
some that have to be learned verbatim, and for the rest you will need
to understand what is wrong, why it is wrong and how
the action you are performing will alleviate the situation. Also, get
in to the Links Trainer, the USAF version of a cockpit
procedures trainer. There is a gage packet you can get out in town that
describes the "flow," or the recommended way of
moving about the control panels. You will have to get with someone who
is already flying. Its not hard, but it takes time. If
you can accurately bust out the first few checklists in the early
flights you will significantly increase your, "this is the part of
the flight where I don't feel completely clueless," time. I bought the
packet and it helped a lot. The packet includes the
weekly tests' outlines and answers. This packet is available to anyone,
but is considered contraband in the squadron, so
don't bring it to work.
Stand Up is something that is completely and utterly annoying. Each
morning the day starts with a formal brief. The
students are assembled in the flight room and then called to attention
when the PI's (Instructor Pilots) walk in. The OOPS
Notes (this includes the POD and other pertinent information for the
day) are read and then an instructor gets up to ask.
"shotgun" questions. "Shotgun" is nothing more than an oral version of
fill-in-the-blank. The PI will go around the room
asking questions. When you are called on you stand up and answer the
question. If you get it right you get to sit down, if
not you continue to stand and they will get back to you. After the
shotgun questions comes the "Stand Up." Stand Up is an
odd animal. The PI will give a situation, e.g. you are in the MOA you
are performing a loop and at the top of the loop you
notice a red light in your left fuel shut off T-handle. That's all they
give you. Then a student is called to recite, with the aid of
their checklist and in-flight guide, the proper way to alleviate the
problem. You will have to stand in front of the class at
attention and go through the steps. You can get "sat down" for doing or
saying the wrong thing. When and if you are sat
down, you do not get to fly for the first period of the day. If that
was the only period you were scheduled to fly out of the
three for the day, then you are in effect grounded for the day. To move
smoothly through the program you need to fly as
much as you can. Proficiency comes with doing and grades come with
proficiency. In other words, if you want good grades,
you need to fly as often as possible. There are also tests given each
week. These tests are taken from all of the texts that
you are given - the Air Force has a text for everything. You need to
pass these tests. You cannot fly until you pass. People
have sat for a week without flying because they could not pass the
test. The minimum passing score is 85% and there are
usually only 20 questions. The computer aided instruction that is
available cover most of the questions on these quizzes. I highly
recommend that you do the computer questions repeatedly, almost to the
point of memorization. The test questions
were almost word for word.
The first 7 rides, that's what the Air Force calls a hop or a flight, are free. The grades do not count. Make those 7 rides the
rides count, you can seriously increase your chances of good grades later on by doing well. The Contact Block (similar to
FAMs) is where you will do all of your VFR flying. You will solo in this block and that's a blast. Remember, even though the
Tweet (T-37) is a Slow Little Ugly... Fellow, you're still soloing a jet.
The Instrument Block is more challenging. If you've never flown
instruments before you are in for a treat. By the end of
Contact flying you will be thinking that you can hold your own in the
plane... wait until you put that hood on. You will think
that they never even taught you how to fly, let alone think while doing
it. Instruments is all a head game. If you can keep
ahead of the airplane, then you will survive, but if you find yourself
at the IAF at 180kts not being configured, well that's not
the time to think " what was I supposed to do when I hit the fix?" The
key to instruments is memorize, memorize, memorize.
The more you know quick and fast the better you will fly, time won't be
wasted trying to remember what comes next.
Just when you thought that it was safe to be in the air again, they throw the Formation Block at you. In the beginning. Form
seems to be impossible, but in reality the learning curve is very sharp. Formation is the best part of UPT.
In the end, after all of the grades are added up, if you get jets you are done with Vance, but if you select Helos or C-130's,
you will have 17 more hours of training. This will be you favorite block yet. All you will be doing are "out and backs" and low
levels. Out and Backs are nothing more than a Navigation ride and an Instrument ride together. You will fly out to a nearby
field, e.g. Tulsa, McConnell AFB, Tinker, etc., and practice instrument approaches. On the way you will show that you can
navigate away from your home field. Its a piece of cake. The instrument ride back, by this time, will be easy enough that
you will wonder how you could have ever done so bad in the beginning. Low levels are the best of everything. Somewhere
around 1000 ft above ground at about 210kts. Its a blast. Just remember, that if you can make out the cows knees you're
OK, if you can see its hooves, well you might be a little low.
The T-37B is a slow under powered aircraft, but it has the fastest onset of G forces in the Air Force inventory. By the time
you are done with UPT you will know that plane inside and out. You will, hopefully, know how to draw out all of the main
systems, you will know how to do VOR, ILS, LOC, ASR, and PAR instruments approaches. Its great training, but remember
you are on an Air Force base. If you want to get along you are going to have to play, "when in Rome."
Enid, Oklahoma doesn't have much to offer in the way of recreation. There are a few bars that are frequented by flight
students, but over all, they are not too exciting. Oklahoma City or Wichita, Kansas are the only places you can go that are
close. In Oklahoma, close is within one and a half hours. OKC has a strip of bars and restaurants that are good, its called
Bricktown. Wichita has an "old town" area that actually is pretty active. It also has a wide assortment of bars and
restaurants. Tulsa is not worth your time. It is an old oil town that pretty much caters to teenagers. The sidewalks roll up at
about midnight it seems. If you are looking for a social life to balance out your flight school experience, Enid might not be
the place. While you move through the program with more speed that at Corpus or Whiting, there are some trade-offs. The
O Club on base at Vance is only open on Fridays and is not a place where you can really let your hair down. Most every
member of the Wing Command Group shows up and thus things are toned down... no one wants to get into trouble, very
CYA.
Don't let this essay discourage you. If you want to go to Vance and fly
the Tweet, then do it. Just keep in mind that there will
be some things missing that your contemporaries will have in Pensacola
and Corpus. Vance gives good training, but it is Air
Force style training. That is not bad, but it is different. You will be
taught how to fly and how to... follow me here, how to
learn to learn an aircraft. I was once told that we were being taught
how to learn more than we were being taught to fly. This
first phase of flying for the Air Force is a screening process. The
have most of their drops in the T-37 pipeline. If an Air
Force student makes it through they are showing that they can learn
something completely new and with little instruction
and a lot of initiative perform as task. That is how the Air Force
determines if someone is fit to be a pilot. I have noticed that
I am, now, able to pick the important points and information out for
the TH-57 better than I was in the beginning of the T-37
program. The Air Force showed me how to learn. They focus a little more
on the EXACT answer, but in the end you will still
know all what you need to know. Its a different mind set, so be
flexible. SemperGumby.
Rotary Wing
Primary
Congratulations on your graduation from The Basic School. You are about to enter the exciting world of Marine Aviation.
Although you think that your wings of gold are a long way off, let us assure you, they come much faster than you think. All
of us have been in your shoes wandering around MATSG asking, "When am I going to get off the ground and start doing
loops, rolls, and wingovers?" All in good time. Long before you find yourself in the seat of the T-34C Turbomentor, you must
pass a series of examinations— beginning with API.
Aviation Preflight Indoctrination is a 5-week series of tests designed to give you a basic understanding of aviation. Some of
the courses you will study are flight rules and regulations, aircraft systems, navigation, meteorology, and aerodynamics. API
must not be taken lightly. Some of the information you learn will carry over into primary. This is the best place to start off
strong, develop a good routine, and build a reputation for yourself.
Other events you will be exposed to are Navy PT and Water Survival
Training. Although PT is always a must, API physical
training is run by the Navy and designed to be passed by the Air Force
and Coast Guard-don't worry. On the other hand,
the water survival training is very challenging. It consists a lot of
swimming, floating, and ingestion of water. If you have any
doubt of your capabilities in the water, find the extra time to do some
remedial swimming. It will pay off in the long run.
API is generally from 0700 to 1600, Monday through Friday. When your day is done, we suggest that you do something
totally unrelated to aviation for a few hours too get your thoughts elsewhere. PT is the stress reliever of choice.
After your "down time", grab some chow then hit the books for a few hours each night. You will be tested on at least one
subject per week. For the first few nights study by yourself. At some point, prior to the test, get together with a few of your
fellow Marines and have a study group session. This allows you to get a different viewpoint on the subject and also
facilitates the passing of "gouge". Gouge can be anything from copies of old test questions to a fellow Marine advising you
on what to study. Marines have traditionally had the best network of gouge. Continue this tradition. Whatever gouge you
may inherit along the way, pass it on to every Marine you can. Take care of your fellow Marine!
Understand that API is a unit of instruction in and of itself. Once completed, all aviation subjects will be hit on individually
and thoroughly corresponding to the aircraft you are studying. Do not waste shelf space by keeping all of your pubs from
API. They will be of very little use to you once you check into a squadron. For instance, the "API engines pub" is a general
reference and will be of little value when it comes time to brief your FAM instructor on the actual T-34 engine. Instead, the T-
34 Systems book that you will receive upon checking into the squadron will become your main reference. The same thing
can be said for the rest of the API subjects. Study them thoroughly while in API, but do not stress over retaining the
information, as you will hit on all of it again, as it specifically pertains to the T-34.
If you take nothing else away from this information, understand this:
YOU CANNOT STUDY YOUR WAY TO F/A-18'S ON
THE WEST COAST. In college for the most part, our success in class and
on tests is directly proportional to the amount of
time we spend studying the books. Studying hard translates into good
test performance. In flight school however, this
approach only partially gets the job done. The academic work done the
night before the flight will carry you through the brief
(the class). It will do very little to help you in the plane (the
test). The point is, don't think that if you spend many extra hours
on end studying procedures for maneuvers that this will translate into
good performance in the plane. Instead, study to the
point that you know the information and then move on to something else.
You will be far less "wrapped around the axle" for
your flight which is the key to good flight performance.
Assuming that the majority of you have little, if any, flying
experience. It is important to realize that aviation demands a blend of
physical and mental dexterity.
This is unlike anything you have done in your life. Normally, when we meet new challenges, we are able to draw upon .
other experiences in life to help us. With flying, however, you essentially show up "naked" of any real experience to draw
upon. So, with the large amount of studying required, it is no surprise that some Marines find themselves purely studying for
their flights. They try to apply the same rules of survival they used in college to get them through flight school. This
approach to the program puts those students at an immediate disadvantage, as mental preparation should be
complimented by a degree of physical preparation as well.
Preparing for a flight should involve a chair-flying technique. Chair-flying is the act of visualizing your flight Not so much a
specific review of procedures, but rather how those procedures are applied in the aircraft. The advantage to this approach
is that it allows you to "fly" the flight ahead of time. You will see the flight unfold, and be alerted to various problem areas
before they actually arise in the airplane. The mistake students make, is that they spend all of their time studying for the
brief, and not enough time thinking about the flight.
All of you will study hard for the briefs, know course rules, systems, EP's, and other information required of you. Up until the
point you climb into the aircraft, you are equal in other words. The difference comes in the air where those students who
have learned to relax and "see the big picture" will have more successful flights then those who don't. In order to be
successful, your life does not have to revolve around flight school. To the contrary, the better you can simply integrate flight
school into your life, the easier it is going to be.
ADVANCED HELICOPTER TRAINING
Upon completion of Intermediate trainer in the T-34C. (about 26 flight hours plus ground school), you will be sent
to South Whiting Field, Florida for Advanced Helicopter I raining in the I H-5, "Sea Ranger". Civilians know it as the Bell-206
B "Jet Ranger" — a very safe and widely used aircraft. two-bladed, single turbine engine, dual control Sea Ranger cruises
at 100 knots with a maximum speed of 130 knots.
After spending more time in "the pool" waiting to start training, SNAs check-in to either HTHT-18. There's not much
difference between the two squadrons. In fact, they both share the same building, the same aircraft, and SNAs hang out in
the same ready room.
Make the most of your pool time. You will most likely be assigned to a stash job. Some are while some are truly
demanding —it is a toss up. While pooled, try to get your pubs and start studying Concentrate on Emergency Procedures
and Systems, initially. If you can get away from your stash job for a day, try to attend one of the weekly Systems or Aero
classes. You can attend these as often as you like be you check-in to the squadron; but once you check-in, you'll get one
round of classes before you are responsible for passing the required exams.
One underutilized study aid that can help out immensely is the Cockpit Procedures Trainer (CP I There are four of these
devices located in the simulator building and are available to students whenever no\ I use by an instructor. You do not have
to reserve it or have a partner, necessarily. Unlike the T-34 C "Bobsh I trainers used to give Primary SNAs a place to
practice procedures, these TH-57 CPTs are electrically powered and computer operated. You can give yourself an
emergency and see how the gauges react.
After check-in you will be responsible for attending the required classes and taking the corresponding exams on your own,
unlike Primary where the daily schedule dictated what you do each day.
Actual flight training can be broken down as follows:
5 Cockpit Procedures Trainer flights (CPT)
17 Familiarization flights (FAM)
13 Basic Instrument flights (BI)
19 Radio Instrument flights (RI)
5 Transition flights (TF)
1 Night Familiarization flight
18 Helo Tactics flights (HTAC)
4 Operational Navigation flights (ON)
7 Airways Navigation flights (AN)
2 Ship Qualification flights (SQ)
The FAM stage will introduce you to hovering, takeoffs and landings, approaches, and auto rotations in the Bravo model.
Usually, the first nine flights are flown with your "on-wing" instructor. Your on-wing will teach you how to fly a helo by
gradually giving you more and more responsibility in the cockpit. You should be able to hover on your own by FAM-3. Each
flight lasts 1.2-2.0 hours. By FAM-7 or -8, you will be doing almost all of the flying in addition to making radio calls and
handling simulated emergencies.
R.I.s and B.I.s are flown in the Charlie model "under the hood", with a visor intentionally blocking out the horizon and
restricting your field of view to the cockpit instruments. RIs are generally the most difficult stage and the least fun. Upon
completion of the RI-18X checkride, you will be elegible to take the FAA exam to receive your private/commercial
instrument rating for helicopter and single engine fixed wing.
HTACs involve high speed approaches, confined-area landings, external load ops, night/day visual navigation, formation
flights, search and rescue patterns, and shipboard approaches. These are a lot of fun. These flights give you a feel for just
how versatile the helo is. It may not fly at 40,000 feet and 400 knots, but 100 knots at 300 feet is a big thrill. Skimming the
trees on a 360 degrees overhead approach will really get your adrenaline pumping.
AN/ONs can be done as cross-country flights where the student gets to choose the destination and the instructor. This is
really a good deal for SNAs who want to fly home for the weekend or just get out of the local area for a change.
TFs are flown when transitioning from the simulator or Bravo to a Charlie model. The Charlie model has more avionics,
instrumentation and fuel capacity. Consequently, it is heavier and has different flying qualities that take a while to get
accustomed to.
During SQs, students practice simulated shipboard approaches ashore, then achieve actual qualification aboard a small
deck ship (SLT-IX514) out in Pensacola Bay.
The entire Advanced Helicopter syllabus involves approximately 120 hours (10 solo hours) offlight time plus 43 hours in the
simulators. After winging, you may get extra flight time observing student solos while you wait to check out for the Fleet
Replacement Squadron (FRS). The amount of time it takes to get through the program is weather dependent but averages
22 weeks.
MARITIME SYLLABUS (KC-130)
T-44&TC-12
Up to this point, you have successfully completed primary and
intermediate flight training in the T-34C and obviously did
very well. Competition is stiff to get into the KC-130 community. The
Marine Corps usually trains approximately thirty students per year to
fill billets in its three active duty KC-130 "HERC" squadrons based on
the west coast at Miramar, east
coast at Cherry Point and overseas at Futenma, Japan.
Your advanced maritime flight training will take place in Corpus Christi, Texas where you wil either train in the T-44A or TC-
12 multi-engine turbo-prop aircraft. The training takes place approximately five months to complete. You will start back in
the classroom for five weeks of ground school learning the particulars of operating multi-engine aircraft in a complex
instrument environment. You will also cover the systems of the T-44A or TC-12, which are definitely a step up from the T-
34C. You will then begin the flying portion of training during eight separate phases. You will discover that each phase of
flight training adds a new dimension to your skills, yet your skills are already well developed up to this point in your flight
training.
The Familiarization stage or "FAM" stage is the first flight phase of the Advanced Maritime syllabus. You will master the
multi-engine trainer in a VFR environment. An important part of this training is to learn to react to emergencies in the "touch
and go" traffic pattern, especially when you have lost one of your engines. You will have the opportunity to practice single
engine pattern work and landings, where you become an expert with the flight characteristics of a multi-engine aircraft
utilizing only one engine. This adds another level of difficulty to the already challenging FAM stage. The FAM stage is
completed with a solo flight in the traffic pattern. You and another student will take the aircraft up without an instructor and
practice multiple landings as both pilot and copilot.
The Basic Instrument (B.I.) phase prepares you for your Radio Instrument (R.I.) phase which is the most challenging phase
in advanced. In the R.I. phase, you will learn to successfully fly in all instrument conditions under simulated emergencies.
Can you imagine flying a precision ILS approach where maintaining your aircraft on course and glide slope is paramount,
but with only one engine? Or can you imagine flying a radar approach with no directional gyro or no altitude gyro? The
possibilities are endless because the T-44A and TC-12 are so well equipped. The more equipment you have, the more
malfunctions you will have. You will also continue to fly the usual VOR, TACAN, and NDB instrument approaches
commonly found at most airfields. This is where the team work of a multi-crewed cockpit is essential. The successful
completion of your Rl-29 check ride will culminate in you earning a military instrument rating.
You will also fly Night FAMS, Visual Navigation (VNAV), Formation (FORM), Copilot (CP) an finally fly the Airways
Navigation (AIRNAV) solo where you and another .student go on cross-country t utilize your airways navigation skills. You
will also have an opportunity to go on a cross-country pretty much anywhere in the U.S. with an instructor.
You will have plenty of room to pack personal items, sodas and food.
The only thing limiting you o your cross-country is the
fact that you will probably need to stop only once to refuel. For all
training flight* your instructor also acts as your copilot. It's
difficult to visualize now, but you will direct your copilot to run the
checklists, input radio and navigation frequencies and
even take the controls once in a while. To succeed in this type of
cockpit, you need to be confident, professional, and
knowledgeable. Your leadership skills will definitely be tested. The
multi-crew cockpit training you receive in advanced
provides you with a strong foundation of experience needed in the
KC-130 community.
At the successful completion of your training, you will earn the coveted Wings of Gold. You will also have a military
instrument rating and if you choose to do so, you can get a commercial multi-engine instrument rating through the FAA.
Welcome to KC-130's, where you will be a part of the "best kept secret" in Marine Aviation.
NAVAL FLIGHT OFFICER
Aviation Preflight Indoctrination
API is the beginning of your naval aviation career. It is four weeks of
classroom instruction and physical fitness, including
swim survival, and one additional week of water survival, for a total
of five weeks. The academic subjects include Aerodynamics, Meteorology,
Engines, Navigation, and Flight Rules and Regulations. Physical
activity will involve Navy PT
to prepare for the Navy PRT, the obstacle course in sand, and swimming.
The academic portion of API is challenging because there is a large
amount of information covered in a short period of time.
Therefore, studying in a small groups (no more than four students) is
highly encouraged. There is a library that has helpful
tutorial tapes if reviewed prior to starting API, particularly if you
are unfamiliar with aviation. Also, get the gouge. There is a
great deal of information floating around that will be helpful during
the academic portion. The gouge attained from students
just ahead of you will be the most valuable. The key is to study
efficiently in order to perform well on the tests, not to master
every piece of information presented to you.
Organized PT will include aerobics and some running, but the most challenging is the swimming. Marines generally don't
have trouble with this portion because the strokes are identical to those we do at TBS. However, if you are a weak
swimmer, practice your survival strokes, drown proofing, and treading now! Also, work on your endurance by swimming
extra laps in preparation for the one-mile flight suit swim. Your PT grades will consist of the survival strokes, the obstacle
course, the Navy PRT, and the one-mile suit swim.
The last week of API is dedicated to water survival. Most of the week is spent in the pool where you will do things such as
the parachute drop, parachute drag, belo hoist and of course, the dunkers. The last day is bay operations. The class is
taken out into the bay in liberty boats and individually dropped into the water as a SAR helicopter extracts each student one
by one. You are lifted out of the water and then lowered back down to be picked up by the liberty boat.
The following are some big picture things to remember which will help you transition to aviation. Use API not only to learn
the basics of military aviation, but also how to manage your time. Unlike college, or to some extent, TBS, you cannot expect
to succeed here by burning the midnight oil and having cram sessions before tests. There is far too much material to learn
and sometimes more than one test per day. So you must study and learn daily, as well as analyze your lifestyle and habits
to determine:
1. What is the best time of day for you to study for best retention?
2. How many hours of sleep do you need to be alert and productive?
3. When to take meals and what to eat to power your efforts (suggest high carbohydrate/low fat diet)
4. What are the best activities for you to relieve stress and blow off steam?
Suggestions:
-PT
-Intramural/club sports
-Community involvement (church. Big Brothers/Sisters, etc.)
-Social outings
If married, or with children, or both, how to educate them about incorporating them into what you are doing such that you
will be successful as a team. Bottom line, if you are so immersed in what you are doing as an aviator that the other
important areas of your life get neglected, your performance will suffer.
Finally, you will not get through NFO training alone. API offers the first and best opportunity to make friends and contacts
with students who will later on be the study partners and sounding boards that get you through training.
Primary
Now that you are finished with API, expect to start Primary immediately. Upon check-in you will be assigned to either VT-4
or VT-10. You will not have a choice as to which and you will remain at that squadron for the duration of Primary and
Intermediate. The day after check-in is the start of ground school, which is six weeks. Some of the subjects you will cover
are meteorology, aviation communications, T-34 systems and navigation. Though grades during ground school are a small
part of your overall grades, they do not count for selection. Everything you learn in ground school will be applied in the air.
You must master and retain the information presented to you or it will be apparent when you start flying that you haven't.
Primary for NFO's is a combination of pilot appreciation and an introduction to NFO responsibilities. For those of you with
previous flight experience, this is the stage where you will have a slight advantage. Those without previous flight experience
can standby to have the most exciting time of your life. Primary is your only opportunity to show off your stick and rudder
skills. If you don't excel at the stick and rudder stuff, don't get too concerned. Just use the experience to understand what
pilots are required to do when airborne.
At the end of ground school you will have three events in the T-34 simulator called CRT's (cockpit trainers), and then you
will start flying. Your first eight flights are called FAM's (familiarization) and are similar to what your pilot buddies do at
Corpus and Whiting. Even though you are not being trained as a pilot, you are expected to put just as much effort into this
part of the syllabus as any other. If you don't quite get the hang of flying the T-34, don't worry. As long as you know your
procedures you will do just fine. No one expects you to fly like Chuck Yeager after eight FAM's.
After FAM's you will return to CPT's for four more events, but this time in NFO mode. You will no longer be responsible for
physically controlling the aircraft and your piloting days will be over. These four events will prepare you for you ultimate
responsibility, navigation. You will begin to apply what you learned in ground school, by navigating and operating in the IFR
(instrument flight rules) system. Following these simulators will be four AN's (airways navigation) flights. You will be in the
rear cockpit handling all communications and navigation.
It is important that you retain and master the information presented in ground school and learn your procedures cold to do
well in Primary. As an NFO, your only means of getting the aircraft to go where you want it to go is by having the confidence
and ability to know what to do and communicate it to the pilot in a way he can understand. Knowing your procedures; and
verbalizing them is everything for you as an NFO. Procedures, procedures, procedures!
Intermediate
After completing Primary, the transition to Intermediate is fairly
uneventful. You will stay in your same squadron for more
training in the T-34. It all starts with another session of ground
school in which you will learn the basics of visual navigation,
standard instrument departures, precision/no-precision approaches, and
TACAN point to points. You will also learn how to
construct low-level charts. At the end of ground school you will have
one more simulator event which introduces you to the
new material and refreshes your navigation skills.
Now you go back to the T-34 for about ten more AN's. The exciting thing about these flights is that you will now have the
opportunity to fly outside of the Pensacola area. Out-and-ins are flights that take you to various cities in the south like
Tallahassee, FL or Birmingham, AL. The purpose is to practice the material learned in ground school and experience
procedures at foreign fields. Not to mention, you get to eat delicious chow courtesy of Uncle Sam. You will also get to do
cross-countries. Remember to choose an instructor that you want to fly with and choose a destination you both want to go
to. It will make the learning environment much more fun and your grades will definitely reflect, given the high number of
events you will complete.
After all your hard work on the low level charts you'll want to get out
and fly them! There will be four flights for VNAVs,
visual navigation. This can be described as land nav at 1500* and 150
knots. Instead of looking for arnmo cans you'll look
for factories, airports, bridges, and fire towers. All this is leading
up to the AVX, A for air nav, V for visual, X for checkride. This is a
combination flight that simulates a fleet strike flight. Fly in high to
get back home.
To give you a taste of what's to come you'll have two formation flights. These are a blast! You and your partner will have a
lot to go over before you fly. A smooth brief means a smooth flight. Once you get over Mobile Bay, formation procedures
will begin. If you're good, i.e. quick and accurate, there will be extra time. Now comes the fun part, follow the leader! Hope
for a few clouds and bring a camera.
Now you're feeling salty, and are one of the senior students (studs) at the squadron, it's time to move faster! A week of
learning the T-land your ready to step in front of the fire hose with your mouth wide open. A familiar pattern occurs Ans and
Vns leading up to another AVX. These flights are overwhelming at first. If you know your procedures cold you'll be all right.
This is what you asked for land nav at 500' and 300 knots. Fly these routes as many times as you can at your kitchen table,
know exactly what your looking for on each of the legs.
Advanced Strike Course
Advanced stage, VT-86, again starts with a couple weeks of ground
school. This time you'll learn how to use and interpret
the radar as well as refresh your instrument knowledge. The basic
theory behind how it works is also explained. Here is
where you'll learn how to prepare charts in order to fly your routes.
During ground school, work to complete as many charts
as possible. Be professional and put in a full day of work. When ground
school is over you get one emergency procedure
simulator, then begin AN's. These 3 flights allow you to get used to
the new aircraft. If at all possible try to set up a cross-country.,
Anywhere in CONUS is fair game. With two AN's complete you can begin
flying low-levels. At 500' above the
ground and 300 knots, these are a lot of fun. You'll do three of them.
When your flying is done for the day, or if you are not scheduled to fly, use the simulators to practice for your radar flights.
The flight procedures are very similar for radar and visual low-levels. Radar flights are flown some where between 5000 and
11000 feet. Four of these events are done in the simulator, then you'll fly the same events in the aircraft. The final three
events before selection are called Strike flights. These flights are very time specific. For example, you might take off from
NAS Pensacola, fly to the entry point for a low-level in South Carolina, and hit your target within 30 seconds. All the
backward planning you do at TBS will be helpful. The key to Strikes is to have a plan for all the contingencies. Consider
things like winds at altitude, distance to route entry point, fuel requirements and how to compensate for multiple variations
of these. If you remember to be flexible and conduct compensations and adjustments that make sense, you will enjoy these
flights and be prepared to select your permanent fleet aircraft. Go to a few selections before you have yours so you know
what to expect. Normally they are held at the O'Club and are a good time.
And now, heed these few thoughts on selection. For some, this is the most stressful decision made in NFO training. It
shouldn't be because Marines are in a win/win situation. We know we are going to get war-proven jets that will allow us to
conduct challenging and rewarding missions. However, some are more concerned with what base they will be stationed at
or how "cool" their jet looks. These are not the issues you should use to help you make your decision. Instead, talk with
Marine instructors about the missions these aircraft perform and compare these with the abilities and interests you
discovered in Strike Core so you can make a qualified decision. In the end, whichever aircraft you get will be the best
aircraft in the world.
Advanced Strike (Prowlers)
If you get Prowlers, the road to T-2's will be short. You will have one
day of ground school followed by four simulators. No
new material will be introduced here. However, you will be shown
various techniques to better help you drop your bombs on
target and on time. After the sims you will have the final four flights
in the T-39 called Composites. These flights are almost identical to
strikes except that you will be able to use the aircraft and everything
in it to its full capability. There will also be
the bare minimum of instructor assistance. the most difficult part of
this phase, however, will be the charts. You will have as
many or more charts to do for these four flights as you did for all of
Strike Core. Therefore, the moment you decide to
choose Prowlers, you should start working on charts. But finally, these
will be the most fun flights you will have done thus
far.
Advanced Strike/Fighter (F/A-I8D's)
If you get F/A I8D's, the road to T-2's will be longer and more
challenging. STK/FTR syllabus begins with about two weeks
of ground school. You will learn the basics of intercept geometry and
how to use the air-to-air modes of the radar. Study in
groups before and after classes. The class schedule is light in order
to allow you time to study. Don't treat it as time off just
because you're not scheduled. Two things that will put you behind in a
heart beat are beach time and babe time. Once you
have successfully passed the test for ground school (you know what to
do on paper) you can go the simulators. Welcome to
your new home for the next 3 1/2 months. From 0700 to 2200 you'll be
sitting around waiting to get practice.
The first stage is pursuits. This amounts to finding the bogey with the
radar while trying to maneuver around to his six in
order to shoot a simulated sidewinder missile, FOX-2. the challenging
aspect of this stage is to keep the radar antenna
pointed in the proper place to get a good return on the scope. The
aircraft are established about 20 mile apart, and then
they turn into each other, the bogey flies a constant heading at an
altitude 4000' above or below in 1000' increments. Based
on antenna position you determine how high or low he is and command a
climb or descent to successfully shoot a FOX-2.
the next stage is called re-attacks, where you get to kill them twice.
It is very similar to pursuits except you move the aircraft
earlier to employ a forward quarter weapon and shoot him in the face.
This would be a simulated sparrow, or FOX-1. Then
you maneuver around for the sidewinder shot by t~s.time it's starting
to get too easy so you need to move on to something
new. The unknown stage is a re-attack except you initially don't know
which direction the bogy is flying. Using procedures
learned in ground school you position him on the scope, watch what he
does, then determine his heading. From here it
becomes a re-attack. The next stage introduces how to get certain
"goals." For example, how to come out of the sun or
have a given amount of distance between you and the bogey. This stage
is called conversions but should be called
conversions and reconversions because things are constantly changing
and must be updated. This is probably the most
difficult phase of the strike/fighter syllabus. The last stage before
moving on to T-2s is the advanced stage. These flights
and sims are fun. this is the jungle rules phase where almost anything
goes. You get to use all of your simulated weapons,
arnraam, sparrow, sidewinder, and guns. It brings together all of the
things that you have learned in earlier events. Though,
the syllabus is hard work, you wouldn't want it any other way. It's
also very rewarding.
T-2 ATM
Your introduction to tactical jet aircraft begins in the T-2C Buckeye.
A week of ground school and you're ready for the
simulators. As of this publication, there are 9 simulators and 12
flights. The 9 sims will familiarize you with the layout of the
cockpit, required checklists, flight procedures, and emergency
procedures. Five of the events will be flown in pilot mode,
while the rest will be in NFO mode.
The flights break down as follows:
3 familiarization/anav (AN),
three for tactical lowlevels/
weapons,
and the final six for advanced tactical maneuvering (ATM).
The fams are flown as AN's with an introduction to unusual
attitudes/out-ofcontrolled flight (OCF). These build your confidence in
the stability of the aircraft. They show how
easy the recovery is if it's done properly. The three weapons flights
consisted of two formation low-levels. The third was a
division hop to a range where we flew a bombing pattern. These were
some of the best flights in training. ATM flights
introduce you to basic air to air maneuvers and energy management. What
you learn here is that you don't know much.
These flights show you how physically demanding flying can be.