IFlyorDie
Member
Having completed primary I have walked away with a few conclusions that I’m sure have been posted but here they are again for the newly initiated. Luck really is EVERYTHING when it comes to what you get in flight school.
Now before it sounds like I’m complaining about training you better give it your all. For yourself and the sailors who look up to you in the cockpit because that and no less is what they deserve.
But luck in primary… it’s a weird thing.
NSS is not indicative of your ability to fly. It is just a number of how you happen to stack up with a random set of 200 students who have gone before you.
That amazing NSS you got was as much luck as it was hard work. I had heard about it but only just noticed this as I was entering the final bend to primary. By the time you are on your last 7-ish flights you are pretty squared away. You can land, shoot and ILS, and (sometimes) fly a pretty consistent form. Between flights you may get a little rusty on stuff you haven’t done in months but the knowledge is there.
As a personal experience on my first form I made a foolish mistake of zooming through a checklist too quick and missed a step. My IP caught me and had me address the step. Though no harm to the aircraft or flight, the damage to my grade was done. I received a below MIF on ground ops. Additionally, that instructor had his own grading style where if one thing is below MIF he wouldn’t give above on anything else. The rest of the flight was error free only with some minor coaching on getting me closer to the other aircraft. The end grade 0.98. I thought “Ok, lesson learned. Basically MIFFED out, slow down, review the old stuff, move on.”
The last flight, exact same mistake different instructor. The flights were virtually indistinguishable from the way I first flew the airplane in froms. Grade 1.36. Wait… “I guess it’s more about who grades you than the rest.”
After reviewing flights in later stages of the training it followed the same pattern. I received a more noticeable difference in grades from instructors than I did in my growth as a T6 pilot. Obviously that the culture within the squadron varies and each CO may have an agenda with how students are graded but many SNAs I see almost get cheated out of the dream job due to the imperfect grading system over their ability to be an excellent pilot or be a knowledge powerhouse. On top of the luck and social factors there will ALWAYS be needs of the Navy.
So for all future SNAs. Work your ass off, pray to God, and never forget the lucky charm at home. Be grateful as luck runs out just like Jimmy Doolittle once said “I could never be so lucky again”
Now before it sounds like I’m complaining about training you better give it your all. For yourself and the sailors who look up to you in the cockpit because that and no less is what they deserve.
But luck in primary… it’s a weird thing.
NSS is not indicative of your ability to fly. It is just a number of how you happen to stack up with a random set of 200 students who have gone before you.
That amazing NSS you got was as much luck as it was hard work. I had heard about it but only just noticed this as I was entering the final bend to primary. By the time you are on your last 7-ish flights you are pretty squared away. You can land, shoot and ILS, and (sometimes) fly a pretty consistent form. Between flights you may get a little rusty on stuff you haven’t done in months but the knowledge is there.
As a personal experience on my first form I made a foolish mistake of zooming through a checklist too quick and missed a step. My IP caught me and had me address the step. Though no harm to the aircraft or flight, the damage to my grade was done. I received a below MIF on ground ops. Additionally, that instructor had his own grading style where if one thing is below MIF he wouldn’t give above on anything else. The rest of the flight was error free only with some minor coaching on getting me closer to the other aircraft. The end grade 0.98. I thought “Ok, lesson learned. Basically MIFFED out, slow down, review the old stuff, move on.”
The last flight, exact same mistake different instructor. The flights were virtually indistinguishable from the way I first flew the airplane in froms. Grade 1.36. Wait… “I guess it’s more about who grades you than the rest.”
After reviewing flights in later stages of the training it followed the same pattern. I received a more noticeable difference in grades from instructors than I did in my growth as a T6 pilot. Obviously that the culture within the squadron varies and each CO may have an agenda with how students are graded but many SNAs I see almost get cheated out of the dream job due to the imperfect grading system over their ability to be an excellent pilot or be a knowledge powerhouse. On top of the luck and social factors there will ALWAYS be needs of the Navy.
So for all future SNAs. Work your ass off, pray to God, and never forget the lucky charm at home. Be grateful as luck runs out just like Jimmy Doolittle once said “I could never be so lucky again”
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