Da RAG's

[Screamtruth]

Back in 1999 or so, myself and a few of the FAC's in the battalion had a brief for the San Clemente SHOBA. After we were done, we headed down to the RAG in Miramar to chill out. (Pretty cool, specially having a private pilot's and being able to fly the 18 sim for a few hours, touchy.) I was talking with one of the pilots in the unit there who apparently had been in training for a while, since my current FAC at the time had been his IP a few years prior. Now, my question is from the start of IFS or API, how long does it take, training wise, to get from no hours to a fleet assignment?

 

[gaijin6423]

Tough to say. It depends a lot on which aviation pipeline you find yourself in, and what kind of back up there is along the way. I've heard waiting horror stories from a few people lately, but the most I had to wait was 4 weeks for API. I guess I got lucky.

 

[SuperFly]

API-WINGS (jets): 28 months, probably longer than normal. (T-2's to T-45)

Super RAG: 7 months

 

[brd2881]

20 months from API to wings...T-45 TS...Kingsville

 

[Screamtruth]

Man, that's some time. A lot of info though for the time, you guys must have to put the effort to pass all of that. Hell, it took me several years to get the private with work, family, and oh, of course the Muay Thai. Skeet, skeet, skeet.

 

[Banjo33]

I too was 30 months T-2's to T-45's.

 

[HooverPilot]

23 Months to wings and a solid year at the S-3 RAG (1998-2001)
9 Months for COD RAG (2005)

 

[suicidechuck]

16 months API to wings(AH-1W) RAG, still completing, looks like 4-5 months to complete

 

[The Gooch]

You will all appreciate this one...started API January of 2003, winged June of 2005 (yes, that's 30 months), checked into VMAT-203 in July of this year, and just started ground school last week. Add the 10 months of expected time here, I'll be looking at hitting my gun squadron October of 2006...making it a 45 month path from the end of IFS to the fleet as a Harrier pilot.

Food for thought...I was never med down, I hit VT-7 when the T-2 bubbas were still transitioning, I never had any sort of delays due to performance, and the only pool I had to sit in was the one at my apartment complex. Only reason I had to sit out here was because of a few red stripes that held up some senior classes, who needed to finish before I could start up.

What did I learn? If you want to fly jets, you better be in it for the long haul! :icon_smil