Flight School backed up

[Gatordev]

Assigned to Milton for Primary: July 2022 - October 2022.
Started Primary at Milton November 2022. Solo T6 April 2023.
Primary completer at Milton - July 2023. Primary time: 1 year.

A small but important point of order...your Primary time wasn't a year, it was 8 months, which isn't that bad. Your pool time plus Primary is a year.

I make the distinction because if people are trying to figure out the wait, they have to look at the whole picture. If Primary is taking a year because they ran out of ball bearings for the T-6, then pool time will also go up. But a shorter Primary time (8 months vs a year) also means a shorter (or no) pool time.

 

[johnboyA6E]

I have a NAVCAD buddy who hit his fleet hornet squadron as an ENS when he was 22 years old.

It's a lot easier to hit the fleet as an ENS when you don't commission till you get your wings.

NAVCADs went to AOCS with minimum of 60 college credits, remained a NAVCAD through flight training, and commissioned upon winging.. So it wasn't that unusual for 20 year olds to start AOCS and hit the fleet as an O-1 at 22 or 23

We had a few in my AOCS class in '89. That program ended around '92 or '93 I think

In that period, I commissioned in June '89, and winged April '90, just under 11 months total - granted as an NFO.

 

[Swanee]

Just flew with an AF T-6 instructor. He said they are being winged after T-6 primary then get specialized T-6 syllabus training before going to follow on pipeline training. That is how they get winged in a year.

I am not fully versed on the latest in USAF flight training but I think that might be the case with 'big wing' folks and not fighter/bomber folks, yet.

It was 13 years ago, but my brother's class got through the T-6 and the T-1/T-38 courses in 53 weeks.


But, this is what they're doing as they phase out the T-1, but the Fighter/Bomber/Attack guys still go to T-38s and wing after T-38s but before IFF. My brother, and E-3 pilot and FTU IP, says the quality of pilot that comes to them is definitely not what it used to be. A lot of folks who came up with the idea of not replacing the T-1 say that it works for the airlines. While that may be true, military flying and airline flying are not the same.

 

[ChuckMK23]

On the subject of IFT-R, The Fort Worth program contractor has posted a social media update of the initial class:
Note that the new CNATRA name for the program is COPT-R and the previous title of "IFT-R" has been dispensed with.

We’ve entered Week 5 of the Navy’s COPT-R initial pilot training program for rotary aircraft. Happy to report all training events have occured on time and on schedule. We did have two weather days last week however, we were a bit ahead on scheduled training, so no harm.
24 Student Naval Aviators (SNA’s) are on-site now with four (4) Bell 206B helicopters working flawlessly. The next group of 8 SNA’s will arrive in two weeks. We will have a total of 48 SNA’s on-site concurrently receiving pilot training at our facility by the end of November supported by a fleet of 6 aircraft.
We did get the new Bell 206B flight training device onsite provided by Precision Flight Controls in California. Out with the old…in with the new!
I’ve added a few pictures of the on-site action. The systems training hangar has proven to be quite valuable with having an aircraft in front of the students while teaching systems.
Thank you to our staff, partners, and vendors for the support to maintain a safe training program on schedule and on budget!

 

[hscs]

On the subject of IFT-R, The Fort Worth program contractor has posted a social media update of the initial class:
Note that the new CNATRA name for the program is COPT-R and the previous title of "IFT-R" has been dispensed with.

We’ve entered Week 5 of the Navy’s COPT-R initial pilot training program for rotary aircraft. Happy to report all training events have occured on time and on schedule. We did have two weather days last week however, we were a bit ahead on scheduled training, so no harm.
24 Student Naval Aviators (SNA’s) are on-site now with four (4) Bell 206B helicopters working flawlessly. The next group of 8 SNA’s will arrive in two weeks. We will have a total of 48 SNA’s on-site concurrently receiving pilot training at our facility by the end of November supported by a fleet of 6 aircraft.
We did get the new Bell 206B flight training device onsite provided by Precision Flight Controls in California. Out with the old…in with the new!
I’ve added a few pictures of the on-site action. The systems training hangar has proven to be quite valuable with having an aircraft in front of the students while teaching systems.
Thank you to our staff, partners, and vendors for the support to maintain a safe training program on schedule and on budget!

View attachment 39148


View attachment 39149

When does Kelly McGillis walk down the aisle to teach? Who teaches academics in a hangar?

 

[ChuckMK23]

When does Kelly McGillis walk down the aisle to teach? Who teaches academics in a hangar?

Ms. McGillis has, ahh... not aged well.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Ms. McGillis has, ahh... not aged well.

View attachment 39150

This looks like she is wearing an additional prosthetic left arm due to the angle

 

[mad dog]

On the subject of IFT-R, The Fort Worth program contractor has posted a social media update of the initial class:
Note that the new CNATRA name for the program is COPT-R and the previous title of "IFT-R" has been dispensed with.

We’ve entered Week 5 of the Navy’s COPT-R initial pilot training program for rotary aircraft. Happy to report all training events have occured on time and on schedule. We did have two weather days last week however, we were a bit ahead on scheduled training, so no harm.
24 Student Naval Aviators (SNA’s) are on-site now with four (4) Bell 206B helicopters working flawlessly. The next group of 8 SNA’s will arrive in two weeks. We will have a total of 48 SNA’s on-site concurrently receiving pilot training at our facility by the end of November supported by a fleet of 6 aircraft.
We did get the new Bell 206B flight training device onsite provided by Precision Flight Controls in California. Out with the old…in with the new!
I’ve added a few pictures of the on-site action. The systems training hangar has proven to be quite valuable with having an aircraft in front of the students while teaching systems.
Thank you to our staff, partners, and vendors for the support to maintain a safe training program on schedule and on budget!

View attachment 39148


View attachment 39149

OK…I guessed I missed something somewhere. So what is this program???

 

[Gatordev]

Happy to report all training events have occured on time and on schedule.

"...for any COPT-R program managers reading..."

24 Student Naval Aviators (SNA’s) are on-site now with four (4) Bell 206B helicopters working flawlessly. The next group of 8 SNA’s will arrive in two weeks. We will have a total of 48 SNA’s on-site concurrently receiving pilot training at our facility by the end of November supported by a fleet of 6 aircraft.

48 students with 4 aircraft is tough. I can see why they need to get the extra 2 in there. It would be interesting to know what the actual requirement might be, per whatever Gonkulator that exists to predict that. Some here might be surprised that programs similar to this don't even bother computing the actual hardware requirement and just go with, "that sounds about right."

Who teaches academics in a hangar?

And in Texas.

OK…I guessed I missed something somewhere. So what is this program???

I believe the TH-73 thread has a bunch about it.

 

[ChuckMK23]

OK…I guessed I missed something somewhere. So what is this program???

This is the new 'straight to helo' SNA pipeline; bypassing VT's and traditional selection. Very likely the future norm IMHO. AF is pursuing a similar strategy.

 

[sevenhelmet]

This looks like she is wearing an additional prosthetic left arm due to the angle

And perhaps the fact that there are THREE hands in that photo?

My pre-coffee brain went haywire, "Dafuq?"

And then I saw it... Really odd timing on that shot.

 

[ChuckMK23]

COPT-R : The official program name translates to Contractor Only Pilot Training – Rotary

The program leadership is SkyWarriors - which I believe started with being the primary provider of airplane category training / experience building for a number of regional airlines who offered "RTP" rotary to airline transition programs. This gets more interesting.

 

[BattlingTrain]

This is the new 'straight to helo' SNA pipeline; bypassing VT's and traditional selection. Very likely the future norm IMHO. AF is pursuing a similar strategy.

In your opinion is this something you'd have to volunteer for or could you get selected right to helos. Beggars can't be choosers and I'll be grateful to fly anything, but helos are my last choice.

 

[ChuckMK23]

In your opinion is this something you'd have to volunteer for or could you get selected right to helos. Beggars can't be choosers and I'll be grateful to fly anything, but helos are my last choice.

Sounds like you answered your own question. The value of the experience flying the T-6 in Primary/UPT cannot be over emphasized. The effort will be the same regardless of pipeline IMHO.

 

[Skywalker]

In your opinion is this something you'd have to volunteer for or could you get selected right to helos. Beggars can't be choosers and I'll be grateful to fly anything, but helos are my last choice.

If helos is your last choice, then it’s a no-brainer. Shoot your shot and if you get helos anyways then you at least know you tried.