Is API family accompanied? Is it worth it to move?

[helolumpy]

Two cents from an older guy is that you should bring your family. You're a prior-E so you know how much time you'll be gone once you hit the fleet. Flight school offers a great opportunity to spend some time wtih the family because once you get back to the fleet, you're gone!
You'll have a lot of studying to do, but it's nice to know you can come home and spend time with the wife and kids every day.

 

[CenixOne]

Why skip IFS? It's a good time, flying on the our rich uncle's dollar. At least, it's a good time in the Marine Corps...

My thinking is anything that gets me closer to earning my wings as soon as possible is better, but I see your point. Since I was intending to skip IFS with a sport pilot license maybe I could use IFS towards my PP license. Hmmm.. what to do..

 

[SynixMan]

My thinking is anything that gets me closer to earning my wings as soon as possible is better, but I see your point. Since I was intending to skip IFS with a sport pilot license maybe I could use IFS towards my PP license. Hmmm.. what to do..

Save the money. IFS isn't an attrition program.

 

[CenixOne]

Save the money. IFS isn't an attrition program.

It looks like I don't even have the option...

"All prospective IFS students who either already hold a recreational or private pilot certificate (or higher) or have completed a solo cross-country flight in a civilian aircraft are not eligible to enroll in the IFS program"
https://ifs.cnet.navy.mil/ifscode/help/FAQ.cfm

 

[zippy]

Save the money. IFS isn't an attrition program.

Hah. Thats why they show slides with the attrition rate of IFS going up, and a direct correlation to primary attrition rates going down.

All of an aviation career is an attrition program. Some guys (and girls) get pink sheets, some get out/retire and some get memorial services. Bring your A game regardless of what type of flight it is.

 

[Tom]

Back when I went through some lady searched the FAA certificate holder registry for everyone's name. If you have any certificate, expired or not, your name and address show up. Getting caught in a useless lie is the first way to highlight yourself. The best advice I can give for all of flight training is to not draw attention to yourself. Join up, shut up and don't suck.

 

[Van]

To the married dudes, this goes against popular routes, but I'd say live near NAS Pensacola while in A-Pool/API and then move up to Milton for Primary if you can swing it. 90% of the bitching from married dudes I hear revolves around the drive they make daily from up North, either Milton or even by UWF.

As a married dude with school age kids I say that is a horrible idea. In A-pool you'll muster at 0700 and be done. If you get a stash job you might only have to go in once or twice a week (depending on what stash job you do). I don't recall a single day in API starting earlier than 0530 or so. Most of the days started at 0700. It took about 40 minutes to get to work for me, it's not that bad. Trying to move the family, switch schools in the middle of the year, and find another house? Screw that! A monster pain in the butt!

The general rule is to live near Milton and suck up the drive during A-pool/API. That way when you start primary at Whiting, you are in close proximity and can get to the CPT's, briefs, flights, and squadron with time to spare.

And by the way, fuck moving twice. The Navy won't pay for that second move and you probably will have trouble breaking your lease anyway. Whiting doesn't exactly qualify as a PCS.

This! Have fun trying to move everything up to Milton or driving from P-Cola in the mean time when you have 0530 sims and 0445 brief times for flights.

Like I said, if you can. You don't have to sign year leases. I signed a 7 month and thats about the time needed for APool/API/CPool. I was planning on going to Whiting, but am now Corpus bound. Just a thought. And a moving trailer rental for a weekend isn't that expensive.

It's possible, but way more headache than you need. There's a lot more to moving a family than forking up some cash for a trailer. If you are ever in that situation in the future, you might understand.

Not really true. They WILL pay for 600lbs of HHG which is more than nothing and you should be able to break your lease or just get month to month which may then qualify you for per diem.

Yea, how'd that work out for you? If I remember correctly PSD said that if you moved the family down here via a PCS move, you aren't technically TAD anymore. Thus, no per diem and no BAH from your previous duty station until you went on to Whiting. I recall having my BAH knocked down and paying Uncle back because someone made a stink about the per diem thing.

To the OP: I recommend moving the family down. It is worth having them here while you go through flight school. You'll have plenty of time away from them when you get back to the fleet (as I'm sure you're aware).

 

[CenixOne]

This! Have fun trying to move everything up to Milton or driving from P-Cola in the mean time when you have 0530 sims and 0445 brief times for flights.

I think you misunderstood. wlawr005 meant that it is better to move directly to Milton so you avoid having to move again for primary.

 

[et1nuke]

Yea, how'd that work out for you? If I remember correctly PSD said that if you moved the family down here via a PCS move, you aren't technically TAD anymore. Thus, no per diem and no BAH from your previous duty station until you went on to Whiting. I recall having my BAH knocked down and paying Uncle back because someone made a stink about the per diem thing.

Pretty well considering. The BAH is independent upon the per diem, but yes according to the JFTR they can really go either way for the BAH while TDY either LPDS or new PDS. But they WILL switch to Pensacola to save the tax payer some money.

 

[SynixMan]

Hah. Thats why they show slides with the attrition rate of IFS going up, and a direct correlation to primary attrition rates going down.

All of an aviation career is an attrition program. Some guys (and girls) get pink sheets, some get out/retire and some get memorial services. Bring your A game regardless of what type of flight it is.

I think I mis-stated what I meant a bit. Of course it's an attrition program, like everything going forward I'm sure.. But it isn't something to be afraid of and try to avoid. One of my good friends didn't know he was terrified of flying until IFS. I'm glad he got the chance to figure it out now and get into a different track.

As for what I said about moving, please note I said "If you can". If you have a bunch of kids and a wife, probably not the best idea. If it's just you and a spouse, that's not as bad. Just an opinion...

 

[Smirnoff]

Thanks for the info. You are right about getting back to the fleet and having less time for family. I guess I have been spoiled going to college here for 3 years. I will prob. live on base or out the back gate when at API/IFS. I have been commuting enough here in Atlanta and I not going to do it for another year. Than I will just HHG move up towards Whiting for primary if I get to stay here. I hope the backlog is taken care of by next summer. As always in the Navy "Be flexible."

 

[Van]

I think you misunderstood. wlawr005 meant that it is better to move directly to Milton so you avoid having to move again for primary.

Yea, sorry. After I read it again I didn't portray the thought very well. I was agreeing with wlawr and just adding to why living/moving from P-Cola would suck as opposed to just moving to Pace or Milton in the first place. The best thing to do in my opinion is move closer to Whiting and commute to NASP for a shorter time as wlawr said.

Pretty well considering. The BAH is independent upon the per diem, but yes according to the JFTR they can really go either way for the BAH while TDY either LPDS or new PDS. But they WILL switch to Pensacola to save the tax payer some money.

Yea, I'm sure the few extra bucks in BAH was really their main concern when you were trying to milk the system for thousands of dollars from the tax payers in unwarranted per diem.

 

[ac2NASTY]

It looks like I don't even have the option...

"All prospective IFS students who either already hold a recreational or private pilot certificate (or higher) or have completed a solo cross-country flight in a civilian aircraft are not eligible to enroll in the IFS program"
https://ifs.cnet.navy.mil/ifscode/help/FAQ.cfm

Well it looks like I'm just shy of meeting those requirements. I have completed a 23 nm (each way) solo flight but no PPL. If I remember correctly, a solo cross-country flight is 25 nm or greater according to the FAR. Looks like IFS for me. I'm not worried about it, just have to laugh at how close I am from skipping it.

 

[CenixOne]

Well it looks like I'm just shy of meeting those requirements. I have completed a 23 nm (each way) solo flight but no PPL. If I remember correctly, a solo cross-country flight is 25 nm or greater according to the FAR. Looks like IFS for me. I'm not worried about it, just have to laugh at how close I am from skipping it.

I guess you could think of it as a good thing. Now you can put all the free IFS hours towards your PPL. I wouldn't mind that if I had the option. That's about $1700 worth of flight time. 13hrs * $130 (aircraft and instructor).

 

[Uncle Fester]

Live near Milton, suck up the commute for A-Pool/API. Your asscrack-early API days are relatively few, and you'll know them well in advance (and those are mostly early PT days anyway, so it doesn't matter if you're a little punchy).

$0.02 from and instructor who saw a lot of guys in your situation come to grief - Mrs needs to understand that flight school, even API, isn't the usual Bullshit Navy School. You need to dig in and live in the books. None of it's really that hard, but it does require focused, consistent effort.