I am trying to decide if I should get my instrument rating right now. I have such a good deal where I work that it is hard to pass up getting additional ratings. I get to fly one of the company planes and only have to pay for the fuel and it is a new 172 with autopilot, GPS and MFD. I have talked to quite a few USMC F-18 pilots though and they say that I should not continue my training because it will be hard to adjust when I switch to a faster plane. Have you guys heard the same thing? Plus, I have been focusing all of my free time on running and I know that is more important than flight skills... at least for now.
-
Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?
Go here:
Edit Account Details and Profile
PP License, will it help?
- Thread starter zuggerat
- Start date
- Status
utrico said:
Hmmm, don't know. But when I went from driving a 1979 Datsun 210 to driving a 1994 Nissan pickup, my situational awareness was a bit behind the power curve for awhile. Nothing like a couple exciting close calls to make you stay ahead of your automobile.
Seriously....don't worry about it! Keep getting the ratings cause you want to and like to fly. Don't stop doing it because you "heard" someone say it will be bad for you down the road.
I'd have to agree with Steve; I've heard some winged aviators say prior training is great and some say it's horrible and some in between. I've heard most say that it helps some, as long as you are still willing to learn to do things the Navy way in Primary. I'm currently trying to finish up a PPL before I class up for API. Hope that helps.
kappu411
Naval Aviator
no way dude... get the liscense, if all u gotta pay for is fuel then it is all u... there is no tellin what you will fly in the navy, I can see what those marines are tellin you about adjusting, but the chances of a sna getting a f-18 seat are slim, not like it cant happen, of course it does, but not as much as helos are given out. If it was me i would definately get those hrs under yur belt, that can never hurt... and about the running for ocs... do it everyday, they run everyday except thurs and sun, and it is all on the road, many people would get bad shin splints and it would turn into a fracture, and they would end up there for 6months to a yr... road run for 3-5 miles for 3 consecutive days... take a day off and do it again... get that 1.5 under 10:30 and the running there will be cake..good luck utrico, lemme know if u have anyquestions about ocs, i spent 8 months there
Suggestion on your PPL
If you have the money to spend, love flying, then get your PPL. What you experience in Navy Flight Training will be quite different, but building on some flying skill is easier than building on no flying skill. You may have to unlearn the box landing pattern, and maybe a few assumptions, but you will at least be comfortable in the air from day one, even with all of the extra stuff you have to wear, like gloves and a helmet and an LPA. etc.
If you are going to go hungry or miss a few rent payments or starve your child to get the PPL, you might want to hold off. You can learn to fly with zero hours, the Navy has been training folks that way for years. IFS is a nice step up, though not quite as rigorous as your VT training.
The guys who said it lets you validate IFS are correct. That means you get to start sooner if you have a PPL.
All AF students start with a PPL. If you had designs on trying for the few Navy slots at Moody AFB, the PPL is a nice way to hedge that bet, but the numbers are still small each year so don't let me mislead you into thinking it would "grease the skids." That is still a lottery.
zuggerat said:
If you have the money to spend, love flying, then get your PPL. What you experience in Navy Flight Training will be quite different, but building on some flying skill is easier than building on no flying skill. You may have to unlearn the box landing pattern, and maybe a few assumptions, but you will at least be comfortable in the air from day one, even with all of the extra stuff you have to wear, like gloves and a helmet and an LPA. etc.
If you are going to go hungry or miss a few rent payments or starve your child to get the PPL, you might want to hold off. You can learn to fly with zero hours, the Navy has been training folks that way for years. IFS is a nice step up, though not quite as rigorous as your VT training.
The guys who said it lets you validate IFS are correct. That means you get to start sooner if you have a PPL.
All AF students start with a PPL. If you had designs on trying for the few Navy slots at Moody AFB, the PPL is a nice way to hedge that bet, but the numbers are still small each year so don't let me mislead you into thinking it would "grease the skids." That is still a lottery.
- Status