The basics of API

[BACONATOR]

Made it through OCS and now I'm heading down to P-cola to check in sometime this week (skipping IFS since I have some prior flight experience). I am curious about any pointers people can offer about checking in. It seems pretty straight forward, but I'll take any current advice people are willing to offer. I also have a few specific questions:

Orders say wear khakis to check in. Do we wear combi-covers (White or Khaki) or garrison covers to check-in? Also, am I going to get beat up if I wear brown shoes already, or do I have to wear my SWO shoes still?

Holy shit. It really is amazing looking back how retarded we are after OCS. I'm SURE I had similar questions at the time... To answer you, NO! Never EVER wear your khaki combo cover. In fact, BURN your khakis combo pancake cover. The OCS rules like when it rains, combo, holding your combo cover like a retard indoors and shit like that is an OCS-ism. Don't do it, lest you submit yourself to public humiliation.

 

[SynixMan]

As in they didn't trust themselves to go to big boy flight school and not get in trouble? Or just that they thought they would attrite if they didn't volunteer for Vance?

The jist was "Getting yourself out of this place earlier is a good thing. Volunteering for Vance is the only way to get out of here earlier". That being said, again, act like a freaking grown up and preform. I'm not going to let my buddies get a DUI if I can stop it, but if someone wants to do something stupid, let them shoot their career in the head before it starts. I hear they are always looking for professional Surface Warfare Officers...

 

[Treetop Flyer]

The jist was "Getting yourself out of this place earlier is a good thing. Volunteering for Vance is the only way to get out of here earlier". That being said, again, act like a freaking grown up and preform. I'm not going to let my buddies get a DUI if I can stop it, but if someone wants to do something stupid, let them shoot their career in the head before it starts. I hear they are always looking for professional Surface Warfare Officers...

So, they escaped sunny and beautiful Pensacola for Oklahoma and Air Force hazing. Below for headwork.

 

[govols]

one question i had regarding API preperation, I am a junior BDCP SNA/SNFO pro rec about to go to meps, but I have all of my college required classes already taken. I need 30 hours of classes and have thought about a few aviation classes to prep for API. what areas should I try to focus or try to take classes in? i know aerodynamics and weather are taught, but any suggestions?

 

[OUSOONER]

I would take whatever interests you...by the time you finish college and go to OCS and then wait in the A-pool at API to start, you're going to forget what you learned in your intro classes. Take what you enjoy and not what you think is going to "help" in API. I took 9 hours of accounting and I can't remember shit. If you don't already have a solid background in the subject, nothing is going to retain anyway.

 

[scoolbubba]

I had nearly 30 hours of classes left over my senior year. I took an entomology class, weightlifting, a class about the Civil War, a bio class because I was interested in it, and Marxian political thought. College is too short to waste on things you aren't interested in....nothing you take will prepare you for API...not because it is hard, but because it's Navy-fied.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Taking a college level aero class will not prepare you for API aero. API class is almost pure rote memorization, with a little basic theory thrown in for good measure. Same could be said for a lot of the classes. That said, taking a course on some of those subjects geared towards private pilots (if your school has such a program) might not be a bad idea. That also said, you should get the same basic classroom stuff in IFS as well (for free), if I'm not mistaken

 

[usmarinemike]

If I had a chance to take college electives that I wanted to relate to aviation, I would probably take a meteorology class. A little bit of meteorology training can be retained long term and can be easily applied to aviation.

However, I wouldn't take any semester long course to prepare for a 6 week. That doesn't add up. Take it to make you better rounded throughout your career. That rules out anything super technical.

 

[Uncle Fester]

What bubba said. Take Appreciation of Daytime Television, Basketweaving, Kayaking, Pornography in the Modern World...whatever interests you, gets the credits you need, or has a really hot chick or two in it. You don't need to "prepare" for API. Mrs Fester majored in Music and had been out of college for seven years when she did API and did just fine.

Taking courses to prepare for API is like taking Forestry classes to prepare for summer camp, honestly. A Metro class would probably hurt more than help - I audited some classes when I was preparing to teach, and the classes are definitely geared toward making weather forecasters, not weather users, so to speak.

Some subjects might be good for a Naval career if you're so inclined and your school offers them. If you skimped on English, might be good to get some practice; not Lit or Poetry, go for something that teaches you how to write. Being able to write a cogent memo, point paper, etc, is a valuable skill surprisingly few officers possess.

General or US military history. Middle East or Chinese history. Arabic 101.

 

[VINNYNY]

"Watermelon" Picking

How does one quantify and grade these things in flight school other than by offing the OLQ idiots like is already happening? There are no explicit leadership exercises in flight school the way there was at TBS, and fitreps are unobserved. I can't think of anything besides handing out pink slips for things that should only require an ass chewing followed by smartly carrying on.

I've heard that API students have started referring to ATJs with lots of pink sheets as "watermelons". You know, green on the outside and pink on the inside. On the surface, that's pretty funny. However, I'm not sure that says much about the character of an officer who finds humor in having a stack of deficiency reports in his record. That said, we're likely to see more "pink sheets" flowing for OLQ issues, and more attritions due to poor "head work".

To sum it up: we're going to see more watermelons getting harvested.

By the way, I'm not a fan of issuing "unobserved" fitreps in cases where students have made it difficult to say that we did not observe their malfeasance. We might see a change here too...

 

[CommodoreMid]

Huh, watermelons. In primary, especially if you had yellow sheets in there too, I always heard it was your ATJ looked like a bag of skittles.

 

[Gatordev]

I've heard that API students have started referring to ATJs with lots of pink sheets as "watermelons". You know, green on the outside and pink on the inside. On the surface, that's pretty funny. However, I'm not sure that says much about the character of an officer who finds humor in having a stack of deficiency reports in his record.

Sir, it's actually a pretty old joke, one heard back when I was a stud and probably before that. When I was an IP, it was a common joke to get the studs' attention. I'd be far more upset at the ability for a stud to get all the way through training w/ so many pinksheets, but that's the reality of the new-ish and current MPTS system. It wasn't the case "back in the day" and even back when MPTS came online.

 

[RadicalDude]

So this CO's call tomorrow...

 

[clearskiez]

I have never been so excited to go to muster, I'm sure it will be good news.

 

[BACONATOR]

So this CO's call tomorrow...

I have never been so excited to go to muster, I'm sure it will be good news.

Just make sure to mind what you post on here (as in post what happens, just without any bitch attitude) because I'm sure the CO and/or other senior leadership at NASC reads this....