When you say "now of those grads who can make it through pilot training, I don't know" do you mean like they haven't been trained good enough? Is pilot training like bct or something, why is it so hard? Is it physically or academically straining?
A little pilot input here.
UPT (or SUPT) is a VERY VERY demanding program. Why?
The shortest way to describe it is this way: take the entire program of going from a person with a limited amount of flying experience and put them in a T-6 Texan II for "X" amount of time, take them through academics, simulator training, "cardboard trainer" time, flying, solo, aerobatics, navigation, instrument training, formation training, and THEN...
Toss them into either the T-38 or T-1A for advanced training either in a "cargo/transport" theme OR a "fighter/bomber" theme. MORE formation, MORE navigation, low-level, advanced aerobatics, air-refueling theory/practice, etc...etc...MORE academics, MORE simulators...
Oh did I mention the flying checkrides that are interspersed throughout the program? And that your performance on these checkrides has a DIRECT impact on "what will I do when I am a pilot? Which track will I get: fighter/bomber or tanker/transport or ???"
Oh yeah...did I mention that we don't fly on bankers' hours? Classes report EARLY sometimes (0300 or ???) and others arrive later and stay LATE. And that schedule changes, sometimes weekly? Talk about fatigue.
And put ALL of that into a program that's complete from start to finish in only 49 weeks.
FLYING IS NOT HARD. I've been an instructor pilot for 21 years and have, around, 7,800 hours of IP time in both the aircraft and simulators. I've taught some brilliant aviators and some complete "tools" to fly. Flying is easy. But that's NOT what being an AF pilot is about. Perfect example and I think Bullet can agree with me here: I found flying the F-15 to be simple! It's got so many systems that "do it for you" that it's an easy plane to "fly." But that's not all there is to the Eagle. You have to be able to employ it in battle.
Employing the Eagle; being able to work the radar, the HUD, the weapon systems, knowing where your flight is, where the threats are, who is priority, what's your fuel state, what's the best weapon to use, are you within the proper parameters, are you in compliance with the rules of engagement, and in the meantime keep flying, maneuvering, etc..etc...etc...THAT IS HARD!
And getting through UPT is HARD because of the compressed schedule, the amount of knowledge being crammed into your head, and the total alien environment you're in. What is that environment? A 3-dimensional world. You now have to be able to "see" things happening before they happen, to plan for yourself and perhaps another plane, or several (formation), then use that planning in a defined airspace that you MUST stay within the boundaries (vertical, horizontal), etc...etc...etc...
BUT it's that training that affords you a taste of what's to come in employing your aircraft later: it gives you the ability to know how to prioritize inflight so that you CAN develop the SA to succeed.
In my opinion, those are the reasons some folks just don't make it through UPT. MOST of the folks I saw not make it did NOT have trouble "flying" but had trouble with the "situational awareness" or "3-dimensional thinking" COMBINED with the flying, academics, etc.
Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83