Transition from P-3 to P-8

[Memphis9489]

If you want a precise measure as to how intense Primary flight training is, I have one for you. SteveHolt and I teed off around 1 this afternoon. We both shot 99's. I blame the wind, and the lack of grass in some of the fairways. Intense it was.

One thing I remember about Flight School, when just starting out, is that if you were not a good swimmer -or- had any form of aquaphobia, you can expect it to be a religious experience.

I was very comfortable with water but I still did not much enjoy doing the Helo-Dunker thing. Being trapped in a mostly-enclosed container, blind-folded, in pretty cold water, with 5 other guys, and turned at some weird angle, and then tasked to get out was not fun. It was like something from one of those Saw movies.

I also recall them taking us to Pensacola Bay and dragging us through the water (also very cold the time of season I did it) in full flight gear. You had to disconnect yourself from your simulated parachute.

We had to box, do the obstacle course, we were in the pool nearly every day, and we had to do survival training at Eglin. I don't know, it seemed pretty intense to me. I don't know - for some - it was pretty intense.

But that's back when men were men.

(Being from the Class of 1979, last all-male class, I had to throw that in there.)

 

[marvin7794]

That is API you are talking about. They've gotten rid of the whole boot camp like experience at Schools Command. There is still an abundant amount of time in the water though. I didn't mind it too much and I actually thought the helo dunker was fun. Maybe I'm sick. All of that other water survival is still in the program. It is actually a nice break from the academic rigor (if you can call it that) of the first 3 weeks of the program.

 

[Born-To-Fly_024]

Does anyone know If having dry eye is a DQ during your flight physical?

 

[ENSmom]

Yah, I suppose if your goal is to be a carrier jet pilot, and nothing else will make you happy, primary will be a bit intense. Getting jet pilot is a combination of good grades and a huge amount of luck, and if that's really all that will make you happy, you'll stress a lot.

All of our family members and friends who are going through/have been through flight school, aspired to fly jets. From their perspective, as related to me, the experience was intense.

 

[marvin7794]

Seems to me as though that intensity might have been self imposed. There are way too many variables out of your direct control to stress about anything in flight school. You should do your best and work a little harder if you are particular about a certain platform. Other than that though, let the chips fall where they may and enjoy the beach.

 

[Memphis9489]

I was going through flight school in the 1979-1980 time period. At the time they had what was referred to as the "Jet Draft." Basically, if your Primary grades were high enough (not dramatically unobtainable, by the way) you were drafted into the jet pipeline regardless of what your preference may have been.

Those with the lowest Primary grades ended up flying helos, also, regardless of their preference.

For those wanting to fly P-3's, there was some real gamesmanship going on. You wanted to do well (to avoid helos) but not so well that you would get drafted into jets. It was a very narrow band of grades.

Some of the instructor pilots who flew P-3's would sometimes take care of those students who had expressed a desire to fly P-3's by "adjusting" their grades. I can remember an instructor and student, sitting in the back of the ready room with a calculator, trying to figure out his grade average. Based on that calculation the instructor would either give him "high" or "low" grades in an attempt to get the student in the "P-3 window." If the student was doing very well, the instructor would simply load him up with a bunch of "Below Averages" to get him out of jet range. It was kind of comical, really.

I have no idea how Flight Training is run these days, however. It's been too long.

David Emerling '79

 

[Kero]

The grading system has changed so now the gamesmanship with the grades is pretty much impossible. As for jet slots it's very sperratic from week to week, some weeks everyone will get jets and the next week only those with outragously high grades will get jets. P-3's has become the fallback rather than helos and I agree with marvin that most people who find primary really intense impose the stress on themselfs.

 

[mombee]

I was very comfortable with water but I still did not much enjoy doing the Helo-Dunker thing. Being trapped in a mostly-enclosed container, blind-folded, in pretty cold water, with 5 other guys, and turned at some weird angle, and then tasked to get out was not fun.
.......................................

(But that's back when men were men.

(Being from the Class of 1979, last all-male class, I had to throw that in there.)

I understand that BBW (Back Before Women) that it was twice as hard. That they rotated it 360 degrees when it hit the water rather than just 180 degrees like they do now.

 

[mombee]

Interesting to see some O4's/O5's going back to the FRS as students

As a general rule, all pilots, no matter how senior and how much experience, report to the FRS immediately prior to joining a fleet squadron and complete a custom Cat II syllabus. They are just not as visible as the nuggets.