Summer Airmanship Programs

P

perfecteau

5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
13
I always feel so clueless about the things my DS talks about at the Academy. His latest - Airmanship. He was slotted for Jump and then was informed that everything was messed up and they redid the schedules for this summer. He now has Space (I don't know what that is or even if it is considered airmanship) and is very disappointed as he was thrilled to get Jump in the first place. My main question is this: Why won't they allow changes to the summer schedule once its made, even when he knows of people having to drop Jump for various reasons (ie. injury, separation, etc)?
 
I'm pretty clueless too...but I know my cadet did jump AND space in the same 3 week session and the order in which she took them was re-jigged along the way. So maybe things are being done differently this coming summer, but are you sure that space is actually replacing jump?
 
There are two different space airmanship programs, one is RPAs/Space for the full three week period and is considered your airmanship program for the summer, the other I believe is just space and runs in conjunction with jump, because jump doesn't take up the whole three weeks. When they first released 2017's summer schedules many of them had been randomly assigned rather than created based upon preferences and order of merit. They fixed the issues before releasing them a second time, hence the different schedules. I believe it has something to do with scheduling as to why changes are difficult to make. I hope this helps a little!
 
My DS had Soaring scheduled as a C4C. A week before it started he was placed in Remote Piloting. Not a happy camper. Made room in his schedule for Soaring during the academic year as a C3C. Same thing happened due to the same person. Was put in remote piloting again. It took 2 weeks of discussion to get removed from that class as he had already completed it. As a rising C1C, he has made room in his schedule for Powered Flight. Same problem with the same person. DS has been asking since January and still doesn't know or at least has yet to share that information with us.

Bottom line, it is the military. Things will not always work out according to your plans. It is the AF's decision on what you get anyway. Cadets just have to get used to that.
 
Yes, it replaced Jump, its not in addition to. The rest of the time is Support. Whatever that means. Hopefully on the posititve side, this will give him lots of down time to rest and relax after the tough first year. He was partly upset because his rankings were lower than they should have been due to a typo on his SAMI grade 2% instead of 92%, (plus one other grade typo, but I can't remember what it was) but now that its fixed, there's nothing he can do. Oh, well. Welcome to the Air Force!
 
My son's (currently a C2C) experience was somewhat different. Asked for Soaring during his first Summer....and received it. Requested Powered Flight for this comming Fall Semester and was given it for the first Summer period. He has now scheduled jump/parachuting for Fall and is not counting on either until he actually begins attending the programs.
Good Luck!
 
aglages said:
My son's (currently a C2C) experience was somewhat different. Asked for Soaring during his first Summer....and received it. Requested Powered Flight for this comming Fall Semester and was given it for the first Summer period. He has now scheduled jump/parachuting for Fall and is not counting on either until he actually begins attending the programs.
Good Luck!
Click to expand...

Glad things are going well for your DS. By the way, you STILL look like Clint!
 
Dad said:
Glad things are going well for your DS. By the way, you STILL look like Clint!
Click to expand...
My (attempted) point was that it seems kind of hit and miss what cadets receive during the Summer. Although now that you mention it.....maybe my son's good fortune has been influenced by the rugged, Clint like good looks of his father. Or maybe NOT! :cool:
 
aglages said:
My (attempted) point was that it seems kind of hit and miss what cadets receive during the Summer. Although now that you mention it.....maybe my son's good fortune has been influenced by the rugged, Clint like good looks of his father. Or maybe NOT! :cool:
Click to expand...

Balanced reporting at its best. Clint-like looks of his dad definitely played a role.
:thumb:
 
aglages said:
My (attempted) point was that it seems kind of hit and miss what cadets receive during the Summer.
Click to expand...

I’m not so sure it’s hit and miss. My understanding is that like everything at USAFA, summer assignments are primarily based on OOM, as will AFSC selection, where you go for UPT, etc. My further understanding is that Support is not a good summer assignment.
 
For we less experienced, and not seeing it on the acronym list I found, what does OOM stand for? It appears to be relative to gpa, but what is it exactly? Thank you!
 
Sorry – Order of Merit. This is from the current USAFA catalog as how Airmanship slots are filled:

Airmanship Programs. Basic Soaring and Basic Parachuting are not available to first and
Second-class cadets during the summer. Third-class cadets will be encouraged to
participate in either Basic Soaring, Basic Parachuting, Space Orientation, or Basic
Unmanned Aerial Systems during the summer unless waived by CWTS due to
academics, medical restrictions, or availability. Because of the limited number of student
slots available, seats will be filled based on cadet preference weighed against a modified
OPA score (40% GPA, 40% MPA, 20% PEA). Third-class cadets who wish to
participate in Basic Parachuting must volunteer, weigh less than 215 pounds, and pass a
scored Physical Fitness Test (PFT).
 
USAFretired1996 said:
I’m not so sure it’s hit and miss. My understanding is that like everything at USAFA, summer assignments are primarily based on OOM, as will AFSC selection, where you go for UPT, etc. My further understanding is that Support is not a good summer assignment.
Click to expand...

TRUE.
 
USAFretired1996 said:
Sorry – Order of Merit. This is from the current USAFA catalog as how Airmanship slots are filled:

Airmanship Programs. Basic Soaring and Basic Parachuting are not available to first and
Second-class cadets during the summer. Third-class cadets will be encouraged to
participate in either Basic Soaring, Basic Parachuting, Space Orientation, or Basic
Unmanned Aerial Systems during the summer unless waived by CWTS due to
academics, medical restrictions, or availability. Because of the limited number of student
slots available, seats will be filled based on cadet preference weighed against a modified
OPA score (40% GPA, 40% MPA, 20% PEA). Third-class cadets who wish to
participate in Basic Parachuting must volunteer, weigh less than 215 pounds, and pass a
scored Physical Fitness Test (PFT).
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for this understanding!
 
USAFretired1996 said:
I’m not so sure it’s hit and miss. My understanding is that like everything at USAFA, summer assignments are primarily based on OOM, as will AFSC selection, where you go for UPT, etc. My further understanding is that Support is not a good summer assignment.
Click to expand...
X2:thumb:
I had heard this also, but I prefer to believe that everything positive that occurs can somehow be traced back to the cadets father. Just a personal theory of mine which strangely is not popular with my wife. :cool:
 
aglages said:
X2:thumb:
I had heard this also, but I prefer to believe that everything positive that occurs can somehow be traced back to the cadets father. Just a personal theory of mine which strangely is not popular with my wife. :cool:
Click to expand...

Just give her some more time to discover. :biggrin:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top