Initial Flight Training

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mama mia

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My DS graduated from USAFA last May. Went to casual duty for a bit, and two weeks ago began IFT in Pueblo, CO. He always wanted to be a pilot and never anything else. So he gets there, and he did not pass his first test, but passed it on the second try. DS is used to massive academic stress so I was shocked that it upset him as bad as it did. He feels totally overwhelmed, and now is doubting if he even wants to be a pilot! He promised me he will keep an open mind and take things one day at a time. What is happening? Is it just that stressful?
 
First, its probably a little shock and awe.. I recall one of our first tests in Aviation Indoctrination at Pensacola back in the 80's. Class as a whole didn't do well, and the instructor, a Marine Capt with both Naval Aviator and Naval Flight Officer wings comes in and rips us a new one. Our class was mostly USNA grads, fresh from Boat School and all the glory of being First Class Midshipman and graduating, and perhaps a little cocky....well, that Capt. put us in our place and made it clear we were back at the bottom of the totem pole.

There is no reason that a graduate of a Service Academy can't get through the academic phase of flight school...it takes commitment and effort just like Plebe year. The academic phase of any flight training program is not rocket science. The real stress comes in flight phase ..the truth is that not everyone is cut out to be be pilot, and some will wash out despite their best efforts.
 
As Mike Tyson said once, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth!". This might be the first time your son as REALLY been faced with a fail in the beginning of the academic endeavor. It happens to everyone at some time no matter what there background is. Sounds like he is in a new place, bunch of new faces, and high stress level. He will either sink or swim, and I hope he will swim. Just give love and support, and hope he gets some "wins" to help build up his confidence. Considering his SA background, he has the tools to do this. This is likely just the first time he is using the tools in this new environment.
 
Just understand that if he thinks IFT is stressful, UPT is a lot worse. But since he passed it the first second time, failing it could have been a fluke due to the newness of the situation. My son never went to IFT because he already had a pilot license so i have no stories to relate from his time there. The idea is that part of IFT's job is to weed out the people who couldn't handle UPT. So the idea was that if you could skip IFT, you would lose an obstacle from getting your wings. ON the other hand, if you cant handle IFT, then you can't handle UPT so you are only fooling yourself. Regardless, pilots at UPT screw up all the time and the trick isn't to freak out and want to quit but rather to accept the failure, learn from it and not do it again. Academics is easy because they give you all of the information although the trick is to remember it. Flying the plane is hard because there are a hundred things you have to focus on and remember. You cant freak out when you forget something
 
mama mia said:
My DS graduated from USAFA last May. Went to casual duty for a bit, and two weeks ago began IFT in Pueblo, CO. He always wanted to be a pilot and never anything else. So he gets there, and he did not pass his first test, but passed it on the second try. DS is used to massive academic stress so I was shocked that it upset him as bad as it did. He feels totally overwhelmed, and now is doubting if he even wants to be a pilot! He promised me he will keep an open mind and take things one day at a time. What is happening? Is it just that stressful?
Click to expand...
My son is there now too, been couple weeks. He said they are being fed information overload. It’s like drinking from a fire hose. I’m sure they will be fine. It’s all new and getting them prepared for UPT. Fingers crossed both your son and mine get through it and come out stronger than when they went in just like USAFA did for them.
 
IFT is a precursor to what is coming in SUPT. Fire-hose is a great descriptor!!

He passed...that means he figured it out. He should do fine. It's a huge wake-up call to most newbies. Aviation itself, the actual flying, is simple; it's the rules and regulations of the USAF and the FAA that are a bear! And unlike a lot of classes he's taken, this one...what you learn on day one you'll need to know on day 2,679.

Cheer him on!! This gray-haired birdman is cheering for him!

Steve
 
Great advice above. Only one thing to add. Silly question, but did your son do any flying at USAFA?
Yeah, yeah. You don’t have to do any outside flying to make it through flight school. But I still encourage those thinking about aviation to do some flying. Find out if it’s something you REALLY want to do.
I’ve known people who thought they wanted aviation but after a few flights decided they really didn’t like it. Some stuck it out in spite of hating it and became seagulls. You had to throw rocks at them to get them to fly. Others were honest and dropped out. Unfortunately, they used up a flight slot that could have gone to someone else.
On the flip side your son could be a little slow on picking it up. But, while IFT (or primary if that’s the case), is usually a good indicator that’s not always the case. Bob Hoover would get air sick every flight but hid it. He overcame his airsickness and became one of the greatest pilots of all time. Though the backup to Chuck Yeager on the sound barrier flight many considered him a better pilot (and a nicer person). He also lived every military pilots’ dream and stole an enemy fighter after busting out of a POW camp. But I digress.
I’m no Bob Hoover, but I struggled initially in primary. I was the last to solo and came close to washing out. But something clicked when I did eventually solo. I loved it. I realized that was where I belonged. My primary grade was the highest in the class and I finished towards the top of the class when I graduated.
So your son might want to really consider if this is what he wants, but he may have just hit an early plateau. Every student hits it at some point.
 
IFT and UPT are "drinking from a firehouse." There are thousands of pages of information to learn, and then apply while flying.
(e.g. for a T-6 student, the basic aircraft manual, aircraft operating policies, basic AF flying regs, and local rules add up to 1478 pages, NOT accounting for pubs on weather, maintenance, FAA rules, miscellaneous AF rules, airport information, etc, which is easily several thousand more pages they might need to reference).

It can be a shock, and IFT is designed to be a sprint pace. UPT is a long sprint. It requires a lot of hard work and dedication. If your child graduated from a service academy, they have the potential and background for that level of work (not everyone actually does it though).
 
UHBlackhawk said:
Great advice above. Only one thing to add. Silly question, but did your son do any flying at USAFA?
Yeah, yeah. You don’t have to do any outside flying to make it through flight school. But I still encourage those thinking about aviation to do some flying. Find out if it’s something you REALLY want to do.
I’ve known people who thought they wanted aviation but after a few flights decided they really didn’t like it. Some stuck it out in spite of hating it and became seagulls. You had to throw rocks at them to get them to fly. Others were honest and dropped out. Unfortunately, they used up a flight slot that could have gone to someone else.
On the flip side your son could be a little slow on picking it up. But, while IFT (or primary if that’s the case), is usually a good indicator that’s not always the case. Bob Hoover would get air sick every flight but hid it. He overcame his airsickness and became one of the greatest pilots of all time. Though the backup to Chuck Yeager on the sound barrier flight many considered him a better pilot (and a nicer person). He also lived every military pilots’ dream and stole an enemy fighter after busting out of a POW camp. But I digress.
I’m no Bob Hoover, but I struggled initially in primary. I was the last to solo and came close to washing out. But something clicked when I did eventually solo. I loved it. I realized that was where I belonged. My primary grade was the highest in the class and I finished towards the top of the class when I graduated.
So your son might want to really consider if this is what he wants, but he may have just hit an early plateau. Every student hits it at some point.
Click to expand...
Yes, he did Soaring. Thank you for your response!
 
raimius said:
IFT and UPT are "drinking from a firehouse." There are thousands of pages of information to learn, and then apply while flying.
(e.g. for a T-6 student, the basic aircraft manual, aircraft operating policies, basic AF flying regs, and local rules add up to 1478 pages, NOT accounting for pubs on weather, maintenance, FAA rules, miscellaneous AF rules, airport information, etc, which is easily several thousand more pages they might need to reference).

It can be a shock, and IFT is designed to be a sprint pace. UPT is a long sprint. It requires a lot of hard work and dedication. If your child graduated from a service academy, they have the potential and background for that level of work (not everyone actually does it though).
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
Bigrod said:
My son is there now too, been couple weeks. He said they are being fed information overload. It’s like drinking from a fire hose. I’m sure they will be fine. It’s all new and getting them prepared for UPT. Fingers crossed both your son and mine get through it and come out stronger than when they went in just like USAFA did for them.
Click to expand...
Thank you!
 
flieger83 said:
IFT is a precursor to what is coming in SUPT. Fire-hose is a great descriptor!!

He passed...that means he figured it out. He should do fine. It's a huge wake-up call to most newbies. Aviation itself, the actual flying, is simple; it's the rules and regulations of the USAF and the FAA that are a bear! And unlike a lot of classes he's taken, this one...what you learn on day one you'll need to know on day 2,679.

Cheer him on!! This gray-haired birdman is cheering for him!

Steve
Click to expand...
Thank you!
 
Son says the simulators have been broken since he’s been there for like 3 weeks. Wouldn’t you think this should be a priority to get fixed? I mean seriously.
 
As of yesterday simulators are still not working. You’re teaching them to fly and don’t have the sims still working. Wonder how long they were down before he got there, it’s been a month for him. Ridiculous.
 
Bigrod said:
As of yesterday simulators are still not working. You’re teaching them to fly and don’t have the sims still working. Wonder how long they were down before he got there, it’s been a month for him. Ridiculous.
Click to expand...
From my (now dated) experience with IFT, there are no syllabus events that are simulator based. This means that while beneficial, the simulators are just a study tool. When I went through IFT those were not even an option, and we all did just fine. The Air Force is fighting huge maintenance battles across the force. IFT simulators, which are not required for syllabus progression, are very much low priority.

I'm at a fighter B-Course trying to teach kids advanced air-to-air tactics with FCR's that work poorly on a good day. Welcome to the Air Force.
 
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A general question: Do all Academy grads and AFROTC pilot selects go through IFT at Pueblo? Do helicopter selects go elsewhere (or do choices of lane including helicopters) come after IFT.
 
All pilots and RPA Pilots go through IFT unless they already have a PPL. Helos I’m not exactly sure of but I seem to remember they go to Ft Rucker for their training but I may be wrong on that.
 
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