This is probably a dumb question- BUT, here it goes: is the wait for UPT becoming less as things improve from COVID? Last year it was 6-9 months. This year, some USAFA Cadets are going right into UPT while others are heading off to casual. If anyone has a perspective on current wait for UPT, it would be most appreciated.
UPT Backup- is it improving?
- Thread starter Homebody
- Start date
I cant give you up to date info, but even before Covid, there were people who went anywhere from 1 month to 1 year
My son graduated in May 2018 and was at UPT by end of June. He started classes in August. Another friend of his commissioned before him and waited 1 year before going to UPT. His classmate at UPT was causal for one year although it was due to his wife giving birth and the AF closing UPT training because of oxygen issues with the planes.. From what my son told me, the academy guys have very little time before commissioning and arriving at the UPT base. That doesn't mean they didn't do casual for a longer period of time. The Columbus base is always backed up. Vance and Laughlin have fewer waits.. So the real answer is Covid or not , the pipeline is slow. I also now hear that instead of doing causal at the UPT bases, they are now sent to other bases where they actually do work. My son's casual status for a month was a joke. I think he went in maybe 2 days a week and his primary job was making sure the jalapeno popcorn was made. Who has it made are the reserve guys. One of his fellow cadets from AFROTC became his roommate at UPT. They both started UPT classes at the same time. He arrived late July and started UPT in August. When they graduated in August or so, he was gone the following week. My son hung at UPT for maybe 2-3 after finishing. The reserve guys get paid from a different fund so they don't waste money having the guys doing anything. So the moral of the story, you will probably wait
My son graduated in May 2018 and was at UPT by end of June. He started classes in August. Another friend of his commissioned before him and waited 1 year before going to UPT. His classmate at UPT was causal for one year although it was due to his wife giving birth and the AF closing UPT training because of oxygen issues with the planes.. From what my son told me, the academy guys have very little time before commissioning and arriving at the UPT base. That doesn't mean they didn't do casual for a longer period of time. The Columbus base is always backed up. Vance and Laughlin have fewer waits.. So the real answer is Covid or not , the pipeline is slow. I also now hear that instead of doing causal at the UPT bases, they are now sent to other bases where they actually do work. My son's casual status for a month was a joke. I think he went in maybe 2 days a week and his primary job was making sure the jalapeno popcorn was made. Who has it made are the reserve guys. One of his fellow cadets from AFROTC became his roommate at UPT. They both started UPT classes at the same time. He arrived late July and started UPT in August. When they graduated in August or so, he was gone the following week. My son hung at UPT for maybe 2-3 after finishing. The reserve guys get paid from a different fund so they don't waste money having the guys doing anything. So the moral of the story, you will probably wait
UHBlackhawk
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2015
- Messages
- 2,342
Flight school waits for all services can be hit or miss and what is true today may not be when you show up.
My nephew, a Marine F/A-18 pilot, was 5 years from commissioning to graduating from the RAG.
My nephew, a Marine F/A-18 pilot, was 5 years from commissioning to graduating from the RAG.
Mekeni2022
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2018
- Messages
- 24
An alternative to casual duty...
AFIT Graduate School Offers Non-thesis MS Degree Program to USAFA Grads Awaiting Pilot Tr
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - AFIT’s history of providing innovative academic programs to the U.S. Air and Space Forces continues with its announcement of a non-thesis master’s degree
www.wpafb.af.mil
mascara_mom
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2016
- Messages
- 148
My son commissioned May 2021. Orders to report to base March 2022. Relieved off of casual duty 2 weeks ago. Begins Phase 1 of UPT this Friday. He made the best out of his down time from March until now, and volunteered in the base air tower recording student pilot communications with the tower 2/3 days a week. They did ask for volunteers to delay UPT and remain on casual. My son's friend with whom commissioned together and he arrived on base 2 weeks prior to my son, took the delay and begins his Phase 1 in December.
(my son is not a USAFA grad)
(my son is not a USAFA grad)
USNA 19 DAD
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
- Messages
- 184
Mine winged last month. Marine. Class of 2019, so TBS was in there too. Lots of hang-ups in primary. Advanced whipped right through.
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2017
- Messages
- 137
DS graduated from USAFA in May 2021. He had a casual duty assignment from August 2021 to February 2022. He was the 2nd executive officer for the squadron commander during his casual assignment. He had his IFT session November/December 2021. He started UPT March 2022 with the 2.5 syllabus which has a very large amount of SIM flights. He soloed in the T-6 on his 10th flight (due to so much training in the SIMs, they solo a lot quicker than the previous 2.0 course). His group is currently doing cross-country flights and moving to formation flights in the next few weeks. He is hoping to have his checkride sometime in the next few days. One issue they are having is the lack of IPs - the IPs are doing a minimum of 2-3 flights a day and they just started doing Saturday flights because they are behind in the syllabus. End of T-6 training is looking like October/November with the winging ceremony and finding out which track he will take after that. Sadly, the T-38 repair contract issue means not as many slots will be given for them. His group has 2 international student pilots and one guardsman student pilot that have been guaranteed the T-38 so that only leaves 1-2 spots open (that is the information we have for now).