USAFA Flying Team

USAFA_FT_2019

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Dec 3, 2016
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Hi everyone! I'm a 3* on the USAFA Precision Flying Team and I'd be happy to assist anyone interested in finding out more about the team. If you're interested, here's some information about us:

The Flying Team represents the Air Force Academy at regional and national powered flying competitions. The team trains Monday-Thursday after school for ground events like flight computer (whiz-wheel) accuracy, simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation (flight planning), and aircraft identification. Flying Team cadets go down to the airfield every other day to fly the T-41D (Cessna 172) and T-51A (Cessna 150). 3*s primarily work on building flying proficiency and getting certified to do the competition events (precision landing, navigation, and message drop), while 2*s and firsties work on perfecting their flying. The team practices message drop after school on Fridays and landings on some Saturdays. If you love general aviation, the Flying Team is an incredible opportunity to improve your flying skills, meet pilots from other schools, and represent USAFA at the national level. Tryouts for the team are only open to 4*s and you must have your private pilot's license before final tryout decisions are made in the second semester. Usually nine cadets are selected from each class.

Again, I'd be happy to answer questions about the team, general aviation, or how being involved in an airmanship program (Flying Team, soaring, Wings of Blue) affects cadet life on the hill.

 
Something I've always been curious about is how a cadet can earn a spot on Wings of Blue as opposed to Wings of Green. How is a jump "judged"? What do they look for when they determine which cadets get to be on Wings of Blue?

I've also heard that it's pretty difficult to get a spot on the Flying Team without prior flying experience from this post https://goo.gl/SDnrQV and one commenter addressed that it's a lot of work to even stay on the flying team. What's your take on this, and how do cadets on the flying team balance their schedules? How do most candidates earn their PPLs before arriving at the academy, and how long does it usually take?

Thank you for your willingness to answer questions!
 
Hi everyone! I'm a 3* on the USAFA Precision Flying Team and I'd be happy to assist anyone interested in finding out more about the team. If you're interested, here's some information about us:

The Flying Team represents the Air Force Academy at regional and national powered flying competitions. The team trains Monday-Thursday after school for ground events like flight computer (whiz-wheel) accuracy, simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation (flight planning), and aircraft identification. Flying Team cadets go down to the airfield every other day to fly the T-41D (Cessna 172) and T-51A (Cessna 150). 3*s primarily work on building flying proficiency and getting certified to do the competition events (precision landing, navigation, and message drop), while 2*s and firsties work on perfecting their flying. The team practices message drop after school on Fridays and landings on some Saturdays. If you love general aviation, the Flying Team is an incredible opportunity to improve your flying skills, meet pilots from other schools, and represent USAFA at the national level. Tryouts for the team are only open to 4*s and you must have your private pilot's license before final tryout decisions are made in the second semester. Usually nine cadets are selected from each class.

Again, I'd be happy to answer questions about the team, general aviation, or how being involved in an airmanship program (Flying Team, soaring, Wings of Blue) affects cadet life on the hill.


Thank you for taking the time to answer any of our questions. Ever since I was a kid, I have always admired everything that had to do with Aviation. Being a part of a flying team would surely turn a dream into reality. If a appointed a cadet at USAFA this upcoming year, I would definitely look into getting involved. What is the process of becoming a team member on the flying team and or Soaring Aerobatic Team?
 
Something I've always been curious about is how a cadet can earn a spot on Wings of Blue as opposed to Wings of Green. How is a jump "judged"? What do they look for when they determine which cadets get to be on Wings of Blue?

I've also heard that it's pretty difficult to get a spot on the Flying Team without prior flying experience from this post https://goo.gl/SDnrQV and one commenter addressed that it's a lot of work to even stay on the flying team. What's your take on this, and how do cadets on the flying team balance their schedules? How do most candidates earn their PPLs before arriving at the academy, and how long does it usually take?

Thank you for your willingness to answer questions!

I don't know very much about the Wings of Green application process, but I imagine that the WoBs judge your attitude and willingness to learn during your summer period if you take jump. There's also a tryout day during the transition days before first semester 3* year. Regarding the Flying Team, it's definitely harder to get your PPL during 4* year, but it's certainly not impossible. I'm pretty sure that 3 current team members got their PPLs during 4* year. As you've heard, being on the team is a big commitment: we practice after school almost every day and flying takes a lot of your free periods during the school day. I would say that the time commitment is comparable to other advanced airmanship programs or IC sports. Staying on top of school is a matter of having good time management skills and being willing to stay up late and have less free time than others. If you're willing to take on this commitment, there's actually a couple ways that you can get a PPL. I got mine over the course of two years of on and off training at my local rural airport. One of my teammates got his in three weeks at a traditional flight school right before the start of basic. It depends on how much time you can devote to it. If you decide to get your PPL, you have to really want it. It's too expensive to not be 100% committed to it. I hope I answered your questions!

Thank you for taking the time to answer any of our questions. Ever since I was a kid, I have always admired everything that had to do with Aviation. Being a part of a flying team would surely turn a dream into reality. If a appointed a cadet at USAFA this upcoming year, I would definitely look into getting involved. What is the process of becoming a team member on the flying team and or Soaring Aerobatic Team?

For the Flying Team, applicants will take tryout tests during the first semester. The tests are based on the primary ground events that I mentioned before. Applicants who make the 3.0 GPA cutoff after the first semester move on to the essay and interview phase. After the interview, 15 4*s are chosen to start practicing with the team. This allows us to really judge their suitability for the team. Twelve people move on to the tryout flight. Finally, all tryout data is considered for making the final cut to 9.

I don't know as much about the aerobatic team, but I can give you some general guidance. First you must be selected to take soaring over the summer. After your summer fly period, there's an interview to get an instructor pilot slot. If selected for IP upgrade, you will spend your 3* year doing that. I'd imagine that selections for advanced soaring teams are some time during early second semester. Selections probably depend on your performance during your upgrade and your overall attitude. I hope that I answered your question!
 
USAFA_FT_2019: Do you happen to know approximately what percentage of USAFA cadets arrive with their PPL? Also, of those, how many 4*s try-out for the nine Flying Team slots (per class)? Thanks.
 
I don't know any exact numbers, but I would guess about 6-8% percent of each class has their PPL. On average 40-50 people try out for the Flying Team. It can vary a lot from year to year though. If you're interested in trying out, don't worry about who else is applying, just be the best that you can be.
 
Are the vision requirements for the Flying Team the same as the vision requirements in a class 1 flight physical or are they more lenient like a PPL?
 
The medical requirements are satisfied by a class 3 medical certificate (the one for a PPL). You have to meet Air Force standards to solo in other programs, but the Flying Team is an exception because we fly under the authority of a PPL.
 
Thanks for making this thread! Definitely highlights something I've known occurs at the academy but didn't know really anything about.

What type of things are covered in ground training? Is it just mission planning and systems knowledge? Are there classes and such or a GT guide on what trainees are responsible for knowing?

I'm considering obtaining my PPL as enlisted and applying via lead. Are the skills I've learned and continue to develop as a enlisted aviator applicable to the flying team? I have a really great resource being around so many qualified and excellent pilots right now, if you were in my position what sort of questions or skills would you try to learn from them in order to help succeed in this team?
 
Thanks for making this thread! Definitely highlights something I've known occurs at the academy but didn't know really anything about.

What type of things are covered in ground training? Is it just mission planning and systems knowledge? Are there classes and such or a GT guide on what trainees are responsible for knowing?

I'm considering obtaining my PPL as enlisted and applying via lead. Are the skills I've learned and continue to develop as a enlisted aviator applicable to the flying team? I have a really great resource being around so many qualified and excellent pilots right now, if you were in my position what sort of questions or skills would you try to learn from them in order to help succeed in this team?

During your first summer with the team you go through Initial Qualification Training (IQT). During IQT you learn how to fly the T-41D and get checked out to fly it solo. There is a lot of ground training during IQT. The upgrade pilots (trainees) are required to learn about aircraft systems, emergency procedures, local area procedures, regulations, and much more. It truly is like drinking through a fire hose. During the school year, ground training is focused on the competition ground events, but we do emergency procedure training about every two weeks.

Regarding your enlisted experience, any skills related to aircraft and aviation will help you out. If I were you, I would ask the officers around you about the Academy (if they went here) and being an officer in general. The officers around you came from a variety of commissioning sources, so try to learn about them all. If you want, PM me and I can send you the emails of some prior-enlisted cadets at the Academy who are doing different airmanship programs.
 
It's too bad you can't get on the team if you have a bad PFT or AFT, because according to the Flying Team the amount of push-ups you do is directly related to your flying ability...
 
It's too bad you can't get on the team if you have a bad PFT or AFT, because according to the Flying Team the amount of push-ups you do is directly related to your flying ability...

I'm not sure where you're getting that information from, because we absolutely do not believe that. My PFT is definitely at the lower end of cadet scores, but I still made the team. We have a PEA cutoff for tryouts because we have to be sure that team members don't go on athletic probation. If someone went on RECONDO, they wouldn't be able to compete or go to after school practices. If you want to discuss this more, please PM me.
 
Hi everyone! I'm a 3* on the USAFA Precision Flying Team and I'd be happy to assist anyone interested in finding out more about the team. If you're interested, here's some information about us:

The Flying Team represents the Air Force Academy at regional and national powered flying competitions. The team trains Monday-Thursday after school for ground events like flight computer (whiz-wheel) accuracy, simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation (flight planning), and aircraft identification. Flying Team cadets go down to the airfield every other day to fly the T-41D (Cessna 172) and T-51A (Cessna 150). 3*s primarily work on building flying proficiency and getting certified to do the competition events (precision landing, navigation, and message drop), while 2*s and firsties work on perfecting their flying. The team practices message drop after school on Fridays and landings on some Saturdays. If you love general aviation, the Flying Team is an incredible opportunity to improve your flying skills, meet pilots from other schools, and represent USAFA at the national level. Tryouts for the team are only open to 4*s and you must have your private pilot's license before final tryout decisions are made in the second semester. Usually nine cadets are selected from each class.

Again, I'd be happy to answer questions about the team, general aviation, or how being involved in an airmanship program (Flying Team, soaring, Wings of Blue) affects cadet life on the hill.


Thank you for the great information. My DD is trying out, and doing her best on the finals so she can make the cut.
 
Are girls allowed to try for a spot on the team? I just noticed, by chance, that there were no girls in the video! I'm wondering because that is something I would be interested in doing! :p
 
Are girls allowed to try for a spot on the team? I just noticed, by chance, that there were no girls in the video! I'm wondering because that is something I would be interested in doing! :p

Girls are absolutely allowed to try out for the team! But you're right, there currently aren't any girls on the team. The class of 2016 had one girl among their nine team members, but their class graduated last year. Historically, very few girls enter the academy with their PPLs, so not many enter the tryout process. Obviously, gender is not taken into consideration during the selection process. Selections are based purely on your performance and attitude.
 
Are girls allowed to try for a spot on the team? I just noticed, by chance, that there were no girls in the video! I'm wondering because that is something I would be interested in doing! :p

Ack! I really hate to see someone even asking that question in the 21st C. Surely women can try out, and as to who is chosen, let that be done by merit, and let the gender chips fall where they may.
 
Does membership of the Flight Team have any bearing on chances of getting into UPT?

I think that UPT selections are only based on class rank, but ENJJPT selections do factor in airmanship and flying hours. For reference, 6 out of the 9 firsties on the team are going to ENJJPT, and the other three are going to UPT. This is a nice perk, but it cannot be the only reason you want to be on the team. In order to succeed you have to be dedicated to improving yourself as an aviator in order to win competitions.
 
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