quote:
Originally posted by TracyGeest:
I know about the qualifications and so on. I was wondering after you graduate from college and go do your training. How does the typical pilot training schedule go. So far I have heard pilot training takes 2 years? Is this included in your 10 year commitment? Also you go to CO to train for 6 weeks in a KATANA to get your private pilot. correct? Where does it go from there? Obvisiously you get choosen to fly an airplane/jet. How is the training devided? Such as 6 weeks, CO. 3 months training at Luke, AFB to be an F-16 pilot and so forth until you get to the point of going to first duty station?
If you get a pilot slot in ROTC, you'll commission, and then you will go to Colorado for IFS where you will not get yuour private, but 25 hours in a Katana. Its called IFS, and is a screening program to see if they think you'll be able to handle pilot training. From there you go to your training base after anywhere from a few months to a year of casual working such glamerous jobs as snack-o.
Once you start pilot training, there are 3 phases. Phase 1 is academics and is 6 weeks long. You basically learn about flying in books. Then you start phase 2, which is 12 hour days 5 days a week, at least at first, for 4.5 months in the T-6A. At the end of phase 2 you track select into either T-38's *fighters/bombers*, T-1's *heavies*, T-44's *C-130's*, or UH-1's *helo's*, based on how well you did and what everyone in your class wanted. Phase 3 is 6 months long of training in one of those 4 airframes.
At the end of phase 3 you earn your wings, and then you are assigned an airplane based on which track you went and how well you did. You then go to learn your particular aircraft for 3-6 months, unless you went fighters, where you will first have to do IFF, or introduction to fighter fundamentals. So heavies you will spend 1.5-2 years training to fly, fighters you will spend 2-2.5 years learning to fly.
Your 10 year service commitment starts the day you graduate from phase 3.
