FAQ
I finally got a question! Here it is, along with the answer.
Q: How long does pilot training take?
A: Good question! Here is the answer: My understanding right now is about two years, give or take. A student spends roughly one month in academics, learning basic navigation, aviation weather, and Tweet (T-37) systems. Then he or she spends five months doing both academics and hands-on learning in the Tweet. When they are "Tweet complete," then they "track select." This is where they find out what career path they will take as a pilot. At this point I want to fly fighters, so I'm hoping to track into the T-38. Once there, a student will spend a few weeks learning T-38 (for example) systems, followed by five months in the T-38. After this, they will be assigned a particular aircraft, such as the F-16 or the F-15E, etc. Shortly thereafter they graduate from Undergraduate pilot training and receive their Air Force wings. After that, one moves to a different base for the final year of training, which is again composed of a mix of academics and time in the aircraft. All aircrew members must attend both land and water survival courses at some point, and prospective fighter pilots must also attend and pass a six-week Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF) class prior to their year in their fighter unit. So in about two years, more or less, one goes from a newbie to the best pilot in the world. I will document as much of this process as I am able to / feel is appropriate.
Q: What are they telling you about the war?
A: Almost nothing. 99.9% of the information I'm getting about the war is coming from Fox News, and the other 0.1% that we may hear "around the water cooler" is either rumor or else tends to show up on Fox News an hour later anyway. So... if you watch Fox News, you know as much as I do.
Q: Did you fix "Week 9 yet?" What happened there?
A: Yes, I fixed it. I really don't know what happened. I heard there was a problem with it and when I looked at the directory listing, the file was gone altogether. So I re-uploaded it. Sorry about that!
Got a question? Mail me.