Okay so I'm giving this blog idea a try. For those of you new to this website, you can check it whenever you want to see my status as I progress through pilot training. You can also leave a comment for any post that I make. Before I get into the details of where I am at and what I'm doing, I'll tell you about where I've come from.
I am half way down the road to earning pilot wings. The first phase of training was completed in the T-6 Texan II (pictured below). Myself and 26 other students flew this trainer learning all the basics of flying including instruments, navigation, low-level, and formation.
Once completing training in the T-6, we progress on to an advanced phase of training where you fly an aircraft more closely suited to the aircraft you'll be flying in the Air Force. There are four ways you can go. Each path and its corresponding trainer is shown below.
If you want to fly fighters or bombers, the T-38 "Talon" is what you want. It's a high speed supersonic trainer that is kind of like the Corvette of the Air Force.
The students wanting to fly airlift and tankers hop into a T-1 "Jayhawk." It's bigger, heavier, and carries more than just two people.
Students desiring to fly C-130s will head down to Corpus Christi, TX to fly the T-44 with the Navy. This airplane is also larger and heavier and is a twin-engine propeller driven aircraft similar to the C-130.
Finally, for the students who want helicopters, there is the UH-1N "Huey." This is the same helicopter that was flown in Vietnam, however, it is a newer model.
So there you have it, four different tracks, four different aircraft. This is the point where I currently stand in training. I've been fortunate to have been selected for helicopters, so the next big thing on my agenda is making a long drive from Enid, Oklahoma to Daleville, Alabama. For you military folks, that's a PCS from Vance AFB, OK to Fort Rucker, AL. I'll be sure to make a post about my road trip.
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