Chris's Short Lived
JSUPT Diary
Welcome to my failure!
Last updated on 2/20/03
Looking for gouge? Sorry I don't have any. Besides, who would want gouge from a guy who
didn't make it!
OK, seriously, I was in Joint
Specialized Pilot Training for a few short months, and what I am working on here is a
diary of my experiences and a few lessons learned that may interest you, or maybe help
with your approach. If your really need gouge, there will be a print shop or an outfit
near your UPT base with everything you need, ask the guys who are there and they will
know, heck, our instructors told us. But don't go overboard, remember, these things are
study aids, not replacements. And also, be aware, some of that stuff can be construed as
cheating and get you kicked out, so be smart.
So, let's get to what you really want. What happened to me? Well, how do you define
failure? In our society we are bred to be winners, if you aren't a winner, you’re a
loser. Certainly we are told that what matters is how you play the game, your attitude,
what we do, not how we do. We are told that winning isn't everything, but we are taught
that winning is the only thing. Having said that, why even write about coming up short? I
don’t know, maybe someone needs to show that your life isn’t over when you don't
make it, maybe it really is how you play the game. Maybe I just need to do this.
I graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in June of 2001. That same day, I was
commissioned a 2Lt in The US Air Force. This marked the next step in my military career,
which now spanned 10 years. I was assigned to casual status awaiting pilot training at
Offutt AFB, the same base I had served at two years before. I was assigned to the 343rd
for casual. Most of this info is on my BIO page.To start; no I am not biter about not
graduating pilot training. To be certain it was a frustrating experience and immensely
disappointing, but it wasn't meant to be. Also, I didn't get "screwed" by my
instructors or anything like that. I simply wasn't good enough to fly a military aircraft
in a manner needed by the USAF. My instructors did everything in their abilities to keep
me learning, and keep me in the program.
So if you are worried about making through UPT, let me share a little with you;
1. No one is out to get you at UPT. Yes, some instructors are tough, but if you try,
really really try, and keep a good attitude (and believe me, that is much harder than it
sounds) they will teach you.
2. No university or commissioning source will better prepare you than another to be a
military pilot. Sorry Zoo grads, but we lost an equal percentage of the crew from Colorado
Springs as we did OTS and ROTC.
3. Just because you are a pilot now, it doesn't mean squat. We had a CFI with 200 plus
hours wash out while I was there, and another guy from the naval academy with 0 hours and
a meteorology degree was one of our top folks.
4. As a good friend put it to me (who is flying KC-135s now) there are a few things that
will get you kicked out of UPT even if you try really hard. They are
A> Airsickness (see my tips I used to avoid that)
B> Flying Deficiencies (Bingo, we have a winner) i.e. you just can't fly
C> Medical disqualification
- Notice something about all of those? There is nothing you can do to avoid them, so don't worry about avoiding them. Instead you should concentrate on things you can control; good study habits, your attitude, and you ability to work in a team, because if you go at this as a lone wolf, you're done.
The bottom line; do you want to know if you're good enough to graduate UPT? Well there is only one way, go to UPT. And I am telling you this, I love my job now, I am actually glad I am not a pilot, but if you think you want to go, then go. Nothing will test you more, nothing will challenge you more, and nothing will give you the same experiences. You simply cannot compare it to anything in the world. If you have a chance, go to UPT and fly, pass or fail, you won't regret it.
Thanks for visiting my page.
if you have suggestions or questions, feel free to email me at mentalward@cox.net. Below
is a flight by flight diary of what I experienced at the controls of a T-37 in JSUPT at
Vance AFB. Please be patient, this is a work in progress and it it taking me a little time
working through these.
The JSUPT page In the Beginning.. On the Flightline....... Avoiding Airsickness ....
So here it is, summed up in a few flights and a handful of sims, kinda depressing when I see it laid out so simply, so small, so short. I only made it a few flights after solo. But if it helps anyone or entertains anyone, then maybe it was worth it Sim 1 Sim 2 Flight 1 Sim 3 Flight 2 Flight 3 Flight 4 Flight 5 Sim 4 Sim 5 Flight 6 Flight 7 Sim 6 Flight 8 Flight 9 Flight 10 Sim7 Sim 8 Flight 11 Flight 12 Sim 9 Flight 13 Flight14 Sim 10 Flight 15 Flight 16 Flight 17 Flight 18 Flight 19 Flight 20 Flight 21 Flight 22 Flight 23 Flight 24 Flight 25 Flight 26 Flight 27 Flight 28
