Superfly7XAF
Well-Known Member
I finally commissioned last Friday and now headed to UPT!
New butterbar here
- Thread starter Superfly7XAF
- Start date
Orange Anchor
New Member
Congratulations. What UPT base and when?
Webb AFB.
Orange Anchor
New Member
It is going to be a class of 1 if he goes to Webb.
If you want to get a bit melancholy, head back to your UPT base and think of the first day, the first time the class got together and then come to today. Lots of guys gone. Lots of dreams realized and some dashed.
To quote Seuss, 'Oh the places you will go..."
were I to offer a bit of advice I would say focus like a laser on finishing at the top. If a sim is open and you can get in it, do it. If a flight is available and you can fly it, do it. The first assignment often sets the tone for the rest of your career.
This is not to say don't have fun and don't enjoy the experience. Do. But never lose sight of the goal and that is to be at a point where you have *choices* when it comes to first assignment. Maybe thing have changed. But I doubt it.
I love it! Was seeing if you'd catch that....
When I was driving back from Albama, I stopped in Selma and in Big Spring, TX to take pics of the former Craig and Webb AFBs, respectively. Interesting what they've become.
Orange Anchor
New Member
Big Spring, the last time I was through there, was a medium security prison. The O'Club was a senior citizen center. The base housing was low income gov subsidized housing. The 'museum' housed a Marine Harrier (??) and part of the base had been turned into a truck park.I love it! Was seeing if you'd catch that....
When I was driving back from Albama, I stopped in Selma and in Big Spring, TX to take pics of the former Craig and Webb AFBs, respectively. Interesting what they've become.
We recently lost our class commander after a long bout with cancer. Nice guy who came to UPT after doing a tour as a nav in A-26s up and down the Trail. And we continue to lose guys. We have been unsuccessful in getting a class reunion together and a project to just record some events like ribbons, medals, type ratings and total hours flown.
I can't remember my first jet hop but I can remember my first solo in the -37. As I turned out of the pattern the sun was just right so BOTH fire warning lights appeared to illuminate. BOTH. Being the sharp stud, I just decided to look the other way for a few seconds. With the turn the sun pattern shifted and the lights went out. It was probably another :45 before I got the seat cushion out of my ass.
I was fortunate in that I had two GREAT instructors in UPT and I also had a number of emergencies including engine fires, failures, hyd failures, fuel tank collapse in the -37. Fortunately with the exception of 1 event I was always with the GREAT instructors and I got to see how they handled the events in a very calm, methodical, proficient and professional way. It really impressed me and even today I can think back to those two guys and be thankful their handling of the situations helped me later handle engine shut downs, hyd failures, etc. I gathered up a little over 20k flying because of their examples. I just hope SuperFly7AX is equally fortunate.
Superfly7XAF
Well-Known Member
Another new A1C of the officer ranks.......
Good work!
What are your UPT desires track/aircraft wise? Can't remember if you're ARC or AD.
I think A1C is giving me too much credit :laff:. I'm AD and headed to Vance AFB. I'd like to track -38s, -16s after that would be nice but I'll fly anything. Just glad to be done with OTS, now if I can just get all my crap to Vance successfully I'll be happy.
pntbllr233
Pilot
So you're going to be part of the bunch that comes down to OKC? They were down here Sunday in the -38 and put on a good show for us since our day was pretty slow with Frontier. I see the Texans at PWA a lot, but not so much OKC.
Hacker15e
Who am I? Where are my pants?
This was an oddball weekend based on the snowfall over the last several weeks, and the need to make up those lost days.
pntbllr233
Pilot
Were you one of them down her on Sunday? I saw one of them fly along the deck and pull up towards the end of the runway (Viking, right?). He rolled out to the west after a bit, but it was awesome to see from that close (if gate 2 is even that close).
Hacker15e
Who am I? Where are my pants?
pntbllr233
Pilot
I thought I heard someone say that a Viking is a maneuver that an aircraft performs on takeoff when it flys a few feet off the ground and then pulls way up when at the end of the runway. The guy in OKC was about 50' off the ground and stayed that low until he got to the end of the runway. He pulled way back and shot up for a bit before rolling off to the west. It was an awesome.
Hacker15e
Who am I? Where are my pants?
Well...there's not really a term for that.
It could be a "closed pull-up", which is just basically a climbing turn to inside downwind...or it could be the precursor to an "unrestricted climb", which is that dramatic nose-high climb up to a higher-than-normal altitude after takeoff (which requires you to keep the jet low and accelerate to pretty fast in order to allow the climb).
Never heard of anything like that called 'viking' though.
Orange Anchor
New Member
There is, or at least there was, a Viking Departure for the fighters (F-15 and F/A-18) coming off the McDoug line in St. Louis. It was a vertical departure and at some altitude the fighter would contact departure and continue a 'normal' climb to the enroute altitude.