Go Skydive Nashville loses dive instructor

We’d been trying to catch up on the flying hour program, and were triple-turning two days a week, the flight schedule for those being 10 x 10 x 8, or three turns of 5 sections, then 5 sections, then 4 sections, the same crews flying all three turns and rolling through the hot fuel pits between turns. It was somewhat brutal and fatiguing.

If you asked the JO's today to fly this kind of schedule, they'd probably go on strike. I did get scheduled for and fly a fly-pit-fly a few weeks ago, and that was a lot more than I've done in a long time. 5 hrs in the seat, and two BVR-WVR/BFM sorties on each end. Used to kinda be the norm, or at least whenever the FY flight hour program was drawing to a close, as you mention. Don't think my butt could handle the 10+ in the seat required of OEF/OIR ATO lines, or even the 3-4 event yo-yo (or 2 cycle full) tanker lines we used to fly organically, anymore. But I will say that a fly-pit-fly-pit-fly would seriously test my attention to detail on that last/3rd sortie. That's a long day, no matter how accustomed to it you've become. Especially if its hot, and the flying is dynamic. Or you're no longer a 28 yr old Captain/LT.
 
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