For those of you who don't know much about Air Force pilot training, I have tried to summarize the program on this page. First of all, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) is approximately 1 year in length and is divided up into three phases called Phase I, II and III accordingly. Phase I is 6 weeks long in which the time is spent in the classroom doing ground school and learning all there is to know about the first trainer flown in Phase II. Part of this includes learning how the ejection seat works, how to parachute by doing some parasailing behind a truck (sounds fun!!) and understanding the effects of altitude on a person without Oxygen. You gotta be ready to hit the flight line running! At this point, the Air Force is flying two primary trainers in Phase II, the T-37 Tweet and the T-6 Texan II. The T-6 will has almost completely phased out the T-37 because it's been around since the 50's. So, depending on which training base a pilot is assigned to determines which plane they'll be flying.
As Phase II draws to a close at the end of about week 30, each student will "track select" and head into Phase III. This process determines which track each student pilot will take for the next 24 weeks, and is dependent upon a few things. First, each student fills out their "dream sheet" listing in order of priority which trainer they want to fly next. This will either be the T-38 Talon for the fighter/bomber route, the T-1 Jayhawk for the cargo/tanker route, the T-44 Pegasus for the C-130 route or the UH-1H Huey for the helicopter route. Phase II for the helicopter guys takes place at Ft. Rucker, AL, and for the C-130 guys at Corpus Christi, TX. Second, the rank of each student in the class is taken into account and is based upon how they're doing in the classroom and in the air. Those who have been kicking butt in the classroom and flying great in the air will be at the top and have a better chance of getting their first choice. I've also heard there is another factor...instructor input. If they like you, they'll be more willing to "go to bat" and help you pursue your dreams.
The process at the end of Phase III is similar to that of Phase II where another "dream sheet" is filled out and the class ranking and instructor input are taken into account. This time the order of priority is for which platform the student wants to fly for the rest of their time in the Air Force...there may be a chance to fly a different aircraft later on of course. For those who fly the T-38, there are five fighter jets currently being flown and three bombers. They are the A-10 Thunderbolt, the F-15C Eagle, the F-15E Strike Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the F-22 Raptor. The F-22 is already replacing the F-15C and the F-35 Lightning II will begin to replace the F-16 around 2012. Overall each of these planes has it's own specific mission, or in other words was designed with a specific purpose (i.e. air-to-air, air-to-ground, close-air-support). The bombers include the B-1 Lancer, the B-2 Spirit (Stealth Bomber), and the B-52 Stratofortress. The F-117 Stealth Fighter has been retired. If the T-1 track is taken there are also a number of cargo and tanker planes out there, although not as many. These include the C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III, the C-21, the KC-10 Extender and the KC-135 Stratotanker. The C-5 and C-17 are the cargo planes, the C-21 is a "bigwig" taxi for Generals, and the KC-10 and KC-135 are the tankers.
For those that track into flying C-130s, there are many different models they can fly once finished at in TX. The AC-130H/U Gunship is one of them, which is used for special ops type missions. Overall I think there are around 4-5 different models equipped for different missions. After completion of the Huey track, there are a few different helicopters they can fly once finished at Ft. Rucker. These choices include the HH-60 Pave Hawk, MH-53 Pave Low and the UH-1N Huey.
What track do I have hopes of getting you ask?! Well, I first want to say that I will not be dissappointed with flying any of the aircraft for the best Air Force in the world! But, if I had my dream this is what track I'd like (at this point...it may change as I talk to pilots and find out more of what the lifestyle is with each plane). T-6, T-38, F-15 or F-16, and then if I'm fortunate enough either the F-22 or F-35. A lot of that will depend on if I end up doing something like Test Pilot School down the road. So, there you have it...altogether I can plan on 2-3 years until I'm a fully operational Air Force pilot flying the friendly blue skies. That includes Water Survival Training in Pensecola, FL and Combat Survival Training out in Seattle, WA. Whenever you guys think of it, keep me in your prayers as I go through this. It's going to be some of the most memorable years of my life and the hardest. I'm glad I have this awesome opportunity to serve the USAF like this, and I hope I can make a positive difference...GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
Added Nov 2008:
Sadly, I have to added a little more to the SUPT process...I'm not exactly sure how it's working, but I do know guys are now getting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) directly from pilot training. The three types of UAVs possible are the Global Hawk, Predator and Reaper. Again, I don't know how it's all working, but be prepared for this. If you work your tail off in pilot training, you should be ok!
