Originally Posted by
yeargab
BS!
I think you'll find not many here share your opinion.
Just to be clear, I never said "zero hours". I said if a PPL makes him more competitive, that's the most he should do. He is a candidate for an internal hire at his own reserve unit, so if they want him to go, he'll go.
There's not a Guard or Reserve unit out there that's going to require anyone to complete a 141 training program to be considered for a pilot slot. PPL? Sure, why not. It's probably a good way for him to put his toe in the water and decide if he really has any aptitude for it.
If he doesn't pass his medical or doesn't get the pilot slot, then he can spend all his GI bill money and go into big debt if he wants to keep pursuing an aviation career on the civilian side (assuming he can get a class-1 from the FAA). If he doesn't make it through UPT, he can decide if spending all that dough is his next step or take a different path altogether.
Originally Posted by
yeargab
I gaurentee lots of civ time will give you an advantage in UPT during Phase I and II.
No. You really can't guarantee that. If it helped you... great.
But, everyone is different. A large percentage of pilots I flew the F-15 with were zero or low hour students when they went to UPT. They excelled, were distinguished grads and went on to be great Eagle drivers. Others had lots of hours and did just as well. But the first guy to wash out of my UPT class was a CFII with a ton of civilian time. Another guy was a 3000 hour commercial pilot, ended up at the bottom of the barrel and he was lucky to graduate with a set of wings. So, in my opinion, it's much more dependent on the person and their aptitude, work ethic, etc. than getting lots of non-mil flying time before UPT.
Originally Posted by
yeargab
It’s RIDICULOUS to suggest that too much civ time will make UPT more difficult and you’ll just have to unlearn things. That’s like saying going the military route to airlines will just make things more difficult because when you get to 121 you’ll have to unlearn things. Everyone knows about negative transfer but more perspective is always better.
No. It's really not like saying that at all.
One is a pilot with 10 years or more of aviation experience making a transition to employment in another aviation field. The other is a student pilot attempting to build basic foundational skills in a unique military training environment. Mil to civilian is not the same thing as civilian to mil.
Again - it depends on the individual. Don't discount the power of habits and training "muscle memory". Some pilots have a great deal of trouble relearning skills in a new way.
I think the bottom line here is - if someone needs to spend 5-figures and get a bunch of ratings to make it through UPT, they probably need to find another line of work than being a mil pilot. It's not a kinder, gentler civilian training program where if you have enough time and money, you can get enough "do-overs" until you make it through. Although, who knows? - if the USAF is hurting enough for pilots maybe it'll turn into that. Let's hope not.