Well, I knew I was one of the old ones but... started UPT at Webb in DEC '67.
Was in D class so it was an eclectic class.. the guys who graduated early and the ones who graduated late. We had a real mixed bag of majors from electrical engineering to philosophy.
Those with time got a short course in the T-41 and the ones with no time got about 10hrs more. We called the T-41 the 'washing machine' because it washed out the majority of our year's losses. Some couldn't fly. Some found they didn't want to fly. Some couldn't keep up with the pace. Instructors were mostly civilian except for a few USAF officers monitoring the program.
We got 90hrs in the T-37 and we had all types of instructors. Mine was a great guy, later killed in an A-1 in Vietnam. I also flew a few times with a black instructor, also a great guy but one of the few on base at that time.. he also was later killed but in an F-111 with a sys failure. I also flew with one fat, screamer that I also remember this many years later.
We got 120hrs in the -38 and many of the instructors were returnees from SEAsia including -105, -100 and other fighters. Again, great instructor initially and later transferred to a pre-mature balding, sarcastic jerk who thought he was the greatest fighter pilot who never flew fighters.
The course was tight. Pink a ride and you got a second chance. Pink again and you got to talk to the training officer. Pink one more and you faced the Flight Evaluation Board (FEB). We lost a few in the -37 and about 4 in the -38. Started with about 90.. finished w slightly over 50.
Academics were more heavily weighted that flight scores so it was possible to be a genius with stones fists and graduate near the top. Our block had fighters -100s, F-4s, F-101s, F-102, A-1, F-105) , trash haulers ( C-7, C-130, C-123, EC/AC-47s, C-133, C-141), FAC jobs (O-1s, O-2s) but none in SAC or ATC. We even had an RB-47 in Japan but it was cancelled.
Lost more than a few in Vietnam, Laos and more than a few have passed away since. It, and the year FACing was some of the best flying I ever did.