Every FAIP I knew when I was in UPT has left the Air Force. Every FAIP I knew that came to my active duty unit from UPT has left the Air Force.

My point was that as a FAIP, you meet the airline minimums very early on and in doing so, they build PIC time (or in case of a fighter guy more quality PIC time) faster than everyone else.

-Fatty

Just go to "Hollywood" and all you're bad memories will disappear.

-Fatty

It sounds like making FAIPs might not be in the best interest of the AF :)
Why do you consider the UPT PIC time higher quality time than MWS PIC?

USMCFLYR

Man those were the days. I fondly remember as a new guy being told how much this sucks and the ESIDS were where it's at. I'll always remeber those days drinking more than I probably should at O'Dwyers and eating a big ol Doner to top the night off. If you haven't been there lately, the entire base has been leveled by the Germans. A couple buildings are there but, the stage building is no more.

I know a few FAIPs still in, but had no idea that so many left.

Far as the PIC time, not sure I understand his intent either, but I'll make a stab at it. In 3 years of FAIPing I got 1500 hours, majority IP with the rest primary. No secondary, no other. Went MWS and upgraded through AC and IP quickly, minimized sec/other time. If you compared me to a homegrown guy, they spent the years I was logging IP time logging a lot of sec/other.

So it's not that FAIP PIC is better, you just get more of it faster.

Don't take anything what I said as a recommendation. I think there's huge benefit to being a Copilot and growing up in an airplane. I also think FAIPing solely to build hours in some ten year plan... I just don't think that leads to happiness.

To piggy back on some of these posts I think the desire to FAIP rests on your career goals and if your're on APC you most likely want to go commercial sometime. I'm a Guard guy but one of my best AD friends FAIP'd T-1s, built over 1k PIC, got paid to leave the AF and got on w/ SWA. Call him lucky or smart and obviously not a career dude but that has to be about the quickest way to a Major Airline. Even if you are a career dude, I understand you usually have a good chance of flying your MWS of choice after FAIPing.

I'm currently a FAIP and this is NOT true!!! At least not these days.

Really? Sorry to hear that. Do you not still do a wishlist of 3 MWS's? How does it work now?

I thought I would throw this out there....

The wait at Army Flight school is about 8 months to start. Kind of a lot like being on casual status for you Flight-Level Flyers. When asked, a lot of the answers to the problems was an IP shortage. I am thinking about piping up about the Army doing some type of FAIP program to minimize the wait and get operational pilots to a unit.

Out of a class of 26, I would say 4 would be FAIP'd after tracking to teach in either their MWS or the trainer since LSI has such a hard time filling IP slots.

Thoughts? Anyone heard of the Army trying this in the past?

To Faip or not to faip?? Been there, done that, have all the T-shirts, especially from hooks. My absolute favorite assignment and gave me over 1K hrs jet instr time. (never hurts) I was you 10 years ago (Am I really that old) and found it to be an outstanding assignment. After reading all these posts, the best advice that I can give is set your priorities. If family is #1, awesome! Do not let someone tell you otherwise, hold your ground! No one here can re-arrange "your" priorities. Do whats best for you and your family right now. The Air Force changes everyday, and does not Keep it's word on future promises... if you take this assigment, then etc. If you try and game the system this way, you'll get bitten! Continue to research with this pool of wide range aviators and make the decision that fits best with your goals. Thanks for your service!!!