Hi WAFs! I’m MyKenzie and my husband and I are at Naval Air Station Pensacola while he completes Undergraduate CSO Training. We have been here for about a year and a half, and we have about six months to go before moving to the next duty station and phase of training.
I want to first note that my experience has been different than most new WAFs! First of all, we’re currently stationed on a Navy base, which operates a lot differently than an Air Force base. Second, COVID has changed the training pipeline and the way things are done. Third, every track is unique. My husband is a WSO (Weapon Systems Officer), so his schedule and training looks very different from some of the other tracks, but I’ll get to that!
WHAT IS UCT? WHAT IS A CSO?
UCT stands for Undergraduate Combat Systems Officer (CSO) Training. A CSO is an aircrew member on a number of different multicrew aircraft and may be responsible for a variety of tasks such as electronic warfare, weapons systems or navigation. The only training base for this job is on NAS Pensacola and Air Force personnel make up a small fraction of the base’s overall population. UCT is typically about 11 months, depending on track and airframe. The tracks include Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO), Navigator (NAV), Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) and Special Operations (SO). Students split into these tracks in the first phase of training.
PRIMARY PHASE
In the Primary Phase of UCT, students learn the basic principles of aviation such as aerodynamics, navigation, weather, and basic flight rules. Students proceed through relevant academics and practice in flight simulators. Toward the end of the primary phase, students move to the flight line, begin flying the T-6, and settle on an EWO or Non-EWO track.
INTERMEDIATE PHASE
EWO’s will go on to do a handful of flights in the T-1, followed by more academics and simulators before being assigned to an airframe. Those who selected Non-EWO continue in the T-6, where they learn how to fly visual low levels and instrument flying. At the end of this phase, they track NAV, WSO, or SO.
ADVANCED PHASE
Those who tracked NAV and SO will begin an assortment of academics and simulations as well as eight flights in the T-1 before receiving their airframe. WSOs also undergo academic and simulation training, but have 16 flights in the T-1 before finding out their airframe at drop night.
WHAT IS DROP NIGHT?
If you’ve read Alexis’ “A Day in the Life: Undergraduate Pilot Training Student” post, you’ll have a good idea of what drop night is like.
Students fill out a dream sheet where they list the planes available in their track in order preference. When the big night arrives, airframe assignments are revealed. Before COVID, drop nights were big events where family and friends, as well as other UCT students would join to watch the drop. Some 2020 classes chose to conduct drop night completely virtually, while some settled on small, in-person events with only classmates and immediate family members in attendance.
While COVID has changed the way drop nights are conducted, it has not taken away from the excitement in the room when your spouse finds out their airframe!
WHAT’S NEXT?
After finding out their assigned airframe at drop night, most students undergo “top-off training” at NAS Pensacola before graduating, receiving their wings and heading off to their next training bases. Students assigned to fighters must attend Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF), a three month training program at one of several bases.
At some point before or after UCT, all students must also attend SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) training.
WHAT WILL MY SPOUSE’S SCHEDULE LOOK LIKE?
I wish I had a more concrete answer to this question, but unfortunately the duration of training and day-to-day schedules vary wildly. Some students graduate UCT in nine months, and some are here for two years or more. Some classes have a break between phases, and some do not.
Their day to day schedule varies between phases, and even just day to day. Some days your spouse will be in the training squadron all day, engaged in academics, simulations, or preparing for flights. Other days, your spouse will be at home, but busy studying or preparing for a flight. On other occasions your spouse could be home for extended periods without any specific duties to attend to. Even during lulls in training, leave is not typically allowed. Students who must take leave due to illness or a family emergency may be held back and enrolled in a later class. However, students do get a nice break over the holidays (making longer trips possible), and there are many three-day weekends to take advantage of!
The 479th Student Squadron has an amazing spouse network that I highly recommend you participate in! They have a newcomers orientation for spouses that really helps describe what to expect, as well as how to reach out for help if you need it. UCT is very demanding, often being described as a “firehose of information,” and the spouse community is full of individuals going through the same process as you who can help you and your family cope.
MEET MYKENZIE
