Hey WAFs! Let’s be real, when my husband first got his pilot slot we were excited but nervous as anyone would be for a new adventure. My husband has been assigned to Laughlin AFB in little ol’ Del Rio, Texas to attend Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT; most people just refer to it as UPT). I had absolutely no clue what I was getting myself into as his spouse.
This post is all about my experience as a student pilot spouse, but I want you to know that everyone’s experience is different depending on many variables. One big example of this is our experience being based off of the “old syllabus for UPT”, the Air Force changed the syllabus right after my husband graduated from UPT. So, those of you that are just prepping to start this new adventure might notice some differences in how things are done.
WHAT IS UPT?
This is the Air Force’s pilot training and is just short of a year long. Getting a pilot slot is pretty difficult due to all the requirements and medical tests, but if your spouse has been given a slot they will have to complete UPT prior to starting their pilot adventure with the AF.
HOW CAN YOU GET IN?
There are three “standard” ways to get a pilot slot: 1) attend the Air Force Academy 2) be in ROTC during college or 3) attend Officer Training School (OTS). If you are National Guard or Reserve, you apply to different units until you get selected. The way my husband got his pilot slot was going the OTS route.
This is the less common route compared to ROTC or the Academy. In late 2015, my husband started talking to a recruiter because he wanted to change his career after pursuing IT. After a lot of meetings with his recruiter and taking a lot of tests, he earned a pilot slot. He went to OTS in September of 2016 and headed to UPT in December 2016. He actually didn’t start UPT until May 2017.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU GET A UPT SPOT?
Your spouse will go through Initial Flight Training (IFT). IFT is located in Pueblo, Colorado and the training is about a month long. Basically they train you how to fly a plane the way the Air Force would like you to fly their planes. If your spouse has their private pilot license (PPL) they are not required to attend this training. Once this training is complete, you will begin UPT.
WHERE DOES UPT HAPPEN?
There are 4 training bases: Vance AFB in Enid Oklahoma, Columbus AFB in Columbus Mississippi, Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas and Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, Texas. Sheppard is the only one of these bases that is slightly different, mainly because it’s primarily used for European pilots. Obviously each base has it’s pros and cons, but the general training requirements should be the same at each spot.
WHAT DOES UPT TRAINING LOOK LIKE?
There are 3 main phases to UPT (remember I’m operating under the old syllabus, so some of this might have changed).
Phase 1
This part consists of multiple classes a day learning the basic skills to fly a plane. This phase can be a little intimidating because it’s a lot of information thrown their way. I’ve heard people describe it as trying to take a drink out of a firehose. During this phase they are gone like normal work hours but it’s not consistent. For example, some days they are home by 2pm and other days they could be home at 6pm. It just depends on what classes/tests they have that day. Most of the time they are allowed to come home for lunch. They do require a decent amount of alone time to study but not as much as Phase 2.
Phase 2
This is when they start doing simulated flights (SIMS) and flights in the T-6. The work days are 12 hours long and they don’t get to come home for lunch, so I recommend making them their lunch. They don’t take too many written tests during this time. The phase also consists of a lot of studying and “chair flying”. They will receive a poster of the plane’s cockpit and it’s best to put it on the wall where they study.
Chair flying is where they sit in a chair and pretend to fly the plane and go through all their checklists and calls. It helps them study for when they are actually in the plane. It can be stressful for them because they are put under a lot of pressure to not only learn how to fly a plane quickly but to fly it well. They will typically fly 2-3 times a week.
Eventually they will solo which is really exciting, because it means that their instructor pilot (IP) trusts them to fly the plane by themselves. You are able to go down the flight line and see them fly and also get pictures with them. Near the end of Phase 2 they will track. This means they will either go to heavies or fighters (T-1’s or T-38’s). Not sure what I mean by track, check out this post on the blog that talks all about it!
Phase 3
During phase 3, they will continue their flying education based upon what plane that they tracked. The lifestyle between T-38’s and T-1’s are completely different. T-1’s is often referred to as more “laid back”. They typically only fly once maybe twice a week, so my husband’s class didn’t have 12 hour days but remember it can be different for every class depending on scheduling, weather, etc. They also have a flying partner, so instead of it just being the student and the IP, there are two students and one IP in the plane. T-38’s seems to be a lot more intense, with pretty consistent 12 hour days until they graduate.They are also flying almost every single day.
DREAM SHEET? DROP NIGHT? WHHHHAT?
Once you come near the end of UPT, depending on what plane your spouse has tracked they will make a “dream sheet.” T-1 side gets a drop sheet which is a list of planes that are available and T-38 side does not receive a drop sheet, they make a list of planes and bases they would like. Why is it like that? I literally have no idea. I’ve asked so many times and people just say it’s always been that way.
Anyway, once you’ve made your dream sheet your IPs and flight commander choose what plane you will fly. (This is for active duty only, if you are National Guard or Reserve, you already know what plane and base you have).
Drop night is assignment night. This is where your spouse finds out their plane and base. It’s a really big deal because you literally have no idea what you are getting and you find out the same time as everyone else does in the room. This is probably my favorite event to attend on base.
Nothing I say can prepare you for this moment as a spouse or family member, except for the fact that it is a very surreal moment. One assignment that you’ll hear pretty often is first assignment instructor pilot (FAIP). FAIP is where you stay at your training base and become an IP. This assignment is about 4 years long. You can be a FAIP for any plane (T-6, T-1 or T-38).
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOUR SPOUSE DROPS?
A couple weeks after drop night there will be the official graduation ceremony where they will receive their wings. After that, it all depends on the place and plane they received. My husband is currently at Pilot Initial Qualification (PIQ) at Altus AFB in Altus, Oklahoma. This training is normally 4-5 months long. If your spouse is assigned to KC-135’s or C-17’s, they will go to this base.
After PIQ, you will move to your next base. If your spouse receives a fighter, they have to go to Initial Fighter Fundamentals (IFF) and then they will go to their follow on training, which is called B-course. Depending on which plane they received determines what bases they will move to for B-course.
B-course is normally about 8 months long depending on the plane. After that training they will receive their base that they will be stationed at for the next 3 years or so. Also, something I didn’t mention is that your spouse will have to attend SERE at some point. The time they go is different for everyone or if they have already done that training they don’t have to go again. Normally heavies is after their follow on training but fighters it can be at anytime after graduation.
ARE YOU ABLE TO GO ON VACATION DURING UPT?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. You cannot take any leave unless it’s for your own wedding, you/or your spouse has a baby or someone in your immediate family has passed. So we really take advantage of those 3 day weekends and holidays because those are the only extra days they have off. With that being said, they do get longer breaks for the holidays because of that. For Christmas they almost get two weeks off. There’s almost a 3 day weekend every month too. Which is nice for weekend trips.
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