Maybe you’ve heard people talk about “Drop Nights” – maybe not – and now it’s your pilot’s turn to find out where the USAF will take your relationship/family next! So, what is it exactly?! Drop Night is a celebratory night towards the end of pilot training where the UPT student finds out what plane and assignment location they earned in the graduating class and in typical AF fashion…they reveal this drop by hosting a big ol’ party!
Before we get started, make sure you’ve read our Track Select Quick Guide so you’re up to speed on what has happened during pilot training so far.
Leading up to Drop Night
There are some decisions to be made and of course, they’re different for pilots dropping from the T-38 track vs. pilots dropping from the T-1 track. Here are the differences:
- T-38 pilots get to rank their preferred picks from the entire USAF inventory of planes (the entire inventory = fighters, bombers + cargo planes).
- T-1 pilots are given a list of available planes and accompanying base locations to rank their preferred picks from (typically these available planes are cargo and sometimes bombers).
These rank order lists can take a lot of time and thought, and by the time Drop Night rolls around, you have probably had endless conversations with your military member to weigh all the possibilities of what your life will look like at each of the bases and in each of the planes.
NO, not all planes are the same as far as mission length and deployment. We are jumping a little ahead of ourselves but we want to say that if you are struggling with this decision because the lifestyle of one plane sounds better than the other…check out our “Day in the Life” posts highlighting many different airframes from the perspective of another WAF! At the end of the day, you will make it work and there are a lot of supportive WAFs out there that will help the transition!
These completed lists are given to the commander and then you wait. Behind-the-scenes, leadership is working off of the same type of pilot rank structure we talked about in the Track Select Quick Guide and starting to match each pilot to a plane on their rank order list.
What To Wear
Drop Night is a bigger deal than track select. Your pilot’s family might attend if they can travel to be there and multiple other classes/peers will be there in support. Plan on not attending this event with your significant other, s/he will be with their class most of the day. Most milsos will have some sort of communication leading up to this day to organize group T-shirts, photo buttons, or a general theme for the party! We loved participating in the group effort to dress in theme, it’s been fun to look back on pictures that we girls took together at the beginning of the night.
(If you’re not into the T-shirt look or your class spouses aren’t doing one, check out our Track Select Quick Style Guide, it’s a very similar, casual event so this inspiration will be a perfect fit for you!)
Also, take this communication opportunity to plan a meeting point with other spouses, so you can all attend the ceremony as a group! Kirst’s group of spouses/significant others got together at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Columbus, MS for pre-event cocktails – much needed to cut the nerves of the day and it was a great opportunity to connect with strong, supportive WAFs that still communicate 6+ years later.
These events vary slightly from base to base, but the general structure of the events are similar. The event usually starts with a brief introduction and then rolls right into each pilot being called up to the front of the room individually, a quick “roast” typically takes place, then onto the big reveal!
The Reveal!
We recommend coordinating with another spouse so they can film your spouse and you’ll return the favor to film theirs.
After the news is broken, spouses will typically go up to their pilot and give them a congratulatory hug and/or kiss in front of the room, don’t be nervous! In Jen’s experience, her husband’s class decided to give a rose to their significant other. J *accidentally* knocked the rose out of her husband’s hand when he went to hug her and then dodged his kiss.
**Actually we aren’t exactly sure what happened because we were so so nervous. All we know is the rose was not in my hand but on the ground so again, DON’T BE NERVOUS. Ha!
After the ceremony is done, the entire class usually spends the rest of the night celebrating each other and being one step closer to officially starting their career! We have said this before but there is nothing quite like the closeness of UPT (pilot training) so enjoy the night, be excited, be considerate of those around you + have an absolute blast!
Note: This day is intended to be a day of celebration but it can be tough on some couples as not everyone gets exactly what they wanted or hoped for. Be sure to be gracious and supportive of everyone in the class – you might not know their personal situation or when you will run into them again!
