Flight School

I get asked all the time what Lane is doing, where we will go next, what he'll do there {and about a thousand other questions about flight school}. I was reading a friend's blog this morning and she put flight school on paper to help her friends and family understand better what it is we're doing. I thought it was great to be able to see the timeline and the when and where of each phase, so I took it from her and decided to post it here for my friends and family to see! I hope this helps to make more sense. For me it made me feel like he's just a LITTLE bit closer to the end!!! There's a light at the end of the tunnel!

Phase 1: IFS ***{Lane completed this October - November 2009}***
Runs: 2-3 weeks
Where: Manassas, VA
What it consists of: 2 weeks of academic tests, followed by 13.5 hours of flight instruction in the actual aircraft.

Phase 2: API ***{Lane completed this May - June 2010}***
Runs: 6 weeks
Where: Pensacola, FL
What it consists of: Academic classes.

Phase 3: Primary ***{Lane completed this July 2010 - February 2011}***
Runs: 6-8 months
Where: Milton, FL (some do it in Corpus Christi, Tx)
What it consists of: A variety of academic classes and in-flight instruction.
***You find out which type of aircraft you will fly after your final flight in this phase. It's a pretty big day! You are asked to rank your preferences. Command ranks you against your peers and gives you a decision. The majority of Marine Corps pilot get helicopters, simply because there are more to go around. Jets, C130, and Osprey slots are harder to come by because there are fewer slots to give.

Phase 4: Advanced ***{This is what Lane is waiting to start. We will move to Corpus whenever we get his orders...nope, we STILL don't have them...}***
Runs: Between 6 - 15 months depending on type of aircraft
Where: Depends of which type of aircraft you select.
*Jets (Meridian, MS or Kingsville, Tx)
*Helicopter (Milton, FL)
*Ospreys (Milton, FL and then Corpus Christi, Tx)
*C130s (Corpus Christi, Tx)
What it consists of: A variety of academic classes and in-flight instruction.