Hi WAFS, my name is Sharon and my husband, daughter and I are currently stationed at Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma. My husband is currently a T6 instructor pilot and we’ve been here for the last 2 and half years. In fact, we moved to Vance two weeks before I gave birth to our daughter, it was as crazy as it sounds!
I’m going to try to fill you in on the life of a T6 IP (Instructor Pilot), but first let me tell you that this assignment can vary greatly, especially if this is your first assignment out of pilot training.
My husband flew C-17’s before coming to Vance and this is called being a previous MWS IP, which stands for Major Weapon System. Because of this he was given more leadership responsibility faster, but was not expected to fly quite as much as a First Assignment Instructor Pilot or FAIP.
PIT- PILOT INSTRUCTOR TRAINING
This is the first stop for all new UPT instructors down in sunny San Antonio, Texas. This will be your last time living in a big city for quite a while, so make the most of it. During this time, your spouse will be back in student role, but it will be more of a “gentlemen’s program”. They still get graded, and have check rides, but is not nearly as intense as UPT training. Your spouse will be home most nights and you can expect maybe two cross-countries. Enjoy this time as it will probably be the least busy he will be for a while.
TI/ BRAND NEW IP
As you and your spouse have now moved to your duty station this is the time where the job really starts. The first step for your spouse will be to complete TI-or Theater Indoctrination (sounds more intimidating than it actually is). During TI the new instructors will fly with the more experienced instructors, including the squadron commander, to learn the ropes of the local area and to give leadership one more chance to verify that they know what they are doing.
After TI, your spouse will start flying with actual students. If they do not have any previous experience instructing, this will probably be a stressful time for them as it is a lot of responsibility. They will tend to fly with the better students at first as they are still get the hang of instructing. This will include some long days as they build their hours.
INEXPERIENCED INSTRUCTOR
Until they reach a certain number of hours your spouse will be consider an inexperienced IP. During this time, they will be assigned a ground job within a fight. Their ground job can vary widely, but the most common are either flight scheduler or USEM (the guy who quizzes the students on their studying). They will be considered a “line IP” and will be expected to fly 7 to 10 times per week. Expect long days, 9 to 10 hours, and quite a few weekends gone on cross-countries. As they gain more experience, they will begin to fly with more and more struggling students, eventually flying with “CAP” (Commanders Awareness Program) students. “CAPsters” are those students who are struggling the most and need more attention.
FLIGHT COMMANDER OR OTHER LEADERSHIP POSITION
After about 10-15 months, your spouse will probably be considered an experienced IP and will begin to get picked up for leadership positions. Some IPs leave the squadron during this time to fill those positions in other squadrons around base. My husband stayed in his flying squadron and became a Flight Commander, so that’s what I’ll cover here. He took over his flight about 9 months after we arrived, so it can and does happen sooner sometimes. His time as flight commander was the most time consuming and demanding of any job he’s had while we’ve been married. Your spouse will be directly responsible for 8-10 other instructors and several dozen students. They will report weekly to squadron leadership and be expected to know everything about all of the students under their command. Expect long days, 10-12 hours, and a few weekends gone on cross countries, as they will need to lead by example. They will fly almost exclusively with the students who are struggling the most. They will start to fly a little less than the IPs working with them, as they have a great deal more paperwork to work on. My husband told me this was the hardest but most rewarding time as an instructor.
POST FLIGHT COMMANDER
Most flight commander tenures last about 9-12 months, and the positions your spouse could hold after vary widely. They can become an executive (assistant) to base leadership (Wing or Group Commanders), a safety representative, or any other number of positions. Most likely, they will fly quite a bit less, and will begin to focus more on administrative and leadership tasks. Some jobs are even more demanding than flight commander, but most are less. Expect less cross countries and a much more consistent work schedule.
Overall, this assignment has been a blessing for our family life. There have been long, stressful hours and a few missed weekends, but my husband has been home almost every single night. Deployments and TDYs are thankfully, exceedingly rare compared to the MAF (Mobility Air Force), where we came from. Time has flown by and somehow, it’s already been almost 3 years, and we’ll be moving in a few months. We’re excited for what the future holds, but this assignment will be remembered fondly for all the good it did for us and our family.
MEET SHARON
