UPT Phases: Phase I – Academics

If you look at US Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) as a single year-long Hunger Game, it can seem pretty daunting. It doesn't have to be that way though. UPT can and should be a great year! It will challenge you, but it involves some of the most fun flying you'll ever do. Let's see if we can reduce daunting to doable by taking a look at the individual parts. UPT has three distinct phases.  Let's examine Phase I - Academics:

Phase I UPT starts with a world-class academic program. You'll learn about pilot physiology, weather, aerodynamics, aircraft systems, and more. Unlike high school and college, you only study one subject at any given time during this phase. It's nice to be able to focus all of your attention on one thing.

Some of your lessons are traditional classroom lectures, usually taught by civilian contractors. Most of your lesson material is presented via Computer Based Training (CBT). The CBTs were made by Raytheon, the company that built the T-6 you'll fly in Phase II. They're straightforward, interactive, and can be a little dry. You'll want to take notes and review those notes at home. You have to do the CBTs in a computer lab so that your instructors can track your progress. They're somewhat self-paced...a trait that I really appreciated.

At home you can use your notes, a copy of every slide from the CBTs, and the manuals or textbooks that go with that subject to study. If you can study effectively in a group, you should spend part of your time studying with your new best friends--the other student pilots in your class. (There will probably be about 30 of you. You'll all go through Phase I together). If you find yourself getting easily distracted and wasting time with those new friends then you should probably spend more of your time studying alone.

Everything in Phase I is very scheduled. You have specific times to be in class, and you're given time to get your CBTs done in the computer lab. Unlike high school or college, skipping class is not an option. You'll study one subject for anywhere from a few days to a week and then take a test. Your exams are administered by a civilian instructor in the computer lab. Look for a future article on passing these tests, but for now I'll say you should focus on taking good notes. Think to yourself while you're doing your CBTs, "If I were writing the test, how would I turn this material into a test question?"