UPT Phases: Phase III – Track Select

Phase III has three possible tracks. You could fly the T-38C in the fighter/bomber track, the T-1A in the tanker/heavy track, or the UH-1 in the helicopter track. (Look for a future post on what to consider when putting your preferences on your dream sheet).

Phase III will feel like Phase II in a lot of ways. You'll be expected to know a new set of boldface/ops limits the minute you walk in the door. In T-38s you'll have standup. In the other tracks you'll have less standup, if any. All three tracks have academics, EPQs, and sims. If you fly the T-38, you'll go through basically the same types of flying you did in the T-6. It's challenging and fun. Formation low level flying in the T-38 is indescribably awesome. The instructors in T-38s think a lot of themselves and the aircraft you'll eventually be flying. They're extremely demanding. Get used to it...that's what life's like as a fighter pilot. (The T-38 is a very old aircraft. It's due for retirement and the USAF is holding a competition for a replacement. If you're more than about 5 years from starting UPT, there's a chance you could fly the new T-X. I wrote about some of the candidates for the T-X competition on AviationBull.com. Spoiler alert: they're all awesome!)

If you fly the T-1, you'll only have three check rides. You start with Transition where you learn the basics of flying the plane as a crew and how to land. The longest and most heavily weighted part of the program is the Instrument/Navigation portion. That check ride is an all day event. Finally, you'll do Mission Familiarization that includes formation, low level, simulated air refueling, and simulated airdrop missions. The T-1 track is generally considered to be more laid back than T-38s. Your performance still matters, but life shouldn't be as stressful as it will be for your friends. If your dream is and has always been to fly helicopters, the US Air Force is not your best option. On average, a pilot training class of 30 students gets one helicopter slot. Lately, that has been the most competitive slot in the class and you need to be in the top two or three people in your class to get it. (If you want to be a helicopter pilot, honestly, your best best is to go to the Army. Don't do it as an Army officer though! You need to do it as a Warrant Officer. The Army only lets their officers fly actively for a few years before chaining them to a desk. Warrants exist to be nothing but pilots).