Bubbles

I want to take a little bit of time to talk about bubbles.  No, not the soapy bubbles that you chase around on a warm sunny day.  I'm talking about the time that you are at Fort Rucker when you are not actually in a class (ie WOCS, BOLC, SERE, IERW, AQC).  When you are not in class you will probably be assigned some sort of detail through B Co.  More than likely it will be honors (funeral) detail (I'll get into that more in a minute), Flatiron, SDO (Staff Duty Officer) or you'll just be assigned to the SMO (Student Managament Office).

Flatiron is probably the best gig, because there's very little oversight and you don't have to do it every day.  Also, you will actually be on the flight line.  Your job at Flatiron will be to answer the phone in case there is an aircraft accident, incident, or if an aircraft has a PL (Precautionary Landing).  You'll jot down the info, then inform the Flatiron (Medevac) crew so that they can go pick up the downed aviators.  Most of the time, however, you will just be sitting at the desk staring at LUH-72 Lakotas or watching Netflix.  It's pretty relaxed, and you usually only have to be there a few days a week.  I never got this detail, but a few of my friends did and they loved it.

Photo Courtesy: www.army.mil

Funeral Detail (fundet) is a more likely option.  It has changed multiple times since I've arrived but basically you will do 0600 PT with fundet, then go to B Co at around 0900 for accountability and area cleanup.  This is the time when you will be trained in how to perform honors at a funeral as well.  You will be assigned to a 7 man detail or a 2 man detail depending on what they need.  7 man teams go to 20 year veteran funerals, and soldiers who die while on active duty.  2 man teams perform all other funerals.  You will probably be released around 1100 for lunch, and then back to B Co at 1300 for accountability.  Hang around for an hour or so, then be released for the day.

I've been on 2 man and 7 man teams.  The detail isn't that bad, but funerals almost always come in on the weekends so you will not get all of your weekends off.  If a funeral is a certain distance away, you will stay overnight the night before the funeral in a local hotel.  Meals will be paid for as well as hotel, so it's not too bad.  Sometimes you get lucky and get an overnight funeral in Destin or Panama City.  Those aren't so bad.  And I feel that you are at least doing something meaningful while on this detail.  The worst time on fundet was during Christmas Exodus.  I did not take leave and I think I only had 3 or 4 days off during the break.  I even had a funeral on Christmas Eve.  So, TAKE LEAVE DURING EXODUS!

You could also get assigned as a SDO for one of the B Co offices.  Depending on which team you are attached to you will either just sit around and answer phones, or you could be busy all day with paperwork and other menial tasks.  Either way, SDO is the most time consuming because you are there all day Monday thru Friday.  Some of the teams are only there every other day, and some are only for half days everyday.  The only upside is that you don't have to report to morning PT.

The amount of time that is spent in bubbles is completely dependent on whether or not classes are being filled quick enough.  So, even though you talk to your buddy who's only a couple months ahead of you and he didn't have a bubble doesn't mean that you won't.  I had about a 3 weeks between WOCS and BOLC; 1 week between BOLC and SERE (although it was actually more because I had Christmas Exodus right after BOLC); about 5 weeks between SERE and IERW; and about 4 weeks between IERW and AQC.  I don't know anybody who had bubbles during IERW (between primary, instruments and BWS).

I did not make, nor do I endorse this patch. It's just funny

The biggest thing during bubbles is to make sure you study (if you can...you can't really study for BOLC or SERE, but prior to primary and advanced you can).  You will probably be upset with B Co at one time or another.  Either because they pulled your pass or leave because they "needed" you for a detail, or because it's a huge waste of time to just sit around at B Co doing nothing when you could be with your family or the library or because you get told at 1659 on Friday night that you need to be at B Co in an hour for an overnight funeral.  You'll probably eventually realize that WO1s are like the PVTs of Fort Rucker.  But just remember that in the grand scheme of things, it's not really that bad.  You're still going to be a pilot (unless you really screw up) and you're still getting paid as a W1 doing PVT tasks, and possibly getting flight pay (if you've already started primary).  It could be worse...at least you're not still in WOCS!