The Preflight

After recovering from SERE, I was ready to start flying again.  I wasn't really sure what to expect.  I didn't know what Army flight training would be like.  I wasn't sure if I'd pick up flying again quickly or if it would take awhile.  I mean, I hadn't flown in 4 years.  I had heard a lot about these "5's and 9's" and "daily questions" at the flight line, but I didn't know what that really meant.  They say (whoever they are) that Army flight school is like trying to take a drink from a fire hose.  You'll get a lot of information thrown at you, and it will be extremely hard to take it all in.

First, the big picture.  Flight school is broken down into multiple sections - IERW (Initial Entry Rotor Wing) and Advanced Track.   IERW is where you learn the basics of flying a helicopter, and it consists of multiple sections as well - Primary, Instruments, and BWS (Basic Warfighting Skills).  Advanced Track is where you learn to fly and perform tactics in your advanced airframe (UH-60 Blackhawk, CH-47 Chinook, or AH-64 Apache).  Primary and Instruments are 8 weeks each, and BWS is currently 4 weeks.  For Advanced Track it depends on the airframe and model that you fly (see below).

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Before you actually get to touch the controls, there are 3 weeks of classes that have to be completed.  First is Aeromed.  This is where you learn about aviation physiology.  You'll learn about what effect a lack of oxygen can have on you as an aviator, types of illusions that you can experience while you are flying, and the rules regarding when you can and cannot fly if you are using medicine.  At the end there is a test which is part of your OML, of course.

After Aeromed, you start systems.  In systems you learn about the mighty TH-67 Creek (which is the trainer for the Army.)  The TH-67 is basically a Bell B06B3 "Jet Ranger".  You'll learn about the basic parts of the helicopter and how they interact.  What you learn in this class will help you when you get out to the flight line and preflight the helicopter before you go fly.  It will take some studying, but there are practice tests that you can take that are about a 95% copy of the actual test.

TH67 Cockpit Procedural Trainer

The final class that you need to take before jumping in the cockpit, is actually jumping in a fake cockpit - a CPT (Cockpit Procedural Trainer).  Since there are multiple ways to kill a helicopter before you actually get in the air, you will practice the startup multiple times before you do it for real.  The CPT is a very realistic cockpit hooked up to computers.  The benefits are twofold.  You will spend less time on the ground when you get to the flight line, and you will know how to prevent a hot start.  A hot start is when the engine gets too hot during startup and basically burns up.

After those 3 weeks, I was ready to finally get back in the air again.