navy and marine corps aviation preflight indoctrination

–AVIATION OPPORTUNITIES IN EACH BRANCH OF THE MILITARY–
NAVY AND MARINE CORPS
AVIATION PREFLIGHT
INDOCTRINATION (API)
Since the Marine Corps is technically a branch of the
Navy, the training for pilots and flight officers is similar for both services. Indeed, if you are a Marine student aviator, you’ll report to the Naval Air Station in
Pensacola, FL, just like the Navy student aviators. The
main difference is that Marine student aviators check
in with and get support from the Marine Aviation
Training Support Group (MATSG) that is located at the
Naval Air Station.
Two specialists make up the naval aviation team:
the pilot and the flight officer. After 13 weeks at OCS,
you’ll begin flight training as a Navy or Marine Corps
officer and then continue training as either a pilot or flight
officer.
As a student pilot, you’ll study aerodynamics,
aircraft engine systems, air navigation, flight planning,
and meteorology before beginning basic flight training
in a high-performance turboprop aircraft. By the time
you’ve successfully completed intermediate and
advanced pilot training, you’ll have achieved the rank
of pilot. You’ll go on to perform a variety of missions,
from surveillance and tracking of submarines to the collecting of photographic intelligence.
As a student flight officer, you’ll receive specialty
training on advanced tactical systems and complex
communications equipment. Your course of study will
be similar to that of the pilot, including aerodynamics,
aircraft engine systems, and air navigation; you’ll also
train in a specialized area such as radar intercept,
advanced radar navigation, airborne tactical data systems, or advanced navigation. After the successful completion of your training, you’ll be designated as a flight
officer and will report to a fleet readiness squadron for
training in your specific type of fleet aircraft before ultimately reporting to your first operational squadron.
The first phase of your training is called the Aviation
Preflight Indoctrination (API) program. The API division provides commissioned officers in the Navy,
Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, as well as selected
international military students, with the basic skills and
knowledge needed for primary flight training and basic
naval flight officer training. Successful completion of
this course is a prerequisite for primary pilot flight training and primary naval flight officer training. Aviation
Preflight Indoctrination consists of 231 hours of instruction in the following areas:
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Aerodynamics
Aircraft Engines
Air Navigation
Meteorology
Flight Rules and Regulations
Aviation Physiology
Physical Conditioning
Land and Water Survival Training
PILOT TRAINING
Upon completion of API, you’ll be assigned to one of
five Navy training squadrons for primary pilot flight
T-34C Used in Navy Pilot Training
CHAPTER 2 • LearningExpress Military Flight Aptitude Tests
–AVIATION OPPORTUNITIES IN EACH BRANCH OF THE MILITARY–
training using the T-34C, a single-engine turboprop aircraft. Primary flight training includes the basics of
contact, instrument, formation, and aerobatic flying.
After successfully completing primary training,
you’ll be selected for your aviation pipeline and move
on to the intermediate phase. Selection is based on personal preference, individual flight performance, and the
needs of the service at the time. Student pilots will be
selected for one of five pipelines described below. Upon
completion of your intermediate training, you’ll be
awarded your wings and will then proceed to specific
fleet readiness squadrons for specialized training in
either a fixed-wing or rotary wing aircraft. Here’s a list
of the aircraft in each type:
Fixed-Wing
Rotary Wing
F-14 Tomcat
SH-60 Seahawk
F/A-18 Hornet
H-53 Sea Stallion
A-6 Intruder
H-46 Sea Knight
Where Most Primary Pilot Training is Conducted—
EA-6B Prowler
H-2 Sea Sprite
Whiting Field
S-3 Viking
H-3 Sea King
P-3 Orion
C-130 Hercules
Selection is based on your grades in primary
training and the needs of the service. The options are:
E-2C Hawkeye
C-2 Greyhound
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Now let’s take a closer look at each phase of pilot
training.
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Primary Flight Training
Primary flight training is the initial stage of training,
in which all students study the same curriculum. In this
program, you’ll learn the fundamentals of flight using
the T-34C Turbomentor turboprop aircraft. The majority of primary training takes place in Florida at Whiting Field Naval Air Station.
At the end of primary training, you’ll enter one
of five aircraft pipelines for intermediate training.
Jets
Carrier-based props
Maritime props
Helicopters
E-6 strategic support
Intermediate and Advanced Jets
Intermediate jet flight training follows primary training if you are selected to fly jets.You will complete intermediate and advanced strike (i.e., jet) training at either
Kingsville, TX, or Meridian, MS, and will learn the basics
of jet flight in either the new T-45 Goshawk or the T2 Buckeye. You’ll prepare for carrier qualification
through field carrier landing practices.
LearningExpress Military Flight Aptitude Tests • CHAPTER 2
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–AIR FORCE OFFICER QUALIFYING TEST (AFOQT)–
20. In Figure A-12 you are given the distances
between the points on a route. If the flight
takes 1 hour 23 minutes and 15 seconds, what
is the average speed of the aircraft?
a. 261.621 miles/hour
b. 268.829 miles/hour
c. 303.252 miles/hour
d. 324.348 miles/hour
e. 336.124 miles/hour
Figure A-12
SECTION 14: ROTATED BLOCKS
Directions: This test measures your ability to visualize and manipulate objects in space. For each question in this test, you will be shown a picture of a block. You must find a second block that is identical to the
first. You will have fifteen (15) minutes to work the following problems.
Questions: 15
Time: 15 minutes
For sample Rotated Block questions, see page 58.
1.
a.
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CHAPTER 7 • LearningExpress Military Flight Aptitude Tests
e.
–AIR FORCE OFFICER QUALIFYING TEST (AFOQT)–
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LearningExpress Military Flight Aptitude Tests • CHAPTER 7
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