Independent studies

I am often surprised by Matt's academic hours thus far into UPT.  Most days he does not report in until at least 8-8:30, and there have been many where he has not been due in until well after lunch and/or has been released substantially before the duty day ends (5pm, marked by the afternoon retreat ceremony).  He is alloted an unprecedented amount of unsupervised study and exercise.  (Of course, he will be starting 12-hour days in less than a month, when his flying phase begins.)  As enlisted airmen, our on-duty study and exercise time was fiercely monitored--and usually conducted in the shop or with the shop.  There were many days when we would just sit around the shop table with our foreman and literally wait for the day to end because we were not trusted to, for instance, not be caught at the mall or BX prior to retreat.  It is definitely nice to see that the officers, even the fresh ones, get to enjoy being treated like adults--however it makes the amazingly stark contrast between enlisted and officer life that much more apparent.

The stakes are also very high for pilot trainees.  They are required to meet rigorous physical standards (by passing the toughest physical the Air Force has to offer, every 6 months).  Many of the trainees come from a family of pilots, and Matt has informed me that on three separate occasions during the past calendar year, pilot Air Force Officer parents were given a prestigious position as a graduation speaker, only to see their son/daughter fail the final PT test--after passing all other training--and being denied a graduation slot (of course, the parent still spoke at graduation, though...gotta feel for those guys!).  Matt says he is always amazed at how few students he sees during his regular workouts at the gym.  Many may feel too overwhelmed with studies.  I can certainly relate, considering all the weight my peers and I packed on during nursing school!

Additionally, trainees are allowed to fail a maximum of three academic tests before being washed out of the program and reclassified into a different career specialty.  This may sound like a lot, but not so much after you take into consideration that Matt has taken at least one exam per week since September 8th, and there are hundreds of pages of information presented in multiple choice format on each exam.  While he probably takes a little more R&R time than I would, he is studying way way more than I have ever seen him.  He is really taking advantage of Quizlet.com to make verbal flashcards, and thus far has been doing excellent in the program, nearly acing his first "major" exam last week!  Hopefully I will be as fortunate when I take the NCLEX-PN...if I ever get board permission to take it!