Just curious- Is their still a bubble/backlog(wait time) at FT Rucker ??

FLYC2A · November 2, 2013

as title says.....have they cleared the backlog completely? I heard it was pretty bad a couple years ago, but how are things running down there right now? Did they just clear it, or has it been cleared up for a while now?

SBuzzkill · November 2, 2013

Like everything else it comes and goes. They'll get rid of it and then something will happen to make it come back.

WaterRooster · November 2, 2013

47's and 64's right now aren't starting till march. Everything else is a few weeks. Right Now......

nightmare515 · November 3, 2013

64's are march now? They were telling me July last week.

I'm hearing all sorts of stuff around here. No more Kiowas, 47s and 64s are pretty much guard only so future classes are going to pretty much be nothing but 60Ms until they fill the blackhawk pilot void.

Ive also heard that apaches are short on pilots and they need more of them so classes will be 64 heavy now.

Then my buddy got his selection brief last week and they said its pretty much all blackhawks and 1 or 2 58s and 64s and 47s were all guard guys.

Nobody knows whats going on around here I think everyone just "heard" this or that from someone and they spread it around here.

Joe_P148 · November 4, 2013

There will always be a backlog and unless you are the lucky 10% of people who go back to back through courses you are going to hold at some point in your flight school experience. The question isn't wether you will or wil not hold, because you will. The question should be where you are going to hold and for how long?

Even if the backlog is cleared up now, this doesn't accurately reflect what the student hold situation will be when you get to Rucker.

Like anything in the Army, expect hurdles and delays.

UH60L-IP · November 4, 2013

as title says.....have they cleared the backlog completely? I heard it was pretty bad a couple years ago, but how are things running down there right now? Did they just clear it, or has it been cleared up for a while now?

What do you mean by bad and who cares?

Bubbles are great. Who else pays you this kind of a paycheck to do so little during the week just to spend your weekends at the beach?

Put in for the passes. Take your family to Disney. Take extra time to study while you can. Time is valuable. Don't try and work the system to get more bubbles but if you find yourself in one, be thankful. You'll leave flight school eventually and progression will still be waiting for you.

Justine · November 4, 2013

What do you mean by bad and who cares?

Bubbles are great. Who else pays you this kind of a paycheck to do so little during the week just to spend your weekends at the beach?

Put in for the passes. Take your family to Disney. Take extra time to study while you can. Time is valuable. Don't try and work the system to get more bubbles but if you find yourself in one, be thankful. You'll leave flight school eventually and progression will still be waiting for you.

I second Disney.

nightmare515 · November 4, 2013

What do you mean by bad and who cares?

Bubbles are great. Who else pays you this kind of a paycheck to do so little during the week just to spend your weekends at the beach?

Put in for the passes. Take your family to Disney. Take extra time to study while you can. Time is valuable. Don't try and work the system to get more bubbles but if you find yourself in one, be thankful. You'll leave flight school eventually and progression will still be waiting for you.

I second this.

Unless you were born with a legitimate photographic memory and already know how to fly a helicopter then this place will likely be the toughest school anyone has ever attended. People get burned out here pretty quick and for good reason.

I am part of the "lucky ( or unlucky) 10%" who hasn't seen a bubble since getting here at the beginning of the year and It's tough. None of us want to take a knee and drop back a class because we want to be with our class but we are kicking and clawing our way towards Christmas exodus now and wish that we had just a week or so inbetween phases.

Embrace bubbles they are your friend. This isn't one of those places that you want to marathon your way through. Going 11 months in flight school with nothing but weekends off (pretty much Saturdays, Sundays you are studying) is a rough ride. I would have absolutely no problem with them holding our class for a week or two.

SBuzzkill · November 5, 2013

I really enjoyed my months off during bubbles. Flight school is awesome so don't be in a hurry to get it over with.

Velocity173 · November 5, 2013

I had a whopping 3 week bubble before 60s. Personally my goal was to get through the program ASAP and get out to do real flying.

Now weather days? Almost everyone looks forward to them. Just watch IPs circle around a MEF on a bad weather night. "Yes! Early night tonight." Unfortunately things like weather days and maintenance just make the bubble worse.

What's ironic is that part of the reason FSXXI was created was to reduce the time students spend at Rucker. Just the opposite effect has happened.