Check Six Podcast

Our second episode of our Guest Series is 19thAF/CC Gen Wills! We dig into the recent changes in UPT, how training is going to look in the future and some solid advice for current students. Cheers!

Episode #16 - Airmanship by Check Six Podcast

To start us off today we have the first edition of our new series of Guest Speakers. We got the opportunity to chat with Gen Mark Weatherington, and spent a few minutes on how to succeed in Pilot Training. Let us know what you think! The main focus of the majority of your first few rides, other than patterns, is going to be area maneuvering in the MOA. While it may seem benign, you are gaining an understanding of how aircraft operate in all phase of flight, from the stall/slow flight regime, to high speed aerodynamics. Bender and Nano get into these basics and chat about common techniques that will help you shack them quickly. Cheers.

After a New Year's Hiatus, Check Six podcast is back! To start things off again we are helping answer the important question of "Can we fly there?" more specifically we are talk about the legal in's and out's you will have to deal with as you mission plan fro anything outside the local area. To answer this question, we brought on two IPs from the T-1 squadron to hack this out with us. Now, this is one of the more heady topics we have tried to tackle, so I definitely recommend breaking out an IFR supplement while listening if you have one. Cheers

After a New Year's Hiatus, Check Six podcast is back! To start things off again we are helping answer the important question of "Can we fly there?" more specifically we are talk about the legal in's and out's you will have to deal with as you mission plan fro anything outside the local area. To answer this question, we brought on two IPs from the T-1 squadron to hack this out with us. Now, this is one of the more heady topics we have tried to tackle, so I definitely recommend breaking out an IFR supplement while listening if you have one. Cheers

The takeoff, while at first may seem intense, will often get to the point of being mundane. Usually referred to as the easiest part of a sortie, takeoffs are glossed over. This only leads to complacency during a regime of flight that, as you will see, is chock-full of rapid decisions and nuances. In this episode, Bender and Nano break down the important considerations for takeoffs, and why giving this phase of flight it's due diligence is imperative. If you take one thing away from this podcast; please, please! remember your Nose Wheel Steering. Cheers

When you attempt your first takeoffs in UPT, regardless of airframe, it may seem like everything is moving at a million miles a minute. The engine spools, runway gets eaten up in seconds and, suddenly, you are airborne. During this timeframe, if a malfunction happens, you have mere seconds to make a decision on what to do, then execute. This all may seem like an impossible guessing game, but these decisions are made up ahead of time utilizing what we call "TOLD". Prior to the brief, pilots plan for all the worst case scenarios, run charts to determine whats possible, and make the takeoff emergency situation easier to handle. Today, we are talking with Jacques and Gonzo about how we as pilots make these life-saving determinations based on science(!) and reemphasize the importance of pre-mission planning. Everything we are pulling our number and rules from can be found in the Dash-1, 2T6-V3, and 202-V3. Cheers

Chairflying is often described as essential to success in UPT. The ability to sit down and run through sections of a sortie with high repetitions is incredibly important. Unfortunately, many students initially struggle with finding a good technique that works for them. In this episode, we walk through how we all personally chairfly, and generally rag on golfers the entire time. We also mention a Blue Angels chairflying video, so here's the link. You can thank me later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wK3Wi3hoek Cheers

The "Stand-Up" is going to be your introduction to Emergency Procedures in UPT. They are stressful and generally unforgiving, but with these tips you should be better prepared to rock them. Today I am talking through commonly unsat items with Dust Frasse from the 41st FTS. From MATL to making good (or not horrible) decisions, we will walk you through a stand up. Here is a link to a video we mention in the Podcast. It is a classic example of bad CRM (crew resource management) and just generally talking too much as the wingman during an emergency. Aviate, Navigate, THEN communicate. Focus on flying the jet before anything else. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zohc7PNP-pw Cheers

How well you can maintain a good formation position is a major indicator how good your "hands" are. Being able to shack fingertip through the weather, or being perfectly stable on a form landing will make you feel like you just might be the next Yeager. Well, today we break down each formation position, from close form to tactical, and throw out some techniques on how to make it look really slick. Everything we are referencing today is straight out of Chapter 9 of the 248. Would also recommend looking up a couple close-ups of the T-6 if you haven't seen one yet. Cheers

Back in the old days, pilots used to put a glass of whiskey on the dash to know if they were level in the weather or not(cause whiskey doesn't freeze). Things have gotten a little more advanced since then with ADIs, HSIs, and various approaches. Instruments also take up a huge proportion of your UPT syllabus, so you will be getting fairly familiar with them. Bender and Nano run through major over-arching themes on how to, or not to, fly in the weather. In the future we will be digging into each specific topic as well. We mention checking out Skyvector.com and Airnav.com which are both free, as reference for everything we are talking to. Cheers

Putting a jet back on the ground; one the first real hurdles when going through pilot training. Taking an aircraft from flying to driving may look easy, especially if you watch Bender do it, but there are more ways than one to jack them up. From the final turn, through roll out, Bender and Nano discuss the ins-and-outs on how to start greasing them. Some of what we are talking about is out of the 248 and 251, but honestly, its mostly technique. Really good technique, at that. Remember, going to Idle on short final is not how you pass your ride. Cheers

An afterburner takeoff is one of the most exciting things you may do in the year of pilot training, but the only way you're going to get there on your first sortie is by making through ground ops and getting out to the runway. Today the Check Six podcast talks the ins and outs of T-38 ground ops, and some techniques on how to shack them your first day. From stepping to the jet, through getting both jet engines running, we talk through how can get to the actual fun part; slipping some surlies. Get our your checklist card, and 251 if you have them to get the most out of this chat. Cheers

Ripping a max-G break turn, and shacking a landing are some of the best feelings at the end of a great sortie. In the beginning of pilot training though, the pattern is usually what most students dread. 12 aircraft in the pattern, people breaking out, and all the radios make it seem like the Battle of Britain everyday. In todays episode, we bring back Dingo, and attempt to shine some light on how to enter the pattern, accomplish a solid break, and get to the perch stable. Afterwards, we talk a little on how the pattern works in Phase 3 with T-1s and T-38s, and how it is used in the Ops AF. Today we are talking out of the pattern references pages of the In-Flight Guide, the 248, and the Columbus 13-1; which I imagine is close to similar across all the bases. Cheers

There is nothing worse than being an IP on a dollar ride, in the middle of the summer, melting in the back seat as a student fumbles through the checklist for what seems to be the first time. Luckily, in todays episode, Bender and I run through a some of the better techniques and insights you don't get in the 248 to speed-up your ground ops. We are mostly referencing the condensed checklist, which I would break out if you have the ability.