Air Force Pilot Instructor Training for First Assignment Instructor Pilots

What does Pilot Instructor Training at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph look like for First Assignment Instructor Pilots?

Students in the US Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) program are typically given their follow-on flying assignment within the last two months of UPT. The majority of these students are assigned to an aircraft and squadron located at a base that differs from their UPT base. However, a select number of Undergraduate Pilot Training students are assigned as First Assignment Instructor Pilots (FAIP) to become Instructor Pilots (IP) in the T-1 Jayhawk, T-38 Talon, or T-6 Texan II. The number of FAIPs selected from each graduating class can vary based on the current and projected needs of the Air Force.

After being selected as a First Assignment Instructor Pilot and completing UPT, FAIPs will attend Pilot Instructor Training (PIT) at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph for four to six months. At Pilot Instructor Training (PIT), the newly-minted pilots, known as upgrading instructors, will be trained by experienced instructors who each hold roughly six to ten years of military flying experience.

During PIT at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, upgrading instructors will attend two weeks of ground classroom instruction, an 11-week phase of flying instruction training, and a two-week phase for IP qualification.

After attending Pilot Instructor Training in San Antonio, T-1 Jayhawk FAIPs will train student pilots assigned to the airlift/tanker track. FAIPS assigned to the T-38 Talon will train student pilots assigned to the fighter/bomber track. Lastly, T-6 Texan II FAIPs will train student pilots who could be assigned to either track in the next phase of UPT. Regardless of the assigned aircraft, all FAIPs attend PIT at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.

Following their graduation from PIT in San Antonio, FAIPs will return to their previous UPT base – Laughlin AFB, Vance AFB, Columbus AFB, or Sheppard AFB – to train the newest undergraduate student pilots in the Air Force flying pipeline.

First Assignment Instructor Pilots take on an incredibly influential role in the personal and professional development of the Air Force’s next generation of pilots. IPs are looked at as experienced pilots, mentors, and role models. They are entrusted with the responsibility of teaching Undergraduate Student Pilots attributes such as humility, balance, healthy work ethics, camaraderie, professionalism, safety, and what it means to be a part of the best Air Force the world has ever seen.

Are you heading to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph for Pilot Instructor Training? If so, contact us today to learn more about our military crash pads!