My first FAIP student cross-country
Author: Deke
My very first cross country, as a FAIP would have been in the summer of 1985, Vance class 85-08. My student was solid, would be FAR and receive an A-10 on assignment night. His only request on the cross country was to RON at Offutt AFB on Saturday night. He was from Carter Lake, Iowa and wanted to visit family. I agreed if the training and weather allowed. The Friday and Saturday sorties were unremarkable and we spent Saturday night at Offutt. Because none of his classmates cared about Offutt we had Base Ops to ourselves and flight planned the last 2 legs, Little Rock AFB for a penetration and 2-3 approaches, gas and go then RTB to Vance. The weather was fine, scattered clouds and no ceiling for LRAFB. Because it was my first XC as a FAIP, I insisted on a Dash 1 weather brief! As we hit the IAP the weather was still scattered clouds, no ceiling and no significant weather. There was towering Q in all quadrants but no forecasted changes. In the few minutes it took for a turn in holding, the penetration and hitting the FAF gear down, the departure end clouds were dark gray. At the missed approach point and a planned return to radar the horizon was electric with lightening. I took the jet, told the student to pull back the bag, told tower we were staying with them and requested a closed to a full stop. On roll out tower asked us to contact the weather shop for a PIREP and taxi to Base Ops. Approaching parking there were 4 additional T-38s on the ramp. Two were T-1s out of Columbus and 2 were T-3 from Randolph. As we shut down LRAFB weather was issuing a severe weather warning for thunderstorms and softball size hail. As I walked into Base Ops and saw the familiar faces from Randolph I was surrounded by 5 IPS all were asking what kind of weather brief I had received. I was the only one with a Dash 1 and I would soon find out why my piece of paper was so important. I contacted my weekend SOF, told him the situation and he wanted to know why I went to LRAFB. It was clear as the other IPs were photo copying my Dash 1 that we were all being second guessed from San Antonio, to the wheat fiends of Enid and east to the Golden Triangle of MS. After we all faxed the Dash 1 to our respective SOF's we all got our jets hangered and spent the night in Jacksonville Arkansas. Follow-ups with our weekend SOFs were more understanding as the Dash 1 proved were had done nothing questionable. I learned an important lesson that day and I always required a Dash 1 weather brief to protect my career.
