***Please do not reply in this thread if you have not attended a Phase I class.***

Ok, I need this settled quickly. My work is getting crazy again and this eats up a boatload of time. This thread will be the "End All" discussion on the Phase II class length. Please do not reply in the other class thread about the length of the class. Keep it in this thread.

(1.) Three day
(2.) Five day
(3.) Wait till after the first of the year

Lets hear what everybody has to say.



This would be a poll if I knew how to add one.

5-Day

Poll added - But please post your opinion also.

The first Phase I guys will get the most input on this. It's there class and they were the first . It's the only fair way to do it. That being said, I'm sure we will have a few openings.

From now on each class will get to vote on the class length.

Va-gunnut has a good point, but I'm curious.

I can't really swing a five day.

I'll be doing Pat Roger's class here in August and then a 10 day trip to Scotland in September.

5 days isn't gonna happen for me in November from an accrued leave standpoint.

If I need to pass on this one, so be it.  I bet I'm not alone though.

I'd like to do a five day, but I am taking the Pat Rogers class too. Although the 3 day will be cheaper, I think the 5 would be much more productive. I voted to wait till the new year.

Although the weather in Nov. is probably beautiful.

3-Day Class is right for me. I thought we agreed on a 3-Day Class months ago

The company I work for now may close its doors at the end of Dec. unless there's a buyer, so far it does not look good for me as far as taking this class after the first.

Quoted: I thought we agreed on a 3-Day Class months ago

Good point.

We have already discussed this subject to death in old thread. No since messing with something that is already been set up.

We will try the three day format for this class. If it does not work out completely as planed it will still be an awesome class, no question about it. This is not the only Phase II we will have, just the first.

Va-gunnut can throw this thread in the trash or let it runs it's coarse, that’s up to him.

A certain amount of repetition is evitable. The Blackwater instructors do not know each of us personally. They only know that we have been through the Phase I class. Which in reality is nothing more than a one-day pistol & two day carbine class. The instructors will want to see our basic skills and safety awareness before they move on to the more advanced material. This is understandable, unavoidable, and out of our hands completely. It would be the same if we were going to any shooting/tactical school. They are not going to just start running shooting on the move drills for example with fourteen strangers. No shooting/tactical shool is going to do this. At least not one I would attend.

That being said, it’s up to us to make the class move quickly. I posted this is in the actual class thread:

“Student preparation will play a key role in how this works out. Is your weapon & optics (Primary+back-up) zeroed? Have they been properly tested and run trouble free for at least 1,000 rounds? Did you bring quality ammo? Have you been training with the skills you learned in Phase I? This is a very aggressive itinerary. Any time spent correcting weapons malfunctions, ammo problems, and zeroing issues will take away from everybody’s training.”

In short, try to be as prepared as you can.

Blackwater knows we have all been through the Phase I. This class was specifically designed with that in mind. It is suppose to build and enhance the skills learned in Phase I. We should expect to flow smoothly and quickly through the more mundane sections of the coarse and move on to the more advanced stuff.

Any class can only move safely at the speed of the slowest member and can also be slowed down by technical problems. This is to be expected to a certain degree, but it can be mitigated somewhat with student preparation before the class ever starts.

Dinger

I vote for the 3 day.  The 3 day is likely more attractive to most; lower cost, and easier to get time off from work/family etc.

However, this is a pretty agressive training schedule for 3 days, especially with the reduced light hours available at that time of year. You may want to consider eliminating some of the big time consumers such as the state department qualification course and stick with the training that presents new subject matter and repetition of some of the drills from Phase 1.

Quoted: Dinger I vote for the 3 day.  The 3 day is likely more attractive to most; lower cost, and easier to get time off from work/family etc. However, this is a pretty agressive training schedule for 3 days, especially with the reduced light hours available at that time of year. You may want to consider eliminating some of the big time consumers such as the state department qualification course and stick with the training that presents new subject matter and repetition of some of the drills from Phase 1.

Outstanding suggestion on the State Department Test. It was fun, but it did eat up time. Maybe it should be moved to the "Please Fit in if Possible" part of the class.

I voted for the three day also. My vacation time is next to gone and the fall sucks for me trying to get time off from work.