Pilot Instructor Training at JBSA-Randolph is the pipeline that turns line pilots into instructors — T-6, T-38, and T-1 tracks, roughly three to four months under the 12th Flying Training Wing. It's long enough to need real housing and short enough that most people get it wrong.
Who's here and on what orders
PIT students are a mix: FAIPs coming straight out of UPT, experienced pilots returning to the training command, Guard and Reserve instructors, and international officers. Almost everyone is TDY, so per diem funds lodging and the rules of per diem apply — including the applicable lodging limit and any government-lodging requirements you should confirm with your travel office before arrival.
San Antonio, from Randolph's side of town
Randolph sits on the northeast side of San Antonio off I-35 and Loop 1604, in Universal City / Converse / Schertz. The airport is 20 minutes, downtown is 25–35, and most of the city's traffic is between you and the things people fly to San Antonio for. Live close:
- Universal City / Live Oak — the gate is minutes away; older neighborhoods, easy.
- Schertz / Cibolo — newer housing stock north on I-35, 10–15 minutes.
- Converse / Kirby — south side, closest to Fort Sam Houston and Lackland if you're bouncing between installations.
- Stone Oak / Alamo Heights — nicer, and a 1604 commute you'll regret at 0530.
The JBSA-Randolph guide covers gates (Randolph's main gate hours have changed several times — check), lodging, BAH for the San Antonio MHA, and what to do on a Saturday.
Lodging: base first, then the non-A
Randolph's Air Force Inns is decent and often available for short stays, less so across a full PIT class. Check it, get the non-A if they're full, and compare with the on-base calculator. Then look at a crashpad at the locality rate — a house near the gate with a desk, a kitchen, and other IPs-in-training under the same roof is what our Oakwood house was set up for.
PIT-specific advice from people who've done it
- Standardization is the course. A quiet room to chair-fly the profile matters more than square footage.
- Summer in San Antonio is real; a house with good AC and shade for the car is worth more than it sounds.
- If you're a FAIP going straight back to your UPT base, don't sign a lease there until you know your report date — PIT dates slip.
- Keep every receipt; PIT is short enough that the voucher lands while you're still standing up at the next base.
Pull the San Antonio per diem for your dates, then tell us your class — we'll hold a room while orders finalize.