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General HSM Questions

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
On my end, still not sure why you can’t see or read my explanation to Brett and others above answering this.
Well, we'll all make sure to go by whatever arbitrary timeline you set for the minimum number of germane responses in a thread in the future before telling the OP to look elsewhere for the answers they seek. JFC.
 

thump

Well-Known Member
pilot
1) General enjoyment of day-to-day flying and quals
I absolutely like flying Romeos. I like getting quals too. Quals are easy to get if you don’t suck.

2) Direction of the community given current (i.e. Red Sea) and potential future threats (does it feel like HSM has a firm identity in the picture?)
HSM is a growth industry. We’re getting new toys every year, sensors/software upgrades every year. Doing stuff that didn’t exist / nobody imagined when I was a JO. Also killed more drones than HSC, don’t worry about Red Sea.

3) If you feel Romeos are utilized effectively/correctly within the CVW and/or DESRON
Yes
4) Big differences between CVW and EXPED deployments and routine ops
CVW: Live on the carrier, do cool tactical airwing things.

EXPED: Live on the DDG, do cool tactical DLQs and maintenance self-reliance things.

Both are valued and most folks experience both during their careers.
 

Meyerkord

Well-Known Member
pilot
An NFO and an HR officer walk into a bar… (or an HSM thread)

General enjoyment of day-to-day flying and quals
Pretty solid. I was stationed in Hawaii so I was absolutely spoiled when it came to flying around at home. Quals aren’t bad. You’ll work on your tactics qualifications alongside your aircraft qualifications. The end goal is to make Helicopter Aircraft Commander (HAC) which will be the hardest thing you do in your fleet squadron. Life can be stressful up until that point, but it’s a necessary step that needs to be taken, and your peers will help you cross that finish line. Life is pretty good as a fully qualified junior officer.

Direction of the community given current (i.e. Red Sea) and potential future threats (does it feel like HSM has a firm identity in the picture?)
ASW is the bread and butter of the Romeo, but the stuff in the Red Sea has shined a light on other things that the Romeo is also very capable of tackling. We have a wide range of mission sets, and we’re definitely still growing.

If you feel Romeos are utilized effectively/correctly within the CVW and/or DESRON
Some nights you might not think so. Some nights you’ll park your ass at 8000 feet and identify a hundred different tiny fishing boats for 3 hours and think “well damn, this is kinda dumb.” Other times, you really feel like your mission is important. All in all I’d say that we are valued, often under-appreciated, but fit well within the strike group.

Big differences between CVW and EXPED deployments and routine ops
For background, I was at an exped squadron where I did some smaller under-ways, but I was also a loaner pilot for a carrier-based squadron and did a full deployment with them.

The exped life is pretty cool. You get to do a lot of alone-and-unafraid type stuff which I really liked. Decent amount of short notice DETs away for a few weeks and then back home. You’ll usually go underway with ~6 pilots and a maintenance team of ~30 on a DDG. Very tight knit. You’ll know a lot about everyone by the time you get back, which was great. You’ll also get to know the rest of the ship very well. The wardroom on a small boy isn’t that big, so you’ll make some SWO friends along the way.

Carrier life also wasn’t bad. Having the whole squadron together, going through the same things at the same time makes the whole unit more cohesive. More meal times, more gyms, more facilities in general. You’re on a floating city, after all. You’ll also probably have a DET or two on a small boy within the strike group, so you can also get a mix of both despite being in a CVW squadron.

Overall I’d say life is a bit more predictable in a CVW squadron. You basically do everything together, and it revolves around the boat and their schedule. Exped life will definitely show you some things off the beaten path and is a little more dynamic.
 

turd ferguson

New Member
I absolutely like flying Romeos. I like getting quals too. Quals are easy to get if you don’t suck.


HSM is a growth industry. We’re getting new toys every year, sensors/software upgrades every year. Doing stuff that didn’t exist / nobody imagined when I was a JO. Also killed more drones than HSC, don’t worry about Red Sea.


Yes

CVW: Live on the carrier, do cool tactical airwing things.

EXPED: Live on the DDG, do cool tactical DLQs and maintenance self-reliance things.

Both are valued and most folks experience both during their careers.
Thank you for the reply!
 

turd ferguson

New Member
An NFO and an HR officer walk into a bar… (or an HSM thread)


Pretty solid. I was stationed in Hawaii so I was absolutely spoiled when it came to flying around at home. Quals aren’t bad. You’ll work on your tactics qualifications alongside your aircraft qualifications. The end goal is to make Helicopter Aircraft Commander (HAC) which will be the hardest thing you do in your fleet squadron. Life can be stressful up until that point, but it’s a necessary step that needs to be taken, and your peers will help you cross that finish line. Life is pretty good as a fully qualified junior officer.


ASW is the bread and butter of the Romeo, but the stuff in the Red Sea has shined a light on other things that the Romeo is also very capable of tackling. We have a wide range of mission sets, and we’re definitely still growing.


Some nights you might not think so. Some nights you’ll park your ass at 8000 feet and identify a hundred different tiny fishing boats for 3 hours and think “well damn, this is kinda dumb.” Other times, you really feel like your mission is important. All in all I’d say that we are valued, often under-appreciated, but fit well within the strike group.


For background, I was at an exped squadron where I did some smaller under-ways, but I was also a loaner pilot for a carrier-based squadron and did a full deployment with them.

The exped life is pretty cool. You get to do a lot of alone-and-unafraid type stuff which I really liked. Decent amount of short notice DETs away for a few weeks and then back home. You’ll usually go underway with ~6 pilots and a maintenance team of ~30 on a DDG. Very tight knit. You’ll know a lot about everyone by the time you get back, which was great. You’ll also get to know the rest of the ship very well. The wardroom on a small boy isn’t that big, so you’ll make some SWO friends along the way.

Carrier life also wasn’t bad. Having the whole squadron together, going through the same things at the same time makes the whole unit more cohesive. More meal times, more gyms, more facilities in general. You’re on a floating city, after all. You’ll also probably have a DET or two on a small boy within the strike group, so you can also get a mix of both despite being in a CVW squadron.

Overall I’d say life is a bit more predictable in a CVW squadron. You basically do everything together, and it revolves around the boat and their schedule. Exped life will definitely show you some things off the beaten path and is a little more dynamic.
Great information - exactly what I was looking for. Thank you very much.
 

FormerRecruitingGuru

Making Recruiting Great Again
Yes sir, I have and will continue to ask them questions about the community. I was simply trying to gather info from as many sources as possible - did not mean to offend.

No apology needed and sorry if my response came off as condescending. Was just trying to see if there were local responses at your disposal. Best of luck!
 
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