Carrier Qualification

[A4sForever]

Initial day CQ and the first time you get married are both a blurrrrrrrrrr ... believe it .... but hopefully you will be well trained enough to survive either/both with aplomb, poise, and grace ...

If it's initial CQ -- you won't know enough to tell whether or not you are 'doing well' ... just do what you've been trained to do and focus.

If it's initial marriage -- you're on your own, buddy ... you'll only know years/decades later as to how 'well' you did ...

Initial night CQ is a bad dream ... you feel like you're balancing on top of a bowling ball ... it's like one of those freight train bad dreams that just keeps on comin' and you can't stop it or wake up ...

After 25-50 day traps are under your belt, 'it' becomes FUN -- in days of old you might even get away w/ a 500 KIAS break and/or a FAN BREAK -- these days ... ???? After you achieve your 'comfort zone', you will start focusing on your landing grades -- that is, consistently being in the TOP-10 and/or winning TOP HOOK for a line period(s) or cruise, i.e., being the best that you can be ...

Night traps are always a silent scream ... they're always shit, no one but a fool or a liar will claim otherwise ... they're like practicing bleeding ... and that's no matter how well trained, 'wired', disciplined, or 'good' you might be ...

Just my $20 worth ... :sleep_125

 

[MasterBates]

So i see you guys are AMAZING at dick jokes and vulgar humor!?!? It seems i have much to learn.

Teach me the ways.

 

[Rass]

Initial day CQ and the first time you get married are both a blurrrrrrrrrr ... believe it .... but hopefully you will be well trained enough to survive either/both with aplomb, poise, and grace ...

If it's initial CQ -- you won't know enough to tell whether or not you are 'doing well' ... just do what you've been trained to do and focus.

If it's initial marriage -- you're on your own, buddy ... you'll only know years/decades later as to how 'well' you did ...

Initial night CQ is a bad dream ... you feel like you're balancing on top of a bowling ball ... it's like one of those freight train bad dreams that just keeps on comin' and you can't stop it or wake up ...

After 25-50 day traps are under your belt, 'it' becomes FUN -- in days of old you might even get away w/ a 500 KIAS break and/or a FAN BREAK -- these days ... ???? After you achieve your 'comfort zone', you will start focusing on your landing grades -- that is, consistently being in the TOP-10 and/or winning TOP HOOK for a line period(s) or cruise, i.e., being the best that you can be ...

Night traps are always a silent scream ... they're always shit, no one but a fool or a liar will claim otherwise ... they're like practicing bleeding ... and that's no matter how well trained, 'wired', disciplined, or 'good' you might be ...

Just my $20 worth ... :sleep_125

Nice write up. Such a good analogy! Although no experience with marriage yet.

 

[AJTranny]

And if you're one of the chosen to be a backseater you get a front row...err second row seat to the scariest shit-show you'd ever wanna see. (at night) And no controls either unless you count the ejection seat. Still, wouldn't trade it for the world, except a pilot slot of course. Whoo-hoo.

 

[MasterBates]

And for the USAF take, here is Dos Gringos

 

[AJTranny]

More like an aileron roll but a great song anyway.

 

[TwosBlind]

How many dudes cant hack it at night but have no problems catching wires during the day during CQ? Is this common? Ive always figured night traps were probably the hardest part of naval aviation on the tailhook side of the game.

 

[Rass]

Night traps are always a silent scream ... they're always shit, no one but a fool or a liar will claim otherwise ... they're like practicing bleeding ... and that's no matter how well trained, 'wired', disciplined, or 'good' you might be ...

I'm pretty sure A4sForever summed it up just nicely.

 

[ACowboyinTexas]

How many dudes cant hack it at night but have no problems catching wires during the day during CQ? Is this common? Ive always figured night traps were probably the hardest part of naval aviation on the tailhook side of the game.

It's sort of wierd, but I think a lot of guys don't mind the night traps too much during initial RAG CQ and early days in the fleet. A long straight in versus figuring out how not to look like an idiot doing zip-lip case 1 day stuff doesn't seem so bad. Like A4s said though, you get to where you would do the day stuff for free, but each night trap seems to carry more dread than the last. Still, I'm going to miss 'em all, even the heinous scary dark, vertigo in the goo, "99, landing lights on" knee-shakers.:cowboy_12

 

[blackbart22]

As they say, the three best things for an aviator are a great landing, a great bowel movement and a great orgasum. A night carrier landing is the only time that you can enjoy all three at the same time.

 

[A4sForever]

.... you get to where you would do the day stuff for free, but each night trap seems to carry more dread than the last. Still, I'm going to miss 'em all, even the heinous scary dark, vertigo in the goo, "99, landing lights on" knee-shakers.:cowboy_12

Roger that; and just for clarification ... back in the days of Cowboy (early days?), Catmando, BusyBee, et al ... we had to fly 'em all the way at night -- no crutches, no auto-nuthin', no needles (SPN-whatever was just in it's infancy and didn't work worth a damn -- certainly nothing to bet your life on), no GPS, no yadda-yadda-yadda ... just the occasional NFO to bouy your spirits w/ his screams of support and the soothing dulcet tones of the LSO -- until you went low.

We even had to enter Marshal 'manually' --- MANUALLY --- FOR THE LOVE OF GOD !!!



The Horror ....MANUALLY !!!
THE HORROR !!! IS ANYONE LISTENING !!??

 

[JustAGuy]

We even had to enter Marshal 'manually' --- MANUALLY --- FOR THE LOVE OF GOD !!!

Unless there is some super secret mode I don't know about, we still do all that marshal stuff manually. (Unless you are in a prowler)

 

[A4sForever]

....we still do all that marshal stuff manually. (Unless you are in a prowler)

Like I said ....

 

[BusyBee604]

Roger that; and just for clarification ... back in the days of Cowboy (early days?), Catmando, BusyBee, et al ... we had to fly 'em all the way at night -- no crutches, no auto-nuthin', no needles (SPN-whatever was just in it's infancy and didn't work worth a damn -- certainly nothing to bet your life on), no GPS, no yadda-yadda-yadda ... just the occasional NFO to bouy your spirits w/ his screams of support and the soothing dulcet tones of the LSO -- until you went low.

We even had to enter Marshal 'manually' --- MANUALLY --- FOR THE LOVE OF GOD !!!

Duh, Gee Daddy A4s....whatsa auto-nuthin', needles (do they sew inflight now?), GPS (huh?), I din't never heard of NFO, I did heard of AOA/Indexer (they said mebbe in a cupple years)...but NWS (sumday)!!!
Methuselah BzB:sleep_125

 

[bunk22]

How many dudes cant hack it at night but have no problems catching wires during the day during CQ? Is this common? Ive always figured night traps were probably the hardest part of naval aviation on the tailhook side of the game.

When I first started flying COD's, I ended up at VRC-30 on the west coast. Well 30 had started the night flying program with the C-2 while VRC-40 on the east coast remainted day only at the boat. We had one guy who flew great during the day but not good at night. So the obvious thing perhaps would have been maybe to transfer him to VRC-40, solid day ball flyer. Nope, for whatever reason, the CO kept him at 30 and he did not make aircraft commander in the alloted 24 months and was FNAEB'ed. I believe he had to go to another platform and flew T-34's then later E-6's.