CORTRAMID East or West?

[H20man]

There are a bunch of T-34s, T-6s and a multitude of other aircraft sitting on the ramp at North Island getting ready for the next round of CORTRAMID.

 

[CommodoreMid]

I guess things have changed. I showed interest in the VS community, and got a ride in an S-3. I showed interest in VP, and got a ride in a P-3. If your interested in it, pursue it. The worst they can say is no.

When were you at CORTRAMID then? I went east in 2005 and while everyone with an up chit got a T-34 hop, only a handful got SH-60 and COD rides. They got picked randomly and, like the Hornet rides mentioned, many who weren't interested in aviation got them, whereas others, like me, got zip.

 

[HeyJoe]

TRACOM aircraft next to fleet birds always looks like a clown car parked next to a Ferrari.

All part of Naval Aviation rites of passage...first you get to be in a clown car painted so hopefully you don't hurt someone and others have fair warning. But you may get to return as an instructor as shown below.

HJ Photo

 

[MIDNJAC]

Probably get two for the price of one as they've been trucking the prepubescents up from North Island in a COD and you could probably pick their brains a bit. All I have to say is 1.) I think it's stupid the government spends so much money enticing people with Hornet rides who are already joining the military to.....join the military? I know of numerous hard working maintainers who would kill for the same chance and in my opinion are more deserving. And, finally 2.) carry an fning sick sack and use it.....and then throw it IN the trash when your done and not inside somebody elses gear.

While I agree w/ what you are saying about the maintainers & sick sack, I think the intent is to give the middies some experience in the aviation community (so they can make a decision about whether they want to enter it), not just motivate them to join the military. At least that is how it was always described to me when I was a MIDN.

 

[phrogdriver]

HJ, I have been back flying an orange-and-white. I brought it to fleet bases, and it still looks funny.

I think that a training aircraft is a perfect first taste of "is aviation for me?" It's way more representative of your first 2 years after graduation, anyway. A ride in any fleet platform, whether a helo or a jet, may or may not be what one is in for. Believe me, look at a fleet squadron's flight schedule and see how little "white space" there is sometimes. Midn frags are fun, but they are a time sump. Cost wise, the money it takes to fly a fleet aircraft and a T-bird aren't evn in the same ballpark.

 

[FLY_USMC]

While I agree w/ what you are saying about the maintainers & sick sack, I think the intent is to give the middies some experience in the aviation community (so they can make a decision about whether they want to enter it), not just motivate them to join the military. At least that is how it was always described to me when I was a MIDN.

I used the word "military" instead of the phrase "aviation community" but it doesn't change how I feel. If you want to learn about the different communities taking a frigain straight and level ride isn't the way. Does the Marine Corps send prospective Infantry Officers to Iraq to experience what it's like to get shot at? Dumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into "seeing if you like it flying" when half these dudes don't even want to fly is a waste of resources. You want motivation, use Google.

 

[MIDNJAC]

I used the word "military" instead of the phrase "aviation community" but it doesn't change how I feel. If you want to learn about the different communities taking a frigain straight and level ride isn't the way. Does the Marine Corps send prospective Infantry Officers to Iraq to experience what it's like to get shot at? Dumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into "seeing if you like it flying" when half these dudes don't even want to fly is a waste of resources. You want motivation, use Google.

I don't disagree w/ you about the money thing, but I will say that on my 1/c cruise (I didn't do CORTRAMID) every time one of us middies bagged a backseat ride (Rhino), it was in a jet that was already going to be flying, i.e we were just riding along on previously scheduled training hops. Occaisonally an IP would switch out from a single seat to a double so a mid could go, but I don't know that you can really argue that this was an added expense. So yes, taking T-34's and IP's out of the training commands just to give middies joyrides is perhaps wasteful. Than again, I'm pretty sure it must be a good deal for the IP's.

 

[e6bflyer]

I don't disagree w/ you about the money thing, but I will say that on my 1/c cruise (I didn't do CORTRAMID) every time one of us middies bagged a backseat ride (Rhino), it was in a jet that was already going to be flying, i.e we were just riding along on previously scheduled training hops. Occaisonally an IP would switch out from a single seat to a double so a mid could go, but I don't know that you can really argue that this was an added expense. So yes, taking T-34's and IP's out of the training commands just to give middies joyrides is perhaps wasteful. Than again, I'm pretty sure it must be a good deal for the IP's.

It is....
I'll be up there next week, look for the guy in a flight suit, tall, average build, in an orange and white aircraft.
Bring a bag!

 

[phrogdriver]

look for the guy in a flight suit, tall, average build, in an orange and white aircraft.

...and likes Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Like I said, a good frag for a training command aircraft, not so much for fleet birds. Even if a seat is empty on a fleet aircraft, the mission just shifted from training to babysitting a mid. Hey, I used to be there to. I still think that the flights I had on a T-34 and TH-57 on an NROTC field trip were much more formative than the show-and-tells during CORTRAMID. On which I have to say, "SWO week....LAME!!!"

 

[MIDNJAC]

...and likes Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Like I said, a good frag for a training command aircraft, not so much for fleet birds. Even if a seat is empty on a fleet aircraft, the mission just shifted from training to babysitting a mid. Hey, I used to be there to. I still think that the flights I had on a T-34 and TH-57 on an NROTC field trip were much more formative than the show-and-tells during CORTRAMID. On which I have to say, "SWO week....LAME!!!"

Hey, I kept my hands/knees/elbows to myself until they told me to take the stick

 

[NozeMan]

When were you at CORTRAMID then? I went east in 2005 and while everyone with an up chit got a T-34 hop, only a handful got SH-60 and COD rides. They got picked randomly and, like the Hornet rides mentioned, many who weren't interested in aviation got them, whereas others, like me, got zip.

It was the summer of 2003. Keep in mind there was still an S-3 FRS (VS-41), so my experience was unique. The P-3 ride that I bummed was being in the right place at the right time.