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Flying for Navy, Marines or Air Force?
- Thread starter gringo
- Start date
Congrats. Good luck
Awesome! Should be a lot of fun, and live fires.
alaurin
All day, every day!
A friend of mine, a Major in the Air Force sent me the same little letter.
The one question I had upon finishing the letter was, "If the hottest chick in the bar is in Singapore, then as a single, straight female, where should I be looking?"
In the Marine Corps.
alaurin
All day, every day!
Ha ha, nice one.
My lab mates were chatting about the government this week-- they told that they believe that the government uses the military to spy on everybody in foreign countries. If that's the case, at least the military is staying busy.
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
You should tell them that we know what they are saying, since the government listens in on everyones cell phones.
alaurin
All day, every day!
You should tell them that we know what they are saying, since the government listens in on everyones cell phones.
Then they'll just go on for hours about how horrible the government is and then even less will get done. Maybe I'll just tell it to the one guy who insists the government spies on people to screw with his mind. I might show him this youtube video to further screw with his mind-
This letter sorta says it all...
22 December 2005
Young Man,
Congratulations on your selection to both the Naval and Air Force Academies. Your goal of becoming a fighter pilot is impressive and a fine way to serve your country. As you requested, I'd be happy to share some insight into which service would be the best choice. Each service has a distinctly different culture. You need to ask yourself "Which one am I more likely to thrive in?"
USAF Snapshot: The USAF is exceptionally well organized and well run. Their training programs are terrific. All pilots are groomed to meet high standards for knowledge and professionalism. Their aircraft are top-notch and extremely well maintained. Their facilities are excellent. Their enlisted personnel are the brightest and the best trained. The USAF is homogeneous and macro. No matter where you go, you'll know what to expect, what is expected of you, and you'll be given the training & tools you need to meet those expectations. You will never be put in a situation over your head. Over a 20-year career, you will be home for most important family events. Your Mom would want you to be an Air Force pilot...so would your wife. Your Dad would want your sister to marry one.
Navy Snapshot: Aviators are part of the Navy, but so are Black Shoes (surface warfare) and Bubble Heads (submariners). Furthermore, the Navy is split into two distinctly different Fleets (West and East Coast). The Navy is heterogeneous and micro. Your squadron is your home; it may be great, average, or awful. A squadron can go from one extreme to the other before you know it. You will spend months preparing for cruise and months on cruise. The quality of the aircraft varies directly with the availability of parts. Senior Navy enlisted are salt of the earth; you'll be proud if you earn their respect. Junior enlisted vary from terrific to the troubled kid the judge made join the service. You will be given the opportunity to lead these people during your career; you will be humbled and get your hands dirty. The quality of your training will vary and sometimes you will be over your head. You will miss many important family events. There will be long stretches of tedious duty aboard ship. You will fly in very bad weather and/or at night and you will be scared many times. You will fly with legends in the Navy and they will kick your ass until you become a lethal force. And some days - when the scheduling Gods have smiled upon you - your jet will catapult into a glorious morning over a far-away sea and you will be drop-jawed that someone would pay you to do it. The hottest girl in the bar wants to meet the Naval Aviator. That bar is in Singapore.
Bottom line, son, if you gotta ask...pack warm & good luck in Colorado.
Banzai
P.S.: Air Force pilots wear scarves and iron their flight suits.
22 December 2005
Young Man,
Congratulations on your selection to both the Naval and Air Force Academies. Your goal of becoming a fighter pilot is impressive and a fine way to serve your country. As you requested, I'd be happy to share some insight into which service would be the best choice. Each service has a distinctly different culture. You need to ask yourself "Which one am I more likely to thrive in?"
USAF Snapshot: The USAF is exceptionally well organized and well run. Their training programs are terrific. All pilots are groomed to meet high standards for knowledge and professionalism. Their aircraft are top-notch and extremely well maintained. Their facilities are excellent. Their enlisted personnel are the brightest and the best trained. The USAF is homogeneous and macro. No matter where you go, you'll know what to expect, what is expected of you, and you'll be given the training & tools you need to meet those expectations. You will never be put in a situation over your head. Over a 20-year career, you will be home for most important family events. Your Mom would want you to be an Air Force pilot...so would your wife. Your Dad would want your sister to marry one.
Navy Snapshot: Aviators are part of the Navy, but so are Black Shoes (surface warfare) and Bubble Heads (submariners). Furthermore, the Navy is split into two distinctly different Fleets (West and East Coast). The Navy is heterogeneous and micro. Your squadron is your home; it may be great, average, or awful. A squadron can go from one extreme to the other before you know it. You will spend months preparing for cruise and months on cruise. The quality of the aircraft varies directly with the availability of parts. Senior Navy enlisted are salt of the earth; you'll be proud if you earn their respect. Junior enlisted vary from terrific to the troubled kid the judge made join the service. You will be given the opportunity to lead these people during your career; you will be humbled and get your hands dirty. The quality of your training will vary and sometimes you will be over your head. You will miss many important family events. There will be long stretches of tedious duty aboard ship. You will fly in very bad weather and/or at night and you will be scared many times. You will fly with legends in the Navy and they will kick your ass until you become a lethal force. And some days - when the scheduling Gods have smiled upon you - your jet will catapult into a glorious morning over a far-away sea and you will be drop-jawed that someone would pay you to do it. The hottest girl in the bar wants to meet the Naval Aviator. That bar is in Singapore.
Bottom line, son, if you gotta ask...pack warm & good luck in Colorado.
Banzai
P.S.: Air Force pilots wear scarves and iron their flight suits.
Most everything in this post is right on to one extent or the other. That being said, dealing with adversity makes the man and the experience gained doing so can only make you a better pilot and leader. I wouldn't have traded any of the sailors that worked for me for anything. When things got tough they always came through. FLY NAVY!
I am pretty new here, but long of tooth when compared to some of the posters. Back when I started the game there was still one F-8 squadron left, a good number of F-4 squadrons and rapid growth in the F-14 arena. Over in the USAF they were growing their F-15 force, flying F-111's and scratching their heads over the F-16. Sure, I ended up in helos and loved it, but fast forward to today and all I can say is this...there are no more fighter pilots in the true sense of the word. The last air-to-air kill by a US pilot was 23 years ago. Read that again...23 years. Pick any service, Navy Khaki, Marine Corps Green, or USAF Blue and you won't be a fighter pilot, certainly not one with a career.
So what does that leave you? I have always thought attack work would be super great and I will always regret never getting a shot at flying an A-6. Modern jet airframes are just slick carriers for stand-off ordnance with more and more attack work being done from afar or more accurately, by UAV. Helicopters are just fun. I would gladly run along the surface at 120 knots than count clouds in a sealed sarcophagus going Mach anything. Trust me, it feels faster. But then again, I am biased. Sure, you could go transports or even a cool version of transport flying like the AC-130...that is a nice lead in to an airline career and you will likely get lots of time in the cockpit. Bombers? I know nothing of bombers beyond 12 O' Clock High.
To the question of USAF vs USN...the Air Force is quickly becoming a tech agency. Flying is a legacy skill as far as the Air Force is concerned and they are looking to empty cockpits as quickly as possible with the exception of their transport operations. The Navy, on the other hand, is really suffering for a true maritime mission. I would rate their stick-and-rudder flight skills above those of the USAF and I think the smaller world of a squadron is far superior to the generic world of the USAF wing. The letter above notes that the USAF "is homogeneous and macro." That is code for same and dull. Still, the Navy needs to better define their aviation future. If asked by a young person today, I would advise them to look at two things - flying and experiences. If they want to fly, join the Army as a warrant officer and just fly without the hassles associated with being a commissioned officer. If they want to lead and have experience, join the Navy as you will go places and learn skills so far beyond the pale of simple flying it could be life-changing. If you want a job with the airlines, join the USAF. They have big bases with big runways and big airplanes. They move more, by air, than all the other services combined and do it with style. Still, I can't shake the feeling that manned military fixed-wing aviation is quickly becoming a thing of the past - which brings me to my final point...if you want to be a fighter pilot - stay in your mom's basement and play video games. You'll get more kills that way.
So what does that leave you? I have always thought attack work would be super great and I will always regret never getting a shot at flying an A-6. Modern jet airframes are just slick carriers for stand-off ordnance with more and more attack work being done from afar or more accurately, by UAV. Helicopters are just fun. I would gladly run along the surface at 120 knots than count clouds in a sealed sarcophagus going Mach anything. Trust me, it feels faster. But then again, I am biased. Sure, you could go transports or even a cool version of transport flying like the AC-130...that is a nice lead in to an airline career and you will likely get lots of time in the cockpit. Bombers? I know nothing of bombers beyond 12 O' Clock High.
To the question of USAF vs USN...the Air Force is quickly becoming a tech agency. Flying is a legacy skill as far as the Air Force is concerned and they are looking to empty cockpits as quickly as possible with the exception of their transport operations. The Navy, on the other hand, is really suffering for a true maritime mission. I would rate their stick-and-rudder flight skills above those of the USAF and I think the smaller world of a squadron is far superior to the generic world of the USAF wing. The letter above notes that the USAF "is homogeneous and macro." That is code for same and dull. Still, the Navy needs to better define their aviation future. If asked by a young person today, I would advise them to look at two things - flying and experiences. If they want to fly, join the Army as a warrant officer and just fly without the hassles associated with being a commissioned officer. If they want to lead and have experience, join the Navy as you will go places and learn skills so far beyond the pale of simple flying it could be life-changing. If you want a job with the airlines, join the USAF. They have big bases with big runways and big airplanes. They move more, by air, than all the other services combined and do it with style. Still, I can't shake the feeling that manned military fixed-wing aviation is quickly becoming a thing of the past - which brings me to my final point...if you want to be a fighter pilot - stay in your mom's basement and play video games. You'll get more kills that way.