Got 2 questions for all Aviators

[submarinerssbn]

(These two questions are for a paper i am writing about the Community of aviators or a Discourse Community Analysis Memo. I am doing everything in my power to get my degree and transition from operations below sea level to a couple thousand feet above sea level. I would appreciate everyones input into this, if you have an opinion please share it.)


What does it take to be an aviator?(doesn't matter which route you want to discuss mentally, physically, or even characteristically?)


What does it mean to you to be an aviator?

 

[Mumbles]

first of all...you have to have a big set of these

 

[ChunksJR]

What does it take to be an aviator?(doesn't matter which route you want to discuss mentally, physically, or even characteristically?)

Mentally - SA. Situational Awareness about a 3D space.

Physically - As a helo bubba, I don't need to be in as "good" shape as those pulling Gs, but I'm more prone to vertigo due to vibrations/effects of turbulance, etc...so, crewmanship, as I like to call it is more important than physical prowess. Crewmanship = the ability to act independently to the benefit of your crew/team. As a helo bubba, I have at least one more person in the aircraft to use CRM with.

Characteristically - Again, willing to work as part of the team, no matter what platform you're on. Also willing to take a lot of shit for doing stupid stuff...there is no "soft-skinned" aviators.

What does it mean to you to be an aviator?

Honestly, I think it can be summed up best by a quote from Leonardo da Vinci:

"Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been, and there you long to return."

 

[P3sPLZ]

Can't speak on the subject of what it takes to be a Naval Aviator, except the part about going from being a Submarine Qualified Nuke under lots of water to being an OC in Newport, about to go be a SNA in Pensacola without any prior flight experience. All you need to do is kick ass on the ASTB and OAR and do well in your college classes and hope that those that get paid to put people in officer communities deem you worthy of trying to earn your wings one day. Good luck to you.

 

[Bio]

What it takes to get there. You can get a lot of interesting responses to this question, but when I think back on the people I knew who were both good and bad aviators, I have to admit they are a wide range of human beings. Some were smart, some not so smart. Some were jocks, some were geeks. (Remember, I'm not talking about either good or bad yet.) Some were country boys, some were... well, you get the idea. But I think some of the most important qualities they had in common were:

• determination
• commitment, and
• flexibility.

This is after they met the mental and physical requirements, which are not THAT challenging for most able-bodied people.

What it meant to me? That is much more personal. It was a dream of mine, so for one it meant a deep satisfaction at getting there. It also meant that I experienced things that many people could not imagine - or may not want to imagine (cockpit electrical failure at night, enviro control system (ECS) component failure heading toward catastrophic fire, stuff like that). It meant that I worked with people who had a strong commitment to their job, both officers and enlisted - you had to be committed to stay there very long - and most of them enjoyed the job, again both officer and enlisted.

I hope this helps. OBTW this is my first post on airwarriors.com. HeyJoe sent me here and it is a fantastic site! - Bio

 

[HeloBubba]

What does it take to be an aviator?(doesn't matter which route you want to discuss mentally, physically, or even characteristically?)

A mental toughness that lets you compartmentalize and not come unglued as the sh!t hits the fan.