A4sForever said:
Sorry, bunk .... I love 'ya nowdays -- but that ain't the way it works. Never has been .... and never will be unless, of course, "someone" is giving LSO quals away today (and I suspect there is more truth to that than I would like to consider). 
BITD, to qualify in the AirWing in ALL aircraft as a Wing LSO ( and that's the goal -- the name of the game) you have to observe /wave/control lliterally THOUSANDS of passes -- ship and shore -- it's tough to do. It's tough to get the deck time. Jets are ALWAYS the last qual --- most certainly not the first. But then .... my time is over .... perhaps are there "new rules" for qualifying LSO's today .... ??? 
I know you've heard of waving F-8's, F-4's, RA-5's, A-4's, A-7's, A-6's, EA-6's, C-1's, A-3's, MAW Fleet Marines who had never CQ'ed before and all the rest --- day/night, ship and shore .... even Stoof's with the infamous no-wind "blue-water" cut. We had to qualify in a multitude of aircraft. I even got to fly most of them.
The result: the E-2/C-2 was our FIRST shipboard qual --- Certainly not the last. That was because it was the "easiest" (a very relative term as used herein) for the new and upcoming LSO to handle -- no disparagement on the E-2/C-2 aircraft or flight crews --- just the reality of the platform.
It would suprise me if it were any different today .....
(edit): I don't want to talk about Hummers anymore .... I feel so dirty ....
In today's Navy, to earn an Airwing Qual, it takes waving two full cruises, including work-ups and passing the grade for the CAG paddles. Thus E-2 pilots can earn their Airwing qual, go to the FRS, earn their training qual and then on to CAG LSO positions. Like I said, AIRPAC paddles three years ago was a COD pilot, our current XO.
I waved all my first work-ups, first cruise and half of my second cruise. I concure with most that if you don't fly at night, shouldn't wave at night. No credibility in that department. That's why I stopped waving, we stopped flying to the boat at night. With my limited squadron qual experience, the jets, F-14's, 18's, EA-6's and S-3's were easier to wave aboard than the props. I waved all of them for 8 months, every 4th day, day and night, good weather and bad. Things have changed in today's Navy. I have no doubt F-8's or A-3's or RA-5's or whatever was difficult to not only bring aboard but bring them down as well. The fast movers are easier to grade, see movement and make the calls. Though they do move much faster on speed and that took time to get used to. Normally, all the jets are brought in first, then the E-2, C-2 and then tanker.
I believe the Tomcat is probably the toughest of today's jets to bring onboard and like I said, our XO with traps in C-2's, E-2's and Tomcats knows the difference between the three hardest to bring aboard and the the Tomcat is easier than the props. He had a 4.0 line period in the tomcat but couldn't get that in the COD or E-2. Easier to bring onboard, easier to wave. Just the way it is.
