Lake Havasu detachment

[Uncle Fester]

I never did a det in the VTs myself but had some bros who did (I think to Havasu?), everyone agreed it was gouge. Flew their asses off, had fun after hours, got to get to know the IPs on a more informal basis over beers in the evenings. Personally I would much rather have done that than sit around the student RR for a month waiting out the crap Panhandle March weather trying to get my VNAVs done.

 

[ea6bflyr]

I, too, never did a Det as a VT SNFO student, but did El Sweato (Centro) while in the Prowler RAG. As a VT instructor, we did a Det every year during the Blues annual homecoming show in PCola. Went to Savannah, Myrtle Beach, and New Orleans. Great flying, great liberty and working away from home base really taught the students how to work out of their comfort zone.

 

[SynixMan]

Or ever.

Pure curiosity from me...I never did a Whiting dedicated DET, only supported a Corpus DET. How did Whiting's STAN hold up while on DET?

Corpus STAN was "interesting" at the time to begin with, and even more "interesting" while at LRU.

I was a Corpus SNA and Whiting IP. LRU course rules were stupid easy, just flow around a mountain, up into some working areas, rejoin the circle, overhead entry, land. FWIW I hated the complexity of KNSE course rules and barely knew them as an IP until I taught the Course Rules class and later on was a STAN guy. I preached to my on wings that the biggest thing was to hit the checkpoints/altitudes/speeds, use the GPS, and don't stray south.

LRU stan was fine IMO. I hooked my pre-check ride mostly because I was scared of the yelling douche nozzle LT I was flying with. Flew the next day with a chill STAN guy and was fine. There was an inherent motivation to flying every day when I had spent a month getting WX cancelled in Corpus.

 

[Gatordev]

LRU stan was fine IMO.

Well of course you think that, you were a student and there wasn't any. I keed! (Kind of...given your time period).

I was asking how Whiting Stan held up on DET. Historically, Whiting Stan was tighter than Corpus. Starting a FITU at Corpus helped with that.

I preached to my on wings that the biggest thing was to hit the checkpoints/altitudes/speeds, use the GPS, and don't stray south.

You clearly weren't a VT-3 IP then, as they taught their students to find the nearest airplane on course rules and then cut immediately in front of them.

Me to student: "How much you want to bet that's a Red Knight solo that just cut us off?"

3 minutes later on the radio as we're approaching the bridge: "Pensacola Approach, this is Red Knight 123 SOLO approaching Conecuh River Bridge w/ ALPHA."

 

[SynixMan]

Well of course you think that, you were a student and there wasn't any. I keed! (Kind of...given your time period).

I was asking how Whiting Stan held up on DET. Historically, Whiting Stan was tighter than Corpus. Starting a FITU at Corpus helped with that.

I'll agree I was an ignorant SNA but then again my owning there was a CNATRA O-6 who became CNAFR actual later on, and he was the chillest possible dude and I learned a lot from him.

 

[Gatordev]

my owning there was a CNATRA O-6 who became CNAFR actual later on, and he was the chillest possible dude and I learned a lot from him.

This makes me smile, in a good way. Not that I was an O-6 or CNAFR, but my give-a-shit meter about certain Romeo NATOPS silliness would be really low, even when flying with a CAT 1. I would make sure they knew what was expected, but if they had a good attitude, I'd also read them in on the actual history of whatever briefing item came up and help them understand why rout, word-for-word memorization wasn't what mattered in knowing about that item in the cockpit.

 

[kookylukey]

When I was in VTs there were two dets, one to Key West and the other to Michigan, didnt get to go on either, but I was in the squadron for both. You'll get to know the IPs quicker and on the one day you get off during the week everyone (IPs and students) go to the bars. I don't think it'll be the same in Havasu as Key West, but if you solo'd there you could only do pattern work which really sucks. Just be prepared for weird things like that.

Biggest thing though is don't get sold on going even if they're telling you they're taking only contacts or only instrument students, because it'll change 15 times and may even change halfway through the det.

 

[taxi1]

and the other to Michigan

Odd site for a VT det. Hurrivac?

 

[ea6bflyr]

Odd site for a VT det. Hurrivac?

My bet is that one of the squadron JOs was from there. We did a Prowler det to Mountain Home, Idaho. Why? The OpsO and Skeds had family there.

 

[Faded Float Coat]

My bet is that one of the squadron JOs was from there. We did a Prowler det to Mountain Home, Idaho. Why? The OpsO and Skeds had family there.

There used to (still are?) be some low-tech emitters there, no?

BT BT

Salina, Kansas in February for a VTJ weps det was....a choice.