About 3 years ago, the Ops Group Commander (O-6 in charge of all base flying) told me no more transfers for a while. Other than that, the leadership has been very supportive over the years.
Vick and Huggy,
You guys suck
I only say that because I'm jealous. I applied three years ago and remember the phone call from Huggy saying the Ops Gp CC didn't want me. So is life.
P3 FO & HackerF15E have pretty much summed up the real major and important differences in the services. I too have both wings and I left the Nav for my own reasons. I only have to add this from 8 years in the AF both flying and working staff:
These are things I will tell my own son when he asks which to join.
1. If you want to be a fighter pilot (regardlass of the value added stuff such as bragging rights of being a carrier aviator, cooler uniforms in the Nav, hotter chicks in the AF, etc.). GO AF.
With two theoretically identical students, Phase 1 and UPT will select a guy for the fighter track (all things being equal) based on performance. The equivalent SNA in primary will be subjected to needs of the Navy, the much argued quality spread, and numerous FRS/Fleet generated "pull" requirements for manning. Now, as we speak, the UAV world is starting to ad a much darker cloud to the AF selection process and we're dealing with that too currently.
Though the Navy has switched to MPTS it is still peppered with subjectivity in grading. UPT is incredibly standardized. This is because all IUTs go throught one PITT in RND. The Nav has a different ITU at each wing, doing things just a tad differently from the next guy.
2. Had I to do it over again. I would go AF and I would go fighters. Having lived the life of a LAMPS red headed stepchild in the Nav, you can't get much lower. You don't have the good deals as the HC guys, and you're not a rockstar with money like the TACAIR drivers. I can only think that HS would've sucked more than HSL
Caveat that with VFA guys are now very overworked and overdeployed... you can reach your own decisions based on your work ethic and values (QOL or career). Also the helo mission is changing ...HSM.
3. Career. To succeed in the Air Force (generalization disclaimer) you must possess the accumen of the highest order actuary. Careers are based on square-filling-civlian-coporate-like measurement of "product".
You can be the best DO in a squadron; born leader, respected by your subordinates, 100% msn success rate, combat aviator, etc. But get beaten out for a promotion recommendation and chance of command by the weather/intel squadron's DO. Why? Because his 25 man shop produced 3,500 indivdual briefing items daily, and provided reachback capability to warifighters in the AOR, yada-yada-yada, etc. That beats your OPR (FITREP) bullets of flying a measley three-digit 115 combat flight hours, and leading a 15 person DET admin, etc. Bitter? Naw....not me.
That's about it for now. You can read all my other vitriole sprinkled around the board. I sure hope the OP has checked back in for all this valuable insight (though I haven't seen him chime in since the first week, I weep for our youth).
I was just explaining the abundance of women in the Air Force photo.
