What Motivated you to go Naval Aviation?

[Hopeful Hoya]

While out running today on the Potomac (and with every part of my body screaming for me to stop), two Coastie MH-65s flew over me and seeing them pushed me to a personal best time.

As I got back home, I was reflecting on that and what inspired me to want to be a Naval Aviator. For me, it was playing with a flight simulator in the local science center when I was 7 or 8. The next day, I went out and spent all the money I had on a copy of Flight Simulator 2004 and a joystick, and the rest is history.

I'd love to hear some of your stories about why you wanted to go into Naval Aviation. I'm sure many of you like BusyBee and the mods have some pretty amazing ones.

 

[webmaster]

Standing Topside Watch on USS NEWPORT NEWS, winter of 1996, in Norfolk, VA freezing. Watching the Blues practice above me for the upcoming Oceana Airshow, and realizing that I was in the wrong line of work! Shortly afterwards got selected for commissioning, notified on cruise, our sub pulled into the arduous port of Curacao and on liberty ran into two P3 crews enjoying their "deployment". Screw this submarine and haze grey and underway crap, when I get commissioned I am going Naval Aviation!

 

[BusyBee604]

Good subject... well the ol' Bee was an ET 2 crewman on a hunter-killer submarine operating out of Bermuda back in the mid '50s. Leaving port to operate for a few days, we had taken aboard several young winged ASW Ensigns (from a VS S-2 squadron), to observe our ASW operations. While standing a helm watch, I had a long chat with one of them. He told how great it was both in flight training, and flying in the fleet. I told him I'd love to try it, but I joined the Navy right out of HS, and had no college. He then gave me all the details on the Naval Aviation Cadet (NAVCAD) Program, where you could be selected for flight training with 2 years of college... or pass a 2-year college equivilancy & aviation aptitude tests.

Upon returning to port, I teamed up with our only Yeoman, and together after digesting the NAVCAD application instruction, we worked for several months building a package, which had the same basics as a package today. From the time I first talked to the S-2 Pilot, until my application was approved and orders issued, took only about 6 months. When I went through the pipeline, there were no pools or other delays of any type other than P'Cola local WX (+1 hurricane). I started Preflight (our version of OCS), the Monday after reporting. My Primary & Basic (T-34/T-28) took 9 mos. and Advanced Jet (TV-2/F9F-8) was 6 mos. Not all that amazing, but the following 15 years flying in the fleet sure was. The most amazing part was that upon reporting to my first fleet squadron, the next 11.5 years were served in 5 different VA squadrons, 3 fleet & 2 RAG IP. That could never happen today!
BzB

 

[AllYourBass]

I worked in an office doing marketing for four years while I went through college. Lucky gig. It was good money for my age (started at 19) and a pretty decent place to start. By the end of year three at that job, I was heading into my last semester of college and working full time under fluorescent lights doing completely unchallenging/uninteresting work. I spent a year or two fairly depressed about doing nothing with my life (at least, that's how it felt) until I came to the conclusion that I was following the path of least resistance. Then I looked into the military and, with the idea that travel would be a pretty big desire, focused on the Navy.

Went to a recruiter, things went well, he suggested aviation since I have perfect vision (I was looking at SWO), I said "What the hell?", and now I'm here.

How's that for a completely uninspiring story? But seriously—I thought everybody in flight school was going to be the guy/gal who wanted to fly jets ever since they were two years old. While there are plenty of those people to be found, there are also a grip of us who wandered into the world of aviation on some semblance of a whim only to fall for it hook, line and sinker!

 

[Gatordev]

Standing Topside Watch on USS NEWPORT NEWS, winter of 1996, in Norfolk, VA freezing. Watching the Blues practice above me for the upcoming Oceana Airshow,

Now I know you're just making stuff up. I lived on the Chesapeake bay for 7 years, and I'm not sure if I'd ever call September "freezing." Wait a minute...September of 1996 we were both in the same Navigation class hearing about turf grass.

Don't listen to this guy, I'm not even sure he went to flight school!

 

[webmaster]

Now I know you're just making stuff up. I lived on the Chesapeake bay for 7 years, and I'm not sure if I'd ever call September "freezing." Wait a minute...September of 1996 we were both in the same Navigation class hearing about turf grass.

Don't listen to this guy, I'm not even sure he went to flight school!

i was thinking more of jan time frame if 96. I showed up to deal with you arrogant midshipmen in august after NSI. Navigation class and turf grass. Haha. Forgot about that.

 

[insanebikerboy]

I joined Naval Aviation for the choker whites and dining outs.

 

[Gatordev]

i was thinking more of jan time frame if 96. I showed up to deal with you arrogant midshipmen in august after NSI. Navigation class and turf grass. Haha. Forgot about that.

Wait, there was life going on outside of ROTC at that time? Impossible!

 

[Hopeful Hoya]

Some pretty amazing stories, although it seems that however you end up here you're pretty much guaranteed to absolutely love it (I'm sure the choker whites and the gold wings help too ).

 

[xj220]

I joined Naval Aviation for the choker whites and dining outs.

Hot chicks like the uniform. I think that's motivation enough.

 

[mad dog]

I'll be 100% honest.

I needed a job after college graduation in 1986...and the Navy was offering guaranteed pilot slots like gangbusters...and TOP GUN had just come out.

That's pretty much it.

 

[Renegade One]

I joined Naval Aviation for the choker whites and dining outs.

I didn't know about Dining Outs, but "yes" to the Choker Whites…featured prominently in the '70's-era brochures.

Hot chicks like the uniform. I think that's motivation enough.

Yes again.

But absolute truth? The Navy was the only opportunity of which I was aware that allowed a 20/200 vision guy like me to fly frigging jets from aircraft carriers. THAT sealed the deal for me.

 

[picklesuit]

Top Gun, end of story...still watch it at least once a quarter.
Pickle

 

[roflsaurus]

Watching flight ops from vultures row on my first deployment. I said I was going to get commissioned, and the girl I was watching with said that it was too bad I'd probably be an LDO and wouldn't get to wear a flight suit...

 

[HeyJoe]

While out running today on the Potomac (and with every part of my body screaming for me to stop), two Coastie MH-65s flew over me and seeing them pushed me to a personal best time.

I was at National Harbor and saw same flight of 2 MH-65s low over the Potomac. They did look very cool and I paused to watch them pass....