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Why it's good to be in Naval Aviation
- Thread starter Gatordev
- Start date
Retired H-3 pilot:
The people - how close you get to your three roommates in that J.O. stateroom on cruise. Making friends with the night shift in the galley just down the passageway from your room, so that you can come in at 3 AM and get fresh, hot cinnamon rolls. (And those Navy cinnamon rolls are the best in the world!!)
Watching the ballet of the flight deck crew from vultures' row.
"Crew rest" while ship's company is at GQ.
As a FNG, one of the times when you couldn't "crew rest" during GQ; standing in the front of the ready room with your gas mask on, trying to give a lecture to the pilots on the hydraulic system. While the CO and XO are in the front row, about five feet away from you. And your roommates are in the back row, standing up with their dicks hanging out, trying to make you laugh.
Plane captains!
Chasing a sub during the day time, with an experienced AW in back.
Sitting in a hover about three miles off the coast of San Diego with a student (as an FRS instructor) when the fog was coming in and you really should have headed back in about an hour ago, but you were trying to "get the X out" for the flight. And suddenly the USS Iowa steams out of the fog about a quarter mile away.
The people - how close you get to your three roommates in that J.O. stateroom on cruise. Making friends with the night shift in the galley just down the passageway from your room, so that you can come in at 3 AM and get fresh, hot cinnamon rolls. (And those Navy cinnamon rolls are the best in the world!!)
Watching the ballet of the flight deck crew from vultures' row.
"Crew rest" while ship's company is at GQ.
As a FNG, one of the times when you couldn't "crew rest" during GQ; standing in the front of the ready room with your gas mask on, trying to give a lecture to the pilots on the hydraulic system. While the CO and XO are in the front row, about five feet away from you. And your roommates are in the back row, standing up with their dicks hanging out, trying to make you laugh.
Plane captains!
Chasing a sub during the day time, with an experienced AW in back.
Sitting in a hover about three miles off the coast of San Diego with a student (as an FRS instructor) when the fog was coming in and you really should have headed back in about an hour ago, but you were trying to "get the X out" for the flight. And suddenly the USS Iowa steams out of the fog about a quarter mile away.
Since a lot of you are ASW conversant, I'm taking an informal survey ... as I'm just curious ...
How many of you boys have caught a Rooskie (or any other non-US) sub ON THE SURFACE and "thumped" him ???
I know one former A-4/A-6/B747 driver who has ....
Since a lot of you are ASW conversant, I'm taking an informal survey ... as I'm just curious ...
How many of you boys have caught a Rooskie (or any other non-US) sub ON THE SURFACE and "thumped" him ???
I know one former A-4/A-6/B747 driver who has ....
Other than ROK, Japanese, or Aussie boats that were just snorting and not really playing their A game.... the Swedes never played around in their Gotland.
A4s Forever-
No A-4s in the Air Wing on my cruises, but while we still had A-7s, they found more surfaced Soviet subs then the rest of the airwing put together.
No A-4s in the Air Wing on my cruises, but while we still had A-7s, they found more surfaced Soviet subs then the rest of the airwing put together.
New to the squadron, having to fly with the CO or XO. You knew that you were going to get "grilled", so you were always nervous. Until you figured out that if YOU asked THEM systems/tactics questions you could keep them on topics you were stronger on. And when I found out that my CO was a big Green Bay Packers fan, and loved "Hill Street Blues", ... , those flights suddenly became much easier!
How totally pumped up with adrenaline you are when you pick up a "man overboard"! Probably the best feeling I have ever had. The incredible amount of respect you have for the rescue swimmers who do the hard work in those situations.
And a shout out to the Coast Guard helo crews, who I think do the toughest flying of any of the services.
And a shout out to the Coast Guard helo crews, who I think do the toughest flying of any of the services.
Is there any place else in the world where you find a group of people like the "ready room" in a USN/USMC squadron? Where else do you get the same collection/concoction of smart, rude, funny, sarcastic, crude, patriotic jackasses, any one of whom you would give your life for? Well, almost any one of whom. I can think of a couple ...
JESSE131
New Member
The Bad Old Days
Preview The Bad Old Days
I reported to USS Independence as a nugget A-7 driver in late Oct 1973 during the Yom Kippur War crisis. Wanted to be an LSO, so the CO sent me out to the platform one night to observe landings. Within minutes an F-4 showed up on the ball slightly high. He made a humongous correction and seemed to literally fall out of the sky - and dropped his left wing. Now pointed directly at us, the controlling LSO started yelling for power and then hit the waveoff lights. With the F-4 still coming down and at us, the CAG LSO yelled "Hit the net!!", which also went out over the air since he was convulsively squeezing the handset (whaddaya think was going through the RIO's mind?). The five of us observers jumped into the net. I jumped up and immediately started running inboard at full speed. Don't know where I thought I was going since there was no escape hatch. It was pitch black and I hit a platform supporting stancheon with the right half of my face. I bounced back into the net, got up and started running inboard again with the same result. Still conscious, but on my back, I saw the F-4 go just over the LSO platform with burners blazing. The CAG LSO and controlling LSO were crouched on the platform screaming "burner, burner!." They both got singed pretty good from the F-4's burners - looked like they had been out in the sun too long. The right half of my face turned black and blue, and for the next few weeks I looked like a harlequin clown. The F-4 came around and trapped with a fair pass. I asked the CAG LSO later what the pilot said in the debrief, and he replied "Nothing I wanted to hear." I became an LSO anyway.
Preview The Bad Old Days
I reported to USS Independence as a nugget A-7 driver in late Oct 1973 during the Yom Kippur War crisis. Wanted to be an LSO, so the CO sent me out to the platform one night to observe landings. Within minutes an F-4 showed up on the ball slightly high. He made a humongous correction and seemed to literally fall out of the sky - and dropped his left wing. Now pointed directly at us, the controlling LSO started yelling for power and then hit the waveoff lights. With the F-4 still coming down and at us, the CAG LSO yelled "Hit the net!!", which also went out over the air since he was convulsively squeezing the handset (whaddaya think was going through the RIO's mind?). The five of us observers jumped into the net. I jumped up and immediately started running inboard at full speed. Don't know where I thought I was going since there was no escape hatch. It was pitch black and I hit a platform supporting stancheon with the right half of my face. I bounced back into the net, got up and started running inboard again with the same result. Still conscious, but on my back, I saw the F-4 go just over the LSO platform with burners blazing. The CAG LSO and controlling LSO were crouched on the platform screaming "burner, burner!." They both got singed pretty good from the F-4's burners - looked like they had been out in the sun too long. The right half of my face turned black and blue, and for the next few weeks I looked like a harlequin clown. The F-4 came around and trapped with a fair pass. I asked the CAG LSO later what the pilot said in the debrief, and he replied "Nothing I wanted to hear." I became an LSO anyway.
Back on my first underway period I was on a hoist transfer mission. We were to pickup someone off a Knox class frigate (yeah, I am that old). I was in the right seat, we were hovering with the nose off to the left. My aircrewman was giving the standard calls, when I heard this: "...Pax half way up,....bwahh ha ha ha ha ha...OMG look at this! Bwaa ha ha ha ha!! Mr L, look in the mirror!"I look in the external mirror so I can see back at the hoist station and I see a somewhat large, round sailor holding tight to the horse collar,wearing tighty whities and his dungarees down around his ankles. I had to fight back the tears of laughter as the AW1 in the back took several "swings" to get the guy in the door.