Why it's good to be in Naval Aviation

[invertedflyer]

Motivation ---- calling the Duty-O at VMFA-134 asking for a tour.... him and another Major sit around the ready room shooting the perverbial *hit with you for an hour... then a LtCol. comes in and offers you his sim time in the F/A-18 simulator.....you get back to see 4 D-model hornets from VMFA(AW)-242 and 2 F-5s from the adversary squadron rumbling down the runway.....you then are given a tour of every shop in the squadron, and get to crawl all over the aircraft......The only parting words from them are "good luck, and if you'r ever in our shoes, extend the same courtesy to someone else". I won't forget it, thats for sure.

Man, sure glad I'm in a grunt unit and don't have to wear those damn cranials ;-)

 

[baron103]

154 ?

 

[snort]

Because it's fun to fly jets. And, all the memories, priceless.


AW mod note: snort exposed as imposter so comments above are bogus

 

[bolterking]

Well let's see. First we get paid to something we all love...paid to fly. Your office is the best work space known to man. A bad day in the air is better than any good day on the ground. We get to be a memeber of a great fraternity...only a selected few in the work can be part of. We get to put warheads on foreheads. Do I say more? A role model for others...serve greatest country...awesome drinking buddies....endless.

----keep em safe paddles

 

[PropStop]

When an 18-year-old grunt on the ground goes home safe and sound because you were there, watching from above, giving him the battlefield SA he needed to survive and win. There is no feeling like that.

 

[TheBubba]

Sunset at 16,000 MSL... Was one of the best I've ever seen.

And the crowd gathering around as you fly into the municipal airport simply to stare at "the blue and white beast" that's the loudest, fastest thing to fly into the airport in a long time.

 

[Matthew Gagnier]

I was only in Naval Aviation for a very short period(NPQ'D in Advanced for Diabetes) but I will never forget the short time I was in. There is nothing like Naval Aviation because of not only the mission and training but the people you meet. I wanted to post a quick story highlighting the quality of people in Naval Aviation. Recently I received a box from Leemoore, California, in it were a set of Wings that were given to me by a retired navy pilot. He kept those wings on him for every flight he ever had in the navy. When I was discharged I passed them on to a friend so that those wings could stay in the Navy. These wings were used at 4 different Winging ceremonies and then returned to me. These gentlemen sacrificied their opportunity to be winged with wings that they would always have to show their friendship to me. To people who have never tried to obtain wings of gold they have no idea what this meant to me. I just wanted to say that I have never met a better group of people in my life than the ones I met in Naval Aviation. God Bless all of you.
"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth....and touched the face of God"

 

[Nacho]

Here's an entry from Moffin's best day ever on the boat:

As for my day last week, it was simply incredible. The CO and I launched off for the third event of the day for a CSG Defensive Counter Air mission on a 1.5 hour cycle. Essentially, we knew the Russians were waiting for us and we were out there to intercept and escort any unknown aircraft near the strike group.

My jet was loaded with two Sidewinders and one AMRAAM (sweet). We joined on the tanker overhead the ship, the CO got his gas and went to our holding station. The tanker broke and I went to the station without my mission gas. I would most likely be flying a max conserve profile ("On Ladder") on the jet for the entire flight. That's not too much fun, since it's pretty slow and boring.

Alas! As soon as I leave the tanker and check in with our ship controller, we get told to intercept two aircraft 60 miles away at 6000 feet. Awesome, now I can use all the speed the jet has and the ship will owe me the gas later! So, not joined up with the skipper, we prosecute two independent intercepts of the two contacts. The skipper's about 10 miles ahead of me, so he gets there first and joins on the second of two planes in a single file formation. As I near, I can see the skipper joined on the two aircraft, Russian IL-38 Mays.

"You gotta be kidding me! and Oh, crap!" goes through my head as I goon away a good intercept by zooming over the top 90 degrees out and do a 450 knot left, descending 270 to eventually join on the leader at 200 knots. Once I join up, I get out the camera and snap a couple of pictures, then snuggle up a little bit to see what's going on.

The plane is incredibly simple. It's grey and has no distinctive markings anywhere on the fuselage, except for the red star and a two digit tail number. It has some antennas sticking out and the unmistakable radar dome underneath the nose. Moving alongside to see the cockpit, I could clearly see a fellow in a fuselage window taking pictures and waving to me. The pilots up front were doing the same and various crew members would walk into the cockpit to check me out. I wave back. The leader starts to descend to 2000' and starts doing some turns, looking for "Mom." It doesn't take them long, as we point straight at the carrier and descend to 300'.

Our mission now is to make sure that a U.S. aircraft is in any pictures that they take of the ship. That means I get to fly fairly close and block their view of the boat a little, so the Russians can't publish photos of them taking unescorted pictures of an aircraft carrier. First, we fly across the bow of a DDG, then make a slow circle to fly down the starboard side of the Kitty Hawk from stem to stern. Yeah!!

Our replacement shows up and we're directed to "Texaco", overhead the ship. Good, since I'm now 1500 pounds (or 20 minutes) behind my fuel ladder. Not good. If this tanker goes sour or there's something wrong with the jet and I can't get gas, then I can't make my recovery time at the ship. The deck will be spotted for the next launch, so that means I couldn't land early if I wanted to. There are planes in the landing area that have to launch off of the waist cats. Diverting into a Houston Intercontinental sized Japanese airport is going to be the only option if I can't get gas.

I keep my mouth shut to the skipper since he never asks me what my fuel state is. Hitting the tanker just a little bit nervous, I plug in as smooth as can be and suck down almost 3000 pounds. Off the tanker, I'm only a little bit above the fuel ladder now and probably would have to get gas a third time if we were directed to escort anyone else.

We, however, proceed to our station and wait for our relief to show up. When they do, we head to the ship, spin overhead once and commence for the overhead break. Coming around the corner behind the ship at 500 knots, the skipper snaps it off at the stern of the ship for the "**** Hot Break" OK pass to the three wire. I come in 60 seconds later for an average FAIR pass to the three wire. I can't complain, I deserved it.

The most exhilarating flight in all of Naval Aviation that day; hands down. No one else that day got to do what the CO and I did. The Russians left after their first pass and our replacements didn't do much. It just doesn't get much better than that. Wait a minute. . . It's Friday. . . Pizza night!!! Tomorrow's Saturday. . . we pull into port!!!!!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!Moffin out.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3538/690/1600/305&IL-38_1.jpg

 

[TheBubba]

Drinkin in the ready room with your buds and your wife calling to see if you need a ride from the hangar... all after watching a couple of good flight demonstrations... [smileys in effect, too much Guinness to find appropriate smileys..]

*don't post drunk. This is TheBubba breaking his own rule...*
Happy flyin.,..

 

[bsm9531]

How about being an O-2 PPC and taking the plane to Hong Kong for the day... getting your monthly 10 & 6's at Misawa breaking out at 300' every time, being PPC/MC on an all JO crew and getting more "on top" time than anyone else in the det...flying through the oil well smoke and getting to write your name on the side of the plane when you land...returning to Moon-base-alpha at 0700 after an all-nighter in the Gulf and being completely sh!tfaced in the wadi 2 hours later ... goony birds at Midway .... littoral site visits aka good deal trips---missing it all many years later.

 

[fudog50]

why its good

Naval Aviation Maintenance is the best bar none!

I realize this forum is 95% flyers, i suggest we don't overlook the maintenance side.

Obviously I'm biased. From E-1 to CWO and 26 years, it is a pleasure to be surrounded by nothing but professionals.

What we do to keep the jets maintained to the highest standard is incredible.

Mechanical failure will always be there, but, Maintenance error is the lowest in the Navy than anywhere else, military or civilian.

I firmly believe this is due to the structure of Naval Aviation. Flyers interact with the maintenance folks on a daily basis.

(Of course it is also due to emphasis, focus on programs in place. Included are new and constant involving processes to continuosly reduce maintenance error)

Air Force and civilians don't interact at the level we do with maintenance folks. They are pretty much detached from the entire maintenance process.

By being involved with the maintenance folks as Div 'O' s, Dept head, etc.. gives a sense of ownership, pride and safety at 2 levels of maintenance, O level and I level. You know your sailors/techs, you know your jets.

If you looked into any other civilian maintenance program in depth you would be frightened to get on your next flight on a commercial carrier.

In Naval Aviation, you have confidence the jet, helo or prop job will perform as advertised. You will know ahead of time any limitations, if any.

From a strictly flyer standpoint, there is one statistic that should be the biggest reason why its good to be Naval Aviation.

It takes an F-15 Eagle pilot 3 years to get the same flight hours as a Hornet Pilot on one 6-8 month cruise........

 

[TheBubba]

This is a reason why I love Navy/USMC trained maintainers...

Almost getting stuck somewhere because we thought we FODded the aircraft. We called back to P-Cola and told the mainrainer our story. After about 30 minuts of being on hold while the maintainer researched the issue, we get the following response: "Gents, first, let me thank you for breaking my airplane. Second, the cockpit isn't FODded. Third, you'd better thank whatever diety you pray to that this isn't the Air Force. Have a good flight."

Got a good laugh out of it, and had a great flight. That evening, I enjoyed a great sunset at about FL230. And all was good.

 

[Ace_Austin]

While I'm only SNA thus far...( So I'm just goin on MY views at this point.) This is how I've always looked at it.

The money is good, I get to travel, and they let me use explosives. - Rockhound

 

[Dunedan]

I've been to 8 different countries this year. And I get to fly from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Nothing compares.

 

[Intruder Driver]

For those of you going to or assigned to CVW-5 in Japan, it rocks. It's always rocked. I was there in 1980-1982 when we had F-4's, A-3's, A-7's, A-6's, E-2 Bravos, old H-3's, no S-3's...all the museum pieces. No other airwing and tour compares. I am quite envious!! (as you will be one day chatting with your CAG-5 successors).

Here's a quick sea story in the spirit of this string.
On a Med cruise, summer of 1986, a few months after we blew up Tripoli and sent Khadafi running to the desert. Fresh off a 10 day visit to Cannes, several of the Air Force F-111 types who had flown into Libya were flown to the carrier where we gave the two senior USAF types a ride in our A-6's. I had the privilege of flying one of them, and here is how the hop went with this LCol squadron CO in the right seat.

Cat shot and departure at 500': couldn't stop talking and rah-rah'ing
Low level around Sardinia (a Navy all weather attack low,low level): lots of talking, lots of oorahs
Bombing runs on a local target: More talking, more cheerleading
Some back to the ship SSSC and low altitude passes over contacts: yea baby, this is what I'm talking about, more talking
Overhead the ship waiting to come down: A little less talking
Into the break and downwind at 600': Even less talking
Rolling into the groove: Silence, pure silence
About a quarter mile out: An "oh shit, oh shit"
Taxiing to the bow: Silence
Overhearing him tell the other Air Force pilots (who were eager to hear about the flight) about how they could never, ever compare their flying with carrier aviation: Priceless
Offering to take him on a night hop and getting turned down: even more priceless