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Winged FO's Start Talking! (please)
- Thread starter mid1510
- Start date
BUDU
Member
Here's one for you, sir...
I've heard a little scuttlebutt from a couple SNFOs I know further down the pipeline than I am that some students are being offered the chance to switch to pilot at the end of API if they do well enough. Regardless of whether it's true or not...if you were offered the chance to switch while you were in flight school, and you were medically qualified, would you go SNA instead?
I've heard a little scuttlebutt from a couple SNFOs I know further down the pipeline than I am that some students are being offered the chance to switch to pilot at the end of API if they do well enough. Regardless of whether it's true or not...if you were offered the chance to switch while you were in flight school, and you were medically qualified, would you go SNA instead?
As someone who was medically qualified for Pilot and chose the NFO route, my 12 years of experience as an NFO has validated that choice. There's a lot of discussion in several threads on AW about SNFOs fleeting up to SNA based on performance in API. This kind of thing ebbs and flows with requirements, so don't count on it if you've set your sights on being a pilot. I had the benefit of being enlisted Aircrew in the VP community where I could see the roles of both Pilots and NFOs. I'm also now in a community that is very NFO-centric (and will continue to be even with the designator pairity for the Growler).
Whether SNA or SNFO is right for you depends on you. There's obviously a lot of designator bravado that occurrs in the training environment (even from your instructors), so take things you hear with a grain of salt. If you're fundamentally wed to the idea of being at the controls of your aircraft, then perhaps SNA is what you should strive for. After being in this business for almost 22 years, I know that moving stick, rudder and throttle are just one of many skillsets that all aviators employ in the completion of their assigned missions. Much of the time, flying the aircraft is more of a background, autonomic task that takes second seat to mission oriented tasks. Communications, weapons employment, systems knowledge, decision-making and critical analysis of information are the foci of what Naval Aviation is actually all about. What gets done with stick and rudder is just incidental to all of that.
Brett
BUDU
Member
I'm almost through with IFS now...maybe this can be chalked up to having absolutely no prior flight experience, but after spending a little time with stick and rudder I'm much more interested in the mission-oriented tasks. Sometimes I wonder if I'm one of the few, but I think I'll be happier as an SNFO.
It may also be a matter of perspective. You're looking at it from the point of view and experience level where it takes a lot of energy to move the stick and rudder the right way. As you grow into the skill set (or if you were to if you were a SNA), the stick and rudder stuff becomes more second nature allowing you to focus on all that mission stuff.
That's a perfectly normal feeling. Given I had some prior flight time going into primary (it didn't help that much), I laughed at myself by the end of primary and just thought "how was this ever hard for me" which is generally how people feel by the end. I'm sure that I'll feel the same way all over again during my first 5-10 hours in the helicopter, but it will get easier as the stick skills improve.
for Brett,
STA-21 SNFO select here. Im pretty interested in trying to work my way to the VAQ community when the time comes, but i only have experience with hornets and 53s. I'm curious about what kind of strike planning you get to participate in as an NFO? Also how much of a workload increase are you looking at when everyone makes the switch from prowlers to growlers? Looks like its going to be a pretty cool platform to be on and im sure being in the northwest couldnt be to bad either.
Thank you in advance.
STA-21 SNFO select here. Im pretty interested in trying to work my way to the VAQ community when the time comes, but i only have experience with hornets and 53s. I'm curious about what kind of strike planning you get to participate in as an NFO? Also how much of a workload increase are you looking at when everyone makes the switch from prowlers to growlers? Looks like its going to be a pretty cool platform to be on and im sure being in the northwest couldnt be to bad either.
Thank you in advance.
The nice thing about VAQ right now is that even if you select Prowlers, you're going to transition to Growlers at some point, maybe even in your first tour. Strike planning, like at Airwing Fallon or in a real world situation, can be fairly intense and everyone involved will be involved, especially the NFOs. VAQ is a critical part of any strike, so what you do can mean the difference between success and failure for the entire Airwing. From a VAQ perspective, you'll take a look at the threats and radars and come up with a gameplan in coordination with the bomb droppers for how to best defeat the air defenses. You'll figure out what radars and comm links you're going to jam, and be in charge of the HARM employment for the VAQ aircraft and any Hornets/Rhinos that are shooting HARM. Lots of timing and deconfliction issues to work out as well. Then, you get to go fly the strike and execute your plan - good times. The G is a pretty amazing aircraft and they've done a nice job of distributing the tasks among the Pilot and WSO, so no issues there.
The Whidbey area and Pac NW in general are great, one of the most beautiful places on this planet and particularly spectacular to fly in - the low level routes through the cascades are world famous. If you're into the outdoors, you've got water, mountains and everything in between. Great skiing, fishing boating, etc. Now, Whidbey isn't known for it's hopping night life or hordes of hot single chicks, but Seattle and Vancouver are just a couple hours away. It's home and I miss it.
Brett
The Whidbey area and Pac NW in general are great, one of the most beautiful places on this planet and particularly spectacular to fly in - the low level routes through the cascades are world famous. If you're into the outdoors, you've got water, mountains and everything in between. Great skiing, fishing boating, etc. Now, Whidbey isn't known for it's hopping night life or hordes of hot single chicks, but Seattle and Vancouver are just a couple hours away. It's home and I miss it.
Brett
The Whidbey area and Pac NW in general are great, one of the most beautiful places on this planet and particularly spectacular to fly in - the low level routes through the cascades are world famous. If you're into the outdoors, you've got water, mountains and everything in between. Great skiing, fishing boating, etc. Now, Whidbey isn't known for it's hopping night life or hordes of hot single chicks, but Seattle and Vancouver are just a couple hours away. It's home and I miss it.
Whidbey was a big reason I wanted to take a shot at jets back in Primary. The northwest is very alluring. Too bad helo guys can't get sent out that way on a normal career track.
Sure you can... When you do your disassociated sea tour, you can be a Shooter!