The Summer Cruise 09 Thread.

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I did my Aviation Cruise last summer with HSC-3 (first and half of second phase) and it was a total blast!

Since it is the FRS squadron for HSC west, we had a ton of opportunities to ride along with student pilots. Hell, I even ran into Purdue when he was going through the FRS, cool person to say the least. We got to ride along for various missions and even got to help out the AW's during XCAR (External Cargo flights):

Yeah that's me and there were a few instances where I had to duck down to avoid being hit.

Another cool thing about the squadron was that if they didn't have anything for us to do, they would give us the day off (averaged about 1-2 a week). They found it a nuisance to find ways to babysit mids when their bigger focus is to train fleet aviators. Also, when skeds were backed up for a while, they put us in Rappelling School for a week. The final day we were able to rappel off the tower in Coronado:

(One of the other MIDNs in my squadron rappelling)

All in all, my cruise was a total blast! Got to ride in the back of the MH-60S a dozen times (the HSL guys had 2 flights if lucky) and a few opportunities of stick time. Even though i'm not going aviation, I'm still glad I got to be a Aviator-Wannabe for several weeks.

 

[Kyoowashugi]

I had a MIDN from my unit at HSC-3 as well - initials A.J. from Rochester; do you know him?

 

[CommodoreMid]

Yeah, I want to know how you found out as well! I put in for aviation afloat, aviation ashore, then any type of overseas surface, all first phase. Hopefully I'll pull an afloat one, I hear most people get an HSL squadron if they get ashore, and no offense to that community, but I would hate to show up to a pilot-only community with glasses and NFO dreams. :magnify_1

I got an HSL squadron when I did my 1/c cruise and I too thought it was amusing that they sent me, someone who is completely blind with no possibility of being a pilot, to a pilot only community, but I had a blast. It was cool to see something I would never get to see again and I had a lot of fun in Jacksonville, so it's what you make of it. At no other time in my life will I be on the stick of a helo, so it was still cool.

 

[bert]

At no other time in my life will I be on the stick of a helo

I would have used "at" in that sentence, but that's a technique, not a procedure.

 

[BlackBearHockey]

Found out today: Aviation ashore with a VAW squadron out of Norfolk. I'm pretty excited and hope it doesn't change... last year I was slated with an FFG in the pacific via Panama... that got changed to an LSD out of Little Creek that went underway to... Rockland, ME.

 

[NavAir42]

Wow, join the navy, see your own state.

More advice: keep your ears out for other good deals and don't be afraid to ask around. There's always a problem trying to figure out what to do with a group of midshipmen. Don't be pushy but don't be afraid to ask if other sqadrons are doing anything interesting. While I was in San Diego we got to go play with the SAR swimmers from our squadron as downed pilots in the water and have the rescue us. A couple guys managed to score a day trip on a COD out to one of the carriers and get some stick time in a C-2. Other guys managed to go on a shoot-ex. If nothing else there's always foosball in the wardroom. It's a skill that should be aquired early and one that will give you a leg up in any wardroom you are a part of.

 

[TexasFight]

I had a MIDN from my unit at HSC-3 as well - initials A.J. from Rochester; do you know him?

I know him. He was my roommate at CORTRAMID a few summers back, and I hung out with him and Rufio in San Diego while they were with HSC-3. They definitely seemed like they were having a great time with it. Meanwhile, I was on an LPD for a surface cruise at the time. I was pretty jealous.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I had a MIDN from my unit at HSC-3 as well - initials A.J. from Rochester; do you know him?

As Tex said earlier, AJ was a cool dude. Unfortunately, his best buddy (also a mid in HSC-3 - from GWU) was a total weirdo so there would be times where we had to ditch AJ just to avoid weirdo mid.

 

[scoolbubba]

Ahh summer cruise... I met a nice Mid from Vandy back in 06 on a boat from San Dog to Japan. She's probably an MWR officer somewhere in Shoeland now.

Enjoy it, ladies and gents. Make it fun no matter where you end up, I did.

 

[cfam]

Wow, join the navy, see your own state.

More advice: keep your ears out for other good deals and don't be afraid to ask around. There's always a problem trying to figure out what to do with a group of midshipmen. Don't be pushy but don't be afraid to ask if other sqadrons are doing anything interesting. While I was in San Diego we got to go play with the SAR swimmers from our squadron as downed pilots in the water and have the rescue us. A couple guys managed to score a day trip on a COD out to one of the carriers and get some stick time in a C-2. Other guys managed to go on a shoot-ex. If nothing else there's always foosball in the wardroom. It's a skill that should be aquired early and one that will give you a leg up in any wardroom you are a part of.

+1, I was with VRC-30 in San Diego for my first class cruise, and they'd pretty much take any mids out to the carrier if they had space. Some of my friends out there at the same time drove up to Lemoore to get hornet rides, a bunch of us went over to watch breakout night at the SEAL compound (definitely ask first), and some other friends played opposing forces for a helo squadron at El Centro. Ask around, especially if your squadron has nothing for you, I found that everyone was willing to help us get the best experience possible.

 

[coyote09]

Just found out I'm hookin' up with HSM-41 for phase 2. Anyone else going to be down there?

 

[JMF2k10]

I'm scheduled for VP out of Whidbey Island. P-3s might be a chill community to be in, but I don't know about it for a summer cruise. I might try for something more exotic (Japan).

 

[Lomax]

I'm with HSM-41 phase II as well. Should be a good time.

 

[Kyoowashugi]

USS Bradley (FFG-49) out of Mayport, Phase I...what does one do on a frigate that's just gotten back from a 6+ month deployment?

 

[MIDNJAC]

USS Bradley (FFG-49) out of Mayport, Phase I...what does one do on a frigate that's just gotten back from a 6+ month deployment?

Party in Jacksonville? Cruise the beach, maybe enjoy being paid to be a middie. Just a thought....

If that gets old and you have an interest in aviation, you could surely go down and talk to a local squadron and see if they would take you up flying (P-3 or SH-60)