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Corpus Christi vs Pensacola
- Thread starter SWOMan
- Start date
The pros and cons pretty much cancel each other out. Neither's all that bad. Compared to some places you could go for flight training in the other services, anyway. In all likelihood, you're going to go where they send you, without much input on your part, so don't sweat it.
Only NFOs will be for-sure in one place (Mainside P'cola) for the duration of training.
Only NFOs will be for-sure in one place (Mainside P'cola) for the duration of training.
Corpus gets a bad rep, but I had a blast there. San Antonio, Austin, and Houston are close. They've really cleaned up downtown near the convention center, and there is some decent night life. Padre Island is fun. You can get a good apartment outside of the ghetto cheap.
Pensacola = Redneck Riviera, but awesome beaches, SCUBA, decent night life. Rent is probably slightly more expensive than Corpus, depending on where you go. I personally think Milton sucks, but I was never stationed there.
Bottom line: Both are good. Corpus wins by a nose in my book, but I wouldn't complain about either one.
Pensacola = Redneck Riviera, but awesome beaches, SCUBA, decent night life. Rent is probably slightly more expensive than Corpus, depending on where you go. I personally think Milton sucks, but I was never stationed there.
Bottom line: Both are good. Corpus wins by a nose in my book, but I wouldn't complain about either one.
Corpus has been SLOW for the last year. I don't know if that's still the case but it took everyone in my class about 10 months to get through the pipeline. If I could go back, I would put Whiting #1.
Reasons: poor maintenance, weather, poor infrastructure (few OLFs, runways under construction, etc.)
Reasons: poor maintenance, weather, poor infrastructure (few OLFs, runways under construction, etc.)
jpnewsome715
The jet-draft guy
I did primary at Whiting and had a blast. I had a waterfront half way between the base and downtown. I would pretty much shoot and drink and fish (in that order) every weekend. Of my two really close friends that went to Corpus, one had a blast (VT-28) and one is just taking forever and hates it (VT-27). Experiences may vary I guess.
Oh and ignore anyone that tries to bring Corpus vs Whiting course rules into this. Whiting course rules arent difficult at all.
Also, why do you plan on staying there for 2 years?
Oh and ignore anyone that tries to bring Corpus vs Whiting course rules into this. Whiting course rules arent difficult at all.
Also, why do you plan on staying there for 2 years?
Austin-Powers
Powers By Name, Powers By Reputation
What..why? It seems like a great training place near the water, is Corpus the new Vance?
jpnewsome715
The jet-draft guy
I wouldn't go that far, but my friends have told me that the field is undergoing a lot of maintenance and the wind tunnel known as south Texas doesn't always cooperate with the crosswind limits. Also, they have a lot of aircraft availability problems.
Because it is Texas.
If you want to go helos, PCola would be a lot easier - all helo training is at South Field. I believe multi-engine is still in Corpus?
Spent 15 years off and on in PCola - loved it - especially East Hill. Big city wife, not so much...
Spent 15 years off and on in PCola - loved it - especially East Hill. Big city wife, not so much...
Austin-Powers
Powers By Name, Powers By Reputation
I was BORN in Texas, how dare you talk trash to my beautiful state.
Austin-Powers
Powers By Name, Powers By Reputation
Bummer, Corpus looks like a great training base, and somewhere to live. For the aircraft availability problems, what do they do if they don't get stick time, hit the classrooms and books?
I'm so sorry, it isn't not your fault you were born on the wrong side off the border. Just what you gonna do about it?
Austin-Powers
Powers By Name, Powers By Reputation
Which border are you referring to, the Canadian border because you're so "sorry", I'm gonna pout to my mommy and daddy and said an online bully with a callsign of Flash hurt my feelings. You jerk
Did Corpus. Overall I would go back again in a heartbeat. Variety is the spice of life and it's great on the great Mexican food they have down there. In my case pretty much all the guys who went to Corpus finished primary faster than the North Field guys.
Pros:
-Texas
-Living life on Padre Island, you live where people vacation and you're 20 minutes from work and 2 minutes from the beach
-Driving on the beach, windsurfing, best fishing ever and German Bakery
-If you're single with no dependents, it's a great way to make some money off of the move
-You might get lucky and get to go on det to lovely Laughlin, NV
-You get a change of pace (no pun intended) away from Pensacola because who seriously wants to drive up that hill to Whiting everyday
-Navy Corpus is a real airfield with Homeland Security, Drones, the Army Helicopter Depot, etc.
-If you're a Marine you're near MATSG-22 (not an hour away so working with admin is a breeze) and the current CO does a lot for you (cool events, guest speakers, networks you with successful students, preps you for primary and advanced, pretty cool stash jobs, etc.)
-The on base USO feeds you lunch weekly and gives you free stuff.
-If you're a Marine and you go 'Spreys you get a ton of Per Diem money when you go to Whiting for intermediate.
-You're close to Austin and San Antonio
-There's a Chipotle and a Freebirds in town
-The Dirty Bird is a fine drinking establishment that should be made a national landmark
Cons:
-There are some personnel down in Corpus that I think the Navy forgot about when they should be retired (forcefully)
-There's only like two decent bars (but apparently they opened a Schlitterbahn waterpark that's pretty dope)
-Not a lot of quality wife material (which is why the smart people go to Austin and San Antonio monthly)
-The T6s don't have fancy overhead cover so in the summer it get's pretty warm on startup.
-Flight ops were hit and very miss. Averaged three briefs per flight due to wx, aircraft availability, or the instructor didn't want to go.
-The Dirty Bird is a vile drinking institution that should be burned to the ground
If I could do it all over I would have lived on Perdido for API instead of outside the back gate, lived on North Padre on a canal like I did for Primary (but I would have bought a fishing kayak and caught my dinner every night), and selected helicopters and live as close as possible to South Whiting. If you decide to go to North Whiting, I would live on Perdido for API and then buy a house up near Milton and get roommates to pay the mortgage, then go helicopters (because you're not gonna not) stay in your house and profit, then move away and rent the place out to impressionable flight students.
Pros:
-Texas
-Living life on Padre Island, you live where people vacation and you're 20 minutes from work and 2 minutes from the beach
-Driving on the beach, windsurfing, best fishing ever and German Bakery
-If you're single with no dependents, it's a great way to make some money off of the move
-You might get lucky and get to go on det to lovely Laughlin, NV
-You get a change of pace (no pun intended) away from Pensacola because who seriously wants to drive up that hill to Whiting everyday
-Navy Corpus is a real airfield with Homeland Security, Drones, the Army Helicopter Depot, etc.
-If you're a Marine you're near MATSG-22 (not an hour away so working with admin is a breeze) and the current CO does a lot for you (cool events, guest speakers, networks you with successful students, preps you for primary and advanced, pretty cool stash jobs, etc.)
-The on base USO feeds you lunch weekly and gives you free stuff.
-If you're a Marine and you go 'Spreys you get a ton of Per Diem money when you go to Whiting for intermediate.
-You're close to Austin and San Antonio
-There's a Chipotle and a Freebirds in town
-The Dirty Bird is a fine drinking establishment that should be made a national landmark
Cons:
-There are some personnel down in Corpus that I think the Navy forgot about when they should be retired (forcefully)
-There's only like two decent bars (but apparently they opened a Schlitterbahn waterpark that's pretty dope)
-Not a lot of quality wife material (which is why the smart people go to Austin and San Antonio monthly)
-The T6s don't have fancy overhead cover so in the summer it get's pretty warm on startup.
-Flight ops were hit and very miss. Averaged three briefs per flight due to wx, aircraft availability, or the instructor didn't want to go.
-The Dirty Bird is a vile drinking institution that should be burned to the ground
If I could do it all over I would have lived on Perdido for API instead of outside the back gate, lived on North Padre on a canal like I did for Primary (but I would have bought a fishing kayak and caught my dinner every night), and selected helicopters and live as close as possible to South Whiting. If you decide to go to North Whiting, I would live on Perdido for API and then buy a house up near Milton and get roommates to pay the mortgage, then go helicopters (because you're not gonna not) stay in your house and profit, then move away and rent the place out to impressionable flight students.