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F-35 Contract Instructor Pilot job openings

Notanaviator

Well-Known Member
Contributor
Sort of adjacent to where this thread has veered, I'd like to hear some feedback from folks here on the sense/relative merits of secondary/third tier duty stations (read: not Oceana, Lemoore, SD, etc). As a civilian and an admitted homer for New Orleans who has advocated for NAS JRB New Orleans, reserve tacair (specifically VFA-204), I've always been hopeful that there's room at the table for a tier of Naval Air Stations below the Oceana/Lemoore MJBs and Fallons of the world. Locally we're hopeful that the access to Gulf of Mexico air to air ranges between NOLA and the Florida bases, air to ground ranges at Camp Shelby and Pineville, and a few other items keep the NAS and its tenant commands here, and perhaps attracts more visiting squadrons doing workups/keeping the knives sharpened. It would be great to continue to draw traffic as airspace becomes more constrained elsewhere, or the NIMBY/environmental folks become more vocal.

The flip side to that is being circumspect about challenges of New Orleans (public schools are generally not great, at least in New Orleans proper, crime is an issue, cost of living better than most of the above but not cheap), and the real risk of continued consolidation means NAS NO could be on the chopping block entirely.

I certainly understand the needs and direction of the Navy come first, and understand New Orleans is not a 'Navy town' with a huge concentration of a common community - anecdotally, folks tend to either love being here or can't wait to leave. I do feel passionately about the economic and cultural positive impact of the base and its personnel. Apologies for the longwinded near-threadjack, but again, would love to hear the thoughts and experiences of others on this, and felt it was a good opportunity to throw this in here.

As an aside, this is my first post after lurking for a number of years - wanted to thank the folks active on here, as it's been immensely helpful absorbing information about Naval Aviation writ large. I never served, and have always tried to be sensitive to participating and becoming involved in this community respectfully and appropriately. This has been a great resource.
 

ATIS

Well-Known Member
Cannon AFB = NAS Lemoore.

Short final into Cannon for gas I look over at my pilot and said we WILL NOT break here. There were still F-111’s on the ramp and I remember saying who the F likes it here rounding the 90. Few years later I’m doing T&G’s at Lemoore, and rounding the 90 said the same thing.
Still have some folks I know at Cannon, they say it still sucks a dead hippos a$$.
ATIS
 

Python

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Did a fuel stop at Cannon. Agree with the above. It even smells the same as lemoore
 

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
Agree with the above, got stuck in Amarillo once during a PCS move.

Makes sense that would be a fighter base- we seem to get the less-desirable (e.g. less populated) locations. A side-effect of the sound of freedom, I guess... :confused:
 

Python

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Agree with the above, got stuck in Amarillo once during a PCS move.

Makes sense that would be a fighter base- we seem to get the less-desirable (e.g. less populated) locations. A side-effect of the sound of freedom, I guess... :confused:

Cannon is not even a fighter base! At least hasn’t been for a while if it used to be.
 

ATIS

Well-Known Member
Cannon is not even a fighter base! At least hasn’t been for a while if it used to be.
Buddy in one of my clubs was a -111 WSO back in the day out of there, said the only good thing was the low level route started right off the departure. 3+00 420-480kt LL on one bag of internal fuel was the norm. Say what you will, the F-111 did have a niche.
ATIS
 
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