My wife and I will be coming down to Corpus in a couple weeks to start advanced prop training and we need a place to live. We have 2 dogs, and really need a house with a fenced backyard. We'd like something on the island, if possible, but don't need it, obviously. We're looking online, etc., but if any of you guys have any good hookups, let me know. Thanks.
I had good luck going through the Coldwell Banker Office on the Island. The contact used to be a woman named Phyllis...she has since departed and now I'm not sure who the POC is. Their operator could tell you though. The office is good because they are pet friendly...(three dogs!), have a large number of properties and are flexible and fair with pricing and lease terms. (361) 949-0244 If you are planning on coming to check in first and then signing a lease...it is also worthwhile to check the bulletin boards in the wing building (where you check in) as there are often some good deals person to person posted. Good luck...get -35!
Richard, the guy you check in with at the wing, assigns you on a first come first served basis. If you show up, both are available and you ask for -35...you'll get it. Some guys have even gone so far as to show up early and to check for them if a slot is open... Good luck.
Why are -35 guys so obsessed with singing the praises of it? I ask because I was in -31 and enjoyed it. We had douche bag instructors but having gone through the rag with plenty of -35 guys, so did they. What precisely makes -35 better or what makes -31 worse?
Yes, please elaborate. My limitation of knowledge between the two extends to the TW4 website and what you have said here. Someone sell me on one of the squadrons in case I can choose! (So far, -35 is winning...)
These were my thoughts from several months ago http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?p=285514#post285514 I haven't been there for 8 months so if there is a difference do enlighten us with specifics, more than just "VT-35 is better because that's where I went".
So, on this new topic... does just the T-44c have the glass cockpit? Does that mean the 12 and 44a are pretty much the same cockpitwise? How would I get the 44c's? Excuse my ignorance and thanks for the help!
Okay, I'm a wee bit drunkish so ignore any typos I decided to leave at 2 am. The reasons I liked 35 were the following: 1. Very small squadron, very closely knit group of IPs and studs. Only thing I've seen that came close was VT-28 because the squadron spaces were closer together and we were weather/ACNA'd together so many times we had to get to be friends... 2. The TC-12 is AWESOME to fly--a very forgiving aircraft in a lot of ways; relatively easy to learn to fly but difficult to truly master. It actually has enough power to fly (i.e., climb) single engine if you had a no shit emergency or really shut an engine down for something (which I've experienced), unlike the T-44 which MIGHT be able to get away from the ground in the event of something bad happening. 3. Yes, we had a few irritating/no-fun IPs, but they were few and far between. The rest were awesome. From what I hear, 31 has MORE than its fair share of dicks; my friends in 31 kept pointing them out to me at the O-club during wingings: "Yeah, there's douchebag so and so, and that guy's a prick too..." 4. My onwing was in the front office, and he was just happy to be flying. 'Nuff said. 5. Maintenance was rarely if ever an issue for us. For all the complaining others farther up the chain appear to be doing about the maintenance contract we have with L3, we rarely have that big a problem with our planes. Occasionally we might have an A/C, NAVAID, or pressurization problem, but it's far more rare than in 31 from all I've heard. They seem to really fix things on our size better than in T-44land instead of writing if off as "unable to duplicate on ground" and calling it fixed like I've heard they do in 31. That happens occasionally but not as much. 6. While we don't have the glass cockpit that the T-44Cs have, big frickin deal. You're going to be flying something with steam gauges until the MMA comes online anyway, right? The C-12 can go longer, farther, and faster than a T-44 could ever hope to go: our contact flights can be conducted in the Rio Grande Valley vice the local area, so many times you'll get an uncontrolled (or controlled; depends on the day) field all to ourselves to practice landings, and AIRNAV solos can be very long if the weather is decent. T-44s get to worry incessantly about course rules and how the pattern at Cabaniss works; I saw VFR course rules three times in advanced and my fam partner never really figured it out because we never had consistently good enough weather (I recognized enough from Primary to get by). 7. Type rating. While lots of people make a big deal out of it, it isn't that huge a deal. Really, it's just nice to have since almost every command has a C-12 sitting around somewhere and you'll be able to fly it from now on, or be able to fly your rich millionaire buddy's Super King Air with a little refresher training. Not a bad deal. To answer your last question, the C-12 and the T-44A are different cockpit-wise in some significant ways. I never played with the T-44s so I don't know all the differences; some of the big ones are the the right seat has to lower the gear in the T-44; left seat has the gear handle in the C-12. Radio setup is vastly different in the T-44; we're still in the stone age in many respects in the C-12. Any 31 bubbas want to chime in on this? Hope this helps. I'm gonna get some water and sack the f out.
The simulator for the TC-12 is also better. It has a full visual display. And I'm not sure how it works, but the sim instructors told us that they are "high fidelity" enough that they count for real hours in your logbook, much like airline pilots can count sim hours. Again, I have no real idea what I'm talking about, so if anyone knows better they can chime in. The T-44A has sims like the T-34 (no display). The T-44C doesn't have sims yet - you do them in the plane. While it is cool to get the extra flight hours by doing sims in the plane, it takes a lot more time out of your day and doesn't allow for as good training, in my opinion.
Just to continue the discussion 1. True, can't argue with you there. 2. Kind of true. Once you get the gear and flaps up the T-44 will climb eventually, still better than a P-3 two engined. 3. I'll take your word for it there since instructors have changed since I've been there. 4. Sounds like you got a good draw for onwing. 5. I didn't really experience many problems with maintanence when I was there but I can see how it could have changed. Around the time I was leaving AC/NA was getting to be a problem because of planes off the line being modified to C's and the C's not being usable for training as the first IP's were still getting qual'ed. How are they handling the A vs C thing, seperate syllabus or do you fly either one depending upon availability? 6. Not true. We have a couple EFDS(glass cockpit) P-3's here at the rag that you'll probably fly. Can't speak for the percentage in the fleet but they're out there. Not that I think it makes a difference since you'll fly both and won't know what you got till you read the book and walk. As far as farther and longer, that's great for x-countries. But 4 hour contact flights were plenty long enough for me. I'd rather spend 5 minutes getting to Cabaniss and more time bouncing than transiting somewhere. I went to Whiting for primary so Cabaniss course rules really weren't much of a challenge but I can see how Corpus guys who are only capable of flying to the water and making a right or left might be intimidated
Dude, live on base and save some money. It's not like you'll be there that long anyway. Plus, think about it this way, free a/c!!!!
Does the PPV housing at NASCC have utilities included? I know at Hunters' Cove in Krock, they took out "estimated average utils" from BAH and that was your rent. The RV park, $430/mo at NASCC, $240/mo at NASK, and that includes all the electric and H20 I care to use.
The way it worked for me was they added about six hours of sim time to my actual instrument time to make sure it adds up to 50 hours total for your instrument rating. The sim is pretty sweet, and since you don't have ANY seat of the pants feel, your scan gets pretty decent.
I know a couple of guys who are getting ready to class up for Primary and are friends with one of my winging class buddies, and they live on base. They HATE it. It sucks since they're some of the only SNAs who are living on base, they have to drive to other people's places since no one wants to come onto base to do something (and there's not much to do except TP MasterBates RV anyway), you're surrounded my military 24/7, and if you decide to get a couple of drinks at the Pel, you pretty much have to crash at a buddy's place anyway to avoid the gate guards and because they won't let taxis onto base. Doesn't seem like something I'd want to do.
A buddy of mine just went down for C-130 Advanced (Marines). He said that, although he has a wife and kid and is an O-2, he doesn't rate the housing he should normally get (don't remember the size) because he's a stud. So, if he lived on base, he'd get ALL of his $1300+ BAH (or whatever it is for O-2 w/dep - same thing I'll be getting too, btw) taken, and would have to live in the smallest option available. Doesn't sound too appealing to me...
My advice to Corpus bound studs: Live in town. Pick the island or in town. Be near a bar you can stumble home from. This applies to boring married types. The RV park is the ONLY reason I live on base. Being next to the O Club is a nice side benefit, but going ANYWHERE is a PITA. If you take a cab back, you will have to walk 1.5-2 miles depending on where in housing you live. And when you LEAVE for Utopia smashed, (as Orthromas can attest to) and leave barely standing, that walk SUCKS.
Base housing is a decent option IF you are trying to save some money. I lived there throughout primary and intermediate and never lost my bah. We paid approximately 500 apiece (had a roommate) which included all the a/c we could handle, and a swampy lawn (i watered too much ). My roommates mother even heated the house with the oven one night when the heater was broken. More studs live on base than you might think and you can stumble home from the winging parties every other friday night. It wasn't all great but I pocketed mucho dineros in comparison to my buddies that lived off base.
My take, with roomates, if you are going to live in town, you can live in a nice condo for about that much. I lived in a condo owned by another AW member for $1050/mo, for a 2 bedroom condo with garage, and I never had utils over $100. Splitting for $600/mo is reasonable. For all the BS you have to put up with living on base, I'd pay the $100 more to go in town. You can have your guns at home. No registration, no armory, no BS. You can get a ride to your door from a cab. No 1-2 mile walk. Women without base access can come over without you having to pick them up. Duty driver can and will take you home or to a place of your choosing from winging parties.
I'm about 6 months out of 31. I never saw any of the issues people (who haven't been in 31) speak of. Out of all my flights, I flew with maybe two or three people who were less than pleasant to fly with. I was always generally impressed with how cool the IPs were, and pretty much everyone I knew agreed. MX was never an issue. Sure, things broke occasionally, but welcome to flying for the Navy. The charlie conversion may have caused some availability hiccups, but I had 1 ACNA that I can remember. I think this all boils down to the never ending cycle of crappy corpus gouge out there. 27/31 aren't that uptight, 28/35 aren't that laid back. In the end, it's a wash. If you aren't antisocial and can fly, you'll have a great experience. Live on the island. Otherwise, Corpus is just another crappy Navy town.
I consider women not being to come over unless you pick them up to be a huge benefit. And we weren't supposed to keep our guns on base???? News to me.
Uh... is that how it's supposed to be? Or did you get one of those deals where they want studs to split on base housing and you split your BAH in half? I didn't think you'd keep any of it, especially since I'll be living there with my wife, and thus no roommates.
