Carrier Leadership

[Max the Mad Russian]

RW guys and (now) gals face the stuff of command of the ship much earlier in career being in HSx Dets aboard DDGs and thus dealing with O5 COs closer than the Shoe JOs of such ships' company. In Royal Navy they often take a command of similar DDG/FFGs later in career. This is the case Mr Keegan underlined in his naval-related texts: being at sea aboard of the warship and gathering this experience is often more important than leadership training as such.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I don't know the answer to the overall FW vs RW question, but this is hot off the press yesterday:

A woman will take command of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier for the first time in US Navy history

The Navy has selected Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt as the first woman to command a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

taskandpurpose.com

Reading the names in there, looks like the latest selection was 4 fixed wing and 2 rotary

That was the exact article that started the discussion, a few people made the comment "carrier leadership is more often a helo pilot since they spend more time assigned to a carrier than any other types of pilots".

 

[nittany03]

"carrier leadership is more often a helo pilot since they spend more time assigned to a carrier than any other types of pilots".

 

[exNavyOffRec]

View attachment 28397

Exactly LOL

 

[Swanee]

That was the exact article that started the discussion, a few people made the comment "carrier leadership is more often a helo pilot since they spend more time assigned to a carrier than any other types of pilots".

Aviator nerds who actually like to live and work on a boat. News at 11...

 

[nittany03]

Aviator nerds who actually like to live and work on a boat. News at 11...

To paraphrase a former CO of mine . . . there is nothing better in life than flying off the boat, and there is nothing worse in life than living on the boat.

Personally, I'd argue that the quality of life involved in living on the boat is directly related to the people you're stuck on it with, specifically your peer group/ready room. You can stick together as a team, support each other, and make it something that's tough at times, but really not horrible. Or you can be a bunch of selfish, backstabbing douchebags who take their petty stressors out on each other, and make it a lot worse than it needs to be.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Reading the names in there, looks like the latest selection was 4 fixed wing and 2 rotary

Captain Craig C. Sicola before transition to VFA was Phrog Driver too, so roughly 3:3

Of note also Capts Brent Gaut and Amy Bauernschmidt not only are both RWarriors, they are of the same USNA class of 1994.

To paraphrase a former CO of mine . . . there is nothing better in life than flying off the boat, and there is nothing worse in life than living on the boat.

That is why COD people are the happiest ones in the whole NAVAIR

 

[IKE]

Caveat: I have no data to support this, but here goes anyway:

I'm fairly certain there are more FW than RW CVN COs. CVN COs are supposed to have done either their DH or O-5 CO tour on a carrier. VFA, VAW, and the vast majority of VAQ only do CVN deployments, whereas HSC & HSM have a number of expeditionary squadrons (COs stay home; DHs are CRUDES, Amphib, or USNS OICs).

We RW types also have the LHD/LHA CO path open to us, and as I understand it, our CDRE positions are slightly more prestigious than on the FW side (possibly because the OP expeditionary commands report to them). What I mean here is we have other major command and therefore Admiral-potential tracks available.

It may be true that given the eligible pool for selecting CVN CO, RW bubbas are selected at a higher rate. If it is true, it's probably due to our extreme lack of selection for CAG (we just got our 2nd low-n-slow CAG on the last AMCSB).

 

[Jim123]

That was the exact article that started the discussion, a few people made the comment "carrier leadership is more often a helo pilot since they spend more time assigned to a carrier than any other types of pilots".

It's phrased in a funny way, but I'd love to see the breakdown of helo vs various fixed-wing pilots assigned to ship's company billets. There aren't nearly as many career jet pilots in ship's company DIVO-level billets as helo bubbas (major DH billets, perhaps). That's how I interpret that sentiment.

Granted, there are departments in the ship's company that don't get dissociated sea tour (or DH tour) career aviators assigned, and the ship's captain's job is to be good at leading all of the departments.

There's also a bit of an underdog complex in the helo community. You can't really blame guys for that when it's a given that rotor heads get drafted to be catapult officers on the carrier- when there is a popular notion jet guys often dodge "career enhancing" dissociated tours because of "timing" (training pipeline takes twice as long as the equivalent pipeline in Air Force pilot training). Hate the game, not the players, and never begrudge your peers for getting a good deal that you didn't get... but everyone is entitled to grumble about things they don't like.

 

[Pags]

To paraphrase a former CO of mine . . . there is nothing better in life than flying off the boat, and there is nothing worse in life than living on the boat.

Did that gentleman ever do a ships company tour? I ask because being ships company vice a guy who lives in the boat is a very different experience. One it's a shitty grey house but its your shitty grey HOME. The second it's a shitty grey hotel that charges you to eat there. Totally different experience that you just don't get as a rider.

 

[Brett327]

That was the exact article that started the discussion, a few people made the comment "carrier leadership is more often a helo pilot since they spend more time assigned to a carrier than any other types of pilots".

This is false on many levels.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Oh my god I want to talk. But I can't on this one. Good luck everyone

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Look, here is the HSC-5 Sierra s/n 610 whose left door marked with "Capt Bill "SPIG" Reed, CAG", and Capt William H. Reed is indeed in command CVW-7 to which HSC-5 belongs. The thing is Capt Reed is lifelong E-2 pilot and not RW. Further there is another Sierra shown there on whose door the CVW-7 DCAG's Capt. Nathan "GOOSE" Ballou's title has been written, though Capt Ballou is VFA FW 1310. What is the point to write their titles on Sierras?

 

[cfam]

Look, here is the HSC-5 Sierra s/n 610 whose left door marked with "Capt Bill "SPIG" Reed, CAG", and Capt William H. Reed is indeed in command CVW-7 to which HSC-5 belongs. The thing is Capt Reed is lifelong E-2 pilot and not RW. Further there is another Sierra shown there on whose door the CVW-7 DCAG's Capt. Nathan "GOOSE" Ballou's title has been written, though Capt Ballou is VFA FW 1310. What is the point to write their titles on Sierras?

That’s pretty typical actually. Every squadron in the airwing has a so-called “CAG Bird,” (usually with a special paint job) and CAG and DCAG’s names are painted on them.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Every squadron in the airwing has a so-called “CAG Bird,” (usually with a special paint job) and CAG and DCAG’s names are painted on them.

Nice to know that, thanks, but what is the reason? Squadrons'rivalry for such privilege or CAG/DCAG indeed fly just "their" birds as either crews or passengers?