Military Life of USMC Pilot

[AviatorMR239]

So in other words you either spend your days trying to keep bright-eyed SNA's from killing you, or spend your nights wiping the brown stuff off your nose trying to advance into some staff position?

I'll get back to you on that

 

[orthaj]

Camp Wilson was a second home to me as a lance corporal...1st, 5th , 7th, 11th Marines did their cax's and firex's. But division comm (mux det) was always there. 3 back to back caxes a firex and steel knight/ desert schmitars.

Sorry, I thought I had erased camp wilson from my memory...guess not.

 

[phrogdriver]

Beats workin' for a livin'. Ask 46Driver about how much fun civilian flying is...

 

[E5B]

orthaj, WTF...you had to mention Camp Wilson!! lol I did 5 CAX's with 1/1, and 3 of them were at 29 Palms. What a toilet!! But at the time, the warriors club was heaven on earth....tied a few on there. On a serious note, the training was awesome, it was my first time ever in a helo and thats when I decided I have to fly one of these beasts someday.

 

[46Driver]

Ahhh, PhrogDriver you are correct. Visions of nubile stewardesses, overnights in London, and an easy $250k a year were jolted to reality with uhhhh less than masculine male flight attendants, overnights in Newark and Cleveland, and $25k a year. Add to that, instead of flying NVG formation and dodging trees at less than 50 feet; its autopilot on, hand me the crossword puzzle.

CAX does have its benefits, in particular cliff diving. Take off of a mountain, drop the collective and push the cyclic forward, and switch off the Power Management Switch to let the rotors race up to 112% NR (makes an ungodly howl). Mix in a theatrical crewchief and watch the grunts crap all over themselves....

 

[orthaj]

I remember something similar to that...I got puked on. That is when I decided to fly the beasts. Getting puked on in the back of a 46 sucks...alot. Even a newly refurbished Warriors Club and the Packers winning the super bowl didn't remove the stomach bile /half digested MRE smell from boots and trousers. Still got the boots though. Papa san in in Oki fixed those cadilacs up.

 

[BeanFighter]

Marine jet hours are about 200 per year in the fleet, 400ish per year in the training command. I'm typical, 100 hours in the RAG, 600 hours during three years at Iwakuni, and now 1100+ in three years of instructing at K'rock.