Stupid questions about Naval Aviation (Pt 2)

[armada1651]

This has likely been discussed around here before, but my searching turned up nada. Are foreign PEP tours limited to specific squadrons or to airframe communities or services? In other words, say someone wants to go PEP to the French Navy, are there X number of slots for the entire French Navy, or is it X number of strike slots and X number of helo slots, or is it one position at this squadron and one position at that squadron, etc.? Hope that was worded clearly enough.

Thanks in advance, and yes, I know I'm a long ways from having to worry about this, just curious.

 

[Harrier Dude]

There are specific billets for specific airframes/countries. For instance, as a Harrier guy, we have exchanges with Italy, Spain, and the UK to fly Harriers. The Hornet dudes have exchanges with Canada, Australia and Kuwait (navy). There are also some interservice exchanges (Harrier to F-16, Hornet to F-15/22). Every once in a blue moon they let a guy bleed over airframes (Harrier to Hornet once or Harrier to Tornado), but those are one off. I knew a Navy Prowler dude who flew Harriers with the UK briefly, but that's another rarity.

There are a number of helo exchanges as well, but if one opens up it doesn't open for a jet guy to exchange for a jet spot (or to fly the helo for that matter). Make sense?

 

[armada1651]

Makes sense. Thanks. Hornet to Brit Tornado would be my dream, but I'm still working on getting to Point A, so we'll see in a few years. I've been told there is one O-5 at TW-2 that has done that. Have any Americans flown Typhoons yet?

On another note, has anyone heard of a weirder exchange than a B-52 pilot going to fly Coast Guard H-65s? We have a sim instructor that did that one.

 

[jmcquate]

How effective are the camo schemes on aggressor aircraft.

 

[HokiePilot]

How effective are the camo schemes on aggressor aircraft.

The more important question is if they are more effective than our fleet paint schemes, why don't we use them in the fleet?

They are more used to aid visual recognition. While that may look like a US helo/jet, it is actually simulating an enemy.

 

[A4sForever]

How effective are the camo schemes on aggressor aircraft.

W/ @ 1000 hours in the ACM/DACT arena ... I can say: NOT VERY

The biggest visual determinants in picking up a bogey/bandit 'EARLY' (and EARLY = what counts) are 'size' and 'aspect' ... not 'colors' or necessarily background ... and it helps it they 'smoke'.

Smoking will kill you ...

But 'camo schemes on ADVERSARY (sic) aircraft -- NOT 'aggressor aircraft', as that term is resplendent of faggy AF stuff ... well, they really look cool ...

 

[zipmartin]

How effective are the camo schemes on aggressor aircraft.

Discussed in this thread: http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141564&p=516746&highlight=#post516746

 

[HMM265GS]

About how long will a Naval Aviator (USMC) spend flying aircraft as their job (aside from their secondary billet) aka after how many years approx. do they become paper pushers?

 

[Pariel]

Not quite how it works, as it's more back and forth. I know there are people on this board who are trying to stay in the cockpit all the way to O-5, but I'm pretty sure you're looking at a minimum of five years in your eight year commitment.

 

[zipmartin]

About how long will a Naval Aviator (USMC) spend flying aircraft as their job (aside from their secondary billet) aka after how many years approx. do they become paper pushers?

There are ways (or at least there used to be) to work the system, at least in the Navy. I managed to stay in the cockpit all 18 years of an 18 year career. But then I was "asked" to retire early due to budget cuts and the fact that I wasn't following the normal career-enhancing path. Flew our A-4's to the Boneyard, five months later I was out the door, and a few months after that they shut down NAS Dallas.

 

[wlawr005]

So how does that kind of retirement work, do you get 45% of your base pay?

 

[Yak]

Hs, hsl, hsc, hswtf?

From what I understand, the Navy's Helicopter communities are going through big time reorganization trying to slim down to just the new H-60's.

How about some of the folks out there with FRS/Fleet experience tell the new helo advanced studs and helo wingers more about their respective communities?

Tell us what community (HSL, HSC, etc) and what model of 60's you flew.

What'd you like the least/most about your 60 model?
What missions does your community train for and what do they ACTUALLy do?
What are the newest trends/training pipeline changes for you community?

 

[cfam]

From what I understand, the Navy's Helicopter communities are going through big time reorganization trying to slim down to just the new H-60's.

How about some of the folks out there with FRS/Fleet experience tell the new helo advanced studs and helo wingers more about their respective communities?

Tell us what community (HSL, HSC, etc) and what model of 60's you flew.

What'd you like the least/most about your 60 model?
What missions does your community train for and what do they ACTUALLy do?
What are the newest trends/training pipeline changes for you community?

Request to join the Private Naval Aviators forum..there is a great thread up on the helo communities and their transition.

 

[zipmartin]

So how does that kind of retirement work, do you get 45% of your base pay?

They changed the law at the time ('94) to get rid of a lot of people in a short time. Retire after 15 years. For each year short of twenty, pro-rate the base pay by 2 and a half %. So, yeah, 45% instead of 50%. I was pissed at the time, but it worked out in the end. The Navy I left was not the Navy I joined.

 

[PropAddict]

So how does that kind of retirement work, do you get 45% of your base pay?

50%. A lot of O-4's not yet to the 20 year mark got the "involuntary early retirement" deal in the 90's. It was part of the Peace Dividend of the Clinton era.