What Percent get Jets?

[HueyCobra8151]

Harriers might be fun, but come on...Yuma...

This might be dumb: But how many people started out wanting X, wanted X the whole time through flight school, and finally got what they started out wanting?

 

[Semper Jump Jet]

Harriers might be fun, but come on...Yuma...

This might be dumb: But how many people started out wanting X, wanted X the whole time through flight school, and finally got what they started out wanting?

Yuma isn't really that bad.

Even I can't believe I just typed that. But I enjoyed my time there, if you're in a good squadron and you enjoy what you do it makes a big difference. You could be stationed in paridise but if you're surrounded by assholes it's still going to be tough.

You're question is impossible to quantify. As an example I would say that if you spoke to a Harrier pilot who said that's all he ever wanted to fly, I would say that's good, but also lucky, because how can a person who's never even been to flight school be certain about what they want to fly? A shiny new API student watching any USMC/Navy aircraft flying by has about a 10% grasp of what's going on in that cockpit, if that.

A better question is 'What percent of successful Naval Aviators had a burning desire to fly anything, serve their country, see the world, and have a good time doing it?'

I think the answer is damn near 100%, but I haven't done a poll.

 

[phrogpilot73]

This might be dumb: But how many people started out wanting X, wanted X the whole time through flight school, and finally got what they started out wanting?

Wanted Harriers in API, wanted Harriers in Primary (up to Fam 3), changed my mind to helos, wanted Shitters. Wanted Shitters until I "selected" Phrogs. If I had it to do over again, I would want Phrogs from the get-go. Oh, it's amazing how hindsight is 20/20...

 

[Harrier Dude]

Just out of curiosity, what was it about FAM 3 that drove you to helos? I mean, at that point, nobody really knows anything about flying, yet. Certainly (I would think) not enough to distinguish helo flying from jet flying. You just don't have enough data points to draw a conclusion from.

Or did you just really like your on-wing? That would be faulty reasoning (the rest of his community could be assholes for all you knew), but at least I get that line of thought.

 

[Pags]

Late to the game, but I was pretty unsure as to what I wanted when I got to API. I had gone to an HSL squadron for mid cruise, so I was interested in helos, but there was still a lot of appeal to jets. When I got to primary I decided I'd set my sights on jets since you only get one chance to select. When selection time came, I had jet grades, but there weren't enough slots, so the CO called me as I was driving to whiting and said "we couldn't get you jets, so you have until you get to the squadron to figure out what you want." When I got to his office, he said in addition to Helos or E2s he could get me a 2yr stint at a VR squadron. I said "helos, sir" and that was it. My onwing was a Marine Phrog guy who had been pulling for me to get jets, but was excited that I was going to be an unrestricted aviator (he then tried to convince me to make the switch to Marines...which I considered for awhile). Later on, when I got my wings out of the HTs, my VT onwing came and sat with my family at my softpatch...class act.

 

[HH-60H]

Or did you just really like your on-wing? That would be faulty reasoning (the rest of his community could be assholes for all you knew), but at least I get that line of thought.

With this logic wouldn't all of our reasons for wanting to select X, Y, and Z be faulty reasoning? Except for priors none of us have any first hand experience with any community. What we know of mission areas comes from AW or the few pilots we have met from that community. The impression of how "laid back" a community is, is formed by the 5 or so pilots we have met from that community. All of our decisions on what to select are based on a minute amount of information.

 

[HueyCobra8151]

With this logic wouldn't all of our reasons for wanting to select X, Y, and Z be faulty reasoning? Except for priors none of us have any first hand experience with any community. What we know of mission areas comes from AW or the few pilots we have met from that community. The impression of how "laid back" a community is, is formed by the 5 or so pilots we have met from that community. All of our decisions on what to select are based on a minute amount of information.

I would bet most priors don't even have a good grasp of this. I was randomly (from my point of view) assigned a job as a flightline mechanic for AH-1/UH-1's when I enlisted. Every idea I have about every airframe/community out there is based entirely on the few people I met from each community and random heresay. Even in MY community my realm was pretty limited to my particular squadron.

In other words, it seems like the enlisted side doesn't have nearly as broad a view of things as the officer side and so a prior would really only know about his aircraft/community. Of course there are always exceptions.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Just out of curiosity, what was it about FAM 3 that drove you to helos? I mean, at that point, nobody really knows anything about flying, yet. Certainly (I would think) not enough to distinguish helo flying from jet flying. You just don't have enough data points to draw a conclusion from.

Or did you just really like your on-wing? That would be faulty reasoning (the rest of his community could be assholes for all you knew), but at least I get that line of thought.

It wasn't anything about FAM 3 in particular, or flying the mighty Turbo Mentor either. I was happy to be flying. I did Primary up at Whiting, so I saw the TH-57's booming around all the time and what they were doing started to look interesting to me.

I had a really good on-wing, but he only facilitated the discovery that helos were for me. I mentioned to him in our FAM-3 debrief that I was starting to lean heavily towards helos. When I got home that night, he called me and said not to study/come in for FAM-4, and that he wanted me to go to South Field and link up with a buddy of his the next day. I did that, and it turned out his buddy was an FCP that day, and took me out on one of his test flights (since they test single piloted). After that, I was sold. Never looked back.

So I guess it was a little bit of both, although I was lucky to have an on-wing that gave me the exposure to know that I was making the right decision.

 

[HH-60H]

I would bet most priors don't even have a good grasp of this. I was randomly (from my point of view) assigned a job as a flightline mechanic for AH-1/UH-1's when I enlisted. Every idea I have about every airframe/community out there is based entirely on the few people I met from each community and random heresay. Even in MY community my realm was pretty limited to my particular squadron.

That's a good point. When I was typing my post I mainly had aircrewman in mind.

 

[Harrier Dude]

With this logic wouldn't all of our reasons for wanting to select X, Y, and Z be faulty reasoning? Except for priors none of us have any first hand experience with any community. What we know of mission areas comes from AW or the few pilots we have met from that community. The impression of how "laid back" a community is, is formed by the 5 or so pilots we have met from that community. All of our decisions on what to select are based on a minute amount of information.

I see what you mean, and tes, faulty reasoning happens alot. What I meant was "Gee, my on-wing is really cooll and makes flying the ZZZZZ sound awesome!" is not a very solid line of reasoning.

"Gee, all of the XXXXX drivers in my VT squadron are assholes, and all of the YYYYYY pilots seem really laid back. Maybe I'll fly YYYYYY's" makes a little more sense.

I made a similar mistake. We had a KC-130 pilot come talk to us in primary as part of a "come fly my aircraft" presentaion by all T/M/S. All of the other ones were great, but the KC-130 guy was a total douche. His entire speech (no moto video, ppt, etc) was "Hercs never go to the boat, never work with the grunts, and collect per diem all day".

He was a fat long haired loser and he was talking to 100 2ndLts fresh out of TBS. Talk about not knowing your audience.

I immediately scratched Hercs from my list and have later seen how mistaken (or prejudiced) I was. One jerk (or the opposite) out of hundreds of good guys should not make up your sample. Faulty reasoning.

 

[HeyJoe]

We had a KC-130 pilot come talk to us in primary as part of a "come fly my aircraft" presentaion by all T/M/S. All of the other ones were great, but the KC-130 guy was a total douche. His entire speech (no moto video, ppt, etc) was "Hercs never go to the boat, never work with the grunts, and collect per diem all day".

He was a fat long haired loser and he was talking to 100 2ndLts fresh out of TBS. Talk about not knowing your audience.

I immediately scratched Hercs from my list and have later seen how mistaken (or prejudiced) I was. One jerk (or the opposite) out of hundreds of good guys should not make up your sample. Faulty reasoning.

Not your fault that they sent the wrong guy....what else could you think? You reasoned on what was presented to you...a fat long haired loser...and I daresay he knew his audience because he had to have been there earlier in his own career and I'd blame his command for sending him because they surely knew how he'd be received.

 

[HH-60H]

I see what you mean, and tes, faulty reasoning happens alot. What I meant was "Gee, my on-wing is really cooll and makes flying the ZZZZZ sound awesome!" is not a very solid line of reasoning.

Ok, I see what you mean now.

He was a fat long haired loser and he was talking to 100 2ndLts fresh out of TBS. Talk about not knowing your audience.

I always think this is funny when Marines say it, because your definition of fat and long haired are so different than everyone elses'.

 

[HeyJoe]

I always think this is funny when Marines say it, because your definition of fat and long haired are so different than everyone elses'.

I get exactly what he means having been a Marine for 25% of my career. It's a Marine thing, period. Just one of the standards Marines expect of one another for good reason. Not expected of Navy counterparts, but respected.

 

[trongod46]

well just from meridian student control there are no marine jet slots for 08 that havent been already selected, they over filled in 07.

 

[goosegagnon2]

well just from meridian student control there are no marine jet slots for 08 that havent been already selected, they over filled in 07.