Quit believing everything you read on the internet. That 112 slots is BS. I saw the distribution of Pilot slots for the AF nationwide for 2007 when I was in ROTC and there were a lot more than 100.
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Navy vs Air Force
- Thread starter contrail_dash
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Quit believing everything you read on the internet. That 112 slots is BS. I saw the distribution of Pilot slots for the AF nationwide for 2007 when I was in ROTC and there were a lot more than 100.
I have zero complaints about the Navy. I've LOVED my time so far. I don't even mind the schedule. Now given I was HSC and deployed twice on USNS, so I was a lucky duck. But even now, while stationed in Japan, I volunteer for the TAD dets. I don't care where it is....I wanna go (I'm not married, so nothing forces me to feel guilty). The best part of being in the Navy (for me) is getting to see/visit random places while on deployment....
I don't think I'd take a vacation to Vietnam or the Federated States of Micronesia - but both were very eye opening. Thank you Navy.
Do you like chocolate or vanilla? Who cares,... it's up to you.
Obviously there is no "right answer" from any of us.
As for the Bob Norris letter above, remember that during your 3 day liberty in Singaport, I'm on a 60 day deployment to Cyprus or Korea, and enjoying my time off, after I RTB and land on a 9000' runway. Large runways = large infrastructure = different QOL. Not necessarily "better",... but "different".
And keep in mind that when you're in Singapore, that girl that you think is super hot and looking for a Naval Aviator is actually a transvestite Thai boy.
Obviously there is no "right answer" from any of us.
As for the Bob Norris letter above, remember that during your 3 day liberty in Singaport, I'm on a 60 day deployment to Cyprus or Korea, and enjoying my time off, after I RTB and land on a 9000' runway. Large runways = large infrastructure = different QOL. Not necessarily "better",... but "different".
And keep in mind that when you're in Singapore, that girl that you think is super hot and looking for a Naval Aviator is actually a transvestite Thai boy.
Vas Deferens
SNA
For what it's worth, I spoke with a VFC-111 adversary pilot at an air show last year. He mentioned that he went to USAFA and had gone through an interservice transfer to the Navy. I told him that I was in the Application process for OCS and asked him what service he honestly preferred, he looked puzzled that I would even ask such a question and said "The Navy, definitely." Granted he was stationed at NAS Key West and is a "Fighter" pilot in the purest sense.
What kind of "answer" are you really looking for by posting this on a Naval Aviation forum?
That's like going to a U of Michigan forum and telling them you're thinking of going to Ohio State but are having a tough time deciding.
IMO, every bit of "evidence" for and against presented in this thread is all idiotic posturing that really doesn't reflect the reality of being in either service. For every "I hate the Navy" letter you can find, there is an equal "I hate the AF" letter. For every quippy "this is why the Navy kicks ass" letter, there is an equivalent "this is why the AF kicks ass" letter. Don't let the propaganda learned in the name of intra-service rivalries influence your opinion because ultimately none of it will have anything to do with your time in the service.
As has been said, they're two different flavors of largely the same thing. There are pros and cons of both. If you legitimately want some insight, you are going to have to go beyond the inherent prejudices found on internet forums that are specifically geared one service or the other.
That's like going to a U of Michigan forum and telling them you're thinking of going to Ohio State but are having a tough time deciding.
IMO, every bit of "evidence" for and against presented in this thread is all idiotic posturing that really doesn't reflect the reality of being in either service. For every "I hate the Navy" letter you can find, there is an equal "I hate the AF" letter. For every quippy "this is why the Navy kicks ass" letter, there is an equivalent "this is why the AF kicks ass" letter. Don't let the propaganda learned in the name of intra-service rivalries influence your opinion because ultimately none of it will have anything to do with your time in the service.
As has been said, they're two different flavors of largely the same thing. There are pros and cons of both. If you legitimately want some insight, you are going to have to go beyond the inherent prejudices found on internet forums that are specifically geared one service or the other.
San Diego, CA; Va. Beach, VA; Pt. Mugu, CA vs. Minot, ND; Enid, OK; Knob Noster, Missouri was what made the decision for me. That may not have been the best way to decide, but we didn't really have much internet to ask for advice in those days.
The Navy & the Marine Corps have evolved together for 220+ years. The "Sea Services" have an unmatched tradition of valor, expeditionary service & unit commander authority in remote areas all over the world that cannot be touched by any other service. Sure, today's comm sats, et al., take away some of the individual authority of the local commander, but we still don't have the layered anality that comes from the historical Army/Air Force side of the house. Easy decision, IMHO. If you like being only in the USA & seeing your family, try for a job at the TSA.
I'm confused. Are you air force?
I guess it has to be posted somewhere. I came here to learn about the Navy side of things. While there might be a great amount of bias, it can't hurt asking Naval Aviators about naval aviation. But you are right about getting information from an internet forum. Obviously I'm not going to make my decision from stuff posted here or anywhere on the internet. I'm just trying to gather as much information as possible.
On a side note, I love your signature.
Yes his is. Air Force wings are silver and Navy wings are gold.
It appears you missed the point of that letter. Yes he seemingly describes the USAF as good and all the negatives of the Navy.... but the point is if you NEED to ask AF or Navy, then go AF. The "negatives" he mentions would make a Navy-blooded guy run to his Navy recruiter.
See that's my problem. I'm not flocking toward my nearest Navy recruiter. While I admire many things about the navy, especially the travel, adventure, and being catapulted off of a pitching deck (he he), I can also appreciate the "comfortable" Air Force life. But, I know that the Air Force shenanigans will drive me crazy. There's nothing I hate more than mindless adherence to rules and regulation. I know that it's part of being in the military and I fully accept that, but I would like to minimize it, and if that's how the AF is run then I guarantee you, I will flock to the nearest Navy recruiter. The only thing that holds me back from the navy is boat life. It seems a little bit like living on a floating metal prison. Then again, I know absolutely nothing of boat life.
I, as an aviator, want to be challenged and want to have an opportunity to do great things. Norris's description made the navy sound like 99% boredom and 1% terror. Maybe I'm just reading it in a different tone, but I thought the Navy was about doing things the air force was too scared to do (like landing aboard a pitching deck at night) and Top Gun like stuff. When I hear statements like "long tedious deployments" and "missing important family events" I think of scrubbing decks for long hours thinking to myself "when will it end?" I know this isn't true, and I know there is plenty of "deck scrubbing" (aka office work) in the Air Force, but for some reason this is what I envision when reading Bob's letter.
It's the freaking Navy, it's going to be life on the boat at some point. There are good and bad attributes to both forces. Comfortable life is not how I would describe either unless you're comaring it to ground troops on the front line. It's the military, there's bullshit to be put up with.
Aviation is 99% bordeom and 1% terror in general. The Air Force is not afraid to do carrier stuff....they aren't the Navy and don't have carriers. The Air Force has their own aggressor stuff as well. Air Force guys are going overseas, like to Iraq, for a year. You will deploy with the military, you will miss family events and you won't scrub decks as an officer. Your posts scream of a whinning boy, sorry. So for now, this thread isn't really going anywhere, so locketh cometh.
We have another nifty feature in addition to search called "profile". Go there or select forum posts on his username pull-down and you'll easily see who Huggy is, what he flies and in what service.
Not only is he Air Force, he's one of the few guys around that has the opportunity to shit in a space suit......