They're called PEP tours. It can be a real good deal, but billets can be hard to come by, and it's considered a shore tour even though you may be with a deploying unit. So not real popular if you've got a wife and young 'uns.
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Foreign exchange pilots on USN Aircraft Carriers
- Thread starter granville
- Start date
Have a friend who did a PEP with the Brits and Nimrods. Worked out well for him but he's worked his ass off to make it so.
B
Blutonski816
Guest
I found a link to an occasion when a det from VMA-513 deployed with an RAF guy in tow.
http://www.harrierpilot.com/may02.htm
http://www.harrierpilot.com/may02.htm
Both of my squadrons were full of Foreign Exchange / PEP tour guys.
VA-85 had a German Navy pilot fly and deploy for the entire cruise with us in 1989. He flew F-104s and then Tornados. Was one of the most tactically astute pilots I ever flew with. Also did a great job on the ground as Tactics Officer and then Safety Officer. Every month he would box up all the leftover "Approach" "Mech" "Aviation Week" and other associated professional magazines and mail them back to MFG-1, his squadron in Germany. We accused him of being a spy once (for fun) but he got really offended, go figure. During cruise, we supported a NEO in the Med and launched w/ assorted Rockeye and Iron Bombs, just in case. He felt he had to go to the CO and opt out of that event as it would be an international incident if word got out. So he flew the recovery tanker mission instead. When I thought Prussian Warrior, he came to mind. He ended up coming back to Shepard AFB (I think) where the Germans had their undergrad pilot training with the USAF and was the OIC of their cadre there. Great guy.
VA-75 also had a German Navy Exchange pilot from the Tornado Community in the 1991-92 timeframe. He CQd in the RAG, came with us on workups, but a combination of less than stellar landing grades, a don't give a $hit attitude when not flying, and one too many run-ins with the front office sent him back to the RAG to finish his tour. This guy was also the epitome of a German stereotype, although in his case it was Berlin Partyboy.
Both of them had smokin hot wives, so the program was definitely worth it from my perspective.
VA-85 also had a Naval Aviator who did a tour w/ German Tornados, and we sent a pilot to France to fly Super Entendardes for his shore tour.
VA-75 had a guy I flew with in VA-85 come back for his department head tour after an exchange tour w/ the German Navy flying Tornados. He ended up w/ a German wife as well.
Thee were also several A-6 pilots and B/Ns flying w/ the RAF in the Buccaneer and Tornado from other squadrons.
Every one of the families (husband and wife) thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
From the Reserve perspective, there is a 3 week Foreign Exchange Tour to England and Germany (you choose which you want) each summer / fall. They send about 8 people and typically only about 40 or so apply, so the odds are actually pretty good. It is a blast and they will show / do almost anything for you. I went to Germany, and spent the entire time driving from one base to the next, seeing all they had to offer - submarines on the Baltic, Tornados, Fast Torpedo Boats, Atlantiques, etc, etc. A Great Time!
VA-85 had a German Navy pilot fly and deploy for the entire cruise with us in 1989. He flew F-104s and then Tornados. Was one of the most tactically astute pilots I ever flew with. Also did a great job on the ground as Tactics Officer and then Safety Officer. Every month he would box up all the leftover "Approach" "Mech" "Aviation Week" and other associated professional magazines and mail them back to MFG-1, his squadron in Germany. We accused him of being a spy once (for fun) but he got really offended, go figure. During cruise, we supported a NEO in the Med and launched w/ assorted Rockeye and Iron Bombs, just in case. He felt he had to go to the CO and opt out of that event as it would be an international incident if word got out. So he flew the recovery tanker mission instead. When I thought Prussian Warrior, he came to mind. He ended up coming back to Shepard AFB (I think) where the Germans had their undergrad pilot training with the USAF and was the OIC of their cadre there. Great guy.
VA-75 also had a German Navy Exchange pilot from the Tornado Community in the 1991-92 timeframe. He CQd in the RAG, came with us on workups, but a combination of less than stellar landing grades, a don't give a $hit attitude when not flying, and one too many run-ins with the front office sent him back to the RAG to finish his tour. This guy was also the epitome of a German stereotype, although in his case it was Berlin Partyboy.
Both of them had smokin hot wives, so the program was definitely worth it from my perspective.
VA-85 also had a Naval Aviator who did a tour w/ German Tornados, and we sent a pilot to France to fly Super Entendardes for his shore tour.
VA-75 had a guy I flew with in VA-85 come back for his department head tour after an exchange tour w/ the German Navy flying Tornados. He ended up w/ a German wife as well.
Thee were also several A-6 pilots and B/Ns flying w/ the RAF in the Buccaneer and Tornado from other squadrons.
Every one of the families (husband and wife) thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
From the Reserve perspective, there is a 3 week Foreign Exchange Tour to England and Germany (you choose which you want) each summer / fall. They send about 8 people and typically only about 40 or so apply, so the odds are actually pretty good. It is a blast and they will show / do almost anything for you. I went to Germany, and spent the entire time driving from one base to the next, seeing all they had to offer - submarines on the Baltic, Tornados, Fast Torpedo Boats, Atlantiques, etc, etc. A Great Time!
As mentioned, the E-2 RAG is overrun with furriners. French Hawkeye pilots and FOs, RAF AWACS and RN Sea King types, Wedgetail and AWACS guys from Oz, plus odds and ends from other places, but those were the only regular instructors. Occasional students, but mostly they were experienced guys getting instruction in some new bell or whistle, not Cat-1-ish types.
Never heard of any foreigners assigned to or deploying with a fleet Hawkeye squadron, but not to say it's never happened. I'd be surprised if it hasn't happened, but there's a shartload of NOFORN stuff in the Hummer. So if it hasn't happened any time recently, it's due to classification weenieism, not skillz.
I know one guy from my last squadron who went on to a tour with NATO AWACS in England. Not technically a PEP tour, but flying airplanes full of foreign types.
Never heard of any foreigners assigned to or deploying with a fleet Hawkeye squadron, but not to say it's never happened. I'd be surprised if it hasn't happened, but there's a shartload of NOFORN stuff in the Hummer. So if it hasn't happened any time recently, it's due to classification weenieism, not skillz.
I know one guy from my last squadron who went on to a tour with NATO AWACS in England. Not technically a PEP tour, but flying airplanes full of foreign types.
He's hard to spot because RAF guys usually have more hair, also it's kind of hard to see past all the cheese in this picture.
There is a French Super Etendard pilot instructing....well, trying to make it through the FITU at Whiting. Actually, not sure what happened to him.....I heard the language barrier was an issue. Never saw any foriegners on exchange duty while I was on the boat.
Yeah, I remember a Venezuelan T-2 (?) driver instructing in Texas. There were some in F-9's too, I think. Hell, we even had an Air Force officer as the GUN BOSS @ VT-4 in PCOLA ... how much more "foreign" can you get???
Speaking of remembering, I forgot about the Aussie LSO's that I trained -- STOOF LSO's only as we had no A-4's on the big deck -- they were complete party animals but very serious when it came to work. When they discovered that my Grandfather was an Aussie -- it got even "worse" ...
The upside was since we had no A-4's aboard they took me back to their small deck Melbourne for a couple of weeks for reciprocal A-4 "training".
Still -- we never had any foreigners at the "tip of the spear". Bad karma ...
granville
Gloria finis
Here she is - HMAS Melbourne R21.
A few of her Skyhawks came ashore to visit us at Leuchars in Scotland (home of the 892 Sqn, Ark Royal Phantoms)
during the Queen's Silver Jubilee review of the Fleet at Spithead in 77 - a very long way from home.
Hope the change of culture 'Down Under' proved to be a positive experience for you, A4sForever!
Regards
granville
A few of her Skyhawks came ashore to visit us at Leuchars in Scotland (home of the 892 Sqn, Ark Royal Phantoms)
during the Queen's Silver Jubilee review of the Fleet at Spithead in 77 - a very long way from home.
Hope the change of culture 'Down Under' proved to be a positive experience for you, A4sForever!
Regards
granville
And that's just super goddamned pretty. Scooters out on the pointy end, where they belong.
That was the infamous Rosy Det summer of 91. The majority of us in CVW-3 had just survived 8 months of Desert Shield/Storm yet newly installed CO of VA-75 kept his boys on base while everyone else left for San Juan including the German Exchange pilot. Confrontation with CO resulted in letter to embassy complaining (fm German pilot)......
ABSOLUTELY, Mate!! It was great -- and so's your picture. I'm gonna keep it.Here she is - HMAS Melbourne R21. ....
Hope the change of culture 'Down Under' proved to be a positive experience for you, A4sForever!
Regards
granville
But the biggest difference (besides the official Air Group onboard, wood paneled bar) was being gently shaken awake in the morning by my steward to be greeted with a tray of coffee/scones beside my bed.
Who sez Aussies are roughnecks?!?!
Ahhhhh ... civilization.
Is that something that you need to work out with the detailer when it comes time to start looking at shore tours? Do you know if your buddy spent his full 3 or so year shore tour down there or was it a shorter time? Also how does this affect advancement? Ive heard that some shore tours can put you behind the curve so to speak, if you did an exchange tour to the RAF equivalent of an FRS, would it look the same as going to a USN FRS?
Do you mean down there in Australia or over there in UK?