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P-3s--What's the community like?

I'll pass on some advice that seemed to work for me:

1. Know your lights, limits, powersources and procedures COLD
2. Don't blow off your ground job
3. Be an active member of the wardroom

If you excel in any of those areas when you first check in, you will make a name for yourself.
 
Sky-Pig, I need to update my profile more often--I checked into 46 in May, so if I shift everything to the left about five months, I see what you're coming from. Of course, that shift doesn't help me in this specific case...

I'm picking up what you're putting down with regards to the balancing act between JOPA and the DHs. Right now I'm just keeping my mouth shut and eyes open and getting a feel for how everything works. I'm not drinking any kool-aid yet; I'm just trying to get my PQS done at this point and using that as a framework to build the rest of my knowledge around.

Thanks for all the advice--appreciate it. Guess we'll see where I am in about three years...;)
 
othromas said:
Right now I'm just keeping my mouth shut and eyes open and getting a feel for how everything works. I'm not drinking any kool-aid yet
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Othromas,

Mouth shut and eyes open is a good way to spend your first 6 months in the squadron...but even FNGs are allowed to have and verbalize good ideas...occassionally:icon_tong.

As far as drinking the kool-aid...and looking beyond simply flying a 737 airframe...here is the advice I gave my JOs when I was a no-good, back-stabbing, JOPA-hating, tracker-tracking DH:

Give me a second to ascend upon my soap box....

Now that you are at the squadron, it's time for you to start (if you haven't already) determining what your definition of success will be for your Navy career.

If you have decided that you absolutely, positively must make squadron command or you (and only you) will not feel successful...well...it's time to maybe take a sip or two of that sugary beverage. And by that I mean it's time to "buy in" on the MPR world's definition of the Mark I Mod 0 career path:
1. IP at VP-46 with a breakout EP FITREP
2. FRS Instructor Pilot
3. Disassociated (ANAV or shooter etc...) on USS Dead President
4. War College...or whatever "hard" 2nd shore tour is available
5. DH tour at a VP or VPU squadron...preferably VP
6. Joint Tour (command select during this tour)

Because if "Skipper" is the goal, this is (currently) the best path to that goal...if you deviate from it and fail to select for command...you will likely have some serious regrets. If you follow that path and still fail to select...you gave it your best shot and made the Navy tell you "no".

If your definition of success in a Navy career is NOT dependent upon being skipper, then you have some more leeway in how you flow through the Navy...and whether you drink the kool-air or spit it out and slug down some scotch, instead. This opens up opportunities to go fly with a VPU squadron on your dissassociated tour, try for NPS etc...

My basic point is that you...not your dad, not your DH, not your CO and not your buddies...need to sit down and determine your definition of success...soon.

Most importantly, enjoy this tour. The vast majority of folks never has as much fun as they did on the their JO squadron tour...so make the most of it.
 
While Sky-Pig has hit the high points of a good "career track," always remember that there are NO GUARANTEES. You can be the Sierra Hotel aviator on the right track and hit all the marks then still get derailed for something beyond your control. Sometimes it boils down to timing and luck.

-ea6bflyr ;)
 
jmetx07, there are two answers to that question:

1) Hard fill first shore tour: Each VP/VQ squadron offers up so many sacrificial lambs to fill community JO shore tours, these involve overseas TSC, CTF positions. These are community jobs that don't involve flying, and are generally not sought after by those in the community. The CTF leaders put pressure on the COs to ensure that they get sent only EPs or top performers out of their first tour. Doing well in your first tour, and timing can get you identified for these tours. Flip side, do well in that tour, and you can generally write your ticket for follow ons.

2) Hard job: WRT to a second shore tour in Sky-pig's post involves those that have sufficient "slop time" prior to YG+11 (back for DH) to complete another shore tour job that can get you another "check in the box". Depending on how fast you made it through flight school, extra time for each person varies. Examples of hard/career enhancing second shore jobs would include going off to War College/PG School, Admiral's Aide (leg shaver), VP30 PRE-DH (if you didn't go to the FRS as an IP after your first shore tour), or going to one of the VX/VPU squadrons.

WRT success during your first tour as a Pilot: Know your shit and be a good stick. Tubing a board, or progressing poorly through the upgrading syllabus will do you no favors. Granted, based on timing there are those that get selected to be IPs that you may scratch your head over, but by and large we as a community do well to select those that should be the IPs and have the most experience and proficiency in the aircraft. A skipper once said to me, that he was leery of any pilot in his squadron that did not want to be an IP, and become a better pilot. I think this is more important than ever with the decrease in real experience (flight hours) and more reliance on systems knowledge, HAZREP review and Pilot training/wardroom discussions. Bottom line, don't drop the pack, get in the Job Aid, NATOPs, and be proactive in engaging the senior pilots in your squadron on your JQR/P3PQS, don't fall off the curve!

WRT to the community: I am completing my disassociated tour now, with 3 community tours under my belt, and I can honestly say that I am happy with the direction we are going in. Sure, there are items that can be improved, but the rest of the Fleet values our services and our diverse mission sets. Nothing is better than getting to that final qual as aircraft commander, and taking a crew. That is what all the pain, sweat, and tears is for. Enjoy it while it lasts, there is nothing like it.

John
 
webmaster said:
WRT to the community: I am completing my disassociated tour now, with 3 community tours under my belt, and I can honestly say that I am happy with the direction we are going in. Sure, there are items that can be improved, but the rest of the Fleet values our services and our diverse mission sets. Nothing is better than getting to that final qual as [mission] commander, and taking a crew. That is what all the pain, sweat, and tears is for. Enjoy it while it lasts, there is nothing like it.

John
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Wise man, this Webmaster is.
 
othromas said:
I'm just a 3P, so take this all for what it's worth.


Now, you take a bunch of aviators, then keep them from flying. Add realization that without as much experience, these pilots are going to need to know even more about the aircraft to offset their lack of experience, so total knowledge of all of NATOPS, down to a genetic level, becomes standard. Couple that with the fact that the aging plane is starting to exhibit symptoms that were never covered by NATOPS, so not only is NATOPS a requirement, but so are several other publications (HAZREPs, Job Aid, Blue Brains, FE Job Aid, P-3 Digest, etc.). This sets up a highly demanding environment where your systems knowledge, while still secondary to your ability to fly the plane and your general pilot knowledge, becomes nearly as important. People get very nit-picky and quiz you all the time, in other words.

Since we can't have guys without jobs, new jobs get created to fill the void.
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Can you elaborate more on this as a deterrent and as a plus?
Can anyone PM me or post some info about the per diem? I hear all about it, but not with numbers. Me likes big numbers.
 
Flash said:
Just how hard is it to type 'US military per diem rates' into Google?

Google results:

http://www.google.com.ag/search?hl=en&q=us+military+per+diem+rates&btnG=Google+Search

The second link:

http://perdiem.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/perdiemrates.html
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Luckily my computer doesn't have a slot on it for $$ or else I'd be fined.(and have no use for strip clubs). No, I'll be honest...where do the P-3's generally go on deployment cycles? and generally where do crews end up staying during deployments? EP-3 vs P-3. With that I can use the "high speed, low drag" links you've nicely provided at the expense of my idiocracy.
 
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