Was flying for the Navy/Marines worth it?

[Python]

My question is, did flying in Naval Aviation kill your love for aviation as a whole? It seems like a lot of pilots get flat burned out on flying, and have no desire to do it anymore once they get out.

No. I love it in an out of the military. I rent planes on the weekend sometimes and go up with family. Sometimes it's rewarding in itself to just be in the air and look outside and enjoy the view. Can't do that while flying form or running a mission. It's good to just lounge and enjoy the beauty of it once in a while. It's also great to share aviation with those close to me that aren't pilots.

 

[TexasForever]

I just pointed the airplane where the TACAN needle said and I always seemed to get there.

The HONE equation made a lot more sense when all of the fields were open...at least to me. What was dumb were Saufley Course Rules.

As a former Corpus SNA... Wtf is the HONE Equation?

And in return for this info I'll pass along the philosophy I stole from a much wiser person than myself. There are three things that matter when looking at a "job". The people, the pay, and the work. If you're only satisfied with one of the three you should probably look for another "job". If you're happy with two of the three you should probably stay where you are. If you've got all three locks down you should thank your lucky stars and shut the hell up because you're just gonna piss off everyone you brag to.

I get paid a very comfortable wage to live in a beautiful place and because I live within my means I do not worry about the one thing that drives most people nuts. I have a challenging and rewarding "job" that has national and international importance for an employer that has invested a lot of money and time into my education, well-being and the tools I get to use. I have the absolute privilege to work with like-minded Marines up and down the chain of command, from the hardest working plane captain who takes absolute pride that "his" helicopter is ready to go execute the mission to the tactical ninjas who are masters of the art and science of the business and could teach a brick to swim if they had to. Oh yeah, and I get to hover and blow shit up from time to time.

So when I feel the urge to boast I shut my mouth and start counting my stars.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Dad smacking on the blood wings 03JUN88 at NAS Whiting Field. Mom (lower left in the pic) was not too happy regarding the blood winging evolution...but she got over it.

View attachment 16245

Is that a PRC-90 your Mom is holding? Calling in an airstrike?

 

[mad dog]

Is that a PRC-90 your Mom is holding? Calling in an airstrike?

Say what?

No and no...it's her Kodak Instamatic camera from 1963...therefore, she isn't calling in an airstrike.

 

[desertflyer]

It's great to hear that the passion doesn't die. I guess it depends on the individual and their passion for aviation regardless of flying in the military. I've met quite a few people that flew in the military and have no interest in flying as a career, or even at all now that they're out. I would probably say they were in it for others reasons than a general love for aviation.

 

[croakerfish]

I found the best way to learn them as a new IP, since we hardly flew them in the IUT, was to plug them into the GPS and make the student recite them for you so you could figure out what the hell you were supposed to be looking for.

I fucking knew it...

 

[zippy]

As a former Corpus SNA... Wtf is the HONE Equation?

I was a corpus student as well. I'm going to have to let a former whiting stud chime in with the details but it was their convoluted method of helping studs determine what the break, pattern, etc. altitude and direction was at each OLF and home field.

 

[Gatordev]

As a former Corpus SNA... Wtf is the HONE Equation?

It helps you remember field elevations. They varied in the wilds of lower Alabama. Once you knew the elevations, you could do the math on all of the other parts of the pattern/PEL pattern.

Holley- 0' Others- 100' NSE- 200' Evergreen- 300'

It's also important to remember that Holley is button 14. Not to be confused with Saufley, who's sweet 16. Why does that matter? Because Middleton (Evergreen) was button 15. And wouldn't you want to be in the middle between Holley and Saufley?

I never was clear on why we called Evergreen, Evergreen, since it's labeled on the chart as Middleton. But so goes the mysteries of flight school.

 

[zipmartin]

My question is, did flying in Naval Aviation kill your love for aviation as a whole? It seems like a lot of pilots get flat burned out on flying, and have no desire to do it anymore once they get out.

I retired from the Navy (never left the cockpit), then retired in March after 20 years with a major US air carrier and today I'm going flying with an old college and Navy buddy for some BBQ about 70 miles from here in his Cessna 206. I never get tired of "slipping the surly bonds of earth", no matter what type of flying it is.

 

[Pags]

It helps you remember field elevations. They varied in the wilds of lower Alabama. Once you knew the elevations, you could do the math on all of the other parts of the pattern/PEL pattern.

Holley- 0' Others- 100' NSE- 200' Evergreen- 300'

It's also important to remember that Holley is button 14. Not to be confused with Saufley, who's sweet 16. Why does that matter? Because Middleton (Evergreen) was button 15. And wouldn't you want to be in the middle between Holley and Saufley?

I never was clear on why we called Evergreen, Evergreen, since it's labeled on the chart as Middleton. But so goes the mysteries of flight school.

I think I remember reading on here that the comm card has changed since my time in the VTs but I still remember Choctaw as Btn 13/unlucky Indians.

 

[Tiltedsky]

At the end of your commitment for flying for the Navy/Marines, do you think it was worth it?

I did non-flying shore and disassociated tours and am getting forced out for not making LCDR but still think it was worth it. I look at my friends I went to high school or college with and do not envy their careers/experiences. Military service is still a respected occupation whether it is just for the minimum time or to retirement. Also, unlike a lot of my civilian friends, I feel like I have a lot of options available to me. Keep flying? PhD? federal civilian service? A&P license? I can do any of those because I paid next to nothing for my degrees or the hours in my logbook.

What were some of the other career paths you considered?

I always had something aviation related in mind: part 135 flying in Alaska, wildland firefighting, crop dusting. However, I picked up degrees in a subject (natural/cultural resource management) I found interesting that I knew I could do if I couldn't fly.

What was the peak experience of your career?

Both my deployments were flying MEDEVAC which was very rewarding. Red-lining a helicopter en route to a hospital is an amazing experience and certainly a career peak. The lows... pretty much the last year and a half has been a low because of being at a staff command and knowing I am just waiting around to get passed over.

I still love flying but I would say that flying in the military is only about 30% of the fun civilian flying is. I know lots are going to disagree with me on that point but being the sole decision maker and on my own schedule make flying fun. I've ferried two aircraft from Alaska to the lower-48, circumnavigated Australia, flown my own plane to Airventure (Oshkosk), flown seaplanes in Maine, and bounced around backcountry strips in the West. If your only experience with civilian flying is renting a bird to fly to an FBO and get a burger you're missing out on some amazing flying.

 

[Pags]

I think the hard thing about civil aviation is that it's going to cost you. If you have a 9-5 it's going to cost you in terms of cash and time. If you fly for a living and aren't part of "professional aviation*" it's going to cost you in terms of paycheck size. That might be ok if you want to live in a van down by the river but might be harder to do if you have a family and want to have the "suburban life."

*a term I just made up to collect pilot jobs that pay a consistent living wage such as airline pilot

 

[Recovering LSO]

At the end of your commitment for flying for the Navy/Marines, do you think it was worth it?

What were some of the other career paths you considered?

What was the peak experience of your career?

Right now I am a premed who has a good shot of getting into med school. But I think I would always regret it if I didn't go for a pilot slot and try to fly for the military.

Knowing you'll have to do things you abhor, and some that downright scare the crap out of you builds character... they need to be done.

 

[Tiltedsky]

I think the hard thing about civil aviation is that it's going to cost you. If you have a 9-5 it's going to cost you in terms of cash and time. If you fly for a living and aren't part of "professional aviation*" it's going to cost you in terms of paycheck size. That might be ok if you want to live in a van down by the river but might be harder to do if you have a family and want to have the "suburban life."

*a term I just made up to collect pilot jobs that pay a consistent living wage such as airline pilot

Cost isn't too bad:
Plane cost ~$30,00o (although my plane was built right after the "Big War" which tends raise eyebrows to those new to aviation).
Maintenance/annual inspection ~$1,000 (assuming nothing major is broken, first annual was $3,700 since I replaced the hard fuel lines).
Insurance ~$700 a year (tailwheels are expensive).
My last hanger was $2000 a year.
Fuel cost per hour is $30.

Getting the family to adopt aviation as the family hobby is still pretty essential.

 

[Pags]

Cost isn't too bad:
Plane cost ~$30,00o (although my plane was built right after the "Big War" which tends raise eyebrows to those new to aviation).
Maintenance/annual inspection ~$1,000 (assuming nothing major is broken, first annual was $3,700 since I replaced the hard fuel lines).
Insurance ~$700 a year (tailwheels are expensive).
My last hanger was $2000 a year.
Fuel cost per hour is $30.

Getting the family to adopt aviation as the family hobby is still pretty essential.

Good cost breakdown; thanks. Makes owning a plane seem a lot more achievable and more on par with a boat or a hobby car. I see your last point as key in any expensive hobby. If you own a boat and your wife hates the sea and everything in it then you might have some problems.

Guess I'm off to look at aircraft classifieds....