• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

Grabbing a few hours Rotary time before Helo advanced?

Igloojam

Well-Known Member
pilot
@Igloojam First, don’t pay for helo flight time. If you’re actively avoiding Norfolk, that’s doable. However, it’s not like selecting out of VTs. They quality spread folks around quite purposely, so your dream sheet is just a wish list in the event of a tie.

Second, don’t shit on Norfolk too hard. If your only experience is a MIDN cruise or dudes who’ve never lived there, that’s nothing. I was there for four years and I’d gladly go back, but it’s probably not in my cards. There really are no *bad* helo duty stations. NS Norfolk and NAS Oceana are 20 miles apart, but jet guys trip over themselves to get Oceana over Lemoore.

Only experience is porting on the NOAA Gordon Gunter. Sending you a PM. My wife and I can make the most out of anywhere we go, but after getting helos we'd would really like to go to Japan. Heard the preschools there are world class and we have a little one. I have no idea how selection works over there, just kind of assumed if you crushed advanced you got your first pick.
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Just trying to get my first choice out of advanced. I didn’t get my first choice out of primary and it was really frustrating; wanted maritime.

I think you're looking at it the wrong way. Keep in mind a 40 several weeks ago is different than a 40 when you selected. A 50 NSS is nothing to sneeze at so you did well. Just don't think of it as you doing well (which you did), think of it as there is ALWAYS someone else doing it better.

So is every other warm body here. Thus making it the “Jets” of helo advanced.

HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAAHAAHAHAHAha..ha.haha.
 

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
If you're that keen on doing as well as possible in advanced, and for the record I'm glad to see any student care that much about knocking the program out of the park, then have a look at the other current thread about studying ahead for HTs. That or ask the stucon instructors working at the wing- half of them are helo IPs. Or hit up your fellow students studying in the sim building.
 

Igloojam

Well-Known Member
pilot
If you're that keen on doing as well as possible in advanced, and for the record I'm glad to see any student care that much about knocking the program out of the park, then have a look at the other current thread about studying ahead for HTs. That or ask the stucon instructors working at the wing- half of them are helo IPs. Or hit up your fellow students studying in the sim building.

Def saw that thread. Just couldn't find any advice about getting a few hours. A "Helo IFS" per se was my concept of mission.
 

DanMa1156

Is it baseball season yet?
pilot
Contributor
Yep. Validating my thoughts on Norfolk. Spent some time out there aboard the NOAA ship Gordon Gunter. Terrible place. No desire to take my family there especially when I was stationed at Camp Pendleton for a hot minute.

@DanMa1156 my Wife and I are hoping for Japan. So is every other warm body here. Thus making it the “Jets” of helo advanced. I get the 2/9 options for me, but that’s misleading when there are like 10 squadrons in Norfolk.

I can tell you from working in STUCON that Japan is not the "Jets" of helo advanced. I'd say it's probably HSC West, and if it hasn't already, HSM West is becoming the "jets" of HTs, as in, the most desirable / most requested of our students. Easily, easily, easily, HM is currently the least requested with Guam next. And, like I said, you never know how it's going to pan out with the fact that there's a quality spread and a "max happiness" they try to attain as well. Unfortunately for SNA's every once in a while, someone needs to go to HM and someone needs to go to Guam. Guess what? They don't just send the two lowest dudes from every class to those places.

Again: if it's free - take the flight time for fun. If you have to pay? It's not going to give you a leg up, I promise.

What squadron are you heading to btw?
 
Last edited:

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
DanMa is much more up to date (I haven't been an HT guy in a few years and some now) but if you make it known early on that Japan is your goal, it certainly won't hurt your "chances" but might actually improve them. The squadron and wing guys actually talk to the detailers and to each other and it's not every winging class that somebody really, really wants to go to Japan, probably even moreso these days.

I wanted to avoid Japan when I winged and I put all the Japan squadrons as my last choice (we had something like fifteen choices). Knowing what I know now, it would have been a pretty awesome adventure.
 

wlawr005

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Only experience is porting on the NOAA Gordon Gunter. Sending you a PM. My wife and I can make the most out of anywhere we go, but after getting helos we'd would really like to go to Japan. Heard the preschools there are world class and we have a little one. I have no idea how selection works over there, just kind of assumed if you crushed advanced you got your first pick.
World class pre-schools?

What does that even mean? That sounds like some wives club shit.
 

Igloojam

Well-Known Member
pilot
I can tell you from working in STUCON that Japan is not the "Jets" of helo advanced. I'd say it's probably HSC West, and if it hasn't already, HSM West is becoming the "jets" of HTs, as in, the most desirable / most requested of our students. Easily, easily, easily, HM is currently the least requested with Guam next. And, like I said, you never know how it's going to pan out with the fact that there's a quality spread and a "max happiness" they try to attain as well. Unfortunately for SNA's every once in a while, someone needs to go to HM and someone needs to go to Guam. Guess what? They don't just send the two lowest dudes from every class to those places.

Again: if it's free - take the flight time for fun. If you have to pay? It's not going to give you a leg up, I promise.

What squadron are you heading to btw?

No idea yet. Thanks for the solid advice. Didn't know about how all the selection goes but that sounds great.
 

wlawr005

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Yochiens. You got kids? Shit is important to both my wife and I.
Yeah, my kids are 10 and 7. Both went to regular Crayola pre schools. Seem to be doing pretty well, but I mostly care about whether or not they're good people, not what school they go to.

I'd like to think they've adjusted well to moving every couple of years, making new friends at random, and overall enjoying their time as military brats. Ultimately they've learned to accept change and to adapt as people...which is important to our family.

I wouldn't dare say they were disadvantaged at all...even considering they went to pre school in North Florida.
 
Last edited:

Igloojam

Well-Known Member
pilot
Yeah, my kids are 10 and 7. Both went to regular Crayola pre schools. Seem to be doing pretty well, but I mostly care about whether or not they're good people, not what school they go to.

Congrats. You're right its completely irrational I care where my kid goes to school. How dare I think about that.
 

wlawr005

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Haha, you win new guy.

I will agree, with your 2.8 GPA in meteorology you haven't genetically guaranteed their future success. They may, in fact, need all the help they can get.

I hope you get Japan, and I hope you enjoy it. I also hope the pre schools are not WHY you want to go there.
 

croakerfish

Well-Known Member
pilot
I can tell you from working in STUCON that Japan is not the "Jets" of helo advanced. I'd say it's probably HSC West, and if it hasn't already, HSM West is becoming the "jets" of HTs, as in, the most desirable / most requested of our students. Easily, easily, easily, HM is currently the least requested with Guam next. And, like I said, you never know how it's going to pan out with the fact that there's a quality spread and a "max happiness" they try to attain as well. Unfortunately for SNA's every once in a while, someone needs to go to HM and someone needs to go to Guam. Guess what? They don't just send the two lowest dudes from every class to those places.

Again: if it's free - take the flight time for fun. If you have to pay? It's not going to give you a leg up, I promise.

What squadron are you heading to btw?

Glad to hear FDNF is viewed on par with HM, which exists solely in Norfolk and has maybe 2 up birds to rub together. Who wants to have an awesome sea tour anyway?

@Igloojam , keep in mind that, Japanese pre-school thunderdome notwithstanding, you go to Japan you'll be gone a LOT, frequently with less-than-normal advance notice. Your working hours at home will be extended as well. This is true everywhere else as well but CVW-5 is on another level. HSM-51 and HSC-25 have a pretty savage OPTEMPO as well. It's totally worth it, but know what you're getting into.
 

Igloojam

Well-Known Member
pilot
Glad to hear FDNF is viewed on par with HM, which exists solely in Norfolk and has maybe 2 up birds to rub together. Who wants to have an awesome sea tour anyway?

@Igloojam , keep in mind that, Japanese pre-school thunderdome notwithstanding, you go to Japan you'll be gone a LOT, frequently with less-than-normal advance notice. Your working hours at home will be extended as well. This is true everywhere else as well but CVW-5 is on another level. HSM-51 and HSC-25 have a pretty savage OPTEMPO as well. It's totally worth it, but know what you're getting into.

solid heads up... thank you.
 

wlawr005

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Glad to hear FDNF is viewed on par with HM, which exists solely in Norfolk and has maybe 2 up birds to rub together. Who wants to have an awesome sea tour anyway?

@Igloojam , keep in mind that, Japanese pre-school thunderdome notwithstanding, you go to Japan you'll be gone a LOT, frequently with less-than-normal advance notice. Your working hours at home will be extended as well. This is true everywhere else as well but CVW-5 is on another level. HSM-51 and HSC-25 have a pretty savage OPTEMPO as well. It's totally worth it, but know what you're getting into.
Pretty solid Japan advice. With the air wing moving to Iwakuni, time away from home is going to get worse before it gets better. All my bros over there love it though, as long as you don't mind flying around the boat and dealing with all the liberty shenanigans.
 
Top