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USMC RW - Strike Transition / Conversion

Python

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Hey guys, thanks for all the great replies. I settled on dropping an application, we'll see where it goes. As an aside, good points as far as skid future... especially with the new force design release and everyone coming back from their third pointless Okinawa "deployment" I think we'll see a lot more qualified dudes running from the community. Anecdotal, the peer group ahead of me of JO WTIs either all EAS'd from the squadron or dropped papers from their next billet. I think it's going to get bad in the next few years; a MEU as the most meaningful deployment opportunity is not great for retention. I love being a Cobra pilot, but I think the writing's on the wall for a LOS-comm only, no datalink attack helicopter with ASE from the mid 90s.

Anyway, thanks again. Maybe I'll have to learn to be an instrument pilot again after all...

Good luck. It sounds like you made the best choice for you and I think you made the right choice. Hope your effort pays off.
 

whitesoxnation

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
FWIW, the Marine Corps waived the boat for all Marine students on the upcoming boat det. Not sure if they have to qual after #coronavirus or if this is a sign of things to come.

There are no more USMC Hornet boat tours after the next one, so no need for CQ. Been that way for a little bit.

Edit - I meant for RAG CQ. wlawr are you talking T-45 CQ?
 

whitesoxnation

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Tracking FRS time as well - that I'm not as concerned about since I'll at least get an observed FITREP (at least that was case at HMLAT-303 back in the day anyway) and job prospects for my wife are better than in Meridian / Kingsville. Again, missing a DH tour would hurt but not in and of itself a deal breaker for me. Bummer about the T-45, pointy-nose friends were pushing similar gouge.

A CAT-1 trying to do a single seat DH tour while also learning a jet is a recipe for disaster.

Insert Adam Sandler "stay in school as long as you can" gif here.
 
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wlawr005

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Wow... that really surprises me. Cutting every corner possible to fix the manpower situation.
To be fair, this particular boat is occurring in Jax next week....so there is some #coronavirus thrown into that matrix as well. Hence the uncertainty about what's to come in the future.
 

Hotdogs

I don’t care if I hurt your feelings
pilot
A CAT-1 trying to do a single seat DH tour while also learning a jet is a recipe for disaster.

At this rate some USMC TACAIR communities aren’t going to have the bodies for DHs. Unless your counting those 20 poor bastards who actually took the bonus to hold it down for the next 5-6 years.
 

A Day In The Life

Well-Known Member
pilot
At this rate some USMC TACAIR communities aren’t going to have the bodies for DHs. Unless your counting those 20 poor bastards who actually took the bonus to hold it down for the next 5-6 years.

It’s been like that for VFA already, though the coronavirus may have just fixed that problem.
 

Odominable

PILOT HMSD TRACK FAIL
pilot
There are projects in work to address these deficiencies.

I hope you're right - reliable systems in these areas would go a long, long way to keeping the Cobra a useful platform, but the MAGTAB/DIFMV debacle didn't inspire much confidence. And I've been hearing about DAIRCM since at least 2015 ("you'll have this by the next FY!").
 
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TAMR

is MIDNIGHT
pilot
None
Just as an FYI, they're no longer sending Marines to the boat to CQ (at least in Kingsville, can't speak for Meridian). They waived a bunch of phase two flights for Navy guys, but the Marines will end up doing them all, thus taking about the same amount of time.
 

PMPT

Well-Known Member
Can’t answer your other questions but as to T-45 health, it’s not great right now. The engine developed a penchant for throwing LPT blades and it’s really limiting jet availability. I got through the whole syllabus in 14 months which was about normal but that was before all of the current issues, so I would imagine it definitely being longer.

current a/c availability issues have more or less increased the pipeline length by at least 4 months in most cases. probably going to end up being an extra 4-6 months. a friend of mine has been out of the cockpit for over 180 days now.
 
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