Search results

My last boss. She is now the CO MCAS Miramar H H&S. She is married to Navy O-5 as well that deploys regularly. Has two kids ages 3&4. Definitely can be done. She is a beast though. She is extremely adept at managing her time. It really is impressive. Read bio for reference...

Edited to highlight key point Pretty much that. Just be a good dude. Goes a long way. And don't have a punchable face.

If I were about 6 years younger as far as time in service, my application would have already been in. Good decision OP and best of luck.

If you really want to be super tacticool doing the FAC thing don't do the FAC thing. Go enlist now, get a combat arms MOS, show some talent and an understanding of fire support early on, become a JFO, then go to TACP school to get qualified as a JTAC. This can be done as early as Corporal, but...

I've seen a few flight school attrites go 0302 (Infantry Officer). One I know of for sure didn't do well as an Infantry Officer either as he was already well behind the power curve in that MOS. See my above quote from a previous thread for why this might be. Think he never got career designated...

Good to hear that your brother is recovering from his "fatal accident".

Okay got you. Wasn’t sure how long you have been a captain or how much fleet time you had. I honestly think your timing should be pretty good. NSI is ideal but probably not a deal breaker for you. I don’t think there is ever a true thing where you can write your own ticket when dealing with the...

You heading to EWTGPAC or EWTGLANT? If PAC I’ll see you in January. I’m the course chief for TACP school at EWTGPAC in Coronado. Was a prior IP at Pensacola too, couple of assignments ago. Here is why I believe the monitor is interested in your quals prior to going to flight school. He wants to...

I heard: Sit Update "We are East of the Riverbed taking Fire from the West" Friendlies FLOT was marked by Red Smoke. Aircraft was visual Friendlies "Red Smoke" The way he executed was more Friendly Centric type of CAS Brief as opposed to Target Centric (traditional 9-Line).....very similar in...

My motivation was not killing the bad guys. It was doing whatever it took to keep the bad guys from killing my guys. Using an aircraft as an instrument to do what was necessary to make sure people made it home. It is up to you as a professional aviator to make sure that when they need you that...

This is actual video of me during JPME.

2.3 GPA [2000]. Been doing this Marine Aviation thing for almost 18 years. I could run fast and I won the crayon eating contest. Think that's why I made it.

Pretty good indication of being either full of shit or a douche.

Airspace briefs were all usually good. I was talking about the talking on the radio part.

Wouldn’t go that far. Haha. Some do better at it than others.

But you wouldn’t be able to see them.

Just do it like this and you will be fine.

Yep. I flew the Tweet. Had no issues passed every flight ended up coming out of there with a 47 NSS and helo's for advanced. Was disappointed at the time, but it all worked out in the end and I don't think I'd change anything going back. Still would have liked to take a cat shot at least once in...

Used to be at least for primary you get Jets. I know one guy who got Huey's and a 47 NSS out of there. Haha

Good call. Like I said with my schedule I don’t know what day of the week it is, but I can tell you what training day it is. Haha

I hear you. Like I said it was rewarding and looking back glad I did it. But....it was an extremely busy schedule. Just got back from my first flying deployment to Iraq. Still a 1stLt (Capt select). Just barely finished my section lead qual and all of a sudden a hotfill FAC tour comes up and CO...

That is the best advice in this entire thread.

I’ve been in 17 years and the only time I’ve liked my job as far as quality of life has been when I’ve been in a flying billet. Lucky for me that’s been about 13 of the 17 years. The ground tours although rewarding looking back I didn’t like them much while doing them. When I was in Quantico I...

They like to sniv at the beginning then at the end they get real motivated to fly weekends and every other time to make that next winging class.

Someone has to guard the chow halls.

My current job as a TACP evaluator/instructor at 29 Palms, CA. Basically, we put on the Marine Corps Integrated Training exercises (ITX) 5 times per year. Put this compilation together of my past year here. Pretty much all Marine aviation assets represented minus a few (KC-130, AV-8B, F-35).

One of my old man hitting the tanker somewhere around 1976.

I get a lot of chances to get good aviation pics and videos at my current job. Pair of reservist AH-1W from HMLA 773.

https://www.crtreehouse.com/ In Oceanside, CA. Had this one made for my father in law. Old Marine grunt Vietnam vet. Had to find an exact match of his old Vietnam era cami pattern and sateens via eBay. Took me almost a year to find the stuff for the shadow box. He didn't have anything from his...

I will be all in on this in about 3 years. That is the plan. Just inside of four years before I can retire. Going to try and get orders to Corpus Christi to be a VT Instructor on the back side of my current assignment in order to slay some FW hours for my final two years. Currently sitting at...

Yea you would have a pretty good chance of supporting troops on the ground in the Marines. Without getting into the six functions of Marine aviation, Marines on the ground is the reason we exist. Really though every aviation asset in every branch in some shape, way, or form supports ground...

Just haven't met the right instructor maybe. What's your platform? What's difficult for you in the CAS environment? I don't think I could ever volterm. I'd make them make the decision. I know it's not fun sometimes especially when you're having difficulties but I assume you worked pretty hard...

I was a 10 week OCC guy. 15 miler was the big one for us. Wasn't the distance that sucked. It was the pace that made it horrible. Much tougher than the 20 miler we did at TBS with more weight. I just remember lots of heat casualties during that 15 miler. Saw a dude literally lose his mind due to...

My dad was good friends with Pete Peterson who was the #3 guy on the team I believe. He was a first assignment instructor pilot (FAIP) and one of my dads flight school instructors at Reese AFB in 1972. Then my dad became a T38 FAIP so they were then instructor pilots together. Pretty much...

29 palms goes down $9. If this place doesn't suck enough already.

Congrats. I'm getting old. I was an OCC 177 grad. Have fun at the basic school.

Yep. I guess who ultimately decides who the aircraft commander is, is the Commanding Officer when he signs the flight schedule. That's based on the qualifications of the particular aircrew for a given mission. Those crew pairings are looked at by his staff before it goes to him. But ultimately...

I look at it more as pilot at controls (PAC) or pilot not at controls (PNAC). What you are referring to mostly I believe is who is the aircraft commander. Typically that is the more experienced of the crew members but not always. Aircraft commander is a qualification you earn after a certain...

Exactly. People always say oh that must have been a blast or that must be fun. Not the right word. I always say it's rewarding. Plenty of things that suck but it's all part of it. True with anything that's worth doing. If it was all easy and fun I think everyone would do it. Lot of it I didn't...

Yes very rewarding. The quoted emails are just some I received over the years and are the reasons why.

Yes I can detect sarcasm. It isn't the event that's important. It is the process. Being able to think while flying, know where the aircraft is and put it where it needs to be based on procedures and constraints is a foundation that is necessary for more complex things that a young aviator will...

It's still good advice. Lot of students need to hear it more. Sooner they realize that its not about them and how they feel, but about the customer ( the soldiers, airmen, sailors, Marines) that they are supporting the better off they will be. They have to be good at what they do because others...

Too bad the Marine Corps owns me for 5 more years with that carrot on the end of the stick called retirement,

Three year orders to Twentynine Palms. Anyone want to meet up? No. I didn't think so.

Corrected. Up too late last night typing.

I deployed to OIF with "Backstreet" Boyce back in 2008 with HMLA 369. Was one of our WTI's and worked his butt off in operations department. Real smart dude and obviously a skilled aviator. Was just talking to my old XO about him a few weeks ago before this happened. Lost a lot of folks I've...

Stick with it. I've used it twice to get me well over 20. First time is when I joined the Marine Corps. I began only being able to do 7. Next time was about 5 years ago when I slacked on PT and my pull ups dropped to 12 when the rigors of multiple deployments and the fleet got to me as a senior...

If you want to be a soldier join the Army. Just saying. As far as PFT if you want to get better at crunches do crunches. I used to just time myself for two minutes and do multiple sets of as many as I could do in two minutes until I got to the point that 100 in 2 minutes was easy. For pull ups...

Go aviation then serve as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) after you have earned some street cred in your airframe. Best of both worlds. Supporting the grunts is a lot better life than being a grunt if you ask me. Knew that for sure at The Basic School right after some CH53s dropped us off for the...

Possible but it's kind of hard to show up to an infantry battalion as a first lieutenant because you have been spending all of your time as a 2nd lieutenant washing out of flight school. Infantry officers grow up quick and by the time they are first lieutenants the ones that are good are already...