2 months until wings

[Kiljoy]

I am finishing up advanced training in Kingsville in the next month or two and and am trying to make the best possible choice as what to put on my dream sheet. Ive been taking the whole SNA process one step at a time and now i'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of each community.

I really see nothing that turns me on to the idea of single seat other than the title and pride of being on your own. The two platforms im struggling with are Growlers/prowlers- Seattle or Supers -Lemoore. A list of any pros and Cons that you have experienced in the either community would be nice but specifically i am intrested about the typical mentality and personality that you experienced in each community and what a typical training mission looked like versus actual missions while on deployment.(that you can speak of, low level, burning holes in the sky, etc)

thanks

 

[NavyBlueRaider]

Use the search function

 

[Kiljoy]

first of all im going to beat you at the squadron tomorrow with at least a blunt object, secondly i did ......(insert explicative)

 

[MasterBates]

That's it.. P3 setting on the Kat for you two.

 

[Kiljoy]

lol

 

[puck_11]

What do you want to fly? Do you want to fly a 40 year old aircraft that handles like a truck and is really showing its age? Do you want to be a single seat guy who is responsible for everything or do you want to essentially be a chauffeur flying 3 ECMOs around doing their mission? Do you want to pull G's and drop bombs or do you want to fly holding patterns in the sky? Should you be lucky enough to select at the right time and get a coveted Growler spot, do you want to fly a G and speed limited hornet, or do you want to actually employ a hornet for what its built for? The one great thing that EA has going for it is living in Whidbey, however, ask a lot of the Prowler guys their current deployment cycle and you will find out that a lot of the squadrons are doing 6 on 8 off, and doing a lot of workups in between. Prowlers are in high demand and there aren't enough of them. You may not get the time to enjoy it up here during your first fleet tour.

Talk to some of the Prowler IPs in Kingsville and they may be able to give you a better answer, I'm just a CAT 1 student. Of course some of these things are going to change with the Growler coming online. The pilot is going to get more of a workload, which is a good thing. The G syllabus looks pretty cool too, especially compared to the B syllabus.

One more thing you may want to consider, you'll be out of the cockpit for almost a full year once you wing.

 

[incubus852]

Use the search function

Completely worthless response. Anyways.

First off, can you even select prowlers anymore?

From what I've heard, guys like single-seat because they're in complete control. However, it seems that it would be nice to have a second guy in the cockpit, backing you up on comms, double checking your work, balancing the workload etc.

In addition, legacy hornets are faster and more agile. The Super is such a fat pig when it gets all the pods and tanks loaded on it. I had an IP tell me that he was in and out of burner flying a super during cruise just to keep up with a legacy.

Compare Lemoore and Whidbey as far as living. Yes, the central valley sucks balls, but many great places are very close; large cities (San Fran, LA), wonderful outdoor areas (skiing, Yosemite, Sequoia National). Pac NW is beautiful (apparently). Just some things to ponder.

And congrats man.

 

[Kiljoy]

thanks for the input puck. That being said i am well aware of the lack of dynamic maneuvering that is exists in the EA community but since you are there now what is the general tone around the squadron.. would you call it a more relaxed and chill environment or ... and what is the training as a pilot like are you really just burning holes in the sky or is there some low level flying that keeps things ...sporty

 

[puck_11]

First off, can you even select prowlers anymore?

Yeah, thats what I thought right up until I got picked up for Prowlers. They're going to be flying them to at least the end of 2012, and they'll need young CAT 1s to fly them. If they keep the expeditionary squadrons open, they'll be flying them long past 2012.

Killjoy...PM sent.

 

[Uncle Fester]

I think a lot of your agonizing is kind of nonproductive, for three reasons: one, you'll probably get whatever slot they need to fill, regardless of your dream sheet; two, it's all Tailhook and Boat Life anyway, baby; and three, your aircraft type or location doesn't mean as much to your QOL as the squadron atmosphere - and there's no way to say one community is better than another in that regard. Put it this way: I really hated living in Nawfik, but I had a really awesome squadron with a phenomenal run of good Skippers and XO's. A good front office and good DH's is the difference between enjoying the hell out of your JO tour and not, not whether you're all alone in your Charlie or in the Family Truckster with 3 ECMO's.

 

[MasterBates]

Or flyin' the bus with 2 pilots and 3 dungeon masters.

 

[Moc1Sig]

Kiljoy,
I say you reference your profile and stick to your business and political views. Killing is a business and blowing shit up. Even if the navy doesn’t want you to go low and fast killing things, you can always buy a R1 and a handgun… problem solved.

 

[JSF_Dreamer]

well...

If it comes down to you liking the two platforms the same and just can't make up your mind... then what city will you like more?

Seattle-- gorgeous, green, cold, wet


Lemoore-- FLAT, HOT (100+ summer time), DUSTY, DRY, AIR QUALITY SO BAD THAT THEY CANCEL THE LOCAL SPORTS PRACTICES ON CERTAIN DAYS.


Although, personally, if I had a chance at hornet, I think I could suck up another 3 years in that crap of a town.

 

[Pags]

well...

If it comes down to you liking the two platforms the same and just can't make up your mind... then what city will you like more?

Seattle-- gorgeous, green, cold, wet


Lemoore-- FLAT, HOT (100+ summer time), DUSTY, DRY, AIR QUALITY SO BAD THAT THEY CANCEL THE LOCAL SPORTS PRACTICES ON CERTAIN DAYS.


Although, personally, if I had a chance at hornet, I think I could suck up another 3 years in that crap of a town.

Picking a platform based on city is not the best idea in my opinion. You're not gonna see too much of it. You know what you're gonna see a lot of? The boat. And maybe some Fallon and Key West or wherever else jet guys go for workups.

In the almost 3yrs I've been in my squadron, I've been gone more than half the time.

 

[Lobster]

When stuff like this gets posted I think it actually makes college time go by slower...:icon_tong


or maybe its the upstate NY winters...