Adversary Squadrons

[bunk22]

Believe me I'm NOT arguing the prior flight time thing. I had well over 1000 hours going through Primary, and god knows it helped immensely in getting what I wanted, however it's not guarantee. Acro time isn't even whats important. You only have like 3-4 aeroatic flights. Instrument time and experience is whats going to get you the grades...

It's not a gaurantee because as you know, the Navy's needs come first. If that's your arguement, state it at the beginning. If you can fly acro, you can fly instruments, much easier.

 

[Grant]

The reserve VFA's and VMFA's basically function as adversaries. A friend's dad flew with VFA-201 "Hunters" here in Fort Worth, and he said the reserve squadrons do tons of adversary, because he says that there arent enough VFC's and VMFT's to go around. Nowadays, VFA-201 even have their Hornets painted up in cool looking camo schemes, like VFC's.

 

[A4sForever]

A friend's dad flew with VFA-201 "Hunters" here in Fort Worth, and he said the reserve squadrons do tons of adversary, because he says that there arent enough VFC's and VMFT's to go around

That was why we used to have the "DALLAS RANGERS" i.e. the Dallas Adversary unit. With the demise of the A-4 Adversary role and the move to the JRB FTW ... the squadrons took up the slack of no home-based adversary unit. A good deal for them and it gives them something to do besides go get lunch at the Bar-B-Q fon a drill weekend. Love that Texas Bar-B-Q, though. Notice those A-4 sitting around JRB in various camo schemes ?? Those were the mounts that my friends and I used to DACT with VF-201/202 and VMFA-112 in the Brownwood MOA and elsewhere .... YUMA TACTS range, here.

SMOKEY and the BANDIT ......

..... GUNS KILL !!!!

 

[Fly Navy]

Wow, talk about close range.

 

[A4sForever]

Wow, talk about close range.

That's typical in a guns tracking solution fight --- You gotta' get close enough to see the color of the opposing flight suit. That's why I wore ORANGE --- maybe they'd see me more easily and stay away . A rolling or horizontal scissors fight makes your eyes get big ... now try it in the middle of a 20 plane "fur-ball" (apology to PETA) and you see why there are not too many old, bold pilots.

 

[skidkid]

1/2 time of flight on 20MM is 1500ft, that is how close you ahve to get to be effective though some of you may have sighting systems that increases the range but we dont (yes Im talking Helo on Helo but the principles are the same)

 

[A4sForever]

Actually, with iron sights or rudimentary lead-computing sights, and DACT with speeds from "0" to @ 500 KIAS, close-aboard applications of -1 to +5 "G", max-rate rolls and reversals to defeat the tracking solution ----- it usually meant we would not even think about "shooting" until well inside 1000 feet (usually closer to 500 feet) -- unless you want to miss or run out of "ammo". It's got nothing to do with ballistics .... it's just the hard facts of a hard turning, twisting dogfight. Do three of those hops a day @ Tyndal or Homestead and you lose 5 pounds of water.

But today ...??? Heck, I would say shoot them in the face @ 20+ miles with a missile and go home ... ... and it just goes to prove that sometimes Marine helos have the better idea. (double )

BTW ... the F-4 Phantom is 58 feet long and the Scooter is 41 feet long --- so some of you smart guys can do the math in the above pictured 1V1 engagement and figure out how close this "guns-track" fight has developed. --- the VF-201 F-4 is toast and is being eaten by the A-4 "Bandit" on this occasion -- he's just not gonna' get away ....

 

[Physicx]

Call me crazy but I would take fallon over key west.

 

[Fly Navy]

Call me crazy but I would take fallon over key west.

Yep, you're crazy.

 

[Ryoukai]

Instrument time and experience is whats going to get you the grades...

I thought it was all about charm and ripped abs...damnit.

 

[Blutonski816]

Good God... I almost decided to attend UNR, Fallon's about 90 mins away...
I'll give this piece of advice:
AVOID NOTHERN NEVADA AT ALL COSTS... even if you are a TACAIR guy...

It's like being in a bad dream....
"Where am I? Am I in a desert, forest, mountains, flatlands??"

 

[Physicx]

I'm just a desert person who likes to ski.Even though I have heard Reno is pretty ghetto.

 

[wink]

As A4 said, "no career path as such". Main reason for that is they are Reserve Squadrons. Very very few active duty guys in those squadrons. So, the majority way to get into the squadron is the quit the Navy and stay in the Reserves. You can't much call the Navy a career then. From my experience, A pretty darn good part time job. But you have to have a civilian life concurrent with any reserve gig flying, VFC or other.

 

[trt23]

well, people can knock on northern nevada all they want, but it's my kind of place. some of my best drunken times have been had in the reno/tahoe area.

 

[A4sForever]

Reno, Fallon, and especially Tonopah (where I dropped the annual Navy QAST in ... 1974??) are not my type of place, but they are beautiful. I'm just not a "desert" person --- but lots of guys are. Many of the pilots I fly with today have located in Nevada --- I suppose partly because of taxes and cost of living --- although the cost of living is roaring ahead, in part, I think, due to the Angelinos who are migrating there.

IMO, Vegas sucks. Always has, always will .... tinsel-town, Desert version. Reno, well .... it's not bad. I wouldn't want to live there --- but I've been there a lot and have no bad memories.

And Fallon??? Don't want to live there, either ... but it's great flying, good steaks, good whiskey, and I won more money there than I ever did in Reno or Vegas.