obligatory1
NFO
I am currently in nfo primary and was curious what the big stigma is about e2's. Why does everyone seem to want to avoid them like the plague come selection time?
-
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
E2 Question
- Thread starter obligatory1
- Start date
Disclaimer, I'm another Primary guy, so take with a grain of salt.
I can't speak for FO's, but I know pilots tend to avoid it. That is to say, I know quite a few here in Primary that really don't want E-2's. Their mission is C3 and ISR, command control communications and intel surveil recon. The impression I get is that they tend to loiter in a big circle while the aircrew do their thing, so it's not very fun for the pilots. Might be more fun for NFO's, not sure about their role in the whole thing. But you're not flying very fast or very low unlike the jet or helo guys, and you deploy with the carrier unlike the maritime guys, and you have to sleep on the carrier unlike the COD guys. It's all personal preference, and most people prefer something else, I guess.
has anyone (i.e. the navy) come up with some type of program acceptance rates or is every platform really a shot in the dark and you have no clue going in?
Tycho....you ever consider that if you have to use that many qualifiers in your answer, maybe you were better off just not answering in the first place? "Intel surveil recon"...I'm not even sure what that is.
OP: short answer is that most Primary studs know as much about the VAW community as your boy Tycho there. There aren't that many billets at -4/-10 for E-2 NFOs to come back as instructors, so there's unfortunately plenty of room for hearsay and "impressions" of the community to grow. It's not a sexy or glamorous community. No one will ever make "E-2 Guy: The Movie". But you also learn more and do more (and earlier in your career) than you would anywhere else. With a great Hawkeye American like Skipper Bug at -10, I'm surprised there's still much foot-dragging by the students.
OP: short answer is that most Primary studs know as much about the VAW community as your boy Tycho there. There aren't that many billets at -4/-10 for E-2 NFOs to come back as instructors, so there's unfortunately plenty of room for hearsay and "impressions" of the community to grow. It's not a sexy or glamorous community. No one will ever make "E-2 Guy: The Movie". But you also learn more and do more (and earlier in your career) than you would anywhere else. With a great Hawkeye American like Skipper Bug at -10, I'm surprised there's still much foot-dragging by the students.
Well he is asking about why other Primary guys don't want E-2's, but whatever.
And it's ISR, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, but I'll shut up now.
And it's ISR, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, but I'll shut up now.
Some things in the universe are constant.
So you're at VT28 huh? Well played.
Here's a lesson in how small the world is. I knew and flew with your XO when he was a senior LT and a DH at HSCWL....and I'm nothing compared to most of the guys on this site. Don't you think you might be a little out of line trying to explain ISR to a retired E-2 NFO? Throttle back junior...
Last edited:
WEGL12
VT-28
I'm not going to pretend to know anything about the E-2 community but I would recommend trying to meet some of the NFOs next time they do the "open cockpit" at NAS. Seems like they bring in one of each type of aircraft about every 6 months for students to get a feel for each platform and meet the crew. I went a few weeks ago when I started API and learned a lot from everyone I talked to. The NFOs on the E-2 had nothing but good things to say about their experiences. Talking to them actually caused a buddy of mine to change his selection order. Might be something to look out for if it happens again before you select.
That reminds me of when I was getting interrogated at SERE. Using my training, I told them I was an "ATO."
"What does this 'ATO' mean?"
Me: "Uh....." I Completely blanked. I gave them something close and I had met all my training objectives for that evolution, so they just threw my back in my cubby hole, nursing a bruised rib. Good times.
"What does this 'ATO' mean?"
Me: "Uh....." I Completely blanked. I gave them something close and I had met all my training objectives for that evolution, so they just threw my back in my cubby hole, nursing a bruised rib. Good times.
*facepalm* Tell us more about this "ISR" please. I think I have about 500-ish hours doing it in UAVs, but what the fuck do I know when compared to a Primary cone, so I'll defer to you.
My point was, that's not the mission of the E-2 at all. At least your last instinct was correct.
If you were trying to demonstrate that the studs in Primary aren't interested in E-2s because they don't know fuck-all about the plane or its mission - like, as a meta, performance art sort of thing - then well done.
You forgot that AW plays by high school rules, and you might get hip-checked into a locker if you look at the seniors. Dozens circle for the pounce; its a high stakes game of wordsmanship... lesson learned I hope!
--
Regarding the stigma topic, for whatever its worth, I knew a couple E2 NFO-MPRA pilot transition guys pretty well. They actually preferred being a Hawkeye FO to a P3 pilot - haha. Aside from a thematic complaint about the size of the tube, they loved it.
All else above aside, the E-2 community…NA or NFO…is "carrier aviation". Cats & traps, life in a CVW environment…MIDRATS in the "Dirty Shirt" wardroom…the whole Ready Room afloat thing…an incredibly and increasingly complex and diverse mission set in which ALL play a vital role. The chance for squadron/CVW/CVN/CSG command (if you decide to stick around for the long haul), etc. I don't know why there would be a perceived stigma...
Because people are afraid of what they don't know and they're also afraid of going to the boat. I would highly recommend talking to Skipper Bug or CDR Kuba if he is still at VT-4. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me, I'm currently in the E-2 RAG.