First Shore Tour Flying Experience

[U-Aviation]

You may have sifted through the various threads here covering that idea ad nauseum. Even if I were to agree that eliminating the disassociated tour was a good idea, the real question is, who will fill those billets if second season tour aviators don’t, and will those people have the necessary experience to perform those critical jobs (like shooters) to the satisfaction of senior leadership, CAGs, CVN COs, CDREs and CNAF AB.

On that gig I’ve been asked to apply historical research to the question and actually argue both sides. Interesting, as a civilian, when i first looked at the question it seemed obvious to me that the dissociated tour was a wasteful use of highly training aircrew. Being more informed now, I tend to agree that it is a valuable (if not so beloved) part of an aviators career. I also agree that it would be such a seismic change to staffing that it’s not practical to make the change at least in the near term. But, like I said, I’m asked to argue both sides.

 

[Brett327]

On that gig I’ve been asked to apply historical research to the question and actually argue both sides. Interesting, as a civilian, when i first looked at the question it seemed obvious to me that the dissociated tour was a wasteful use of highly training aircrew. Being more informed now, I tend to agree that it is a valuable (if not so beloved) part of an aviators career. I also agree that it would be such a seismic change to staffing that it’s not practical to make the change at least in the near term. But, like I said, I’m asked to argue both sides.

Sounds like you’re getting it. Everyone wants Naval Aviation to just be a fun flying club without having to invest in the things that make it effective or unique… that aren’t always viewed as fun. One nuance for you to consider is how different communities view the disassociated tour. On balance, the folks doing most of the non-flying disassociated tours are from the VP or Helo communities. Typically, the TacAir communities will do CAG Staff or Training Officer second sea tours, where they stay in the cockpit, so there’s a bit of haves and have nots dynamic, which amplifies the dissatisfaction for the other folks doing Shooter tours, etc.