Helo or Jet/Tailhook, that is (my) question as Selection approaches

[bunk22]

Just out of curiosity, do primary studs get any exposure on what the jet community might be like? When I went through we had zilch. If you go jets, prepare for a culture shock, but the payoff is awesome.

For Navy guys, that's still a problem at Whiting. Except for the SELRES CO at Whiting, I don't know of any tacair guys. There might be a few but none with VT-6. There are about a half dozen Marine tacair types at VT-6 (AV-8B and Hornet) but no Navy tacair guys. The only Navy carrier types are 3 of us COD types and that's certainly not a great represenation of boat life. I get guys asking me all the time about COD life being they are interested in choosing a platform. Maybe with the T-6 more tacair types will be sent down.

 

[NozeMan]

One aspect that has not been mentioned is the length of the training pipeline. You are going to spend 2+ more years in flight school if you select jets than if you go helos. I was back from my first deployment before my buddies from primary who had selected jets even went to the boat to qualify. If you go jets, you are pretty much count on 10 full years in the Navy.

When I winged this spring, I was 3 weeks short of my DOR and picking up LTJG. That includes a May commissioning, but not starting API until mid December, 6 month Primary, and about a 8.5 month Advanced. Granted when I was in Advanced we had the shutdown last Spring. I'd say generically that you might wing 6 months faster in helos vs. TH, but that's just a rough estimate. The bottom line for me is that I'm in 10 years for sure.

 

[nugget61]

... I think E6 or P3 would be a good fit for him.

Is the E6 considered undesirable? I kinda like it

 

[smittyrunr]

You know, I think P-3s get a bad rap in primary. Hell, even through advanced people were still bitter or unhappy about them. It wasn't until I got to VP-30 that things really changed. We received a brief our first day of class that changed anyone's mind who was unhappy about where they were. For some reason, the things P-3s do doesn't get disseminated as well as it should and we collectively agreed that this brief should be shown to primary studs.

I absolutely agree... it does seem like P-3s aren't getting much good press in primary. I've told a couple studs I've talked to this: a large number of the P-3 guys instructing primary right now were there for some of the worst times in the community, specifically aircraft availability and HONA. So a lot of them had a very bad taste in their mouth coming out of their fleet squadron and sadly, that seems to be being passed on to the next generation.

Anyone else undecided? I'm happy to talk you into the community!

 

[Single Seat]

One aspect that has not been mentioned is the length of the training pipeline. You are going to spend 2+ more years in flight school if you select jets than if you go helos. I was back from my first deployment before my buddies from primary who had selected jets even went to the boat to qualify. If you go jets, you are pretty much count on 10 full years in the Navy.

Which is the biggest reason EVER to go jets. 2 more years as a training command stud doing nothing but flying and partying with your friends... or go helos and 6 months later in the fleet working your ass off. Lets not forget the Hornet Rag can be as long as another 12 months. What does this all add up to for a pointy nose guy? No disassociated (spelling I know) sea tour!!! Now, you'll have to face the reality of finishing your first sea tour with 5 more years left on your commitment, but your options are things like TopGun, TPS, Exchange tour (USAF or NATO), RAG, VT's (jets), etc.

 

[ChunksJR]

Oh, and helos are fun, our locations are better than anyone else's.

I'd also tack on as a married dood that it's probably the best for family development...as we don't have to spend 4 months working up for a 6+ month deployment.

~D

 

[Single Seat]

I'd also tack on as a married dood that it's probably the best for family development...as we don't have to spend 4 months working up for a 6+ month deployment.

~D

This is a good point, and to dog hump on it, our work ups are a lot longer than 4 months. My current workup schedule is 9 months, and that's abbreviated.

Normally goes
Air-Ground SFARP (1-2 months)
Air-Air SFARP (same)
Fallon (1 month)
TSTA (same)
Air Wing Fallon (same)
COMTUEX/JTFX (2 months)
Deploy

So even when you're home on workups, you're not really home. You can put between 2 weeks and a month between each of those events.

 

[ChunksJR]

Which is the biggest reason EVER to go jets. 2 more years as a training command stud doing nothing but flying and partying with your friends...

Concur. Flight school is the greatest time of your career...it's great to focus on nothing besides knowing an aircraft.

or go helos and 6 months later in the fleet working your ass off.

Do not Concur. I've never worked my ass off. No good deed goes unpunished.

Lets not forget the Hornet Rag can be as long as another 12 months. What does this all add up to for a pointy nose guy? No disassociated (spelling I know) sea tour!!!

The disassociated sea tour is the place to develop a well rounded career...OH MY GOD, GET THE KOOLAIDE OUT OF MY VEINS!!!

Now, you'll have to face the reality of finishing your first sea tour with 5 more years left on your commitment, but your options are things like TopGun, TPS, Exchange tour (USAF or NATO), RAG, VT's (jets), etc.

Face it...you join now as an aviator...you're in for the long haul. This happens when the economy turns south.

Do what you want, have fun - no matter what platform you choose, you'll learn to like it and have some fun or you'll flounder, not fit in and suck. I prefer the latter...it's all up to you.

 

[NozeMan]

I'd also tack on as a married dood that it's probably the best for family development...as we don't have to spend 4 months working up for a 6+ month deployment.

~D

HS does the work ups, we go to Fallon with the Air Wing as well. But I think that is unique to our community, can't speak to HSL or HSC.

 

[MasterBates]

HSL did not go to Fallon (I'm guessing the CV squadrons like -47 do) but we would go to AUTEC off the east coast.

2-6 weeks in the Ghetto Bahamas. Not that bad, but not the tropical vacation the spouses thought we were on either.

 

[exhelodrvr]

HSL did not go to Fallon (I'm guessing the CV squadrons like -47 do) but we would go to AUTEC off the east coast.

2-6 weeks in the Ghetto Bahamas. Not that bad, but not the tropical vacation the spouses thought we were on either.

Those AUTEC dets were great!

 

[scoober78]

I'd also tack on as a married dood that it's probably the best for family development...as we don't have to spend 4 months working up for a 6+ month deployment.

Ok...well as prone as I am to calling a spade a spade in my community (MPRA)...this is the single biggest reason to go to P-3's. If you are truly worried about deployment/time away then VQ in its various iterations is your answer. Whether its VQ-1/2 flying the EP or the other flavor flying the E-6, there is no better aviation quality of life.

- No 6 month deployments.
- No boat
- Good (hell, sometimes great) connectivity with home plate. You are able if you want, to call home damn near every day and email is never not there.
-Per diem...hey extra money always makes the marriage a little less rocky...OK...not always...but...

Not only are we not working up for a 6 month deployment....but our workups consist of a few briefs, a few sims and a crew flight...all done from home plate.

 

[Pags]

HS does the work ups, we go to Fallon with the Air Wing as well. But I think that is unique to our community, can't speak to HSL or HSC.

Depends on what kind of det you have for HSC.....Gator SAR dets do all the fun stuff the Gator does.

 

[jarhead]

The dick measuring in this thread is comical … of course everybody is going to stick up for their platform and of course nobody is gonna mutha-fuck their own platform and will blast others. So really the dude who started this thread isn’t really get’n much good info other than "my dick is bigger than yours"…

as for me, I wanted jets because I wanted to fly for the airlines when I get out ........ just kidding, I wanted to spool some of you dudes up

S/F

 

[In Pursuit]

Here is the hold up: I feel like jets are at the top and that I have worked too hard thus far to pass up that opportunity. However, I think that I would really enjoy flying helos. The main turnoff to helos in the Navy is that a lot of people end up selecting helos by default, or they dont work as hard in primary because they know they will get helos. I dont like being associated with people who have that mentality, much less flying with them.

Go helos. Your justification for considering jets is weak at best ("I feel like jets are at the top and that I have worked too hard thus far to pass up that opportunity"). This isn't a logical, business based decision. Community selection (as far as you can influence it....) is the ultimate gut check (you just don't understand or realize it yet). There's plenty of challenges and plenty of opportunities to scare the SH** out of yourself along the way in whatever community you end up in . It will just be easier to deal with (along with the family separations, the crap that you'll have to deal with in your ground job etc) if you're in a community and platform that you already "...think that I would really enjoy flying (helos)". When you're in tension trying to keep you sh** in one sock before you get launched into a black void or trying to get back aboard a pitching deck in mins, it helps if you can remind yourself that you actually ASKED for this! (that and a stiff drink after recovery in the JOB helps My 0.02.