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If you could go back in time...

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Reminds me also of my last deployment, nobody could get tacan in Marshall. I'm not sure what we did, I guess we just did it and forgot. CATCC comes back with some lame excuse that low tacan numbers with a Y at the end aren't good with F/A-18's. Cool guys, maybe then don't choose 10Y. (though this isn't a real thing anyway since like 2012).

That reminded me of my last deployment. Various functions would just get turned off for no reason. Everything aviation-related would break, as well. Flight deck lights would go out and we never had HAWKLINK the entire deployment (it was the ship, not us...big surprise). That's like not having a HUD in the Hornet. You can technically still fly, but all of the integration goes out the window and you basically just operate by yourself, hoping the ship would be able to find you if you ditched (spoiler alert, they won't).

Eventually the TACAN caught fire and completely died. I think at that point it became day time only, 20nm radius patrols. That ship was a clown show.
 

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
Poor guy, just trying to land, somewhere :)

Reminds me also of my last deployment, nobody could get tacan in Marshall. I'm not sure what we did, I guess we just did it and forgot. CATCC comes back with some lame excuse that low tacan numbers with a Y at the end aren't good with F/A-18's. Cool guys, maybe then don't choose 10Y. (though this isn't a real thing anyway since like 2012).
Was this the time we also had no ICLS, no ACLS, and the weather was garbage? Mode 3’s for all my friends… hope you break out. Something else was wrong too that I don’t recall at the moment- it was like that ship was out to get us.

I remember the boat CO’s response at the time being something like “suck it up” when the air wing complained.
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Seems like the TACAN on my last two cruises were working < 50% of the time. In a pinch the boat's PPLI works well enough to get you to an ACLS lock-on.
 

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
Was this the time we also had no ICLS, no ACLS, and the weather was garbage? Mode 3’s for all my friends… hope you break out. Something else was wrong too that I don’t recall at the moment- it was like that ship was out to get us.

I remember the boat CO’s response at the time being something like “suck it up” when the air wing complained.

Yeah, it was the time we had no ICLS, no ACLS, no TACAN, no primary ship's radar, and I believe for a day or two MIDS was f'd too. You remember correctly. He directly responded to my entry in the "any mouse" box, on the 1MC at dinner. Things turned around very quickly after that CoC though. Loved the new boss, he was fantastic.
 

gparks1989

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Flight school student here. Wondering if there anything that you wish you had done since you were an ENS. For example:

Buy ___ from every command
Take a photo of/with ___
Log/keep track of every time I ____

Looking back at college, I wish I had bought a T-shirt from my favorite bar before it closed. It would be great to have 25+ years later at the reunion. Any tips? Thanks everyone

For the first two, make sure it's something meaningful. I've gone full Marie Kondo as of late and put a lot of emphasis on things that hold a distinct memory for me. It's very easy (and I did this early on) to buy all of the swag. Just make sure you have an item or two from each squadron that has some meaning for you. Patches do the trick for me, and can be neatly displayed. Some goes for deployments or other big events. I have one of those cheesy glass, colorful chandeliers that they sell all over the middle east. I have no doubt they're mass produced in the hinterland of China, but I can remember clear-as-day where I was and who I was with when I bought it in Bahrain. And it looks pretty cool in my home. Make sure you have good photos with your fellow JOs during all stages of your career. I have lots of bullshit photos from nights out drinking, but vanishingly few photos that feel staged in the moment (i.e. posed on the flight deck in front of a jet) but are pretty cool when you look back. Take the time to get a real photo.

I started hand-writing my logbook during GTI and wish I'd started that from the outset. In both my GA and military logbooks I write short notes on what happened during the flight. Not all, but definitely on more important flights. Handwritten logbooks look more authentic, especially with my line-outs because the old-school logbooks they provide don't line up neatly page-to-page.

For unsolicited career advice, I always go back to what the XO of VT-22 told us before winging. You'll get lots of shitty little jobs throughout your career (i.e. you're the SLJO). Make sure you are the best SLJO ever, people will notice, and you'll go far.

EDIT

When collecting memorabilia throughout your career, remember that you may have a wife/husband/civil partner/cohabitant in your future who does not share your zeal for Navy/deployment kitsch.
 

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
For the first two, make sure it's something meaningful. I've gone full Marie Kondo as of late and put a lot of emphasis on things that hold a distinct memory for me. It's very easy (and I did this early on) to buy all of the swag. Just make sure you have an item or two from each squadron that has some meaning for you. Patches do the trick for me, and can be neatly displayed. Some goes for deployments or other big events. I have one of those cheesy glass, colorful chandeliers that they sell all over the middle east. I have no doubt they're mass produced in the hinterland of China, but I can remember clear-as-day where I was and who I was with when I bought it in Bahrain. And it looks pretty cool in my home. Make sure you have good photos with your fellow JOs during all stages of your career. I have lots of bullshit photos from nights out drinking, but vanishingly few photos that feel staged in the moment (i.e. posed on the flight deck in front of a jet) but are pretty cool when you look back. Take the time to get a real photo.

I started hand-writing my logbook during GTI and wish I'd started that from the outset. In both my GA and military logbooks I write short notes on what happened during the flight. Not all, but definitely on more important flights. Handwritten logbooks look more authentic, especially with my line-outs because the old-school logbooks they provide don't line up neatly page-to-page.

For unsolicited career advice, I always go back to what the XO of VT-22 told us before winging. You'll get lots of shitty little jobs throughout your career (i.e. you're the SLJO). Make sure you are the best SLJO ever, people will notice, and you'll go far.

EDIT

When collecting memorabilia throughout your career, remember that you may have a wife/husband/civil partner/cohabitant in your future who does not share your zeal for Navy/deployment kitsch.

100% this.

Sort of a weird side note, I apparently had my photo taken for the cruise book on my first deployment. I have no recollection at all of doing this, and I have no idea how I even had my SDBs on hand. But the next door neighbor gal was recently looking through her husband's cruise book and found my photo and sent a pic of it to my wife. I was like "I did that?" Anyway, it was also a small world moment, since I had no idea he and I had cruised together. Maybe I should have bought the cruise book(s) over the years
 

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
100% this.

Maybe I should have bought the cruise book(s) over the years
IMG_0091.jpeg

Yeah, it was the time we had no ICLS, no ACLS, no TACAN, no primary ship's radar, and I believe for a day or two MIDS was f'd too. You remember correctly. He directly responded to my entry in the "any mouse" box, on the 1MC at dinner. Things turned around very quickly after that CoC though. Loved the new boss, he was fantastic.

That particular captain was definitely an AW hater and a poor example in a lot of ways. I watched him corrupt a formerly good VFA dude into a self-hating SWO as his big XO. One of the most striking transformations I have ever seen in an officer.

Agree 100% that his replacement is a great American. Made the second half of deployment suck less. (Still sucked, but less than it would have… and we had working navaids).
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
I started hand-writing my logbook during GTI and wish I'd started that from the outset. In both my GA and military logbooks I write short notes on what happened during the flight.

While not hand-written, I do this in Foreflight. For work flights, along with the mission number, if it's an amusing, notable, or memorable mission/patient, I'll put a comment comment about it in there. When I did my ME upgrade and printed out my logbook, I quickly scanned through it and found some amusing entries.
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Every time I see this thread title, this pops into my mind...


Supposedly The Navy wasn't thrilled with her outfit, but by that time the cat was out of the bag.

what a different time, and what a blast from the past (though I'm pretty sure Brett was an adult at this point in history). How did this all end up being filmed on a battleship?

That Cher video though...it's crazy the Navy signed off on it...different times i guess.

From the depths of my memory...she asked for and got authorization to film the music video on the battleship for whatever reason, but her outfit and 'choreography' that included straddling one of the main guns among other things were not what was she told the Navy she was going to do for the video. IIRC a few folks got in a little trouble over it. At least it is a great sea story for the crew though.
 
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JTS11

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
What? No Ensignmobile? I still regret not buying that new Corvette back in 1977, but I was not going to pay $10,000 for an automobile.
I did a PCS DITY move from New River to SD after getting a trailer hitch installed on a 4-cylinder '92 Honda Accord IOT pull a U-Haul trailer across the country to make some DITY dough....Not sure the transmission was rated for that trek...but I made a few hundred bucks...I guess😂
 

Random8145

Registered User
Contributor
I did a PCS DITY move from New River to SD after getting a trailer hitch installed on a 4-cylinder '92 Honda Accord IOT pull a U-Haul trailer across the country to make some DITY dough....Not sure the transmission was rated for that trek...but I made a few hundred bucks...I guess😂
Wow, the little Honda actually pulled it?
 
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