Jets v Helos

[Harrier Dude]

Anybody can zoom and boom. Anybody can yank and bank. But if you can't hover, you're queer.
I'd rather have my sister in a whore house than my brother in an F-18.

I think that pretty much digs up fire ant nest into a hornets nest while sitting on it.

The truly great can do both.

I'm also one of the few that has experience in both worlds (jet and helo). They're both tremendously fun to fly, but different in what makes them fun.

For me it came down to mission and my chances of getting that mission. In short, I wanted to be a trigger puller. I saw helos as a 1/4 chance of getting Cobras (with the quality spread issue to deal with as well) and jets as a 4/5 of getting either Harriers or Hornets (Prowler spots being fairly rare). I went with the odds and it paid off for me.

If I would have had a guarentee of Cobras, then it might have been different.

Whatever you do, don't let the jet syllabus intimidate you, or be unduly swayed about flight gear. I've heard many times on here about how the oxygen mask is a pain in the ass. Trust me, you'll get used to it, and when you have your own that you wear everyday it will fit much better than the one you wear for 10 minutes a week in the T-34. It's a non-issue.

As far as the syllabus goes, the HT's have just as much red-ass (if not more) and the hardest thing about jets is selecting them out of primary.

Good luck, and rest assured that you'll have a great time no matter what (unless you get phrogs ).

 

[JTD]

I saw helos as a 1/4 chance of getting Cobras (with the quality spread issue to deal with as well) and jets as a 4/5 of getting either Harriers or Hornets (Prowler spots being fairly rare). I went with the odds and it paid off for me.

If I would have had a guarentee of Cobras, then it might have been different.

Hueys have trigger pullers also. Granted we don't have as much stuff to shoot as cobras, but we shoot.

 

[mb1k]

I just got reminded about something else. The helo and prop community thrive on self-generated a$$ pain. I'm talking about building the systems and tracing a tron, molecule of fuel or hyd fluid type stuff. That's another hornet's nest of debate there...

Before I flew my last helo hour the NATOPS had in excess of over 120 asterisked BOLDFACE "Know Cold" line items. It was an unspoken understanding that no one in the squadron, save a few, could recite all 120+ memory items at any given time except annually during their NATOPS check.

When I flew heavies, we had 10 know cold EPs that translated to under 50 know cold memory line items. We would have to do a monthly boldface closed-book test to stay current. So you tell me, a HVAA multi-million dollar-300,000 lbs jet-w/4 engines and complex reccee and ELINT systems had less memory item EPs than an H60?!? You know there's something wrong there with such a disparity.

FWIW, we didn't chase drops of fuel or air molecules in systems or annual checkrides in heavies either. It was about mission, mission, mission, mission and equal doses of safety. Yet we managed NOT to make our crews lives miserable with unnecessary crap that prop and helo guys put on themselves. I've lived it. Fact.

 

[Flash]

He did. He said that he didn't like having to wear the oxygen masks. And that when he started flying helo, he found it was quite fun operating a helo. He also said that he has gone on a number of fixed wing flights since changing, including in Blue Angel 3 last year, but that he is still not sorry he made the switch. More than that, I do not know.

I would not doubt that the guy said that but I have never heard anyone complain that much about wearing a mask that much, to the point where they want to leave jets. I never looked forward to wearing one but it never factored into wanting to quit flying jets because of it.

I would figure there was more to his story of switching than that, I would guess it his standard answer for it instead of having to explain the whole story every time.

 

[Flash]

I just got reminded about something else. The helo and prop community thrive on self-generated a$$ pain. I'm talking about building the systems and tracing a tron, molecule of fuel or hyd fluid type stuff. Unecessarily self-important prereqs for quals or certifications.....

.....It was about mission, mission, mission, mission......Yet we managed NOT to make our crews lives miserable with unnecessary crap that prop and helo guys put on themselves. I've lived it. Fact.

I saw that to a large degree as well when I switched from EP-3's to EA-6B's. There was a lot more buffoonery and self-inflicted pain in the P-3 community than was really necessary, less so in EP-3's but it was still there. Prowlers were much more reasonable in their expectation of what you know about the aircraft. I never saw a 'I know the systems better than you' contest in a VAQ ready room, while I saw it regularly in a VP/VQ ready room, with full NATOPS pulled out by several in the crowd.

I will caveat this by saying that I have little experience with helos, just confirming the prop buffoonery.

 

[Junior]

Whatever you do, don't let the jet syllabus intimidate you, or be unduly swayed about flight gear. I've heard many times on here about how the oxygen mask is a pain in the ass. Trust me, you'll get used to it, and when you have your own that you wear everyday it will fit much better than the one you wear for 10 minutes a week in the T-34. It's a non-issue.

Couldn't agree more. It boggles my mind that someone would say they didn't want to select jets because of some nasty, general issue O2 mask they wore once or twice in primary. You get your own after selection and the PRs at advanced will fit it to your face.

 

[MasterBates]

When will they do that?

<--- waiting on this nice fitting mask that fits my schnozz :icon_smil

 

[Gatordev]

I just got reminded about something else. The helo and prop community thrive on self-generated a$$ pain. I'm talking about building the systems and tracing a tron, molecule of fuel or hyd fluid type stuff. That's another hornet's nest of debate there...

Come on now, your bio says your former HSL. "We" tend to make things harder than most other helo communities. I've heard far more laid back stories from HC/HM and even HS buds.

 

[mb1k]

When will they do that?

<--- waiting on this nice fitting mask that fits my schnozz :icon_smil

Go custom! They're ugly as hell and look like a well used cruise sock, but at least you'll get a good seal and breath easier ...so I've heard.

 

[mb1k]

Come on now, you're bio says your former HSL. "We" tend to make things harder than most other helo communities. I've heard far more laid back stories from HC/HM and even HS buds.

I remember all the in jokes:

HSL, just another name for "I coulda gotten jets".
HSL, just another name for "Hey? Could you take that knife out of my back after you're done sabotaging me in front of the wardroom?"
HSL, King of the Geeks.

I was also, for a blink in time, an H-2 "in training" guy (long story), and the atmosphere was night and day. Think Animal House and the Alpha Delta Phi House as the H-2 guys compared to the LAMPS MkIII's Omega House and Neidermeyer ...

...the list goes on and on.

 

[MasterBates]

Hey, I'm just happy to have my own torso harness after flying with rental harnesses and the associated drops for 6 month.

 

[mb1k]

Hey, I'm just happy to have my own torso harness after flying with rental harnesses and the associated drops for 6 month.

Thread digression to ALSS ...but I feel you there. I hope to get my own G-suit next month. I hate getting laced and re-laced each time I'm able to fly.

 

[eddie]

Come on now, your bio says your former HSL. "We" tend to make things harder than most other helo communities.

Does that have anything to do with the det nature of the community?
(Would that stand to change with HSM?)

 

[HeloBubba]

I was also, for a blink in time, an H-2 "in training" guy (long story), and the atmosphere was night and day. Think Animal House and the Alpha Delta Phi House as the H-2 guys compared to the LAMPS MkIII's Omega House and Neidermeyer ...

...the list goes on and on.

I can attest to these attitudes. A guy I deployed with converted to LAMPS MK III. He would stop by and visit and tell the tale of the differences. He was into that kind of attitude so the change didn't bother him.

 

[A4sForever]

The ultimate dillemma ...Jets v Helos.... Thanks for any input.

Jets are for kids.

They will keep you young.

Game over.

You are welcome.