Let's talk about the duty stations for a minute...

[smoke_screen]

For the panel of experts:

Can people just write a little bit about their experiences in Hawaii, Jax, Whidbey, and Maine? A lot of posters here have been to these places and I have been to none of them...

Just the little things like:

-How far to drive to what attractions ('attractions' being like a decent-sized city or the beach, etc.)?

-What are the home-field advantages? (ex., I have heard an instructor say that it is advantageous to get Whidbey or Hawaii becasue they are West coast and the other two share the East Coast with Washington DC, so they are more regulatory)

-What is the family life like? (I have heard certain areas of Jax are high-crime) (I have also heard that Hawaii people hate mainlanders)

-How nice is the actual base? (Nice exchange, nice stuff in general)

-How nice is the area around the base? (I assume Hawaii will get big praise here)

-How are the housing/job markets? (I have heard that in Hawaii not only will my wife might not be able to find work but our house will be more expensive on top of it)

-Do different squadrons deploy to different places? (ex. if East coast squadrons generally went to Europe more, I would perfer that.)


HERE ARE THE CURRENT WORD-OF-MOUTH RUMORS I HAVE HEARD...

1- You get island fever in Hawaii, the locals hate you, your wife can't find a job, all the kids in school hate your kids for being white, the time difference is a killer, but that it is all worth it because it is 78 and sunny every day with a slight breeze.

2- Whidbey is in the middle of nowhere and it RAINS ALL THE TIME. You better love to fish, and I mean really love to fish in order to enjoy it.

3- Jax is up-tight and the area around the base is ghetto, but a pretty good place to go.

4-Brunswick is also in the middle of nowhere and it is not cliche... it really is COLD. Winter is too long but the area is beautiful. It is not too all-navy around there and is within driving distance of everything Boston-NYC-DC-Philly-Balt have to offer.


PLEASE tell me what you have experienced in these places... thanks a lot for any time you put into it!

 

[Brett327]

Whidbey is kind of out there, but if you like skiing, water and the outdoors it is awesome. Mountain biking everywhere you look, numerous ski places within 2 hours. Seattle is about 2 hours south and Vancouver BC is about 2.5 north if you want to get your city on. The weather isn't as bad as you might think. Whidbey is actually in the rain shadow of the Olympic mountains, so it rains considerably less than it does in Seattle. It's not too cold in the winter and the summers are nice and mild. It can get windy in the springtime though. Whidbey, on average, has the highest number of VFR days per year of any NAS. The flying and airspace is awesome and if you're in Prowlers, the low levels through the Cascades are legendary. On the downside, if you're single, plan on staying that way as the NW isn't exactly known for hot chicks. If you're married, your wife will have trouble finding work unless she wants to go off island. The real estate market is always good there. It's more than the SE, but nothing like DC or San Diego. Average house is probably 200K. Any further questions, just ask. I'm in San Diego right now so I'm up for questions about NASNI too.

 

[zab1001]

smoke, go to the private Orion forum and put in a request to join the forum. There's a whole thread about this stuff.

 

[Flash]

- Whidbey is in the middle of nowhere and it RAINS ALL THE TIME. You better love to fish, and I mean really love to fish in order to enjoy it.

Like Brett says, it does not rain all the time. But what he fails to mention is that from late September to May it is overcast, gray and drizzly 90% of the time. The ceiling is plenty high enough to be VFR but it is always there (at least that is what it seems like).

Oh yeah, Seattle and Vancouver are only 1.5 hours. Brett must drive like the rest of the people on Whidbey Island, like a friggin grandma who likes to drive 10mph under the speed limit (that is not a joke). So, if you don't mind getting pulled over 7 times in 5 years, the cities are not 2.5 hours away .

 

[smoke_screen]

Thanks for the replies...

Zab, I got into the forum but I can't find the message list for anything. Maybe you can cut and paste it here? It seems like a good topic for everyone.

How about the other bases... anyone been there in passing? Any observations?

How has everyone else researched the bases they put on their dream sheets?

Is there anywhere I can get a copy of the deployment schedule?

Thanks!

 

[Brett327]

- Whidbey is in the middle of nowhere and it RAINS ALL THE TIME. You better love to fish, and I mean really love to fish in order to enjoy it.

Like Brett says, it does not rain all the time. But what he fails to mention is that from late September to May it is overcast, gray and drizzly 90% of the time. The ceiling is plenty high enough to be VFR but it is always there (at least that is what it seems like).

Oh yeah, Seattle and Vancouver are only 1.5 hours. Brett must drive like the rest of the people on Whidbey Island, like a friggin grandma who likes to drive 10mph under the speed limit (that is not a joke). So, if you don't mind getting pulled over 7 times in 5 years, the cities are not 2.5 hours away .

Between traffic and a border crossing, cut me some slack, Jack!

Brett

 

[A4sForever]

Oh Yeah .... ???

BAD WX ???? WHIDBEY ISLAND ??? You boys must be "city folk".

January 5 2005 @ 1700 from my "Poop Deck" .... another typical day in Paradise*
(*Northwest version, that is. And tonight's sunset was even mo' bettah ....

p.s. NEVER speed on Whidbey Island ... I know some of the Deputies up here and they are in a perpetual state of irritation at the lack of quality donut shops on the Rock.

 

[Brett327]

I miss that view, although there are some nice young views running around San Diego too.

Brett