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NFO Communities

kdute

New Member
Hello, I'm currently down in Pensacola for NFO Flight school. I'm wondering what it's like to be in each of the different aircraft communities, so I can try to decide which to pursue. What are the people like?
 

Pugs

Back from the range
None
Hello, I'm currently down in Pensacola for NFO Flight school. I'm wondering what it's like to be in each of the different aircraft communities, so I can try to decide which to pursue. What are the people like?

So, at KNPA they have these things called "instructors" . Now my experience there is over 25 years old but I never found one that was not happy to talk for quite some time about their community and life in it quite candidly either in the squadron or schools command or over a beer at the club.

Failing that there is always this. http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/forumdisplay.php/23-Naval-Flight-Officer-(NFO) or any number of other threads in this forum about life in the various communities.
 

ea6bflyr

Working Class Bum
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
During your NFO training at TW-6, you will have the opportunity to attend COMMUNITY Briefs in order to get a feel for where the different platforms are located and what a typical work-up and deployment cycle is like. You will also have an opportunity to interact with NFO's from all the communities. PUGS also has some sage advice. If you want to talk about jets, PM me and we can arrange a meeting.

-ea6bflyr ;)
 

Old R.O.

Professional No-Load
None
Contributor
Asking the instructors at VT-whatever is a great start, but isn't always foolproof. My own personal experience in VT-10 in the early '70s was that some instructors were very good at talking up their communities... and some took it to the other extreme. The lead guy in the E-1/E-2 department was a very disgruntled and bitter LCDR-for-life and NO ONE wanted to be that guy. The A-6 guys were very, very cool and, with the exception of the NESEPs that came out of the P-3 community and wanted to go back, most of the guys who wanted jets wanted into that community... the cool guys flew cool airplanes. As counter-intuitive as it seems, the F-4 community had a bad name, mostly because of the main two F-4 instructors were goof-balls. When more than half of the VT-10 class was assigned to the F-4 pipeline (a "needs of the Navy" good deal) after months of classes with only one or two guys being picked (and usually the bottom one or two...), there was much gnashing of teeth. Shows you what we knew about things...
Do some reading/searching on this site. Every community has a distinct personality, and most folks in those communities adapt to it. Talking to the instructors one-on-one will help in determining if you want to "fit in" with that community... or want to fly in their aircraft.
 

IRfly

Registered User
None
One quick caution...While there are common threads throughout each community, in VP you can take it down to each SQUADRON having its own distinct personality (I would assume it's the same in other communities, but have no first-hand knowledge). So what you're told by one guy might be completely true--and completely different from what you would eventually experience. My advice is to talk to the instructors, but not overthink it. In other words, don't worry yourself sick over "the decision" or DOR if you don't get P-3s. Make the best of it wherever you end up and you'll have a good time and learn alot.

(Disclaimer: the above is very good advice that I, of course, did NOT follow while I was going through flight school...:))
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
One quick caution...While there are common threads throughout each community, in VP you can take it down to each SQUADRON having its own distinct personality (I would assume it's the same in other communities, but have no first-hand knowledge). So what you're told by one guy might be completely true--and completely different from what you would eventually experience. My advice is to talk to the instructors, but not overthink it. In other words, don't worry yourself sick over "the decision" or DOR if you don't get P-3s. Make the best of it wherever you end up and you'll have a good time and learn alot.

(Disclaimer: the above is very good advice that I, of course, did NOT follow while I was going through flight school...:))

^^ Coming out of -30, is there any thought of who would fit better in each squadron, or is it a crapshoot?
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
^^ Coming out of -30, is there any thought of who would fit better in each squadron, or is it a crapshoot?

A squadron might be awesome one year and horrible the next or just middling for several years. It is largely just a crapshoot.
 

Uncle Fester

Robot Pimp
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
It depends on the skipper, XO, and to a lesser (but still significant) extent, the DH's. A good front office = happy squadron. I think that's pretty universal.

But still, the main advice is go talk to as many IP's/INFO's from the communities as you can. Don't rely on their community dog-and-pony shows, and definitely don't rely on Ensign Wisdom.

Besides, getting them talking about their communities, even if it's to let a bitter one rant about how much he hated it, is a great way to keep them talking during a flight...which is less time they're spending throwing EP's at you or playing NATOPS stump-the-chump.
 

Able Dog

New Member
"What are the people like?" Well, they are probably the same as the guys in the "NFO Flight school".
I would be looking at the type of mission, type of aircraft, where do they deploy, land or carrier based, etc. Then ask yourself how you might contribute to each of these communities.
Good luck.
 

a_m

Still learning how much I don't know.
None
1) Buy Beer
2) Offer beer to instructors
3) Opinions about communities to follow.

Probleem solved.
 

acta-non-verba

Active Member
Regarding the aircraft carrier NFO platforms (F/A 18 Super Hornet, E/A 18 Grower, & E2 Hawkeye) is an NFO paired up with a specific pilot for an entire deployment or does an NFO end up flying with multiple different pilots??

I found a thread from 2004 that said NFO's fly with many different pilots over the course of a deployment, but being that the thread was 13 years old I was looking for a more up to date answer!

Thanks!!
 

Python

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Regarding the aircraft carrier NFO platforms (F/A 18 Super Hornet, E/A 18 Grower, & E2 Hawkeye) is an NFO paired up with a specific pilot for an entire deployment or does an NFO end up flying with multiple different pilots??

I found a thread from 2004 that said NFO's fly with many different pilots over the course of a deployment, but being that the thread was 13 years old I was looking for a more up to date answer!

Thanks!!

Nothing has changed from the 13 year old thread.
 

Uncle Fester

Robot Pimp
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Regarding the aircraft carrier NFO platforms (F/A 18 Super Hornet, E/A 18 Grower, & E2 Hawkeye) is an NFO paired up with a specific pilot for an entire deployment or does an NFO end up flying with multiple different pilots??

Only if an interpersonal conflict or tragic death is required to advance the plot.

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owen-wilson-gabriel-macht-behind-enemy-lines-2001-BPHDN1.jpg
 

Renegade One

Well-Known Member
None
My own personal experience in VT-10 in the early '70s was that some instructors were very good at talking up their communities... and some took it to the other extreme. The lead guy in the E-1/E-2 department was a very disgruntled and bitter LCDR-for-life and NO ONE wanted to be that guy. The A-6 guys were very, very cool and, with the exception of the NESEPs that came out of the P-3 community and wanted to go back, most of the guys who wanted jets wanted into that community... the cool guys flew cool airplanes. As counter-intuitive as it seems, the F-4 community had a bad name, mostly because of the main two F-4 instructors were goof-balls.
Jan: Thanks for the memories. As a classmate of yours, my experience...if not my memories of the individual instructors...mirrors your own. I just recall that A-6s was where the action was, and that's where I wanted to go. I hope you and I can agree that getting slotted for RIO training was a fortuitous outcome. After that, our "toughest decision point" was between orders to Miramar or Oceana. Again...winner, winner...chicken dinner. :cool:
 
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