Pipeline Cut

[xj220]

xj220 and jmetx07

congrats on P-3's

my opinion with the T-44C's, as much fun as they would be to fly....that will be your only experience flying a true glass cockpit, until the P-8 comes around. There are a couple P-3's here at VP-30 that have the glass HSI's and FDI's, but thats it. So, it might be a little harder to transition to the glass cockpit and then back to steam gauges (just my opinion, never flew with glass)

and for background pics...cheesy, but almost every VP-30 powerpoint ends with this slide

Thanks, I'm excited about getting started again. I'm not too worried about glass or not. I've flown glass before and it's really nice but I can live without it. Right now I'm enjoying my month off and going back to Seattle for a week (noticed it's supposed to snow this weekend, SWEET).

 

[zab1001]

my opinion with the T-44C's, as much fun as they would be to fly....that will be your only experience flying a true glass cockpit, until the P-8 comes around. There are a couple P-3's here at VP-30 that have the glass HSI's and FDI's, but thats it. So, it might be a little harder to transition to the glass cockpit and then back to steam gauges (just my opinion, never flew with glass)

If the difference bothers you at all, it will only be in the beginning. The manual they give you to figure out the "glass" EFDS (and I use that with full sarcasm) is worthless. Just work with the actual system until you figure out what the knobs do without looking down. Independent heading bugs are much more useful than you might think.

I was in a squadron where I flew 2 types of aircraft, 5 airframes in all (one labeled all in Portuguese), ALL with different instrument layouts and systems, speaking Spanish. And I can barely read. You can DOO EEET!

(The biggest issue I had in 30 was with the GPS, as we had no training on it. All OJT. My "education" came in the form of an O-4 literally screaming at me to "f-ing figure it out or you get a SOD." Thanks buddy.)

 

[scoolbubba]

Have the drops been pretty solid for P3s lately? I'm isolated in air force land and don't know what to expect, other than jet slots have dried up as of late.

 

[mb1k]

And in all seriousness, I like partial panel better than full panel.

True fact. I fly better partial panel on peanut steam gauges than I do with full up working MFDs. Proof you can't teach an old dog new tricks!

 

[bert]

True fact. I fly better partial panel on peanut steam gauges than I do with full up working MFDs. Proof you can't teach an old dog new tricks!

Speaking as an old phrog guy, you guys are nuts. Even a half-assed glass cockpit like the R/S common cockpit is fantastic compared to what we grew up on.

 

[mb1k]

Speaking as an old phrog guy, you guys are nuts. Even a half-assed glass cockpit like the R/S common cockpit is fantastic compared to what we grew up on.

You say that now! Wait till you try to do and oscar or S-3 pattern using the velocity carat versus nice white needle on black dial face, or trying to do a point-to-point with only a "v" carat and a 2mm 4 pixel "tail" on a monochrome MFD! No really, give me either color MFDs or throw me back to steam gauges...

It's not hard, just hard for us old guys with thousands of hours on b&w dials, thick white VOR needes and double-wide TACAN needles

 

[jarhead]

is it possible that the "jet draft" is over for the time being due to a backlog of students waiting to start the jet pipeline? just wondering.

The Corps must not be in a hurt locker for Hornet guys because -101 is sending dudes who finish the RAG straight to an IA billet ...

S/F

 

[Rg9]

The Corps must not be in a hurt locker for Hornet guys because -101 is sending dudes who finish the RAG straight to an IA billet ...

They should just refuse to go based on a people-accountability argument because it minimizes the job and training they do for the Corps.

 

[Jester]

is it possible that the "jet draft" is over for the time being due to a backlog of students waiting to start the jet pipeline? just wondering.

The Corps must not be in a hurt locker for Hornet guys because -101 is sending dudes who finish the RAG straight to an IA billet ...

S/F

The same thing has been going on in Harrier land as well. There have been a couple of guys that have been given IA billets after completing the RAG. The guys that picked up IA billets were staying on the east coast so I don't know if guys going west are picking up any IA billets as well. The benefit is that their clock doesn't start until they get back because they haven't checked into a squadron yet. Plus the billets are only three to four months long, not a year or longer.

 

[jarhead]

The same thing has been going on in Harrier land as well. There have been a couple of guys that have been given IA billets after completing the RAG. The guys that picked up IA billets were staying on the east coast so I don't know if guys going west are picking up any IA billets as well. The benefit is that their clock doesn't start until they get back because they haven't checked into a squadron yet. Plus the billets are only three to four months long, not a year or longer.

2MAW is doing it to the Harriers, eh, interesting … my understanding is the dudes out of -101 that are getting sent on IA’s are staying west coast ... MAG-11 or 3rd MAW doesn’t own the guys heading to the East Coast so they aren’t touched (from what I understand, I could be wrong though) and MAG-31 (last I heard) isn’t sending RP’s straight from the RAG on IA’s … you get the bullseye after 2 yrs on station or coming back from your one year B-billet (FAC/EWS/MCRD gig) – nothing says “fuck you, the Corps owns you” more than doing a deploying FAC tour for your one year DIFDEN <non-flying> B-billet only to be sent out on a 6 month IA gig upon your return to the Hornet MAG (while on DIFOP <flying> orders that count towards your on-station time in the MAG!) … good times, my friends – morale must be high …

S/F

 

[SemperGumbi]

is it possible that the "jet draft" is over for the time being due to a backlog of students waiting to start the jet pipeline? just wondering.

The Corps must not be in a hurt locker for Hornet guys because -101 is sending dudes who finish the RAG straight to an IA billet ...

S/F

From your slightly chubbier brothers: We have more than enough pilots right now, but as of yet they aren't IAing folks out of the RAG as far as I know. Yet.

Curiously, and at the risk of a minor threadjack, how are the retention numbers for Hornet/Harrier guys right now?

 

[Ralph]

Ia ???

 

[Beans]

Yes, IA.

 

[Herc_Dude]

Ia ???

You can start here ...
http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138522&highlight=individual+augment

 

[xj220]

The same thing has been going on in Harrier land as well. There have been a couple of guys that have been given IA billets after completing the RAG. The guys that picked up IA billets were staying on the east coast so I don't know if guys going west are picking up any IA billets as well. The benefit is that their clock doesn't start until they get back because they haven't checked into a squadron yet. Plus the billets are only three to four months long, not a year or longer.

I'm curious, would going IA and taking that time off from flying affect your abilities when you come back? Especially starting out when you haven't flown as much as someone who's been around awhile, it'd seem like you'd lose some skills which could make it difficult to get back into the swing of things.