Primary Experience - Gouge 2024

[sevenhelmet]

JFC...I had seen a few videos before, but after rewatching...that seems like some big monkey skills...much respect.

Yeah, it's some scary shit watching the E-2 come aboard. Also knowing how little lateral room they have for wingtip clearance on a bolter (aircraft parked on the port bow can and have been struck by the E-2's right wingtip during a bolter / in-close waveoff).

Mad respect.

 

[number9]

JFC...I had seen a few videos before, but after rewatching...that seems like some big monkey skills...much respect.

If you get selected for E-2s during flight school, how do they then determine who flies the COD and who flies the Hawkeye? I assume the mission sets are different enough that pilots don't fly both interchangeably.

 

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

At a certain point as a CAT-1 at the RAG the "single anchor master race" folks find out how many COD slots there were for a class and they'd figure it out amongst themselves before letting the class advisor know their desires. My class was gentlemanly about it (think we had 2-3 COD spots) but i've heard stories of some classes doing the NSS dick measuring to determine choice selection and some literally throwing down cold hard cash to influence a higher scoring classmate to select Hawkeye vice COD...which is of course ridiculous. COD bubbas would always come hang out in our Ready Room when they'd be on the boat for a few hours (we knew all of them being classmates and all) and we'd usually be able to persuade them to bring goodies. Saw about a pelican case full of lumpia from Clark get deposited at maintenance control desk and disappear in <5 minutes once. Delicious.

Not sure how they're running it nowadays w/CODsprey and if folks are even run through VAW-120 at all. Might put a snag in the COD/Hawkeye good deal food pipeline!

 

[Griz882]

If you get selected for E-2s during flight school, how do they then determine who flies the COD and who flies the Hawkeye? I assume the mission sets are different enough that pilots don't fly both interchangeably.

As of recently COD pilots fly V-22’s, so that solves the issue.

 

[Skywalker]

If you get selected for E-2s during flight school, how do they then determine who flies the COD and who flies the Hawkeye? I assume the mission sets are different enough that pilots don't fly both interchangeably.

They stopped selecting for C-2s at some point in 2022, or maybe even 2021. VAW-120 stopped flying them late last year IIRC. The current T-45 syllabus is a unified one for jets and E-2s, and nowhere in it are C-2s mentioned.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Yeah, it's some scary shit watching the E-2 come aboard. Also knowing how little lateral room they have for wingtip clearance on a bolter (aircraft parked on the port bow can and have been struck by the E-2's right wingtip during a bolter / in-close waveoff).

Mad respect.

I think you were there this night, but I remember launching as tanker king one night, hearing delta on approach, and asking departure what was going on, only to be met with really cryptic answers. Asked offgoing tanker from our squadron (the other team training jet), and they said the E-2 wiped out 5 jets on the bow on a long bolter. That f'ing plane clipped 5 tails, and lost 6+ ft of its right wing, and made it to Oman after the other east coast skipper (my oncoming 2nd tanker) inspected and escorted them there. Ace E-2, our awesome DCAG was not happy about the paint job.

 

[sevenhelmet]

I think you were there this night, but I remember launching as tanker king one night, hearing delta on approach, and asking departure what was going on, only to be met with really cryptic answers. Asked offgoing tanker from our squadron (the other team training jet), and they said the E-2 wiped out 5 jets on the bow on a long bolter. That f'ing plane clipped 5 tails, and lost 6+ ft of its right wing, and made it to Oman after the other east coast skipper (my oncoming 2nd tanker) inspected and escorted them there. Ace E-2, our awesome DCAG was not happy about the paint job.

Oh yeah... I was squadron MO, so I was up on the flight deck moments after it happened. We, along with 3 other squadrons, had to replace the outer wing section on one of our jets. A month later, I flew that jet’s Pro-B- the only time I ever got to fly slick wing off the Boat. The flyby was awesome.

Thankfully nobody was hurt. We easily could have lost a crew that night.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Thankfully nobody was hurt. We easily could have lost a crew that night.

Yeah, you're telling me. And probably lots of kids on the flight deck too. Really lucky!

Side note, I seem to remember that they ended up putting a C-2 outer wing on it.....is that nonsense, or a real thing? This was an E-2D. Either way, they had it back on the boat in about a week I think. Pretty impressive.

 

[taxi1]

Yeah, you're telling me. And probably lots of kids on the flight deck too. Really lucky!

Side note, I seem to remember that they ended up putting a C-2 outer wing on it.....is that nonsense, or a real thing? This was an E-2D. Either way, they had it back on the boat in about a week I think. Pretty impressive.

On a night launch, I was a turning spare. The skipper’s plane was next to mine, and as it pulled out of the hummer hole the wind blew the plane so it slid until his left folded wing hit my right prop. I sawed almost all the way through the wing. They flew a new one out to Sigonella and slung it below a helo, we were back in business in days.

 

[Sponge]

1. While in sims, make sure you are learning the NATOPS Brief in anticipation of your first flight. This is a 10-page script that must be memorized verbatim and delivered before every flight. I’m not going to lie, this thing is a bitch. I promise you, you’re going to do this script so many times, that it's going to feel like second nature.


2. PRT
When I went through, if you failed, it was an auto-attrite. No questions asked. You’re done. Two people I knew were booted for it. This is the stupidest and most avoidable way to get attrited.

3. Attrition/ DOR/ Redes
DOR’ing out of flight school is far more common than failure attrition. But I did see both play out.

Primary is incredibly challenging. Almost everyone I knew considered quitting or was deeply unhappy at some point.

First off, I want to congratulate you on finishing Primary! That's no small feat, enjoy the downtime, even if only for a moment!

Now onto some things that stood out. I'm simply just bored at the moment, that's why I thought I'd add my uninvited opinions on some topics you discussed.

1. Which squadron is out here making the NATOPS brief memorized verbatim? That's evil!
I'm pretty sure they told me verbatim as well and I'd summarize the brief, hitting the important points. 99.9% of IP's eyes glaze over during this part anyways. (SNA's reading this: Just because I did it, doesn't mean you should lol)

2. Attrited for a PRT fail, that's insane!

3. Way too accurate! Everyone I knew at one point or another thought about DOR. Most were not serious, some were just joking but others actually thought about it. I personally saw two individuals DOR. They're on a ship....they're not happy.

 

[Skywalker]

First off, I want to congratulate you on finishing Primary! That's no small feat, enjoy the downtime, even if only for a moment!

Now onto some things that stood out. I'm simply just bored at the moment, that's why I thought I'd add my uninvited opinions on some topics you discussed.

1. Which squadron is out here making the NATOPS brief memorized verbatim? That's evil!
I'm pretty sure they told me verbatim as well and I'd summarize the brief, hitting the important points. 99.9% of IP's eyes glaze over during this part anyways. (SNA's reading this: Just because I did it, doesn't mean you should lol)

2. Attrited for a PRT fail, that's insane!

3. Way too accurate! Everyone I knew at one point or another thought about DOR. Most were not serious, some were just joking but others actually thought about it. I personally saw two individuals DOR. They're on a ship....they're not happy.

When I was in VT-27 the contact NATOPS brief had to be verbatim and the forms brief had to be pretty close.

 

[Sponge]

When I was in VT-27 the contact NATOPS brief had to be verbatim and the forms brief had to be pretty close.

I guess it was supposed to be, looking back I'm pretty sure I memorized it then broke it down into the important parts. This is wild to me, seeing as in the fleet it's very different. I saw someone already commented on the V-22 side of things and I agree with them completely. Same for our side of the house.

 

[Mouselovr]

First off, I want to congratulate you on finishing Primary! That's no small feat, enjoy the downtime, even if only for a moment!

Now onto some things that stood out. I'm simply just bored at the moment, that's why I thought I'd add my uninvited opinions on some topics you discussed.

1. Which squadron is out here making the NATOPS brief memorized verbatim? That's evil!
I'm pretty sure they told me verbatim as well and I'd summarize the brief, hitting the important points. 99.9% of IP's eyes glaze over during this part anyways. (SNA's reading this: Just because I did it, doesn't mean you should lol)

2. Attrited for a PRT fail, that's insane!

3. Way too accurate! Everyone I knew at one point or another thought about DOR. Most were not serious, some were just joking but others actually thought about it. I personally saw two individuals DOR. They're on a ship....they're not happy.

Thank you!

PRT attrition was only in TW4. TW5, its just a pink sheet.
So the policy is subject to change with a CoC. Just wanted to put it out there more as a warning of "hey don't slack on this..."