Selecting in a week & still unsure...any regrets out there from those already winged?

[phrogdriver]

The Marine Corps has some fleet support aircraft which fly VIPs around. These jobs are often available to helo bubbas. C-12s are basically Beech KingAir turboprops. They are gradually going away in favor of the C-20 (Gulfstream) and C-35 (Citation) jets. The C-9 spends most of its time taking Marines to CAX--it's a DC-9 airliner. That one is pretty hard to get. None are career enhancing for staying in, but if you're getting out, they make good b-billets. For example, what does US Customs primarily fly? Blackhawk and A-Star helos and King Airs and Citations F/W.

 

[goplay234]

HEy guys, I am a FO and I select in a couple weeks. Can any FO's chime in. Frankly I am 50/50 between P-3's and Jets. I have the grades to do both (I think) and I really don't know what to choose. Any thoughts?

 

[TurnandBurn55]

HEy guys, I am a FO and I select in a couple weeks. Can any FO's chime in. Frankly I am 50/50 between P-3's and Jets. I have the grades to do both (I think) and I really don't know what to choose. Any thoughts?

I'm a FO at VT-10, I chose to stay here and do the tactical stuff...

If you want some insight, you can AIM me, but this subject has been beaten to death in the NFO forum

Interesting that y'all say P-3 instructors are bitter... most of the P-3 guys around here seem pretty chill. Matter of fact there are SNFOs who fight to get that platform... hrmm

 

[Flash]

I have had the fortune to see both sides of the fence. I got EP-3's out of flight school originally and flew them for a tour. I got a transition and am now wrapping up a tour in EA-6B's. Both have been a blast and I would not trade either experience for anything. To sum it up, the lifestyle can't be beat with P-3's but the flying is second to none in Tacair. Whichever you choose, you will love it. You could end up "flying dog s@#% out of Hong Kong" (to paraphrase Top Gun) and have a blast. It is all up to you.

 

[smoke_screen]

Thanks for all of the responses...

It looks like my selection is going to be pushed back to this upcoming week.

I have done some more talking to people. Helo guys all love their jobs it seems, here are some reasons I got over the last few days:

-The squadrons are tighter in their opinion
-Best chance for command, supposedly has passed tacair (I personally have no clue)
-Best base locations
-Get your wings right away and get out there to the fleet

Funny though because three helo guys here in the training command that I talked to had packages in to switch to jets. Two were becasue they didn't like the HSL mission as compared to the "pointy-edge of the sword" tacair mission. One for the civilian application and becasue he didn't think his fitreps gave him a chance to command in helos so he figured he's just follow his heart and have fun while the navy would let him. I wish I knew more about the career aspects of each community because I plan to make it a career.

A p3 guy I talked to reiterated that he liked 1)not going to ships EVER if possible and 2)per diem. He said he felt like deployment was a party atmosphere. Thought politics were heinous in p3's, which was why he was getting out of the navy, along with reduced flight time. Said the base to be stationed was Brunswick in his opinion and word of mouth. Said the p3 was fun to fly, but that the outlook is not good for career-oriented people.

One e2c guy said that he liked his job, felt rewarded by most carrier pilots depended on his being airborne to fly themselves. Said the stereotype was true that the missions are boooring.

Haven't found any jet pilots other than the ones on this board to speak to recently.

I am still a bit unsure. So far, one thing I have noticed of people I speak to, is that helo guys are really in love with the helo community.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

[ben]

I just thought I'd chime in here - I am nowhere close to selecting (OCS is yet to come) but I wanted to say thanks to all of you who have posted so far. This thread has been really informative to me and I'm glad someone got it started. Good luck to all.

 

[EODDave]

Food for thought:

How many Helo and other platform types want to transition to TACAIR?

How many TACAIR guys want to transition to Helo's?

Hmmmm...

I dont believe that the helo squadrons are tighter than TACAIR squadrons. No way no how.

 

[kevin]

smoke screen: i think one thing you've failed to recognize are the intangible benefits of the derigible community. anybody who says it's less fulfilling is "full of hot air". perhaps they havent understood the mission. Flying under 300 feet at mach .0003 and avoiding enemy dart fire is perhaps more rewarding than anything in the military. not to mention the family benefits. usually mission last anywhere from 4 to 6 hours depending on whether you're flying 10 miles or 20 miles. but after that, you only need deflate your aircraft and it's time to be with family. maintenaince is relatively easy....but with the shrinking budget finding funds for more duct tape is becoming increasingly difficult. just something to consider.

 

[squeeze]

Food for thought:

How many Helo and other platform types want to transition to TACAIR?

How many TACAIR guys want to transition to Helo's?

Hmmmm...

I dont believe that the helo squadrons are tighter than TACAIR squadrons. No way no how.

Exactly.

And judging by the way the instructors in the jet VT's act towards each other vice the way the Helo/P3 IPs acted towards each other in the primary VTs, blows that "helos are tighter" theory away in my mind.....just the way they are around each other and towards students. Granted, I've only been in a few training commands, but the TACAIR community by far has been the most close-knit, friendly group yet.

 

[beau]

haha............Da Cheat!!!! Hilarious.......I'm wearing my StrongBad Shirt as we speak!

 

[phrogdriver]

Wow, back to the community flame routine. I won't deny that just by the way things are set up, that there are helo pilots who always regreting not getting 1 more above in RIs to select jets. Those guys are waiting for the transition message to come out every year. There are weak sisters in every organization.

Jets have a lot of sex appeal. Props, well, I guess the commercial viability of multi time is cool. Helos are in the thick of things at 200' and below, in the middle of every enemy's threat envelope. To go back to my earlier analogy, we're the linemen--we take a lot of hits for not much glory, but you know that you are in the middle of the play, and that everthing is made or lost at the line of scrimmage. Want to be a wide receiver, fine, but the line...is the line. If you've played ball, you know what I mean. To be honest, if I were in the Navy, I'd have been inclined to go TACAIR, but in the Marines, there was never any contest in my mind. I wanted to be in the s(*&, and by and large, that's what I got. As far as being "tight," few people can make a valid comparison, since very few have done more than 1 community, but I'd stack helos against anyone else.

 

[webmaster]

phrogdriver, nah, was not my intent for flaming on other communities with the poll. Bored silly, and thought to inject some humor with a poll.

As far as helos go, some of the best times I have had in the P3 was a multi platform ASW prosecution, with multiple helos running around beneath us. Gets funny sometimes when we both pick on the poor guy on the boat.

 

[phrogdriver]

I really didn't think the poll was a flame--though you did let the lawn dart guys off easier than helos and props. I was thinking of the "how many strike pilots transition to helos" canard. I would say, why do they have to pay you a $18K bigger bonus to stay around if your job is so cool? That doesn't provide any meaningful insight, and neither does talking about who does transitions.

 

[webmaster]

Obviously you didn't get my low brow humor on the "we're tight" portion... hehe

I have heard the whole transition argument thing also. Find it amusing, since when someone gets phased out of a platform, or NPQ'd, they fight tooth and nail to get anything else (I would in the same shoes).... I have encountered a few retread jet pilots in the P3 community....

 

[zab1001]

Quote:
Originally Posted by EODDave
Food for thought:
How many Helo and other platform types want to transition to TACAIR?
How many TACAIR guys want to transition to Helo's?
Hmmmm...
I dont believe that the helo squadrons are tighter than TACAIR squadrons. No way no how.

Exactly.
And judging by the way the instructors in the jet VT's act towards each other vice the way the Helo/P3 IPs acted towards each other in the primary VTs, blows that "helos are tighter" theory away in my mind.....just the way they are around each other and towards students. Granted, I've only been in a few training commands, but the TACAIR community by far has been the most close-knit, friendly group yet. (END QUOTES)


Sorry fellas, gonna have to pull the card here. Unless you've been in another FLEET squadron, you can't make judgement calls on which community has tighter wardrooms. Fact of life.

(None of the following is meant as a slam, just my own observations)

(A) Advanced vs. Primary. IPs and Students:
You're talking two different worlds here. How many IP's called you by your first name in Primary? How many in advanced. Exactly. Primary VT exposure to those "other" communites is NOT representative of the atmosphere/environment prevalent in the Fleet. Drive over to VT-31 or 35, or an HT and be a fly on the wall. Watch the interaction there. I guarantee you'd see the same tight-knit group. An IP in advanced once explained to me (over beers in the de-brief, on him) that one of the unwritten goals of advanced is to hype students up and give them a tiny taste of wardroom cameradery.

(B) IPs and IPs
Keep in mind IPs are often doing things "on the side" (grad school, having those kids they promised the wife, getting commercial ratings). In addition, the odds of them being from different communites/coasts is greater and therefore there is less common ground to stand on. They have plates that are as full as they care to make them. (pre-flame disclaimer, I am not an IP, and am going by the phone calls I get from IPs in VTs, thank you for your support)

Sea Story Time:
You want cameraderie? My last Wardroom (and I capitalize it because it means that much to me) partied, as a whole (meaning 95% participation, those who didn't had kids), every weekend. There were no cliques. We had a frat house for lord's sake. We owned a marketing company and put on one of the biggest sponsered tailgates in Pro Bowl history. I could go on and on.

Based on that, one war, two deployments, and one home cycle, I still won't say "VP is tighter than yadda yadda". Why? because I don't know firsthand. I have never toured with any other community and I'm not gonna make assumptions based on very initial and limited contact.

Bottom line, if you are looking for opinions on "what it's like", ask those who have been there.