Self-confidence and flight training

[phrogpilot73]

You know what? I'm gonna call BS on this and say that while life in general in the TRACOM isn't like life in the fleet, flight life for helo hubbas until you make HAC is pretty much just like the TRACOM. Sure, you might have a ground job or something else that you have to do while you wait to fly, but you're just another FNG until you make HAC (as far as helo guys go.) It's remarkably similar to TRACOM. Just try and make HAC as fast as you can, and know that however fast it happens is largely beyond your control.

I'm gonna call BS on your statement. I would say that you don't speak for all Helo Bubbas. I would hardly call my experience in the fleet leading up to HAC being remarkably similar to TRACOM. Yes, you still have briefing items - but we generally only hit them on initial X's. Life as a 2P was MUCH better than life as a STUD. I would say it's all based on your command.

 

[loadtoad]

How about those weird "I like to have sex with girls regularly" types like me who KNEW he wanted to fly helos from the get go.

Well I selected Helos... so Ladies, pay up...

 

[chelley]

Well I selected Helos... so Ladies, pay up...

What are you doing later tonight? :icon_wink I have a thing for mullets!

 

[MasterBates]

My experience in HSL-East was similar to Squorch (but he's not HSL).

RAG was less fun/treated worse than HTs. Fleet Squadron was non-stop "stump the chump" every flight with some guys who had memorized NATOPS but had no fucking clue how shit really worked. I really dreaded flying with about 1/2 of the HACs when I was a H2P.

Once I became a HAC, I tried to make things suck less, and show guys stuff that is actually useful in the aircraft, not just spending all of the day fund flights practicing for the "perfect" max gross takeoff for your NATOPS check that you will NEVER do operationally in that aircraft.

 

[Ryan-90]

Just wondering...will having my private pilot's license benefit me in the long run with naval aviation?

 

[NozeMan]

Just wondering...will having my private pilot's license benefit me in the long run with naval aviation?

I don't think it'll hurt you, unless you've accumulated some "bad habits". IMHO if you had less than 100 hours as a civvie, it's not really going to matter when it comes to flight training. Everyone comes in w/ IFS at a minimum now, so unless you have a ton of experience in the civilian world it is probably a moot point. But being comfortable in an aircraft never hurt anyone.

As far as the long run goes...also a moot point. After you get your wings, everyone has their PPL ratings anyways (not sure about the jet guys). If you do the helo sylabus, you'll get single engine land, comercial rotorcraft/helicopter, and commercial instrument for airplane/helicopter. Not sure what the specific ratings for the prop or jet guys are.

 

[Ryan-90]

I don't think it'll hurt you, unless you've accumulated some "bad habits". IMHO if you had less than 100 hours as a civvie, it's not really going to matter when it comes to flight training. Everyone comes in w/ IFS at a minimum now, so unless you have a ton of experience in the civilian world it is probably a moot point. But being comfortable in an aircraft never hurt anyone.

As far as the long run goes...also a moot point. After you get your wings, everyone has their PPL ratings anyways (not sure about the jet guys). If you do the helo sylabus, you'll get single engine land, comercial rotorcraft/helicopter, and commercial instrument for airplane/helicopter. Not sure what the specific ratings for the prop or jet guys are.

cool, thanks for the help. I guess it having it won't hurt me and im sure it will help me get a better feel for what its like controlling the plane. As far as career path goes...I hope to be a fighter pilot one day.

 

[Pags]

My experience in HSL-East was similar to Squorch (but he's not HSL).

RAG was less fun/treated worse than HTs. Fleet Squadron was non-stop "stump the chump" every flight with some guys who had memorized NATOPS but had no fucking clue how shit really worked. I really dreaded flying with about 1/2 of the HACs when I was a H2P.

Once I became a HAC, I tried to make things suck less, and show guys stuff that is actually useful in the aircraft, not just spending all of the day fund flights practicing for the "perfect" max gross takeoff for your NATOPS check that you will NEVER do operationally in that aircraft.

I think this is one of those "your mileage may vary" kind of things. Tends to depend on the community, the command, and the individual. Some communities seem to pride themselves on being able to know where every comma is in NATOPS. For every awesome squadron, there's the other squadron. Who you deploy with, especially in HSC and HSL, will probably also play a huge factor in how you like your pre-HAC fleet experience. Of course, it goes without saying that there is something of a second class citizen status in being an H2P/boot/nugget. Even if you're the best 2P ever, you're "still just a 2P." That just comes with the turf and is part of the motivation to make HAC.

 

[Ryan-90]

Well it's pretty much a gift from my dad for getting school paid for lol. Basically if I do really well and get my college paid for through military/scholarships then he is doing this for me. I just want to learn to fly now I guess, but maybe I should wait and use the money for a gxr bike : )

 

[NozeMan]

Well it's pretty much a gift from my dad for getting school paid for lol. Basically if I do really well and get my college paid for through military/scholarships then he is doing this for me. I just want to learn to fly now I guess, but maybe I should wait and use the money for a gxr bike : )

Hell, then enjoy yourself. Now take care of getting yourself into a commissionig program, whichever one works for you.

 

[SDNalgene]

Well it's pretty much a gift from my dad for getting school paid for lol. Basically if I do really well and get my college paid for through military/scholarships then he is doing this for me. I just want to learn to fly now I guess, but maybe I should wait and use the money for a gxr bike : )

Definitely the right way to approach civilian flight training. If you want to do it because you think it would be fun, then by all means do it. Flying anything is fun to a degree and developing some airborne SA certainly won't hurt you in flight school. However, if your only goal in doing this is to "get ahead" in flight school I suggest that you save your money for more profitable ventures like girls, booze, and partying. Civilian flying for the most part is nothing like flight school, which I am told is nothing compared to the fleet. Unless you get a good number of hours in something with fairly high performance you will hardly have any edge on a guy with just IFS, but he will have a couple grand in his wallet that you don't.

 

[xj220]

Oh man, if that's what things are like being a 2P, I can only imagine what's in store for a 3P...

 

[MIDNJAC]

Definitely the right way to approach civilian flight training. If you want to do it because you think it would be fun, then by all means do it. Flying anything is fun to a degree and developing some airborne SA certainly won't hurt you in flight school. However, if your only goal in doing this is to "get ahead" in flight school I suggest that you save your money for more profitable ventures like girls, booze, and partying. Civilian flying for the most part is nothing like flight school, which I am told is nothing compared to the fleet. Unless you get a good number of hours in something with fairly high performance you will hardly have any edge on a guy with just IFS, but he will have a couple grand in his wallet that you don't.

Granted I'm only a couple weeks into primary, but I have already noticed a big difference between my civvie training and Navy skool. The attention to detail that you are expected to have, and the amount of effort you have to put into studying is about 10 times greater or more.......and this is w/r/t my part 141 syllabized (if that's a word) commercial/IR training that I did on the outside which was a whole hell of a lot better than your run of the mill FBO part 61 "school". Let's just say that I have already learned A LOT. I'm studying 4+ hrs / day (in my "down time" since I'm not flying yet), so there is obviously a ton to learn no matter what your background is. Just some food for thought.

 

[insanebikerboy]

Oh man, if that's what things are like being a 2P, I can only imagine what's in store for a 3P...

From what I've heard, just make certain the pillow you bring is soft enough to bite on without breaking any teeth.:icon_tong

 

[Scoob]

My experience in HSL-East was similar to Squorch (but he's not HSL).

RAG was less fun/treated worse than HTs. Fleet Squadron was non-stop "stump the chump" every flight with some guys who had memorized NATOPS but had no fucking clue how shit really worked. I really dreaded flying with about 1/2 of the HACs when I was a H2P.

Once I became a HAC, I tried to make things suck less, and show guys stuff that is actually useful in the aircraft, not just spending all of the day fund flights practicing for the "perfect" max gross takeoff for your NATOPS check that you will NEVER do operationally in that aircraft.

I think this is one of those "your mileage may vary" kind of things. Tends to depend on the community, the command, and the individual. Some communities seem to pride themselves on being able to know where every comma is in NATOPS. For every awesome squadron, there's the other squadron. Who you deploy with, especially in HSC and HSL, will probably also play a huge factor in how you like your pre-HAC fleet experience. Of course, it goes without saying that there is something of a second class citizen status in being an H2P/boot/nugget. Even if you're the best 2P ever, you're "still just a 2P." That just comes with the turf and is part of the motivation to make HAC.

Yes. Very much so.



especially in this case.