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So you want to be a CAG (but can't)...
- Thread starter revan1013
- Start date
From the stories, Hook is definitely more freewheeling than NHA, which a few years ago was conducted entirely in khakis (I wish I was kidding) and is always held in either Jax, Norfolk or SD, meaning that all the squadrons from that location that show up are still working. So yeah, there's definitely a "work" vibe to it all.
I had one as CO in '01.
Yeah that's how the VP reunion is too, although we aren't even toolish enough to wear khakis. They just invented the whole Maritime Patrol Association thing to try to be on par with Tailhook. I'll join when we start having conventions in Vegas.
Recommend Reno - more $5 tables...
Actually I went to my first VP Reunion in 1984 and my last in 1997. During all those years, it was in D.C. and we wore whatever uniform they were wearing in D.C. at the time. The VP reunion back then never tried to be Tail Hook. We had professional symposiums, a luncheon, a golf tournament and a coat & tie reception. It was where we actually got the word on what was happening in the community. There were usually more VP guys on non-VP tours in attendance than there were squadron guys - but there were a lot of squadron guys. With 24 VP squadrons and 2 RAGs, it was a big and much needed event. But it was always a great time and we did find ways to drink heavily.....
VP International (VPI) was the big patrol aviation association then. It was either started by the Brits or the Canadians but its membership was anyone from any country that flew any type of Maritime Patrol aircraft and U.S. VP was a major membership. It still exists but with the end of the cold war and the demise of the Brits Nimrods & Norwegian P-3s; shrinking Canadian, Austrialian, New Zealand and other European patrol aircraft communities - it has kind of died out and is barely holding on as a mostly Canadian thing. They used to have yearly ASW competitions and parties that all the countries attended as well as quarterly parties in Canada or Kinloss open to anyone who could swing the cross country flight.
I obviously don't know what either the VP Reunion or VPI have been like since.
And your point is?????
I can't speak to how other reunions were, especially since this year had all the CONA stuff factored in, but pretty much like you were describing. Briefs (some good, some stupid), golf tourney, flight suit social, etc. The social was pretty fun and I definitely like my P-3 beer glasses. I still would like to know which VP-26 and VP-30 dudes shared the cab I took off base. But the way at least it was presented to us is that this new association is supposed to be VP Tailhook. It ain't going to be that if we have ASW rodeos in the Jax sims as part of the "festivities."
This is just back of the napkin math, but...
Assuming there are anywhere from 10-13 CVW FITREP cycles a year for CO's in the airwings:
Even if you assume that #1 tickets for CO's are evenly distributed among the 4 VFA, 1 E-2, 1 Prowler/Growler, and 2 Helo CO's, there are still more than twice as many true "Strike" guys with #1 tickets compared to helo guys in the pool for the Major Command Screen Board, plus the occasional break out E-2 guy. Considering they only need 2-4 CAG selects a year, it is easy for them to hit that mark with VFA guys only, let alone the E/A and E-2 types.
Factor in that I seriously doubt that #1 tickets are evenly distributed, and the large amounts of anecdotal evidence such as above that the leadership in Naval Aviation isn't that interested in it anyways, and it is easy to see how a helo CAG would not happen.
This probably belongs in the stupid questions about naval aviation thread, but I'm gathering from these posts that dissimilar platform COs are ranked against each other in the CVW? Being a VP type, I know our skippers get rated against each other in each CPRW. I think (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that the helo bubbas have type wings owning their squadrons on each coast. Do y'all not do the whole type wing concept? Why wouldn't hornet skippers only get ranked against other hornet skippers, E-2 skippers against other E-2 skippers, etc.?
You are aware the HS squadrons are part of the CVW and HSL has traditionally not been part of the CVW, right?
HS skippers get FitReps from CAG. HSL & HC got FitReps got FitReps from their Commodore
Today CVW squadrons HS/HSC/HSM) get FitReps from CAG and the Expeditionary squadrons get FitReps from the Type Wing Commodore.
This is all very simple. How many VFA CO's are have airwing strike lead quals? Most, if not all. How many VAQ guys, eh, maybe 50%. How many helo guys?
As a CAG staffer we rewrote several of our instructions prior to a workup period and took a long look at the SLUI instruction. We used to have an ICAP III VAQ squadron, but now had an ICAP II squadron - we were not going to make an SL's from that squadron (had the squadron still been ICAP III they would have been eligible). We had an HSC and an HSM squadron - not even the two community reps on the staff could advocate for making them overall SLs.
As a CAG staffer we rewrote several of our instructions prior to a workup period and took a long look at the SLUI instruction. We used to have an ICAP III VAQ squadron, but now had an ICAP II squadron - we were not going to make an SL's from that squadron (had the squadron still been ICAP III they would have been eligible). We had an HSC and an HSM squadron - not even the two community reps on the staff could advocate for making them overall SLs.