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Stupid questions about Naval Aviation (Pt 2)

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Big Biff said:
Ok, thanks for the input, and yes, I am trying to go blue side wanting to see how the other half lives.
I would think that the operators in NSW would already be quallified, but I guess it never hurts to have extra help.
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NSW does qualify operators as JTACs. There is a JTAC course at NSAWC (akin to TOPGUN as a department) with its own building staffed by Naval Aviator/Naval Flight Officer/SEALs. They operate "underneath" the CVW and squadron SFARP dets getting their live controls with real ordnance. Since 9/11, NSW has relied on airpower in unprecedented fashion (exception being the HAL/VAL support in Vietnam over Mekong Delta region) and established Air Liaison Officer type billets that go beyond just being a JTAC (ie mission planning & coordination as well as UAV operations).
 
Determine Seat for Cobras

I've search Google for this extensively, and just curious, but how is the "seat assignment" determined in a AH-1W Cobra with the tandem seating?

I understand that the Rear is the pilot but I've also heard that both are pilots.

Information?

Thanks in advance.
 
It's just like any other helo. 2 Pilots. One is aircraft commander. The other is H2P. I believe the backseat dude is the HAC.
 
Not always. It depends on what the mission is, what the X the copilot is getting and sometimes a well played game of rock paper scissors.
Yes there are pilots in both seats.
 
Forgive me, but H2P? HAC?

So basically, it's two pilots, assigned to an aircraft and the the most senior will kinda decide which role he wishes to fill? Once in the fleet, do you always fly with your same Co-pilot?
 
H2P=helicopter second pilot, aka copilot.
HAC=helicopter aircraft commander

No. you don't always fly with the same guy.
 
Hm, I would think when you're at least in the fleet or on a deployment that you'd fly with the same guy, so you develop a sense of understanding and trust in the other.

But then again, its kinda cool that you'd get to meet all your squadron mates in that setting.
 
Shockershot87 said:
Hm, I would think when you're at least in the fleet or on a deployment that you'd fly with the same guy, so you develop a sense of understanding and trust in the other.

But then again, its kinda cool that you'd get to meet all your squadron mates in that setting.
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You've been watching Top Gun again, haven't you? ;)

There are many many many factors that go into who flies with whom in any multi-crew aircraft, and they can't be met if you're always flying with the same dude.

Don't know about Cobras, but in most Navy squadrons you'll have someone you probably fly with more frequently than others. Usually it's policy for the FNG's to fly with the skipper, XO, or one of the dept heads, both so the New Guy can learn and the senior guy can keep him from doing something stupid. The more senior you get, the more junior your co-pilot, WSO, etc, will get, until you reach the point where you're both about equal...and the Safety Center will tell you that the most dangerous crew to have is two mid-tour LTs.

Then suddenly one day you're the Salty Dog saying, "The fuck are you doing, New Guy?"
 
Shockershot87 said:
Hm, I would think when you're at least in the fleet or on a deployment that you'd fly with the same guy, so you develop a sense of understanding and trust in the other.

But then again, its kinda cool that you'd get to meet all your squadron mates in that setting.
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That's kind of the whole point of the STANDARDIZATION of training. There might be little things here or there that you brief and do in the cockpit differently, but as a whole, we're all trained the SAME and know what to generally expect out of ANY other Naval Aviator we'll fly with. We can go on a moments notice do a brief with a guy we've never flown with before and accomplish a mission due to the standardization of the level of our training.

*WARNING* Take the above with the huge grain of salt of coming from a guy at the end of flight school with no fleet experience.
 
OttoWrote8 said:
*WARNING* Take the above with the huge grain of salt of coming from a guy at the end of flight school with no fleet experience.
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No, you're right. Plus, most squadrons aren't all that big. You do wind up flying with everybody else enough that you have a good idea of what to expect. Marbles likes to snap it off at the round-down, Xenu tries to be like Marbles but isn't as good a stick, so watch him, Bonk never says a goddamned word in the plane, but that's just how he is, don't mean nothin', but if Betty is quiet it means he just scared himself shitless. Etc, etc, etc.
 
FMRAM said:
I have heard this from a Marine Captain as well. Is this because of overconfidence?
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Overconfidence, both trying to look cool, neither wants to be a safety Nazi, neither wants to say, "dumb idea, we're not doing that," and so on.
 
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