Tailhook?

[e6bflyer]

Good comments by all.
Fred: Shore based platforms are slightly more stable as far as schedule and rotation goes due to not being at the whim of the boat. You spend a little more time at home and it is usually more predictable.
Agreed, the spouse makes a huge difference. My wife has repeatedly told me she doesn't care what I do in the Navy, and I am comfortable with the decisions that I have made and am getting ready to make. I am getting ready to negotiate orders to the boat as not to commit "career suicide". I am not particularly looking forward to not flying for 2 years, but then again, there are much worse jobs I could have and the payoff (the bonus plus going back to TACAMO for a dept head tour (read: pretty much shore duty)) is huge.

 

[MAKE VAPES]

If you want to have your proverbial cake with the family and eat some pages of your logbook up then FTS is the way to go. You just have to take the knife out of your teeth and put your crank in! Finish out your first shore tour, hope you don't have too much time on the backside and submit packages.

Aside from the occasional short call IA and poss. PCS IA, life in VR or VT FTS is easyish. I donno how fleet dudes with kids do it missing out on their kids lives... no retirement in the world, week in Palma de Mallorca, 2000 hour patch, 1000 trap club, or silly assed shoulder insignia is worth missing out on your kids growing up. You get one chance, don't f*** it up!

My advice for the studs in TRACOM/FRS (it was great seeing you folks at Hook by the way!):

Make your chick suffer through at least one cruise unmarried.

If she is worth your while she'll stick around without banging whatever airwing isn't on cruise and your apartment won't be empty on RTB.

Get married on your shore tour if you aren't single and furnitureless from previous scallywag who shaged half formentioned airwing.

Don't have kids right away, you've gotta make sure you're really good together before you throw a nuclear tipped monkey wrench crumb snatcher into the fray. Summer time night traps single engine are much easier than kiddo's.

If you can't stand her or the kid(s), you love big gray floating prisons for aviation overachievers, or you have a inferno in your gut to lead men in combat then go have your career deploying and being the manliest of men.

Dr Phil has left the building... bwah!

"The glass is half full........... of warm urine".