Delta7
Member
Hello AW members,
Been away for a while (trying to pay the bills).
I'm reviewing a novel for another author and would like some help on three things in his novel that I thought were inaccurate. Before calling him on the problems, I thought someone here could keep me honest on the following Naval Aviation-related terms/assertions (after all, as many of you have pointed out, I’m just an AF puke!):
1. Airdale
This author uses this term several times in his novel, and I think he's got it wrong. “Airdale” is used several times by naval aviators (two carrier-based F-35 pilots in the near future) and other carrier crewmembers while referring to pilots assigned to the carrier.
I would have thought that the term is not often used any more, and when it is, as a slightly pejorative term a “black shoe” might use when talking about a “brown shoe.” That is, it would be used tongue-in-cheek, and/or while ribbing a pilot.
I’ve already been in a few “furballs” in this forum over the meaning of “fighter pilot” and other terms in our different service communities, so I wanted to make sure I had it right.
2. Rank of a CAG.
In the novel, the CAG is an O-5. I thought nearly all CAGs were O-6s.
Are there that many O-5 CAGs out in the fleet to consider this reasonable/believable?
3. Weapons Tight
To my knowledge, the author got it bass-akwards and that “weapons tight” is the opposite of “Cleared Hot” in all aviation communities… and if it ain’t, well, that sure is a disturbing thing in today’s joint environment.
Interestingly, I just checked my trusty (and old… 25 SEP 1987 version) Mission Employment Tactics: Fighter Fundamentals, F-111 (TACM/PACAFM/USAFEM 3-3) for the first time in many a year, and can’t find “Weapons Tight” in the Glossary or Operational Brevity Words sections.
Thanks very much,
John
PS. In case anyone’s interested, I’ve now sold 225 copies of my novel (not exactly NYT Best Seller territory), and my Google ads show up on AW more than any other Internet location save two. Thanks for clicking!
Been away for a while (trying to pay the bills).
I'm reviewing a novel for another author and would like some help on three things in his novel that I thought were inaccurate. Before calling him on the problems, I thought someone here could keep me honest on the following Naval Aviation-related terms/assertions (after all, as many of you have pointed out, I’m just an AF puke!):
1. Airdale
This author uses this term several times in his novel, and I think he's got it wrong. “Airdale” is used several times by naval aviators (two carrier-based F-35 pilots in the near future) and other carrier crewmembers while referring to pilots assigned to the carrier.
I would have thought that the term is not often used any more, and when it is, as a slightly pejorative term a “black shoe” might use when talking about a “brown shoe.” That is, it would be used tongue-in-cheek, and/or while ribbing a pilot.
I’ve already been in a few “furballs” in this forum over the meaning of “fighter pilot” and other terms in our different service communities, so I wanted to make sure I had it right.
2. Rank of a CAG.
In the novel, the CAG is an O-5. I thought nearly all CAGs were O-6s.
Are there that many O-5 CAGs out in the fleet to consider this reasonable/believable?
3. Weapons Tight
To my knowledge, the author got it bass-akwards and that “weapons tight” is the opposite of “Cleared Hot” in all aviation communities… and if it ain’t, well, that sure is a disturbing thing in today’s joint environment.
Interestingly, I just checked my trusty (and old… 25 SEP 1987 version) Mission Employment Tactics: Fighter Fundamentals, F-111 (TACM/PACAFM/USAFEM 3-3) for the first time in many a year, and can’t find “Weapons Tight” in the Glossary or Operational Brevity Words sections.
Thanks very much,
John
PS. In case anyone’s interested, I’ve now sold 225 copies of my novel (not exactly NYT Best Seller territory), and my Google ads show up on AW more than any other Internet location save two. Thanks for clicking!