NightHawk7125
Final Select SNA
Hey guys just found this story about the X-47. Gosh I hope I never have to fly this thing.
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=51239
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=51239
How to sell a sea tour for an aviator in which his aircraft gets all the flight time and traps whereas the aviator literally flies a "simulator" during the deployment? Do you sell the billets as disassociated sea tours for P-3 types
Or more to the point in the world of front-seat/left-seat Aviation ... how do you sell this 'flying' to a prospective airline ... ???..... more problematic: How to sell a sea tour for an aviator in which his aircraft gets all the flight time and traps whereas the aviator literally flies a "simulator" ... ?
Or more to the point in the world of front-seat/left-seat Aviation ... how do you sell this 'flying' to a prospective airline ... ???
Oh ... that's right -- you don't.
The answer is: Buh-Bayh. (sic)
They're going aboard the carrier so no official O'Club to go to after a mission to drink, but more problematic: How to sell a sea tour for an aviator in which his aircraft gets all the flight time and traps whereas the aviator literally flies a "simulator" during the deployment? Do you sell the billets as disassociated sea tours for P-3 types?
To the best of my knowledge, it is an overall name change. What used to be UAVs...then UASs...are now called RPAs. That article doesn't seem to make it sound that way, though.
I got a chance to review a Tank brief this morning that discussed the issue of awarding Air Medals, DFCs, and the like to UAV (ahem...RPA) pilots - it was the first time I'd seen RPA used, and had to think for a minute about what the hell they were talking about.
To the best of my knowledge, it is an overall name change. What used to be UAVs...then UASs...are now called RPAs. That article doesn't seem to make it sound that way, though.
I got a chance to review a Tank brief this morning that discussed the issue of awarding Air Medals, DFCs, and the like to UAV (ahem...RPA) pilots......I would have liked to have heard the discussion that came with the brief... ;-)
You have got to be sh!tting me!!! A DFC for a guy who sits in a room using what in essence is Microsoft Flight Simulator????......I don't think they should wear pilot wings (or get flight pay) but we're going to give them a combat medal for operating a remote control aircraft from freakin' Nevada!!!
Please tell me that this was laughed at immediately and it was someones idea of an April Fool's joke two week too early....
here is an interesting thread at another forum. Skyhawk's post, #164, is interesting, not sure if it is entirely true though.
That post lines up with everything I've heard from buds performing that mission. Most of them (the ex-fighter guys, at least) are completely happy to go about their business and not receive any personal recognition in the way of medals. They don't want 'em.
They are, however, pissed that the rest of the world perceives them as being a bunch of pampered sissies sitting around playing flight sim as if it were a casual duty with no consequence. They acknowledge that they are not putting themselves physically at risk in that duty, but that they are subjected to the same legal, career, and emotional risks that others performing that same job physically in the combat zone do.