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VAQ Pilot Shore Tours vs VFA Pilot Shore Tours

J

JaegerThe117

New Member
How do shore tours for pilots in the VAQ and VFA community differ, aside from obvious differences in weapons schools, FRS's, etc. Are there any opportunities exclusive to one or the other, or that are more likely for one over another?
 
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cfam

cfam

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Short answer, not really. The vast majority of pilots from both communities will go to the standard tours you mentioned. VFA does have NSW (non-flying) liaison officer tours and a few exchange pilot options, but those typically aren’t accessible until later in your career.
 
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Random13

Random13

Member
Take this from a civilian still in college. I have a friend/mentor who was an F-18 pilot in the fleet, and is currently at VX-9 Vampires, where he/they fly the F/A-18E/F, EA-18G, and F-35C (he doesn't fly the F-35C). He flies with both former fleet VFA and VAQ aircrew ( Pilots, WSO, EWOs). So there is definitely integration between the VFA and VAQ community in the Operational (like the Vampires) and Developmental Test communities on the Shore Tour side of the house. I am sure someone on this forum has a better answer than I in regards to the differences in opportunities.
 
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SynixMan

SynixMan

In Dwell
pilot
Contributor
Not a pointy nose bubba but had plenty of friends who were. With the production backlog, seems like every TACAIR single anchor is going to a flying shore tour, with rare exceptions (a friend had to get a CNAF actual waiver to CoLo with his non-mil spouse in Hawaii at a PACOM watch floor job). So that's FRS, WWS, NAWDC, VX/TPS, or VTs.

@cfam mentioned it, but each community has some oddball exchange-type stuff that are potentially options in your disassociated sea tour or post-DH shore tour, but if you're an SNA those are super far down the road they may as well be meaningless.

Most people I've asked picked between them for mission and location (aka trying to avoid Lemoore). That being said, both are healthy communities with relevant and bright futures.
 
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MIDNJAC

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
Flying shore tour has been the norm and expectation for VFA/VAQ pilots for at least as long as i have been around. Not all flying shore tours are “production”, and in that vein, not all of them carry the same “weight” in terms of one’s career prospects. But the only folks who I ever saw not go fly either did it by choice (or maybe had medical/family stuff), or had been shot in the head out of their JO tour. It would be very abnormal for tacair 1310 to go be, say, an NROTC instructor, or like the non-flying JMPS SME at VX-30, or USNA officer, or whatever else exists out there (I really have no idea because it was so unheard of).

*WSO/EWO is a slightly different story, but I think the original question was about pilot
 
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gparks1989

gparks1989

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
MIDNJAC said:
... like the non-flying JMPS SME at VX-30...
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At least in VAQ land that's a post-TPS job and is still a flying billet (although not a ton of flying since you have to go to China Lake to get in a jet). Not sure how it's viewed within the galaxy of post-TPS billets but I don't think it's considered negatively.
 
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TheBirdy

TheBirdy

Well-Known Member
pilot
My slate had these options (VFA): TOPGUN, TPS, FRS, VFC (Adversary), VX, VTJ (T-45s), DCMA, STRIKE, PEP, F-35C transition. I believe there was only 1 spot for DCMA and the PEP Tour. DCMA involved flying Rhinos coming off the assembly line. PEP Tours are not available on every slate and I anticipate them becoming more rare.

Bunch of Growler buddies said their slate consisted of: HAVOC, TPS, FRS, and VTJ. On paper seems like more options available for the VFA types. But, as stated above, there are always special cases/scenarios in both communities.
 
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SynixMan

SynixMan

In Dwell
pilot
Contributor
TheBirdy said:
My slate had these options (VFA): TOPGUN, TPS, FRS, VFC (Adversary), VX, VTJ (T-45s), DCMA, STRIKE, PEP, F-35C transition. I believe there was only 1 spot for DCMA and the PEP Tour. DCMA involved flying Rhinos coming off the assembly line. PEP Tours are not available on every slate and I anticipate them becoming more rare.

Bunch of Growler buddies said their slate consisted of: HAVOC, TPS, FRS, and VTJ. On paper seems like more options available for the VFA types. But, as stated above, there are always special cases/scenarios in both communities.
Click to expand...

Just curious, what are the VFA PEP options these days? I only saw Brits coming our way and that was in their "bad time" of no actual carriers.
 
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Brett327

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
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Random13 said:
If you don't mind me asking, how does the story differ for tacair NFOs compared to their pilot counterparts in terms of post first sea tour career paths?
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Not a lot of billets in the VTs for NFOs, and the PEP opportunities are fewer. TBH, PEP/DCMA and probably VFC are such outliers as to not really be relevant to the discussion.
 
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Swanee

Swanee

Cereal Killer
pilot
None
Contributor
TheBirdy said:
The one on my slate was to the RCAF flying CF-18s. I think there was one a few years prior to the RAF flying the Eurofighter.
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A USMC buddy of mine picked up a PEP to Cold Lake. He met his wife while he was there. He also said the name fits and that you get really good using the cold weather ops section in the NATOPS.
 
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MIDNJAC

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
Swanee said:
A USMC buddy of mine picked up a PEP to Cold Lake. He met his wife while he was there. He also said the name fits and that you get really good using the cold weather ops section in the NATOPS.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I would have loved to have done that tour. Or the Spanish AF one. It's bizarre that those tours are considered to be "less than" by our PERS. They send us their best. Literally every RAF or (most) USAF and all USMC officers I've experienced in their own PEPs have been well above average. We don't send our worst, by any means, but we send guys with the expectation that they aren't getting "credit" for it
 
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