• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

Were y’all happy as naval aviators?

BDavis11

Well-Known Member
Contributor
Still at it, after 31+ years... mostly in the cockpit. My advice: don't judge whether or not you'll make it a career until you've got a tour or two in the fleet under your belt.
how hard/simple is it to remain in the cockpit that long?
 

Birdbrain

Well-Known Member
pilot
I'll let you know this much. As a newly winged aviator awaiting training in the FRS, the day I winged was one of the best of my life. While going through the process of OCS to IFS/API to Primary to I-Jet/A-Strike, which were all challenging, I had this thought in my head that once I had my coveted Wings of Gold I had made it. That's the wrong mindset I've realized. Now I have plenty more training ahead; you could call it being a permanent student.

The last three years have hands down been the most challenging and rewarding time of my life. There have been plenty of ups and downs but I have no regrets about starting this once-in-a-lifetime journey that took me out of my comfort zone and threw me into the air and during this training I've met some amazing people that I'll never forget. I know there's going to be plenty more hard work and rough days to learn important things from. What makes it all worth it are those moments in flight where things come together that are only possible because of that hard work and learning.

And never forget that everybody had and has hurdles to get over whether that's substandard performance, airsickness, OCS demerits up the wazoo, pinksheets, family issues, going med down, maybe not feeling like flying is for them, girl/boyfriend problems whatever. You name it I could point to somebody who went through it or is going through it. Don't let it get you down. Find some help in your peers because you're all going through this together.

Good luck if you have any questions feel free to hit me up.
 
I'll let you know this much. As a newly winged aviator awaiting training in the FRS, the day I winged was one of the best of my life. While going through the process of OCS to IFS/API to Primary to I-Jet/A-Strike, which were all challenging, I had this thought in my head that once I had my coveted Wings of Gold I had made it. That's the wrong mindset I've realized. Now I have plenty more training ahead; you could call it being a permanent student.

The last three years have hands down been the most challenging and rewarding time of my life. There have been plenty of ups and downs but I have no regrets about starting this once-in-a-lifetime journey that took me out of my comfort zone and threw me into the air and during this training I've met some amazing people that I'll never forget. I know there's going to be plenty more hard work and rough days to learn important things from. What makes it all worth it are those moments in flight where things come together that are only possible because of that hard work and learning.

And never forget that everybody had and has hurdles to get over whether that's substandard performance, airsickness, OCS demerits up the wazoo, pinksheets, family issues, going med down, maybe not feeling like flying is for them, girl/boyfriend problems whatever. You name it I could point to somebody who went through it or is going through it. Don't let it get you down. Find some help in your peers because you're all going through this together.

Good luck if you have any questions feel free to hit me up.


Thank you so much for your reply. Everything you said, that’s all a huge part of why I’m considering doing this. Thank you again, I appreciate it so much. I don’t know if this makes much sense but, your reply has made me kinda just decide to make the jump into Naval Aviation.
 
Top