Who flies the Buckeye?

[Brett327]

VFR seems a mysterious concept to any military aviator who never flew anything civilian. It can be quite funny. "Why don't we go VFR?"..."You can do that?!" Yes I've heard this.

You'll do a lot more VFR in the fleet, at least we do up in Whidbey with all the cool scenery to look at. One of the nicest sunny day flights is what we call the "Tour of Vancouver Island." Take off, head down the straight and toole around Vancouver - Breathtaking. You can even catch a nice approach into Comox. The Canadians give good PAR. "Ever so slightly right of course and just a tad below glideslope."

Brett

 

[wink]

VFR seems a mysterious concept to any military aviator who never flew anything civilian. It can be quite funny. "Why don't we go VFR?"..."You can do that?!" Yes I've heard this.

I used to have even more fun with my single anchor buds. I would take them flying over lunch in my hand prop start 1946 65HP taildragger from an uncontroled field and fly all over San Diego without ever talking on the radio. They were sure we would be written up or have a mid air.

 

[TurnandBurn55]

We got ILS. What, is your jet too good for ILS?

Brett

Ugh... well the VFA community has beaten that door for years. Was there a rationale your ugly plane got it? Cause of the expeditionary squadrons flying with the AF? Or you all just smoother than us?

 

[TurnandBurn55]

apparently all but one of the T-47s were destroyed in a hangar fire.
anyone have details?

Yeah, that does sound right... but the story I heard from the contract pilots we had was that the Navy wasn't terribly pleased with their performance anyways-- they just wore them the hell out in no time. The T-39N is fine for what it does, but the Navy doesn't really have a solid plan for its eventual replacement anyways...

 

[Brett327]

Ugh... well the VFA community has beaten that door for years. Was there a rationale your ugly plane got it? Cause of the expeditionary squadrons flying with the AF? Or you all just smoother than us?

Nope ILS predates expeditionary squadrons. We're just cool customers.

Brett

 

[codtanker]

I tried the special one time, taking a contact approach in the valley of the downs. Even in a slow moving t-44 when there was no radar in south texas it can get a little confusing on what is a runway and what is a road. Of course if I would have landed on the highway I bet I would have been passed by a local driving to work that morning.

 

[Physicx]

Can anybody become an IP in the T-2 or does it have to be someone who has flown it in training?

 

[Gatordev]

Technically, anyone who's a fixed wing pilot can fly it, it's just hard to get your foot in the door...especially since they're gone now.

 

[Fly Navy]

especially since they're gone now.

Except, you know, for those at NASP for NFO training....

 

[Chubby]

Technically, anyone who's a fixed wing pilot can fly it, it's just hard to get your foot in the door...especially since they're gone now.

Don't you have to be a jet bubba?

 

[Fly Navy]

Don't you have to be a jet bubba?

Shoot, we have at least one P-3 bubba here in T-45s.

 

[Gatordev]

Don't you have to be a jet bubba?

It can be done, it's just not easy.

@Fly... But they're going away. I thought they were gone already, as I've only seen one or two on the line when I was down there. Perhaps I'm just jumping the gun.

 

[Crowbar]

The T-2s are still there, VT-86's hangar is crammed full of them. I still see them coming and going every day.

Here's a link to a brief proposing switching to T-6/T-45 for SNFOs. You have to go to about slide 107 before it starts talking about it, though.

 

[Gatordev]

Fair enough, I stand corrected.

 

[Physicx]

Can you be a helo driver and transfer? I know you can't compare it to the T-6/34.