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Why it's good to be in Naval Aviation

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
...the aircraft, the mission, the people...

I'm starting up this thread as a means to help motivate those of us on the boards that are bogged down in studying, flying a desk, or just trying to join the club. The intent is to post sea stories about Naval Aviation (AF and Army, are welcome, as well). I ask that you keep the stories related to this, and not about how fun your first solo was in a Cessna. I've got some of those stories as well, but for now, I'll be a thread-Nazi and keep it Naval/Military aviation related. Privelege and OPSEC obviously applies. And if you have a story about someone operating on the "edge" of SOP/OPNAV/FARs, try not to incriminate anyone.
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Okay, here's a quick something to start this out with. I had only been in my squadron for about 2 months, and had already been assigned to a detachment and been underway getting ready for deployment. This day was supposed to be a Hellfire CATM-Ex to practice for a hellfire shot in a few days. The weather was beautiful, but pretty windy, so the swells on the range were too big, and they closed. So, in the days before NAVRIP, we had some hours to fly, why not do a FAM flight around the islands. This was my HAC's first HAC flight, and the crewman was a seasoned and good humored AW1.

With sunny skies and blue water, it was an awesome flying day, so we decided to start the flight by heading over to Moloka'i and get some fresh sweet bread. As we were crossing the cliffs, we notice that the crewman had dozed off. Time to enter an autorotation while I screamed over the ICS that we were all going to die. He quickly woke up and owned up. All in good fun.

Later, we were flying by the wrecks off of Lana'i at about 300-500 feet. There was Piper at 1000 feet calling on the common freq that he had us in sight. We probably looked pretty badass (well, for a -60), with our nose FLIR and a missile shape hanging off the wing. All we needed was a GAU-16 hanging out the door, and it would have been perfect. He called to say we looked good, and asked if we wanted to trade aircraft. I politely declined. As someone who used to be the guy in the Piper, and wanting to fly military hardware, it was cool to finally be on the other end.

I think we ended the flight w/ some sight-seeing in Honolulu. It doesn't really matter, because it was flying. As a new nugget in my fleet squadron, it wasn't a bad day to be a Naval Aviator.
 

Singer6

Konichiwa *****es
I just got patched in the Rhino rag and I'm going to Japan in a week. I couldn't be happier. The squadron I'm going to is super awsome and I gets to see the world. Can't wait to get there.
 

The Chief

Retired
Contributor
Singer6 said:
I just got patched in the Rhino rag and I'm going to Japan in a week. I couldn't be happier. The squadron I'm going to is super awsome and I gets to see the world. Can't wait to get there.

Great. You will enjoy Japan.

But tell the forum something about the Rino RAG in Lemoore.
 

bch

Helo Bubba
pilot
Where else but in the navy, can you be flying past a cruise ship where everyone is waving at your helo happy to to see a big grey thing coming close by... only to see them stop waving all of a sudden and cover their mouth with one hand while pointing with the other... why???? becuase the AW is only wearing his gunner's belt and he is mooning the cruise ship from the cabin door!
 

Bevo16

Registered User
pilot
I was 9 days out of the FRS when I got to fly my first Med-Evac. We were off the coast of Hawaii, and (like always) the COD was broke. A young Marine had gotten very ill and had to be taken to a shore hospital or she was going to die. My HAC and I made a 700nm round trip to Trippler Army Hospital and helped save this girl's life. After almost 12 hours in a HH-60H my ass was about to fall off, but I have never felt so much satisfaction from my job. There were still 5 months and 24 days left to go on cruise, but it was already a total success.

There are not a lot of jobs that you can do cool things like that.
 

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
Singer6 said:
I just got patched in the Rhino rag and I'm going to Japan in a week. I couldn't be happier. The squadron I'm going to is super awsome and I gets to see the world. Can't wait to get there.

If you're going to the squadron I'm thinking of, (or rather one of them) I spent part of my summer cruise this summer w/ them and they are real cool guys. Not to get OT, but I'm jealous....you'll have a lot of fun :icon_zbee
 

Singer6

Konichiwa *****es
Ok. Key West fighter det. Fighting F-5s from VFC-13. Finally getting to use real chaff and flares and getting up to mach 1.18 going out of a fight about 2000' above the water. Or watching my 500lb bomb smack into the side of a tank in Fallon. Sometimes its hard to believe they pay me to do what I do.
 

Punk

Sky Pig Wrangler
pilot
Back in the training command during a neutral ACM hop, I was taking a fight into a vertical merge. In the midst of the early turn, for some weird reason my control inputs didn't do anything anymore. That's when I bothered to check my airspeed, 80 knots and quickly disappearing. After pulling the power back to idle and radioing "ballistic", checked the airspeed indicator, no indicated airspeed (pegged at 50) and right at the ring of death attitude wise. Fortunately, the departure wasn't too bad and no engine stall (thank god, according to my classmate in the backseat of the other -45, I slid tail first for sec). As the nose fell past the 90 degree point, I watched the bandit shoot out under my nose. So hey, checked my gauges, all good, back to MRT and right onto the bandit. Like I planned it the entire time. :)

Then there was the roller with my wingman, the bandit, then me. That's was neat.


Sigh, yeah, ACM was good time. I shall miss it.
 

Pugs

Back from the range
None
Three things:

A week out of the RAG as a brand new jg at my first Red Flag going down a valley in the fighting drumstick at 200 feet 500 knots with an all JO crew and having a flight of four RAF Jags go underneath us. I was so far behind I would have been a witness to the mishap.

The first wave, first night of Desert Storm escorting a flight of four VA-65/36 A-6’s going in to take out the thermal power plant at Basra, lots of AAA and getting lit up by an SA-ummm X and getting a HARM off the rail in 30 seconds. Watching 16 2000 lb’ers go off on time on target. Going feet wet, talking to the Hummer and hearing the off count and we were all going to be there at breakfast.

Taking a Prowler into Oshkosh in 95. No military rates for gas so went into Scott for a bag full before pressing north. At Scott met Hoot Gibson who was getting gas for his NASA T-38 heading to the same place and ate our box lunches together, just a hell of a nice guy who treated a bunch of 0-3’s just like we were equals. Going into Oshkosh, 500 knot right hand break, “Cobra 60 abeam gear stop, roger, your traffic on final is a Ford Trimotor and just upwind is the Fuji Blimp, traffic behind is a Mustang” Whatta great week.

Pugs
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
1. Star Wars canyon in Qatar

2. Sitting through a weekly brief with the AX Commodore as squadron reps when he goes around the room to the reps. He asks if anyone has any anything to add to his plan to find a pesky soviet sub taking practise shots at us nearly every night. My partner and I, both LTs, respond in the affirmative. After discribing a completly different tactic the Commodore looked right at us and said, "Very well, we will go with your plan tonight, my Chief of Staff will give you everything you need." Within three hours two LTs were directing an entire battle group and driving the airplan. We changed the surface formations and missions of aircraft. Within five hours we had detected and localized the sub to attack criteria before he was a threat. I don't know where else a couple twenty somethings would be given carte blanc to the level we were. A very senior officer trusted a couple no nothings and let us play with his mulit billion dollar toys. It was a hoot telling destroyer skippers where to go. Walking into ready rooms and announceing that their mission was being changed to my benefit was a blast. Busting a sub skipper with more then three times my experience that an entire staff of senior officers couldn't was priceless. That doesn't happen in corporate America.
 

Banjo33

AV-8 Type
pilot
Went into KeyWest on an RI cross-country in a T-2(I had probably 10 hours or so in jets at the time). The IP I was with had a handheld GPS with him and was wanting to do some fishing while we were there for the weekend. After completing my approach we canceled IFR and flew out over the ocean/islands. He let me rage (500'/250+kts) around while he marked patches of seaweed on his GPS to visit the next day!

Always fun when you head out to the MOA for some training, only the weather is bad so you cloud surf for half an hour!
 
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