Why it's great to be in Naval Aviation (a.k.a, I flew a B-52 today)

[insanebikerboy]

I hesitate to pass along "there I was stories" but this one is too good to pass up. Where I'm deployed at now I have the chance to work a lot with various different units. One just so happens to be a B-52 unit, and yesterday I got to fly a 5.2 hour flight with them, and a good 2.0 of that was in the right seat hand-flying the jet at 30,000 feet. Not bad for a helo bubba that rarely goes over 500 feet

Just a little something for new guys to keep in mind, flight school sucks and sometimes the squadron does too. There are times that Naval Aviation will take you places that you meet some pretty cool folks and get unique opportunities, and yesterday was a once in a lifetime shot that wouldn't have happened if I wasn't a Navy pilot (ironically it was an Air Force jet).

 

[BusyBee604]

Could you operate the collective from the right seat? Sounds like an awesome experience for a Navy type, that's a big MoFo!
BzB

 

[B.D. Drummond]

If you love to fly different aircraft, get into test pilot school. For example in recent classes some fixed wing students have flown the B-25, Mig 15, SNJ, T-28, F-16, F-18, Helos , Gliders, tail draggers and foreign aircraft. In addition you also fly the training aircraft T-38 and T-6.
The only downside to all this fun is you have to write long winded technical reports and study your ass off.
Ah, but the memories are still good!

 

[jtmedli]

If you love to fly different aircraft, get into test pilot school. For example in recent classes some fixed wing students have flown the B-25, Mig 15, SNJ, T-28, F-16, F-18, Helos , Gliders, tail draggers and foreign aircraft. In addition you also fly the training aircraft T-38 and T-6.
The only downside to all this fun is you have to write long winded technical reports and study your ass off.
Ah, but the memories are still good!

If only we could all be accepted to TPS...

 

[BusyBee604]

If you love to fly different aircraft, get into test pilot school. For example in recent classes some fixed wing students have flown the B-25, Mig 15, SNJ, T-28, F-16, F-18, Helos , Gliders, tail draggers and foreign aircraft. In addition you also fly the training aircraft T-38 and T-6.
The only downside to all this fun is you have to write long winded technical reports and study your ass off.
Ah, but the memories are still good!

Bulldog, sounds like you may have been a Navy TP? What years at TPS Pax?
BzB

 

[Pags]

If you love to fly different aircraft, get into test pilot school. For example in recent classes some fixed wing students have flown the B-25, Mig 15, SNJ, T-28, F-16, F-18, Helos , Gliders, tail draggers and foreign aircraft. In addition you also fly the training aircraft T-38 and T-6.
The only downside to all this fun is you have to write long winded technical reports and study your ass off.
Ah, but the memories are still good!

Eight hours of class, eight hours of briefing and flying, and eight hours of report writing a day.....you'll be sorry!

IBB, definitely a cool opportunity. Hope you added it to the logbook. And at least daydreamed about wearing a cowboy hat and protecting your vital fluids

 

[jmcquate]

Don't forget to enter OPE into the CRM-114............or bad things could happen.

 

[MIDNJAC]

I hesitate to pass along "there I was stories" but this one is too good to pass up. Where I'm deployed at now I have the chance to work a lot with various different units. One just so happens to be a B-52 unit, and yesterday I got to fly a 5.2 hour flight with them, and a good 2.0 of that was in the right seat hand-flying the jet at 30,000 feet. Not bad for a helo bubba that rarely goes over 500 feet

Just a little something for new guys to keep in mind, flight school sucks and sometimes the squadron does too. There are times that Naval Aviation will take you places that you meet some pretty cool folks and get unique opportunities, and yesterday was a once in a lifetime shot that wouldn't have happened if I wasn't a Navy pilot (ironically it was an Air Force jet).

That's really cool. Last time we were ferrying jets to AWF, I flew over a cell of 3 of them in Utah, and it was pretty unexpected.....in terms of what that beast looks like from the air. It took me probably 10 miles (from 15 miles where I saw them to 5) to actually figure out what it was.....looked like a giant flying stick with weird wings that resembled nothing I had ever seen before. Probably the most prolific aircraft of our lifetimes, at least for those of us that grew up during (and I'm sure the 1960's men will argue with this statement) the very coldest years of the cold war.

 

[BusyBee604]

....at least for those of us that grew up during (and I'm sure the 1960's men will argue with this statement) the very coldest years of the cold war.

Very perceptive... did an epic ROFL on that one!
BzB

 

[wink]

After a big mid sea exercise we had two Buffs fly by Ranger at flight deck height in a pretty damn tight formation. Very impressive at that altitude and so tight.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Very perceptive... did an epic ROFL on that one!
BzB

Mainly referring to the early 1980's, prior to the last couple years/etc. I'd imagine a case could be built for the Missile Crisis being the coldest point, but I'd think Reagan's first term, KAL 007, MX, Pershing II, etc might have been a more consistently dangerous time. I'm not a historian by any means though

 

[brownshoe]

That's really cool. Last time we were ferrying jets to AWF, I flew over a cell of 3 of them in Utah, and it was pretty unexpected.....in terms of what that beast looks like from the air. It took me probably 10 miles (from 15 miles where I saw them to 5) to actually figure out what it was.....looked like a giant flying stick with weird wings that resembled nothing I had ever seen before. Probably the most prolific aircraft of our lifetimes, at least for those of us that grew up during (and I'm sure the 1960's men will argue with this statement) the very coldest years of the cold war.

Mainly referring to the early 1980's, prior to the last couple years/etc. I'd imagine a case could be built for the Missile Crisis being the coldest point, but I'd think Reagan's first term, KAL 007, MX, Pershing II, etc might have been a more consistently dangerous time. I'm not a historian by any means though

Yup I lived through the "bomb shelter in your backyard panic" and also the "duck and cover your neck drills" in school growing up (as if that would actually protect you). Then of all places to be stationed after enlistment and "A" school.... Cecil Field! Alerts? Shit, you have no idea... total air wing recalls all the time (yawn ).