Who's in the Military?

Afterburner

I'm in a Navy program for college students called BDCP. Already swore in and get paid but don't do anything until I graduate in a year. Then it's off to ocs and a career in aviation.

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XwChriswX

What are you hopin to fly?

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Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

Afterburner

I want to go down the jet pipeline. If that happens I'd be most likely to fly the super F/A-18 since the new F-35 probably won't begin delivery until just after I finish training. Always possible to fly that later in my career though.

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60% of the time it works....every time.

Volcom370Z

They have a jet pipeline? Likely its a fixed wing or rotary wing pipeline. Fighter slots are givien to the top guys in pilot training, so you gotta studdy your a** off. Just my , find some Navy fighter pilots, and talk to them about the lifestyle. Everyone thinks the fighter pilot route is badass and exciting, but fighter pilots plan for about 3 hrs for every 1 hour flown, so you can do the math. I recommend keeping your options open. Fixed wing could be a P-3, EA-6B, S-3, etc... all of which would blow IMO... Make sure you do your research...

Fighter pilots plan for about 3 hrs for every 1 hour flown, so you can do the math...

XwChriswX

Thats pretty cool, but I wouldn't hold my breath for the 35 br0, its waaaaay behind schedule and they STILL can't decide what engine to go with lol.

The EA-6B is being replaced by the F/A-18G, so if he wants to do that, just stick with the F/A-18 like he's thinking...

As for mission planning, I know all about that. I'm a ground controller, so I do all of that planning/briefing/debriefing with them. I must say its awesome and an asspain at the same time lol. Basically I know everything they know aside from the physical part of flying the jet, I know all the tactics, abilities of the aircraft and its systems, the munitions it carries, the airspaces and formations they fly in... Everything. It's pretty cool to be enlisted and telling all these egotistical officer frat boy pilots what to do.

If you go fighter thats all well and good. But if not, theres nothing wrong with being a C-17 or C-130 pilot. Those are some extremely capable aircraft for being cargo planes. I've seen demonstrations where a C-130 was doing evasiveness testing against SAM's and needless to say, that C-130 could make the fighter boys think twice...

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Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

Volcom370Z

Agreed! I'm enlisted right now too as a boom operator, so I share your pride in telling pilots whats what . He'd need to look into the AF for C-17s but that is an AMAZING airframe. I'm trying to get into HH-60s for their rescue mission. I think the best part of being a fighter pilot would be being actually strapped into the seat and flying, the rest of the extensive planning and BS, would suck IMO.

XwChriswX

I'd love to fly as a loadmaster or boomer, but since I can't swim, all flight training is out for me. FML lol

But yeah, but thats the price you pay... Everytime I see them take off and go full AB 60* nose up to the sky, I understand why they are so cocky because that is I'm sorry, straight bad ass LOL But then I remember they are usually arrogant pricks and I'm glad I'm not that way lol.

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Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

Afterburner

There are 3 pipelines you can go down after primary fixed wing training which are fixed wing jet, fixed wing turboprop, or rotary wing. Fighter slots are generally given to the top guys, but the number of slots per class can vary from class to class, so a lot of it is just luck as well. Unless you're in the top 2 or something.

My dad was an S-3 pilot, which he loved but they're retiring all squadrons soon if it hasn't been done already. I'm finishing up an aerospace engineering major right now and I'm well aware of the studying required to fly military aircraft, as well as the lifestyle. I've talked to a lot of different Navy pilots and even my recruiter was a chopper pilot in the Navy. Most of them say there's a lot of good and a lot of bad to the career, but in general the good parts definitely outweigh the bad.

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60% of the time it works....every time.

Volcom370Z

Awesome! I just wanted to make sure you knew the ins and outs of something like that. I've met too many people that are gung ho to be fighter guys without knowing anything about the lifestyle or the flying. Just wanted to help out a little, I'd hate to see someone go into that blind.

Tronchaser

Go Hoovers! I worked on S-3 electronics for 6 years back in the '90's. Nothing like the sound of a giant vacuum cleaner to make you smile!