Marine Aviation Question

[SIG600]

Man, I thought that guys that bombed out of P3 training got sent to FA-18s.

FJ

Is there a joke here I'm not getting?

Didn't mean for it to sound condecending, but it's the reality of the training command.

 

[zippy]

Marine Aviation =
F-18
AV8B harrier
T-34 for instruction
T2 Texan for instruction
T44 twin for instruction
C-130 Legacy as well as New J model
V-22 Osprey (helo transitions to Fixed wing)

Bell jet ranger helo trainer
CH-46
CH-53
Cobra
Huey

What did I miss?

Fly Marine!

EA-6B Prowler, and T-45 replacing the T-2 (for pilot training)

The Tiltrotor guys fly the TC-12 for intermediate and then got to helo advanced.

 

[AVDAD]

Thanks to all for the PMs, I have sent the information a long to my son. Some of this stuff is golden and I appreciate you all taking the time to pass it along.
FYI, yesterday was service selection day at the Naval Academy and the parent board was a buzz with messages on who got first choice and who did not. Lots of excitement. I guess this time next year I'll be one of the buzzers.

Some of these birds I'm not familar with, is the T-2 the turboprop Beach? The T-44 I'm going to have to look up.

Have a great holiday season and God bless,

Avdad

 

[FlyingSkip]

With civilian tiltrotors showing up on the horizon, I don't see many of the Marines (and AF types too with the MVs online soon) worrying about logging it as fixed-wing time---that "tilt rotor" column is going to be pretty valuable come interview time for one of those type jobs!

This said by a Phrog guy that never wanted to fly one of the darn things, but can accept the realities of job hunting down the road.

As a note---I went to Canoe U looking to be a Navy jet guy and graduated committed to being a Marine helo bubba. The reason? The impressive face that our Marine instructors put on in front of us, the esprit de corps, and the desire to be part of a real team rather than just being a glamour guy doing my solo thing. I ended up with a few flights in an 18, but I'm most proud of the support I could give the riflemen from a helo. Sounds like this kid has his sights set right---your airframe doesn't define you, the desire to be the best you can be does! Semper Fi to him, and tell him he still has one he** of a ride in front of him---enjoy every minute of it!

 

[Falconjet]

Sig: yes, it was just a bit of a joke, hence the little smiley guy at the beginning of the post. Guess it wasn't too funny.

FJ

 

[1stCivDiv]

T-44 = King Air

 

[AVDAD]

Thanks for the heads up. The Beach Turbo Prop I spoke of is the T-34 I believe and I have looked up the T-45. Now I am some what up to speed, I guess.

Thanks AvDad

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Good Choice

It sounds like your son has the right attitude - wanting to be a Marine aviator. Notice the order of the words; Marine first, aviator second. Not to be over zealous, but if you select the Marines and don't see it that way, you set yourself up for disappointment. The chances of being a "pilot" are probably better in the other services or guard. That being said, I would not trade ANYTHING for the opportunities I have been afforded in the USMC. From flying Hornets off the carrier at night to landing a Herk on goggles on a road in Iraq, the mission has always been the same - support the Marines on the ground. It has been a tremendous honor to serve with and for my fellow Marines.

S/F

 

[CCDiscoB]

I thought they retired the AV8B. What a POS. Do the Marines really need VTOL? So they can fly it off that one small flat top they have. The F-35 is years away and with the Marine requirement for VTOL it maybe even longer.

 

[Jafar]

I thought they retired the AV8B. What a POS. Do the Marines really need VTOL? So they can fly it off that one small flat top they have. The F-35 is years away and with the Marine requirement for VTOL it maybe even longer.

They haven't retired it yet, but they have crashed over half of them built. They'll run out before a V/STOL F-35 arrives on the scene. Harriers have killed over 50 Marine officers.

The Marines have been obsessed with this vertical business for years now. When has a vertical takeoff fixed wing aircraft ever proved decisive in battle? Don't bring up the Falklands, it doesn't count. If the Brits had real aircraft carriers they wouldn't have been using Harriers.

Osprey is another prime example. Many Marines dead, 30 years in the making and it still isn't fully operational.

Harriers were really good at waking those of us up that had the privilege of berthing right under the flight deck, but that's about all I can think of...

 

[SIG600]

Harriers were really good at waking those of us up that had the privilege of berthing right under the flight deck, but that's about all I can think of...

You think it's any quieter under a carrier flight deck? At least you didn't have arresting gear or catapults going off!!!

 

[Scrapdog]

You think it's any quieter under a carrier flight deck? At least you didn't have arresting gear or catapults going off!!!

Sig - maybe you guys can arm wrestle about who gets to spend more quality time with a bunch of dudes...a Navy flyer on a bo-at for 6 months in close quarters or a marine yelling "hooah" between every pronoun. Sounds like an interesting competition to me.

All in good fun my friend.

 

[Future SNA]

I'm hearing all this YAY FOR THE NAVY talk so I need to go ahead and throw a little common sense clause in here too:
% chance you get Jets in the Marine Corps if your NSS is over 52, right now and the forceable future = 95%

% chance you get Jets in the Navy if your NSS is over 52, very recently, about 40%

IMHO, the Marine Corps rewards excellence, the Navy rewards CNATRA with quotas met, w/o a litmus test.

 

[SIG600]

I'm hearing all this YAY FOR THE NAVY talk so I need to go ahead and throw a little common sense clause in here too:
% chance you get Jets in the Marine Corps if your NSS is over 52, right now and the forceable future = 95%

% chance you get Jets in the Navy if your NSS is over 52, very recently, about 40%

IMHO, the Marine Corps rewards excellence, the Navy rewards CNATRA with quotas met, w/o a litmus test.

You're f'ing kidding me right? The pendulum swings both ways, in both branches. Quit drinking the kool-aide, go study... tell J Dizzle I said hi.

Sig - maybe you guys can arm wrestle about who gets to spend more quality time with a bunch of dudes...a Navy flyer on a bo-at for 6 months in close quarters or a marine yelling "hooah" between every pronoun. Sounds like an interesting competition to me.

All in good fun my friend.

Small price to pay for the chance to actually see the action, and the world.

 

[Future SNA]

Okay, I agree Mr. Tact, Sir, that yes the pendulum does swing both ways, but I'll tell you this, I know like 15 Navy guys that have had 55-60 NSS' and haven't gotten J1 or J2 even though they put them first. Heck, I know a guy, in my Primary class, that got a 55, didn't even get one of his first FOUR choices.

On the flip side, I know NUMEROUS Marines that have had 52.1, 52.5, etc and get J1 or J2, but more importantly, I know Marines that have gotten 60, 67, 69 NSS' and command has gone to bat for them because they wanted helos, and guess what, in a time of EVERYBODY OVER 52 GETS JETS, they got helos.

Get past the YAY NAVY statement, and look at the facts, right now isn't how it was 10 years ago.