Question about Naval Aviation?

[B-J-J Fighter]

I was at PFN yesterday on a trip and met some SNA's. They were helo guys but I picked there brain a little about naval aviation, specifically jets. THey said that guys flying jets made there first landing on the boat without an IP. Is there any kind of ceremony for this first landing on the boat? Any name for it? For the guys who have done it, does the first landing make you nervous? My son is 3 yrs old going on 22, and loves airplanes. I really want him to fly navy or AF if thats what HE wants to do. Thanks.

 

[FNG24]

Yep...first time all by your lonesome, all you get is a slap on the ass and a **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED**ty grade usually...lol

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

Thanks FNG. Is the first one really nerve wrecking?

 

[Papyco]

I qualified on the carrier not too long ago, so memory of that event is still pretty fresh.



There is no IP when you qualify on the boat for the first time (or ever, actually). Instead, you have an LSO on the carrier doing the yelling and screaming. There was no “ceremony”, the only thing I got was a cat shot about 5 minutes after my first trap. That was better than any ceremony I could have asked for.



I don’t remember anything special about my first trap. Except that the only thing I was looking at was the lens. The lens was the only thing that looked familiar to me, every thing else scared the s#!t out of me (huge boat, water everywhere, moving deck, super structure), so I decided to look at the lens and to hell with everything else. Including the line up………apparently

 

['LUVIN LIFE]

The ceremony is that, by the grace of God, you're not dead. Then after a short celebration of life you taxi to the cat and within a couple minutes launch to continue defying death all by your lonesome while not having much of a clue that what you're doing is pretty insane. Then when you're done you say that it wasn't all that bad forgetting that maintenance just had to clean the crap out of the cushion you just left soiled in the cockpit. And night traps don't even happen for another year or so!

But in all seriousness, there is nothing better than having bagging traps on a gorgeous day and having the "say" that we are Naval Aviators. Truly no one else can fathom what it is we do. Are we proud? Of course, we're pilots! How many people can say they have landed on a pitching deck plus or minus 20 feet with no diverts, the weather at a couple hundred feet and it's snowing. Did I mention the tanker is sour and Paddles doesn't want you to pass up any wires so they can grab a slider? The stories do become more grandiose as time carries on but that's another great tradition all in itself!

Your son is off to an early start. Best advice is to have him watch Bridges over Toko Ri (the monologue at the end of the movie speaks to everything we are) and the Battle of Midway a hundred times. TopGun if you must!

Good luck and FLY NAVY!

 

[SIG600]

"Take the taxi 1 wire so we can make midrats."

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

He loves Top Gun, really he likes any movie or tv show w/ airplanes. It's really hard riding in a car with him because he points out any and all aircraft he sees and will not quit pointing them out until you acknowledge him. It's actually quite funny sometimes, it also makes me smile ear to ear.

 

[SIG600]

He's got the bug man.. embrace it. I pray my kids get it (whenever I have some). My aunt would drive me through Pcola NAS and she said when I was 6 I could name everything with wings. Just don't force it on em, and don't pay their way. My dad's a pilot, but still made me pay for 50% of all my flying through high school. You know they've got it bad when they get their first paycheck and go "sweet, thats good for 2.4 hours!"

 

[skywiz]

da boat

I would have to say landing on the boat (T-45A) was most awsome experience of my life.

Solo, flying formation 100 miles off the coast, knowing you will be coming to a stop from 120 kts in 2 seconds - there were a few butterflies in my stomach!

I must say the cat shot was the best ride in the park! I definitely recommend it!

FLY NAVY

 

[DashCojones]

My first catshot took me by such surprise that I had the mike keyed the whole way down the stroke...grunting on tower. Then you hear the boss "Off cat 2, everything OK?"