Official Aviation Thread...

[FL318is]

gkurey.

VT7, NASMER?

I was crash crew when they had T2s and A4s

[gkurey]

gkurey.

VT7, NASMER?

I was crash crew when they had T2s and A4s

Yep, Meridian! Crazy how small the world is on here...never thought I'd catch a few people on the e30 forum who have some direct involvement with Trawing 1, haha! What do you do now?

FLYNAVY, I'll shoot you a PM if I end up going...I think they are trying to get us a NALO out there!

[FLYNAVY]

Yep, Meridian! Crazy how small the world is on here...never thought I'd catch a few people on the e30 forum who have some direct involvement with Trawing 1, haha! What do you do now?

FLYNAVY, I'll shoot you a PM if I end up going...I think they are trying to get us a NALO out there!

Nice dude, yeah let me know. We got a NALO that year, a shitty old C-9. I remember it being loaded up with all of us, and the takeoff roll they used every damn inch of that runway to get airborne. Watched the LSO shack fly by, as well as heard the long field gear clunk under us. Friend of mine was on wheels watch, and said that we just barely cleared the trees. Ended up having a hyd pump fail, they declared an emergency and we held over Fallon for about 45 mins before we landed to be greeted by every fire truck on the station. The guys in tin foil suits opened the aft hatch to welcome us :) Luckily I think most of the VR flights now are on C-40's so that is nice. In spite of our wild trip out there, it sure beat the guys coming from Pax that rode a C-130 for like 8 hrs. Speaking of bad airlift experiences, I had my first COD ride and trap the other day heading out to the boat. First time I have ever not flown myself out to a boat det. Not cool......looked like a haunted house inside, no windows, sitting backwards, smoke machine (aka ECS), and the thing sounded like a dying vacuum cleaner in the groove right before the trap. Most uncomfortable flying experience ever.

[cale]

Question. Every response to someone's sharing of their possible future in the Air Force it's immediately told to them that they should get their commission...is the enlisted life down there really that bad? I'm an NCM (enlisted) aircraft structures tech up here and am quite pleased with it. Of course there are more opportunities as an officer, but I'm by no means stuck in a rut. Maintainer's are guaranteed $60k after 4 years with all the benefits to go with it which really isn't bad for a fresh out of school with 0 prior* training job. Why is it that I seem to see the officer route being pushed so hard?

[blkbma]

So I'll admit I haven't read the whole thread, but how many ppl holders are on here and where did you learn?

I'm now in a position to pick up my training again and am looking for advice from others regarding schools based in Santa Monica and experiences. I want to stay on a traditional cockpit (no glass) and prefer high wing aircraft. Who would you recommend? I have logged 6 hours on a c152 in Australia.

I have not flown in the USA officially although I did fly an sr22 from Santa Monica to Vegas earlier this year with a buddy who holds a CPL and I can saw wow the speed of the plane and flying with glass was very overwhelming! I felt like I spent more time trying to understand the panel than I did flying..

I should mention, I wish to learn on a traditional cockpit over glass as I feel I learn more about proper technique and surroundings. Not all will agree with this and one day I'd love to be flying cross country with my wife on full glass but that day is many, many moons away :)

[hoveringuy]

Nice dude, yeah let me know. We got a NALO that year, a shitty old C-9. I remember it being loaded up with all of us, and the takeoff roll they used every damn inch of that runway to get airborne.

Shitty old C-9? Go wash your mouth with soap...

Out of Fallon we could fill about 75 of the 90 seats and take just enough gas to go to Lemoore, where the DA was low enough for us to fill the tanks and make it across the Rockies. I always got a good look at the Fallon long field gear.

If Lemoore was hot we had at least two more stops on the way to Oceana.

I always felt bad for my Pax because a C-40 could depart with every seat filled and make it direct.

Going to Hawaii was even worse. We were sweating every drop and if the winds were off a few knots a mid-flight abort wasn't unusual.

The seats were really comfortable, though. C-9 had lots of character.

[FLYNAVY]

Going to Hawaii was even worse. We were sweating every drop and if the winds were off a few knots a mid-flight abort wasn't unusual.

The seats were really comfortable, though. C-9 had lots of character.

Wow, I had no idea the -9 had the legs for that (even if only marginally so). That would be a long flight in that jet, at least from a passenger perspective. Are they completely gone now? I haven't seen one in a long while, but then again VR-56 is in the hangar next door to ours, so they do most of our NALO runs in their fancy C-40's (that they keep holed up in their brand spanking new hangar)

[Ral]

Speaking of bad airlift experiences, I had my first COD ride and trap the other day heading out to the boat. First time I have ever not flown myself out to a boat det. Not cool......looked like a haunted house inside, no windows, sitting backwards, smoke machine (aka ECS), and the thing sounded like a dying vacuum cleaner in the groove right before the trap. Most uncomfortable flying experience ever.

Yup, about right. It's a little better up front, but not by much. Just wait until you see us use a paper clip to jump-start the engine and keep the starter open long enough for the RPM's to come up. I've got quite a few stories about the crazy shit that happens to keep these things flying on pretty much a parking lot in Bahrain. 5 more months....

[hoveringuy]

Wow, I had no idea the -9 had the legs for that (even if only marginally so). That would be a long flight in that jet, at least from a passenger perspective. Are they completely gone now? I haven't seen one in a long while, but then again VR-56 is in the hangar next door to ours, so they do most of our NALO runs in their fancy C-40's (that they keep holed up in their brand spanking new hangar)

Not completely gone. VR-61 Whidbey still operates them, although I think every other squadron has transitioned. They call the C-40 the "Lexus of the fleet" which to me means reliable but utterly boring.

The C-9 has aux tanks that bring fuel up to 40.000 lbs. To get JEPS obstacle clearance out of Travis going to Hawaii we had to depart downwind, rotating near the end of the runway with crazy ground speed.

[FLYNAVY]

To get JEPS obstacle clearance out of Travis going to Hawaii we had to depart downwind, rotating near the end of the runway with crazy ground speed.

Sounds like normal Ops at NTU. We routinely land with 15-20 kt direct tailwinds just because tower can't figure out how to change runways. Don't get me started on any emergency in progress (which could include a precautionary trap for an anti-skid caution)........the whole field shuts down, and you can expect to be holding at TABUE until you are min fuel and nearly an emergency yourself........nevermind the fact that we have 2 sets of dual runways with gear and FLOLS at a minimum at both ends (of either one). You can't even get a taxi clearance. I landed the other night, and sat there holding short of the inboard runway for 28 minutes, just so that some RAG dude could take a trap on a completely different runway.

At Ral, are you in -30 or -40? Some friends of mine watched a couple of the -30 dudes (a few months back) nearly fly into the ocean after a soft cat.......apparently they had an end speed of 78 kts or something insane.

[hoveringuy]

Sounds like normal Ops at NTU.

You're basically talking about the crazy logic of closing NAS Cecil...

[FLYNAVY]

You're basically talking about the crazy logic of closing NAS Cecil...

I'd rather live here than there, but I'm with you.....it is a better place to fly these jets from. The JSF may really shift a lot of things around. There are currently zero squadron facilities at Oceana that are currently capable of hosting a program like the F-35, which is why there has been discussion of odd places like Cherry Point (can't see how that will be better), Eglin and (not so odd) Lemoore. Either way, I'm now used to flying amongst heavy encroachment after 2 years @ Miramar and a year out here. I do my best to be a good neighbor, but with Fentress closed, our night bounce periods (when it comes time for FCLP's) don't make us any friends. Neither does me staying in max AB until right up to the airfield boundary so that I can get some speed on the jet in a really critical phase of flight, and get up and away from the ground and various apartment complexes off the end of RWY 5L/R. That part is within the rules, but at the end of the day, I am going to do what is required for safety of flight, which on a hot day with a heavy load means getting fast as quickly as possible. I also live right under the traffic pattern for 32L/R and 23L/5R so their pain is my pain.

[Ral]

I'd rather live here than there, but I'm with you.....it is a better place to fly these jets from. The JSF may really shift a lot of things around. There are currently zero squadron facilities at Oceana that are currently capable of hosting a program like the F-35, which is why there has been discussion of odd places like Cherry Point (can't see how that will be better), Eglin and (not so odd) Lemoore. Either way, I'm now used to flying amongst heavy encroachment after 2 years @ Miramar and a year out here. I do my best to be a good neighbor, but with Fentress closed, our night bounce periods (when it comes time for FCLP's) don't make us any friends. Neither does me staying in max AB until right up to the airfield boundary so that I can get some speed on the jet in a really critical phase of flight, and get up and away from the ground and various apartment complexes off the end of RWY 5L/R. That part is within the rules, but at the end of the day, I am going to do what is required for safety of flight, which on a hot day with a heavy load means getting fast as quickly as possible. I also live right under the traffic pattern for 32L/R and 23L/5R so their pain is my pain.

I'm in -40. We heard quite a bit about it though- it's scary shit. They went off the deck with 92 kts. As for flying around VA Beach, it's not fun. Things can get busy out here, and dealing with the accents can be challenging until you develop an ear for it, but at least once you're at altitude they typically leave you alone. Right before I left, there was some dude lasing y'all in the pattern at night- did they ever find him? it had a lot of my friends pretty worked up.

[FLYNAVY]

I'm in -40. We heard quite a bit about it though- it's scary shit. They went off the deck with 92 kts. As for flying around VA Beach, it's not fun. Things can get busy out here, and dealing with the accents can be challenging until you develop an ear for it, but at least once you're at altitude they typically leave you alone. Right before I left, there was some dude lasing y'all in the pattern at night- did they ever find him? it had a lot of my friends pretty worked up.

Yeah buddy!:

http://hamptonroads.com/2012/07/va-beach-man-pleads-guilty-shining-laser-jet

I got lased once in that time-frame, presumably by the guy (as we haven't had any notable recent events). I'd take our controllers here over GK though......they are in a different world over there, almost as awesome as Beaver out on the west coast :)

[bastianshaw]

those corsairs are DOPE