Recent content by pilot2b

There absolutely is a sub draft when necessary. The Navy just loves to spread the myth that all submariners are volunteers. How this looks at USNA can be a bit sneaky. USNA has been known to say someone put subs as their "first choice" when in reality that person was forced to appear before a...

None of the slang listed is used today. Very few mids would have ever heard of those terms. "Wife" and "Sandblower" are probably the most common from the past in that list, but I don't see many references using it past the Vietnam era. I suspect women arriving at the academy in 1976 helped to...

I never once wore my choker whites at USNA, so it definitely is doable. It makes a nice gift to give to buddies with a similar build who commission into the Navy as well.

That isn't an issue from my perspective - the males know they aren't trailblazing. I could name a half dozen of my female academy classmates off the top of my head that talk as though they were in the class of '80, shattering glass ceilings, breaking down barriers, and are the most inspirational...

I may catch some flak for this, but coming from a male perspective, here's the most important thing - don't overthink the fact that you're likely outnumbered in terms of male/female ratios and don't think of yourself as some kind of trailblazer. There are now 40 years of female grads from...

usna1985, While you don't necessarily HAVE to, it's generally seen in a pretty negative light by the Marines on the yard to put non-specwar Navy service selections above Marine Corps. And yes, you could mix and match Navy/USMC - for example, put Marine pilot #1, Navy pilot #2, then Marine...

Something else to consider is the experience level that squadrons need to maintain. There needs to be healthy mix in every squadron of senior pilots with loads of quals under their belt, newer pilots fresh from the FRS, and everything in between. Otherwise, you eventually end up with a problem...

This. If you can't handle the fear of Covid while at USNA, DOR.

I think I can answer this. I had a direct appointment to USAFA and an offer to NAPS. I chose NAPS because I decided I wanted to be a Naval Aviator - specifically a Marine one. Disclaimer - I haven't been in the AF, so I'm speaking from one perspective here. However, I have several friends who...

Not to insult your son, but if he's still at NAS Pensacola, that means he hasn't even started flying yet beyond possibly IFS. He doesn't know the first thing about selection and neither do any of the Marines he may be hanging out with. Now that that's out of the way, I'll give you my...

Yes, it could. The most obvious example is C-130s, which tend to do short, frequent deployments to various locations. Skids on the other hand (Hueys and Cobras), do regular stints of 6 or 7 months in Okinawa or on a MEU (basically floating around on a ship waiting for war to pop off)...

Marine pilot here. Some of the answer to your question depends on the platform. Do enlisted fly on your platform with you (for example, P-8, an H-60, V-22, etc) or do you fly alone or just with another officer (F-18 for example). Leadership is certainly relevant on a daily basis interacting on...

There are a handful of guys who commission with that in their job description. Just like you stated, a handful of guys serve a short period of time as a SWO (long enough to earn their SWO pin) then transfer. These handful of guys know from the time of service assignment on that they will...

Good riddance. Taxpayers pay good money to support USNA. It's healthy to separate the chaff from the wheat, and having that happen earlier rather than later saves taxpayer money and headache for those mids who will turn into dedicated officers.

There's more than just a grain. There are a number of Air Force pilots instructing in Primary for the USN/USMC/USCG. Nearly every single one of them will tell you how glad they are to be around Naval Air training for a few years, since they have so much more freedom to make decisions (aka do...