Air Force vs. Naval Aviation: My Thoughts

Status
Not open for further replies.
raimius said:
For those that don't know, the USAF has a very proud helo heritage.
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/pedros.htm
http://www.afsoc.af.mil/library/afsocheritage/afsoccsarheritage.asp
Click to expand...

yawn, I work with a couple of retired AF egg beater pilots (one's even a AFA grad). Very yawn...:smile:

Most exciting thing by far one of them ever did was get some CV-22 time before he retired.

Seriously, want to clear a room? Ask them to talk about AF chopper missions. Most leave to go work on a PowerPoint or spreadsheet...
 
Last edited:
Can't forget about Coast Guard Aviation. Now there's some challenging flying!
 
luckymacy said:
Seriously, want to clear a room? Ask them to talk about AF chopper missions. Most leave to go work on a PowerPoint or spreadsheet...
Click to expand...
Think they would change their mind if they were AF stiff wingers sitting in a life raft 200 miles at sea in the middle of the winter, at night, with about a half mile of visibility and a 500' ceiling and looked up to the beat of rotor blades and saw a helo with a refueling probe on the end? Some of their over water rescues, due to their ability to refuel, have made my blood run cold. It can get real lonely all the way out there with no place to go except in the water. And a few crews have been lost. I doubt if the crews they were trying to save would get up and walk off in a helo driver started talking.
 
My son has been a Navy Tomcat/Super Hornet pilot FAC(A) since 2002 now on his 5th deployment to the Middle East. The Navy does the same thing. Only they think it is a part of their job, not worthy of a DFC.

And personally, having spent 24 years in the Navy flying both fixed wing off carriers and helos off all types of ships, it is always fun to listen to the AFtypes attempt to disparage Navy helo ops. They don't have a clue. They must somehow equate it to the Channel 12 Eye In The Sky which they observe from their living room easy chair every night.
Click to expand...

luckymacy said:
Yeah, that's why no serious pilot thinks of the Navy, they are so part time...
Click to expand...
For the record, I was talking about standard 7-10 month Navy deployments, not AF overnighters.

dadkone said:
For some reason I have never been more motivated to see AFA decisively defeat Navy in football this coming fall (2011). I mean really win, and totally!
Click to expand...

lucky, dad, just for the record, could you both tell us how many combat deployments you each have made and in what type aircraft so we can adjust our barbs accordingly.
 
Last edited:
For The Record

For the record, I never have been involved in a combat deployment. In 1954, I did fly to England in a KC-97 and in the same year, the back seat of a F-94 Starfire at Selfridge Field, MI. So clearly, no combat deployment for Dad -
But it's important to state that I have a great respect for the US Navy, its officers and men, its magnificent academy and its fliers, including Mongo.
That being said, I am equally eager to see the Naval Academy's football team laid waste by the AFA in Annapolis, MD, Oct. 1, 2011.
 
This thread should be locked now. We are hurting every future cadet with this peeing contest.

Mongo, you are correct every guy in the pond lives to hear that whirl from the helos.

However, you don't enter the AFA site and start insulting the host.
Only they think it is a part of their job, not worthy of a DFC.
Click to expand...
...implying the Navy fliers are so much better than the AF when it comes to their dedication.

That pilot did not put his name in, his commanders did, and than it went up the ranks. DFC's are not candy. You were not on that mission, nobody de-briefed you on the mission. Why after 17 yrs out of the military can't you say Congrats!

That was an insult to the crew, and your military brethren. Yes, the AF is your brethren. Just as the Navy and the Army are the AF's brethren.

Lucky,

Mongo gave not only 24 yrs of his life, including combat in Nam, but now his kid serves AD, and has for yrs. Plus he is a BGO. He deserves respect regarding what he did to protect this country, and how even yrs later he i there to insure our country is protected.

You would want nothing less if it came to your child. Remember, God has a way of smiting...for all you know in 5 yrs your DS could be an AF helo driver. You would take insult to anyone who insulted them with the power point comment.

Done being Mom here, flame on each other.

Mods, I think it is time to lock this thread because we are hurting the military and this site. Cadets, candidates, parents and lurkers may be closing the door to the military because of this.

Again Flame On!
 
Pima said:
This thread should be locked now. We are hurting every future cadet with this peeing contest.

Mongo, you are correct every guy in the pond lives to hear that whirl from the helos.

However, you don't enter the AFA site and start insulting the host. ...implying the Navy fliers are so much better than the AF when it comes to their dedication.

That pilot did not put his name in, his commanders did, and than it went up the ranks. DFC's are not candy. You were not on that mission, nobody de-briefed you on the mission. Why after 17 yrs out of the military can't you say Congrats!

That was an insult to the crew, and your military brethren. Yes, the AF is your brethren. Just as the Navy and the Army are the AF's brethren.

Lucky,

Mongo gave not only 24 yrs of his life, including combat in Nam, but now his kid serves AD, and has for yrs. Plus he is a BGO. He deserves respect regarding what he did to protect this country, and how even yrs later he i there to insure our country is protected.

You would want nothing less if it came to your child. Remember, God has a way of smiting...for all you know in 5 yrs your DS could be an AF helo driver. You would take insult to anyone who insulted them with the power point comment.

Done being Mom here, flame on each other.

Mods, I think it is time to lock this thread because we are hurting the military and this site. Cadets, candidates, parents and lurkers may be closing the door to the military because of this.

Again Flame On!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the intel Pima. I'm obviously new here and wouldn't be here unless my son and I were getting info. He comes across to me as a Troll with the perfectly apprapo and abrasive anonomys username with nothing better to do than hang around on the internet acting like a has been god. He reminds me of the kind of puff I meet at work with prior that after I get to know them I realized my wife (also a Boeing manager) knows as much or more about aviation than they do. I don't hide. I use my real name and a link in my signature so anyone can verify for themselves if what I have to say is worth listening to and therefore I stand by what I say when I write. I'll chalk it up to him just being a squid and get on with it.
 
I won't close it, but this will be a warning for anyone who chooses to post. No post are allowed that are insulting to another member of the forums. By insulting another service, you are in turn insulting members of the forum who are serving in, or have served in that branch of the service.

So, knock it off, grow up, and act like the adults that you are supposed to be.

Anyone who has a rebuttal to my comments in this post, please send me a PM. I don't want anymore BS in this forum.

Stealth_81
 
Stealth_81 said:
I won't close it, but this will be a warning for anyone who chooses to post. No post are allowed that are insulting to another member of the forums. By insulting another service, you are in turn insulting members of the forum who are serving in, or have served in that branch of the service.

So, knock it off, grow up, and act like the adults that you are supposed to be.

Anyone who has a rebuttal to my comments in this post, please send me a PM. I don't want anymore BS in this forum.

Stealth_81
Click to expand...


well said, i couldn't agree more! :thumb:
 
Well that got out of hand.

To get back to the original thread, you're asking the wrong questions. Think about the culture of the services - you'll spend more time around the people than in the air. Figure out in which service your backup options are better in - there's a lot of things that you have no control over that can prevent you from being a pilot.

I'm not naive, and I know a lot or most navy helicopter types thought they were gonna be jet pilots. But guess what? The vast majority get over the initial disappointment and love it. The ones who don't get over it are a huge pain. The point being, if you set your goal to be a fighter pilot, fine, but remember that odds are if you even get to be a pilot, you'll be flying something else. So don't make your air force vs navy choice based off who has the more glamorous stories.
 
Carrier, and Air Wing are both good books written by Tom Clancy. They give insight to the entire community; not just the pilots. And Carrier is one of the reasons I am trying to be a naval aviator instead of an AF pilot. But maybe these books can give you an un-biased view of each service. Good luck with your decision.
 
Apache said:
Carrier, and Air Wing are both good books written by Tom Clancy. They give insight to the entire community; not just the pilots. And Carrier is one of the reasons I am trying to be a naval aviator instead of an AF pilot. But maybe these books can give you an un-biased view of each service. Good luck with your decision.
Click to expand...

if you are basing the aspirations for the next 15+ years of your life off of two books, you had better watch Top Gun to seal the deal! :rolleyes:
 
Pima said:
That was an insult to the crew, and your military brethren. Yes, the AF is your brethren. Just as the Navy and the Army are the AF's brethren.
Click to expand...
Pima, you know better. I have served my time. Unlike EAA consultants, whatever that is, other wanabees, parents, and even dependants, I have earned the right to trade barbs, joke, and make fun of my fellow brothers in arms, no matter the color of their uniform. And they, me. My only problerm was that I mistakingly thought my adversary was a fellow warrior, not a wanabee whose claim to fame is that his wife works for Boeing. This does embarass me. I should have realized when medals came up that something was amiss. We all know the AF's propensity for handing out medals and that no self respecting AF officer can be anything other than embarassed as to how they are distributed, especially to officers. Did you notice in the article that the poor AF enlisted guy down on the ground, running around, getting his butt shot off, saving everyone's life, only got a AF Commendation? Seriously, please tell me though, that the DFC, even though exerpts from the citation seem to indicate it, did not include a 'V'. I can't imagine a fighter pilot, no matter what service, with very few exceptions, earning one since about 2004. I earned both mine and am damned proud of the fact.
 
Last edited:
endoftheline said:
if you are basing the aspirations for the next 15+ years of your life off of two books, you had better watch Top Gun to seal the deal! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
endoftheline, apparently you had your mind made up before you began this thread asking for advice. Not only is this a waste of everyone's time, it is definitely not the trait of a good leader.
 
Mongo said:
Pima, you know better. I have served my time. Unlike EAA consultants, whatever that is, other wanabees, parents, and even dependants, I have earned the right to trade barbs, joke, and make fun of my fellow brothers in arms, no matter the color of their uniform. And they, me. My only problerm was that I mistakingly thought my adversary was a fellow warrior, not a wanabee whose claim to fame is that his wife works for Boeing. This does embarass me. I should have realized when medals came up that something was amiss. We all know the AF's propensity for handing out medals and that no self respecting AF officer can be anything other than embarassed as to how they are distributed, especially to officers. Did you notice in the article that the poor AF enlisted guy down on the ground, running around, getting his butt shot off, saving everyone's life, only got a AF Commendation? Seriously, please tell me though, that the DFC, even though exerpts from the citation seem to indicate it, did not include a 'V'. I can't imagine a fighter pilot, no matter what service, with very few exceptions, earning one since about 2004. I earned both mine and am damned proud of the fact.
Click to expand...

Monga this was personal and has no place on this forum. I read her total response and this was way beyond!:frown:
 
endoftheline said:
if you are basing the aspirations for the next 15+ years of your life off of two books, you had better watch Top Gun to seal the deal! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

This is not what im basing my decision on, it just gives some insight as to how each service runs. I have done research for years and talked to pilots and aviators, I am just trying to help you reach your own decision. But like Mongo said, it seems like you already made up your mind.
 
Good Luck!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mongo said:
endoftheline, apparently you had your mind made up before you began this thread asking for advice. Not only is this a waste of everyone's time, it is definitely not the trait of a good leader.
Click to expand...

in the original post i never alluded to the fact that i was deciding between the two services. i was only asking for peer review on my commentary of each one. for all you know, i could be set on coast guard aviation! :eek:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top