Joshua1uno
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Can Navy pilots transition from the E-2 Hawkeye/P-3 to Fighters? Or does anybody know of any who have? Just curious.
Can Navy pilots transition from the E-2 Hawkeye/P-3 to Fighters?
- Thread starter Joshua1uno
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I can’t speak from experience but I’m pretty sure it’s similar to Air Force dudes where we more or less stay with the same platform (mobility, fighters, etc) throughout a career. That said, it’s not unheard of to see a guy with time in completely different airframes, just not the norm.
Extremely rare.
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This
Even after becoming a Test Pilot with actual experience in the airframes, the pilots will almost always go back to their original community. This is largely due to differing mission sets and tactics.
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"Back in the day" in the AF...we had an exchange program...pilots could submit a package for exchange into a different weapon system and if chosen, they did a tour in that system. Then they returned to their career field. We had fighter pilots come to bombers, tankers, and transports, and heavy drivers transitioned to fighters.
It was a good program.
SO good...the AF cut it. Their reasoning was "why train a pilot in a different weapon system that they're only going to do one tour in?"
Today, at least in the AF, while you "might" crossflow from, say, a B-52 to a B-1 or B-2, or an A-10 to an F-16 or F-35, you're not going to flow from a C-17 to an F-15. The two-track SUPT system pretty much assured that.
Steve
(blessed to fly heavies, trainers, and fighters)
It was a good program.
SO good...the AF cut it. Their reasoning was "why train a pilot in a different weapon system that they're only going to do one tour in?"
Today, at least in the AF, while you "might" crossflow from, say, a B-52 to a B-1 or B-2, or an A-10 to an F-16 or F-35, you're not going to flow from a C-17 to an F-15. The two-track SUPT system pretty much assured that.
Steve
(blessed to fly heavies, trainers, and fighters)
NinoBaldacci
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Just my personal AF experience, but I worked with a guy who flew the BONE then at some point in his career transitioned to the U-28. I don't know the circumstances around the change, but it can happen. In the earlier part of this decade, there was a decent group that switched from manned platforms to unmanned, but I don't think that is necessarily pertinent to your question.
Usnavy2019
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Yes. You have to complete a first sea tour to apply for the Aviation Warfare Transition (the program name at the Navy Personnel Command). Right now, fighters are taking transitions since the retention in the fighter community is not great. That is subject to change, however. To transition, there are a lot of factors at play. Your current community has to be able to and be okay with giving you up, the community you want has to be able and want to take you, your front office (CO/XO) has to be supportive, you have to have good FITREPs (evaluations), and a good reputation. Transitioning also can come with career consequences, but plenty of people have transitioned and have done quite well in the Navy.
In my short time in flight school, it has become quite apparent that every community has its pros/cons and its own place in the Navy. There aren't really any terrible deals. Plus, there have been more than a few people I have met that said "I did not want to fly this platform out of flight school, but I love it, it's the best thing in the Navy, and I wouldn't change a thing."
In my short time in flight school, it has become quite apparent that every community has its pros/cons and its own place in the Navy. There aren't really any terrible deals. Plus, there have been more than a few people I have met that said "I did not want to fly this platform out of flight school, but I love it, it's the best thing in the Navy, and I wouldn't change a thing."