What most on the outside do not realize is that one's platform is normally totally self-selecting.
Wow, didn't realize the Navy just let every pilot candidate start their training class and select whatever aircraft best suits them, letting their desires be the judge on which aircraft they are best suited for.
Silly AF, we just judge which of our pilot candidates are actually the best pilots, then we give them their top choice. Of course, this sometimes meant that folks that graduate near the bottom of their class don't always get their top desire or are placed in an airframe that best fits their personality. We just feel so ashamed at this travesty...
Back in the day of true attack and true fighters, as a VERTREP pilot
So, what exactly is a true attack plane and a true fighter in your esteemed opinion? And this is based on what experience you have in a modern fighter to compare it to?
Granted, I would have LOVED to been flying in a some of the older birds such as a Mustang, Sabre, or Rhino. Great planes all. And with different capabilities than today, but also being flown in different mission types for different circumstances than what we see in the current conflicts. But the Eagle, Viper, Hog, and Hornet are outstanding birds as well, capable of amazing things, which has been proven time and time again since the early 80s. Yeah, they all qualify as TRUE fighter and attack aircraft, in my humble opinion.
I could walk into the dirty shirt mess and usually almost instantly, without knowing anyone personally, before the days of walking I-love-me walls, pick out the platforms of the various tables. Fighters totally different than attack, Tacair totally different than ASW and VAW, fixed totally different than rotary. Maybe a little of 'which came first the chicken or the egg', but nevertheless a gravitation from day one to the platform for which they were best suited. And consequently the effort in flight school necessary to achieve that particular goal.
My experience is a little different. I certainly agree that each community has its own traits and idiosyncrasies, but its more of a "you live the life, you learn to act the same way" scenario. EVERY community gets its share of all types; its more a matter of "once you get to your unit, you learn to do it the XXXXX way". Emulating those more experienced you, copying the way they do things (ESPECIALLY in the squadron you all work out of and the within the overall flying community you all belong to), that has the greatest impact on why one community acts a certain way. The crews tend to "gravitate to each other" in the mess hall because its what they are used to.
To give the impression to the young people here that they can just walk into the first day of flight training and the instructors will immediately start categorizing which aircraft they will get based on their personality or how they act is simply wrong. Granted, personality does play a small part in the instructors thoughts on where a student might be a good fit, but 95% of the equation comes down to how good a stick the student is.
When the strike-fighter came into the inventory, I asked a good friend, a F-14 pilot, the first CAG to go take the F/A-18s to sea, what it was like. He said they were lost, did not know how to act.
I can only imagine. But I'm betting it was mostly because how much the mission changed when they switched from Tomcats (which were more focused on air-to-air protection of the fleet, with just a little bit of knowledge in the later years on dropping a bomb or two), to Hornets (where the primary focus is on interdiction and strike, with a mix of air-to-air as well). I'm betting the learning curve on that first cruise was STEEP, good air-to-air skills, but a lot to learn on air-to-ground. Fortunately, and to be expected, these guys were/are great aviators who were flying another TRUE fighter, they learned quickly. From my experiences flying with them, they are real professionals and experts in both missions now.
And I never figured out what made an NFO tick.
Usually it was the fact I got to ride everyday in a TRUE fighter like the Mud Hen (or a strike aircraft like the Varks I started in).
Could never figure out helo guys, though. Particularly their fascination with spurs and cowboy hats.
I mean, if you really just wanted to go so slow only a few feet in the air, why not get a balloon or kite?
basilrathbone said:
When you are at Tuesday morning of Hell Week and you are more tired & miserable than you thought possible, the lack of a good back up plan can be a great motivator.
Again, at that point in the process, I'm hoping and expecting desire to be a PRIME motivator. But I'm thinking that in February just prior to that summer, there were about 1500 kids sitting at home still waiting for that Big Envelope, with just as much desire and hope as everyone else. Perhaps we should be telling them, "You've got the desire, that's all you need. No need to plan for anything else."
Or perhaps it might be a little more prudent to say "You got the desire, and we know you'll do great when you get there. But just in case, would you want to send in an application to another school now so you try again next year in case something happens?"
Again, I don't plan on dieing anytime soon, but I keep my life insurance policy current and paid for, just in case. Don't you?
