Two Offers, Two Branches
09-12-2012, 07:40 PM
#21
On Reserve
Joined APC: Jul 2008
Position: MSP7ERB
Posts: 1,886
Originally Posted by tomgoodman
To be fair, that was SAC. Reportedly, LeMay had a sign in his office which said:
"To err is human; to forgive, divine.
Neither one is SAC policy."
"To err is human; to forgive, divine.
Neither one is SAC policy."
For fun, here's Gregory Peck in the classic "12 O'Clock High":
Urban legend:
A car sped through the entrance to staff Headquarters at SAC, Offutt AFB, in 1950, without stopping at the security checkpoint. The Security Policeman withdrew his sidearm and let out several shots. The car stopped, went in reverse, and its occupant came out of the car. It was General Curtis LeMay chewing out the Security Policeman for missing.
09-12-2012, 10:38 PM
#22
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2011
Posts: 174
Originally Posted by rickair7777
Good call. Far more career options as a pilot, you can do everything career-wise that a back-seater can, plus you get to fly airplanes, plus you typically get bigger retention bonuses, plus you can fly for the airlines if you eventually want to, plus you are generally less likely to get downsized from the military.
09-13-2012, 06:14 AM
#25
On Reserve
Joined APC: Nov 2009
Posts: 13
Without a doubt take the flying offer. If you have the option to go single-seat VFA go for it. Then you will get to fly and plan/navigate/operate/employ/calculate/manage/lead. Am I missing anything? You only get to live once and this may be a once in a lifetime flying opportunity and life adventure. Just make sure you're doing it for the right reasons and only you can answer that.
09-13-2012, 01:32 PM
#27
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jun 2011
Posts: 44
I know and know of several guys who started out as NFOs and transitioned to pilot when the opportunity came up. I've never heard of a pilot transitioning to NFO. NFO flight time, or "special crew time" time does not count towards much of anything in the civilian world if you think that may matter to you later.
09-15-2012, 11:17 PM
#28
The Brown Dot +1
Joined APC: Jun 2009
Position: 777B
Posts: 7,775
Originally Posted by Jones14
Okay, so I don't know everything about the career. But in a nutshell...
My source for your comedic pleasure.
"I do a h*** of a lot more than just "assist" the pilot, especially in air-land missions. I make sure we're on time, on target, safe from threats and within airspace boundaries. I calculate turn timing so we don't run into other aircraft in formations. I determine where we should be and how we are going to get there when we do an airdrop. I call the drop. When someone starts shooting at us, I deploy the chaff and flares and help call the evasive maneuvering. Navs do the "higher thinking" (math and related problems) so the pilot can get the plane where it needs to be. In high level, there is a lot less for me to do, but I'm primarily responsible for making sure we're not tooling off into the middle of nowhere. I keep track of the navigation equipment to keep track of malfunctions. If the INS or GPS goes tango uniform, I bust out the magic tricks that keep us on course. I monitor fuel levels. I do the route planning. If we have to divert, I figure our new course. Of course, most of what I've described is what we do in the C-130 world, one of the last places where the nav can run the show, but it should give you a pretty good idea of what the career field is all about."
My source for your comedic pleasure.
"I do a h*** of a lot more than just "assist" the pilot, especially in air-land missions. I make sure we're on time, on target, safe from threats and within airspace boundaries. I calculate turn timing so we don't run into other aircraft in formations. I determine where we should be and how we are going to get there when we do an airdrop. I call the drop. When someone starts shooting at us, I deploy the chaff and flares and help call the evasive maneuvering. Navs do the "higher thinking" (math and related problems) so the pilot can get the plane where it needs to be. In high level, there is a lot less for me to do, but I'm primarily responsible for making sure we're not tooling off into the middle of nowhere. I keep track of the navigation equipment to keep track of malfunctions. If the INS or GPS goes tango uniform, I bust out the magic tricks that keep us on course. I monitor fuel levels. I do the route planning. If we have to divert, I figure our new course. Of course, most of what I've described is what we do in the C-130 world, one of the last places where the nav can run the show, but it should give you a pretty good idea of what the career field is all about."
09-16-2012, 06:47 AM
#29
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Position: A-300 F/O
Posts: 281
my mom did not understand my obsession with going to UPT and she did not understand why I would give up active duty and my flying job as an EWO in the Buff to go ANG and be a part time traditional guardsman pilot
my answer "if Rosa Parks had been driving the bus, she wouldn't have had to give up her seat"
Right or wrong, no matter what you believe, the Combat System Officer (Nav, EWO, WSO) career field will be replaced by electronic boxes sooner or later. Will you have a 20 year career? I don't know. But we all thought in 1989 the next Wild Weasel was going to be an F-15G based on the Strike Eagle. Now we have single seat SEAD in F-16s. The USN has a two seat Weasel, but your CSO job offer ain't with them. You will drive the bus from the front seat, longer than you will assist the bus driver from the back seat.
If you meet the physical requirements for pilot, go to pilot training with the Navy. If you don't meet the requirements for that, but are CSO qualified, go to Navigator Training, and then try to get to UPT later for the AF. Things that are not waiverable as a non flyer, can sometimes be waived after you already have an aeronautical rating.
my answer "if Rosa Parks had been driving the bus, she wouldn't have had to give up her seat"
Right or wrong, no matter what you believe, the Combat System Officer (Nav, EWO, WSO) career field will be replaced by electronic boxes sooner or later. Will you have a 20 year career? I don't know. But we all thought in 1989 the next Wild Weasel was going to be an F-15G based on the Strike Eagle. Now we have single seat SEAD in F-16s. The USN has a two seat Weasel, but your CSO job offer ain't with them. You will drive the bus from the front seat, longer than you will assist the bus driver from the back seat.
If you meet the physical requirements for pilot, go to pilot training with the Navy. If you don't meet the requirements for that, but are CSO qualified, go to Navigator Training, and then try to get to UPT later for the AF. Things that are not waiverable as a non flyer, can sometimes be waived after you already have an aeronautical rating.
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