VMFA187

Well stated. While I'm probably not going to retire from this community, I wouldn't trade it. The friends I've made and the experiences I've had - Your college buddies won't even be able to comprehend. I'd do a couple things a bit differently here and there, but I don't regret any of it. Flying fighters will go down as one of the best decisions I've ever made and ever will make.

I'm not strictly speaking about employing ordnance. Fighting your bros in BFM, a 4vX, etc... is largely what I was speaking to when I referenced "fighting."

That sounds like fun flying. I'd miss the fighting though. Flying is a means to fight.

Looks like I showed up to the party a year too early. Shame.

The guy is a weapons school grad.

The Hornet underground is saying the pilot with the kill is now in the hospital with a broken arm from all the high fives.

I'm assuming you're being sarcastic which I can appreciate.

How much effort does it require to pass a fitness test? Not much. No officer should ever fail a fitness test.

So this should count less than manned aircraft, but less than a WSEP drone - Right?

Years back an Enlisted Navy SEAL got commissioned and ended up flying Hornets. Bet he had some stories.

Absolutely brilliant. Shared amongst Miramar fighter pilots.

We needed a hell of a lot more of the former.

Do you guys not get automatically passed for not doing PME? Our distance PME, EWS, is a two year program and a number of guys who are not complete - Purposely or not, despite being great in all other aspects, have been and continue to be passed over for O-4.

Valid.

Sharp looking airplane. I'd hate to have to go to the merge in that thing, however.

Forgive me - I'm a Marine, perhaps a little more dense than most.

I flew the T-34C and this reference is lost on me...?

That's insane. I found the best way to connect with my Marines when I was Airframes OIC, well second to taking one or two of them to the gym with me, was walking out to the flight line and asking what they were doing, then having them show me how to do it. That's a big difference between AF and Navy/USMC aviation - If it doesn't say we can't do it, then we can. We actually had a WSO Powerline OIC who got his turn qual to start the jets for Mx turns. The CO at the time actually wanted him to get a taxi qual so he could go do high power turns. He had this elaborate plan of setting up a course with cones out on the flight line and everything. Ultimately the WSO decided against it.

I can't speak to the way the AF trains their Mx officers, but the USMC sends them to school for 4-6 weeks to learn their trade. That is considerably more than the two days of six hours of powerpoint training I received before I took over airframes, the same that all pilots receive when working in maintenance on this side of the house.

It's a difficult life to balance leading 30-40 maintainers who do something you have no training in, while also perfecting your skill in the air and learning flight leadership. Not un-doable, but difficult.

That robot has about 1,000 PIC and roughly 1,500 total time before any of the Majors might take a look at him. He has a long way to go, but his future, unfortunately, looks bright.

I was recently asked by a Guard fighter squadron what I feel would be the biggest culture shock going from a Marine fighter squadron to an Air Force squadron would be and that was essentially it. I don't have first hand experience as an AF fighter pilot but have heard the standard spiel about only being allowed to do what the pubs say you are allowed to vice the Navy/USMC of being able to do everything with the exception of what the pubs say you cannot do.

I feel like you may be my kindred AF spirit.

I may be the only one of this mindset, but does anyone here really care to set foot in that building? If there isn't a single person with a flight suit running around, there isn't a single reason I want to be in there.

Apologies, sometimes my Navy/USMC lingo comes off slightly differently than intended. I mean guys coming from a platform with a significantly different mission, i.e., EA-6B, C-130, etc... Transitioning to an F-18/15/16 don't tend to pick things up as quickly as a guy going directly into that platform after getting his wings or a fighter guy qualified in one fighter going to another fighter. Our SERGRADs, equivalent to your FAIPs, tend to do just fine from the few I've seen.