Part 5 (1/2)
In any case, the lot of women in naval aviation during the late stages of the Cold War was anything but pleasant. Since they were effectively barred from front-line fighter, support, and attack units, they would never have the command and promotion opportunities of their male counterparts, which went to ”combat” air crews, thus making women second-cla.s.s citizens in the military. The end of the Cold War in 1989 changed all that. Twice during the Bush years, American forces were committed to combat, in Operations Just Cause (Panama) and Desert s.h.i.+eld/Storm (Persian Gulf). During both operations (notwithstanding t.i.tle 10 and other limitations), women were prominently involved in combat operations. Several women commanded units in actual combat, though in ”support” roles (military police, Patriot SAM batteries, transport helicopters, etc.). Some became prisoners of war (POWs), and a few died. After women performed in both conflicts with professionalism and bravery, Americans back home could not help but question the restrictions that kept them out of combat units.
Soon after the Gulf War, Congress rapidly amended t.i.tle 10, and opened up to women a variety of combat positions that had previously been reserved for male personnel. Women could now fill combat air crew slots and serve aboard wars.h.i.+ps. By the fall of 1997, only ground combat units (infantry, artillery, armor, etc.), special operations, and submarines remain barred to women. In fact, less than two years after the end of Desert Storm, the services were racing each other to put the first women into the c.o.c.kpits of combat aircraft. Unfortunately, the change did not come smoothly.
The Air Force's first female bomber pilot, for example, was forced to resign over an adultery charge, all played before a noisy media circus. The Navy's first female fighter pilot died trying to eject from an F-14 Tomcat during a failed approach to the USS Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (CVN-74). These lapses and failures, whatever you care to call them, didn't make life easier for other women flying in potential combat slots. But the greater failure remained in the cultural bias against female aviators. Also, male pilots had a legitimate beef. For in the force drawdown following the Cold War, many male naval aviators were ”laid off” and forcibly sent into the civilian job market. Longtime naval aviators couldn't help but resent the invasion of women (in the name of perceived ”political correctness”) to replace their longtime male buddies. The cultural bias of these men, dating back to Vietnam, condemned such ”social engineering” changes. So, predictably, early female naval aviators suffered hara.s.sment and hostility from the males they flew with. (CVN-74). These lapses and failures, whatever you care to call them, didn't make life easier for other women flying in potential combat slots. But the greater failure remained in the cultural bias against female aviators. Also, male pilots had a legitimate beef. For in the force drawdown following the Cold War, many male naval aviators were ”laid off” and forcibly sent into the civilian job market. Longtime naval aviators couldn't help but resent the invasion of women (in the name of perceived ”political correctness”) to replace their longtime male buddies. The cultural bias of these men, dating back to Vietnam, condemned such ”social engineering” changes. So, predictably, early female naval aviators suffered hara.s.sment and hostility from the males they flew with.
But then, on the Labor Day weekend of 1991, some very ugly events happened at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, which blew up into the scandal called the ”Tailhook Incident.” Tailhook soon turned into an international indictment of the sea services' treatment of women in uniform. A yearly convention of naval aviators and their supporters in Las Vegas, Nevada, Tailhook had long had a reputation for drinking and wild behavior.21 But Tailhook 1991 went over the top, when several female naval officers and other women were allegedly molested by drunk and out-of-control naval aviators. After one woman officer reported what had happened to her commanding officer and he refused to take action (other officers then and later lied about and tried to cover up the Tailhook events), she went to the Navy's criminal investigators. An official investigation was started, and the scandal hit the media. But Tailhook 1991 went over the top, when several female naval officers and other women were allegedly molested by drunk and out-of-control naval aviators. After one woman officer reported what had happened to her commanding officer and he refused to take action (other officers then and later lied about and tried to cover up the Tailhook events), she went to the Navy's criminal investigators. An official investigation was started, and the scandal hit the media.
Meanwhile, the Navy so badly botched the investigation that no convictions were obtained against the officers accused of a.s.saulting women. And then Navy leaders lost control of the situation, resulting in the forced resignations of several high-ranking civilian and military leaders. In the process, thousands of naval officers, most of whom were not even there, had their careers harmed by the political fallout. Yet the botched investigation and the Navy's political folly were hardly the problem. Much less was it that naval officers had gotten drunk, molested women, and then lied about it (though this was bad enough). The problem was the hard-drinking, hard-living, womanizing, daredevil, isolated tribal culture of naval aviation. Naval aviators, a bastion of male exclusivity, had made it painfully clear that they did not want women in their combat flying units, and they had made their displeasure widely known. There would be further problems. But-slowly-progress was coming.
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Naval aviators finis.h.i.+ng a day's flying in the ”Dirty s.h.i.+rt” pilot's wardroom aboard the USS George Was.h.i.+ngton George Was.h.i.+ngton (CVN-73). Naval aviators treasure such moments, and the comrades.h.i.+p that goes along with them. (CVN-73). Naval aviators treasure such moments, and the comrades.h.i.+p that goes along with them.
JOHN D. GRESHAM.
Naval Aviators in the Post-Tailhook Era Though it has come at a high price, and with many fits and starts, much has changed in the culture of Navy flying since ”Tailhook.” Women in ever-greater numbers are serving aboard combat vessels. Every carrier group that deploys today has female air crews, along with a growing population of women aboard the s.h.i.+ps that they fly from. From helicopter pilots flying off the back of escort vessels to fighter pilots flying patrols in no-fly zones, women have arrived and are in to stay. In the process, many longtime Navy traditions have gone by the wayside. Some of the changes have been as simple as the new rule that every person aboard s.h.i.+p sleep with (at least) a T-s.h.i.+rt and underwear on, to avoid ”exposures” in a pa.s.sageway at night; and sailors have learned to knock and wait for permission to enter female quarters. More substantially, s.h.i.+ps have been rebuilt with separate berthing areas and heads (sleeping and shower areas). The result has been the greatest single change in Navy culture since the arrival of the all-volunteer force in the mid-1970's. Along the way, the Navy has learned important lessons about the effective integration of women into units and cultures that they previously have not been part of. These include: * Critical Ma.s.s-Human Critical Ma.s.s-Human beings are not built to handle difficult jobs alone. Without like-minded companions to share problems and solutions, emotions and trials, an individual can too easily give up, or bend under pressure. Thus women on board s.h.i.+ps need other women to share their experiences with (just as men have other men). Armed with that realization, the Navy no longer drops women on their own into a squadron or wing, but puts a few women together-a concept the Navy calls ”critical ma.s.s.” Now that women have other women for support, the stresses of being ”new” and ”different” in the male-dominated world of naval aviation can be better managed. So now you'll find three or four women in each flying squadron where there are women, or none at all. This ”critical ma.s.s” allows a young female ”nugget” to survive the emotional rigors of her first fleet a.s.signment. beings are not built to handle difficult jobs alone. Without like-minded companions to share problems and solutions, emotions and trials, an individual can too easily give up, or bend under pressure. Thus women on board s.h.i.+ps need other women to share their experiences with (just as men have other men). Armed with that realization, the Navy no longer drops women on their own into a squadron or wing, but puts a few women together-a concept the Navy calls ”critical ma.s.s.” Now that women have other women for support, the stresses of being ”new” and ”different” in the male-dominated world of naval aviation can be better managed. So now you'll find three or four women in each flying squadron where there are women, or none at all. This ”critical ma.s.s” allows a young female ”nugget” to survive the emotional rigors of her first fleet a.s.signment.* Recruiting-While Recruiting-While ”critical ma.s.s” helps integrate women into particular units, finding enough women to do the job is another matter. Recruiting qualified women is not easy. Because corporate America is already working hard to hire those few women (and minority) college graduates who master ”hard” subjects like math, sciences, engineering, and computers, the pool available to join the military is quite limited. Many of the women attracted to the military choose to join the Army and Air Force, where the culture is less difficult for them to adapt to. Quite simply, the sea services have done a poor job of selling themselves to women (and minority) candidates, and will need to do a better job in the future. ”critical ma.s.s” helps integrate women into particular units, finding enough women to do the job is another matter. Recruiting qualified women is not easy. Because corporate America is already working hard to hire those few women (and minority) college graduates who master ”hard” subjects like math, sciences, engineering, and computers, the pool available to join the military is quite limited. Many of the women attracted to the military choose to join the Army and Air Force, where the culture is less difficult for them to adapt to. Quite simply, the sea services have done a poor job of selling themselves to women (and minority) candidates, and will need to do a better job in the future.* Standards-Since Standards-Since flying is unforgiving, strict standards of performance and proficiency among flying is unforgiving, strict standards of performance and proficiency among all all aviators must be observed, a lesson the Navy has learned painfully. Cutting corners only produces failure, the loss of $50 million aircraft, and grieving families. The female naval aviators that are making it in today's squadrons are not cutting corners, nor have corners been cut in order to put them in a c.o.c.kpit. They are doing it aviators must be observed, a lesson the Navy has learned painfully. Cutting corners only produces failure, the loss of $50 million aircraft, and grieving families. The female naval aviators that are making it in today's squadrons are not cutting corners, nor have corners been cut in order to put them in a c.o.c.kpit. They are doing it right! right! This means that they are doing This means that they are doing everything everything that their male counterparts are expected to do in the c.o.c.kpit, to the that their male counterparts are expected to do in the c.o.c.kpit, to the same same standards; and this, more than anything else, has brought the acceptance of female naval aviators at the unit level. standards; and this, more than anything else, has brought the acceptance of female naval aviators at the unit level.* Training-Our Training-Our society does little to prepare men and women for living and working in the kinds of conditions that a modern Navy imposes upon personnel. After the failures exemplified by ”Tailhook” and the tribal culture of naval aviation, the Navy has started a series of society does little to prepare men and women for living and working in the kinds of conditions that a modern Navy imposes upon personnel. After the failures exemplified by ”Tailhook” and the tribal culture of naval aviation, the Navy has started a series of mandatory mandatory leaders.h.i.+p seminars for officers s.p.a.ced at various points in their careers. At the same time, leaders.h.i.+p seminars for officers s.p.a.ced at various points in their careers. At the same time, all all Navy personnel have been given sensitivity training to improve their understanding of how professional relations.h.i.+ps between officers and sailors of the opposite s.e.x are supposed to work in the modern military. The Navy's justification for these educational efforts is not ”political correctness.” Rather, since families and schools train ever fewer young people today in civics, manners, and social skills, the sea services feel that it is up to them to make sure their people know these skills and can act accordingly. Manners do count! Navy personnel have been given sensitivity training to improve their understanding of how professional relations.h.i.+ps between officers and sailors of the opposite s.e.x are supposed to work in the modern military. The Navy's justification for these educational efforts is not ”political correctness.” Rather, since families and schools train ever fewer young people today in civics, manners, and social skills, the sea services feel that it is up to them to make sure their people know these skills and can act accordingly. Manners do count!
All of these initiatives have started to ”level” the naval aviation playing field for women, and allowed them to gain a foothold in fleet aviation units. Still, some things cannot be mandated or trained into professional warriors. You can't teach a young ”nugget” how to become ”one of the boys” in his or her first squadron, for instance. Doing that is especially tough, even if you are equipped with a ”Y” chromosome. All naval aviators, no matter what their s.e.x, must be ”bonded” into their squadron if they are to survive the emotional and character-building strains that they will face on their first real ”cruise.” First-tour naval aviators are traditionally ”pushed” by the members of their squadrons, and for good reason. The pressure dished out in the ready rooms is designed to separate the winners from the ”also-rans.”
Lots of male naval aviators fail to survive their first squadron a.s.signments due to the pressure, and so have many of the women who have tried. Frankly, some of these women have shown every bit as much personal courage as civil rights pioneers like James Meredith and Rosa Parks. They have gone where no other women have been before, and the survivors are frequently among the best in their cla.s.s groups upon graduation. They have to be.
Meanwhile, future squadron and air wing commanders will have to show greater sensitivity and leaders.h.i.+p to the conditions of all ”nugget” aviators, women included. This may help the entire naval aviation community, since keeping more junior officers after their first tours means fewer personnel will have to be trained. At over a million dollars per trainee, that quickly adds up to real money.
Raw Material: Recruiting How exactly does one go about becoming a naval aviator? Let's take a quick tour of a hypothetical naval aviation career. Though this may seem like a bit of ego puffery, it's not: Young people choose to try out for naval aviation because they want to be among the ”best of the best.” If you can launch and land a modern aircraft from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, cruiser, destroyer, frigate, or amphibious s.h.i.+p, you will never have to justify your flying skills to anyone. n.o.body else-not the Israelis, British, not even our own U.S. Air Force-makes pilots better than the USN. Much like Marine Corps basic training, which produces the world's finest combat riflemen, the Navy trains fliers with basic flying and combat skills that are unsurpa.s.sed. Of course the USAF and others train excellent combat aviators. That goes without saying. However, when you want superb combat skills, and and the ability to fly off of a rolling and pitching deck at night in rough weather, you'd better plan on calling the Navy for the air crews. the ability to fly off of a rolling and pitching deck at night in rough weather, you'd better plan on calling the Navy for the air crews.
What kind of person does the Navy want to fly its airplanes? For starters, he or she has to be a college graduate from an accredited four-year university. 22 22 Prior to World War II, the Naval Academy supplied the majority of naval aviation cadets. But when the war demanded a vastly expanded pool of air crews, the requirements for naval aviation cadets were lowered to completion of just two years of college. Today, the sea services feel that the responsibility for flying a fifty-million-dollar aircraft (with more computing and sensor power than a whole fleet just a generation ago) should go to someone with a university education. For a modern pilot will have to be a systems operator, tactician, and athlete, as well as a naval officer with duties to lead and manage. Prior to World War II, the Naval Academy supplied the majority of naval aviation cadets. But when the war demanded a vastly expanded pool of air crews, the requirements for naval aviation cadets were lowered to completion of just two years of college. Today, the sea services feel that the responsibility for flying a fifty-million-dollar aircraft (with more computing and sensor power than a whole fleet just a generation ago) should go to someone with a university education. For a modern pilot will have to be a systems operator, tactician, and athlete, as well as a naval officer with duties to lead and manage.
Once you have the college degree, and a.s.suming that you want to fly over the water for your country, that your eyesight and physical condition are good, and that you can pa.s.s the required batteries of mental and coordination tests, what else do you need? First, you need to be an officer in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps.23 If you are a graduate of the Naval Academy (or, for that matter, West Point or Colorado Springs), then you have automatically earned a reserve officer's commission as an ensign or 2nd lieutenant. If you are a graduate of the Naval Academy (or, for that matter, West Point or Colorado Springs), then you have automatically earned a reserve officer's commission as an ensign or 2nd lieutenant. 24 24 The same is true if you have completed an accredited Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program at a university. However, if you are a simple college graduate with an ambition to fly for the sea services, then there are several Officer Candidate Schools (OCSs) that can give you the basic skills as a Navy or Marine Corps officer, as well as the commission. Though there were once a number of these schools around the country, today there are just two, one at Quantico, Virginia, for the Marines, and the Navy school at Pensacola, Florida. However you get the commission to ensign/2nd lieutenant (O-1), the path to the c.o.c.kpit of an aircraft in the sea services starts at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola. The same is true if you have completed an accredited Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program at a university. However, if you are a simple college graduate with an ambition to fly for the sea services, then there are several Officer Candidate Schools (OCSs) that can give you the basic skills as a Navy or Marine Corps officer, as well as the commission. Though there were once a number of these schools around the country, today there are just two, one at Quantico, Virginia, for the Marines, and the Navy school at Pensacola, Florida. However you get the commission to ensign/2nd lieutenant (O-1), the path to the c.o.c.kpit of an aircraft in the sea services starts at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola.
NAS Pensacola: Cradle of Naval Aviation NAS Pensacola, on the sh.o.r.e of the bay whose name it borrows, was originally founded as a Naval Aeronautical Station in 1914. But the region's relations.h.i.+p with the Navy goes back much further. The bay itself, discovered in the 16th century by the Spanish explorer Don Tristan de Luna, attracted official U.S. Navy interest in the early 1800s because of its proximity to high-quality timber reserves, a staple of l9th century s.h.i.+pbuilding. Starting in 1825, the Navy built yard facilities near the site of the present-day NAS. From this Naval station came patrols that suppressed the slave trade and piracy in the mid-1800s. Destroyed by retreating Confederate forces during the Civil War, the base was rebuilt shortly after the end of that conflict. Severely damaged again by hurricane and tidal events in 1906, the excellent location and facilities proved too valuable to surrender to the elements, and the base was not only rebuilt, but also expanded.
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The Flightline at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Every Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard aviator starts his or her career at this base.
OFFICIAL U.S. NAVY PHOTO.
Pensacola's a.s.sociation with naval aviation began in 1913, when recommendations were made to establish an aviation training station in a location with a year-round climate that was favorable to the needs of early aviators. Opened in 1914, it was the home to a rapidly expanding aviation force that by the end of World War I included fixed-wing aircraft, seaplanes, dirigibles, and even kites and balloons! But the lean years following the war meant that only about a hundred new aviators per year were being trained. That time ended in the 1930s with the creation of Naval Aviation Cadet Training Program, which was designed to expand the air crew population in antic.i.p.ation of the coming world war. To support the growth in the training program, several other training bases were constructed, including NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, and NAS Jacksonville, Florida. Eventually, the combined U.S. naval flight training facilities were turning out over 1,100 new naval aviators a month, though this was reduced following the end of World War II. On average, during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, about two thousand naval aviators a year were trained to meet wartime requirements, while more peaceful times saw that number drop to around 1,500. Today, NAS Pensacola is the home of a still-robust naval air crew training capability.
Training: Into the Pipeline Soon after an aviation cadet arrives at Pensacola, he or she has to make a major decision: whether to train to become a Naval Aviator (NA-pilot) or Naval Flight Officer (NFO-airborne systems operator). Or rather, just about everybody starts out wanting to be pilots, but then the decision about which way to go is often made for them when the vision test results come in. Eyesight is the first great pa.s.s/fail point among fliers. In general, the services look for good distance vision, though excellent night vision is also desired. Many of those who wind up as NFOs do so because they fail the initial eyesight cut for pilots. As it happens, though, life as an NFO very rarely proves disappointing. More often than you might believe, squadron and air wing commands are won by NFOs, many of whom have been noted for their superior leaders.h.i.+p and management skills.
Whichever career path beckons the incoming cadets, they all start training in the same cla.s.sroom. Specifically, there's a six-week course known as Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API), which comprises a syllabus designed to bring all of the Student Naval Aviators (SNAs) and Student Naval Flight Officers (SNFOs) up to a common knowledge and skill base. API covers aerodynamics, engineering, navigation, and physiology. Along with the cla.s.sroom work, the students receive physical training in water survival, physical conditioning, and emergency escape procedures. API ”levels” the skill base of the cadets, and provides a fighting chance to those who did not (for example) study physics or computer science in college. When API is completed, the training pipeline splits into two separate conduits. One of these is the Primary Flight Training (PFT) pipeline for SNFOs, while the other is for SNAs wanting to pilot Naval aircraft.
Pilot Training: The SNA Pipeline SNA PFT is designed to teach pretty much the same basic flight skills that a civilian would need to obtain a private pilot's license. It consists of some sixty-six hours of flight training, as well as a syllabus of ground cla.s.sroom and simulator training. The actual flight training includes basic aerobatics, formation flying, and military flight procedures. This is quite similar to that of the Army and USAF. However, the way that training is conducted has recently changed a great deal for all U.S. military air personnel. These changes have resulted from the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols defense reform legislation. Specifically, Goldwater-Nichols encouraged the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps to find ways to combine common tasks into ”joint” (i.e., multi-service) programs and units. The consequence for pilot training has been to combine primary/undergraduate flight training, as well as training for a number of different missions and airframes. To that end, the services have established joint training squadrons around the country. They have further teamed up to build a new common primary/undergraduate trainer, the T-6A Texan II, which will enter service in 1999. Based upon the Swiss Pilatus PC-9 turboprop trainer, it will provide a truly economical joint training solution for primary/undergraduate flight training.
Thus a young SNA going through PFT in 1997 might be found at Vance AFB near Enid, Oklahoma. a.s.signed to the 8th Flying Training Squadron (FTS), he will have done his PFT flight training in an Air Force T-37B, in a joint unit commanded by a naval officer, Commander Mark S. Laughton. Similar squadrons are located at NAS Pensacola, Randolph AFB and NAS Corpus Christi in Texas, as well as other bases. Since the joint training squadrons have proved successful, plans are under way to provide joint training at the airframe level where it is appropriate. For example, since all the services with fixed-wing aircraft fly variants of the venerable C-130 Hercules, there will soon be a single C-130 pipeline unit for training the air crews.
At the end of the PFT phase of training, cadets find out what ”community” they will be headed for at the completion of their training. Though just a fraction the size of the USAF, the air forces of the sea services are even more diverse in their roles and missions. Therefore, following the basic phase of PFT, cadets move onto one of five training pipelines (all of which have intermediate and advanced phases). These include: * Strike (Tactical Jets) Strike (Tactical Jets)-This course of training provides student trainees for the F-14 Tomcat, F/A-18 Hornet, AV-8B Harrier II, EA-6B Prowler, S-3 Viking, and ES-3 Shadow aircraft. Normally, strike pipeline SNAs train at the same base where they did their PFT work. Along with further cla.s.sroom work in aerodynamics, engineering, meteorology, communications, and navigation, there is flying. A lot of flying! All told, the intermediate and advanced phases of the strike pipeline PFT provide for around 150 flight hours, covering a great range of required skills and knowledge. These include flight instruction in visual and instrument flying, precision aerobatics, gunnery/weapons delivery, high- and low-alt.i.tude flight, air combat maneuvering (ACM), and formation flying. Night flying is also taught, along with flying in a variety of weather conditions, and radar approaches/landings. During this time also comes the dreaded carrier qualification, where the SNA meets up with the deck of an actual aircraft carrier for the first time. To help the students along, extensive use is made of part-task trainers based upon personal computers (PCs), as well as high-end full-motion simulators. However, no amount of simulation and preparation can insure that everyone completes the roughly sixteen-month course.For years, this phase of training had the SNAs flying either the T-2C Buckeye or TA-4J Skyhawk, both cla.s.sic two-seat training aircraft. But a long-overdue replacement is finally coming into service after a series of problems and delays. Known as the T-45 Goshawk training system, it is based upon a heavily modified British Aeros.p.a.ce Hawk trainer, and is designed to provide a beginning-to-end training for the Strike pipeline. This means that the contractor (Boeing, through the acquisition of McDonnell Douglas) provides everything required-simulators, computer-based-trainers, the T-45 training aircraft, and all the maintenance personnel. In order to make the training system work for PFT students, the sea services only need to provide personnel (instructors and students), a base, and fuel. The newest version, the T-45C, incorporates a fully functional ”gla.s.s” c.o.c.kpit, similar to the F/A-18's and that of other modern tactical aircraft that the students will eventually fly.25 The T-45C can be used for a much more varied curriculum than the two aircraft it replaces ; and thanks to a fuel-efficient engine and all the new avionics systems, the T-45 training system will actually not only save money, but also improve the quality and fidelity of the various training curriculums. The T-45C can be used for a much more varied curriculum than the two aircraft it replaces ; and thanks to a fuel-efficient engine and all the new avionics systems, the T-45 training system will actually not only save money, but also improve the quality and fidelity of the various training curriculums.A flight of Boeing T-45 Goshawk trainers. Based on the British Aeros.p.a.ce Hawk-series trainers, they provide the Navy with an economical jet trainer that is replacing the aging T-2 Buckeye and TA-4 Skyhawk.BOEING MILTTARY AIRCRAFT[image]* E-2/C2 E-2/C2-This training course supplies air crews to fly the E-2C Hawkeye airborne early-warning aircraft and its transport cousin, the C-2 Greyhound, both of which are powered by twin-engine turboprops. Because the airframes that it supplies air crews for are among the most heavily loaded and difficult to fly on and off carriers, the E-2/C-2 pipeline is unique. Thus, for example, the E-2/C-2 pipeline deletes some of the combat/weapons-oriented portions of the Strike PFT course work. Utilizing the T-44A Pegasus (essentially a twin-engine Raytheon/Beech King Air), the intermediate training is carried out by Naval Training Squadron 31 (VT-31), and is run at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. The advanced phase is handled by VT-4 at NAS Pensacola, Florida, flying T-45's.* Maritime-Since Maritime-Since the sea services fly several types of four-engine turboprop aircraft (the P-3/EP-3 Orion and C-130/KC-130/HC-130 Hercules), a separate pipeline (Maritime) supports these communities. The Maritime syllabus begins with six additional weeks of flying at the primary PFT base. For the remaining twenty weeks of the course (intermediate and advanced), the students fly the T-44A Pegasus with VT-31 at NAS Corpus Christi for an additional eighty-four flight hours of instruction. Since these aircraft never land on carriers, the syllabus concentrates on multi-engine aircraft operating procedures, especially in emergency and all-weather operations. the sea services fly several types of four-engine turboprop aircraft (the P-3/EP-3 Orion and C-130/KC-130/HC-130 Hercules), a separate pipeline (Maritime) supports these communities. The Maritime syllabus begins with six additional weeks of flying at the primary PFT base. For the remaining twenty weeks of the course (intermediate and advanced), the students fly the T-44A Pegasus with VT-31 at NAS Corpus Christi for an additional eighty-four flight hours of instruction. Since these aircraft never land on carriers, the syllabus concentrates on multi-engine aircraft operating procedures, especially in emergency and all-weather operations.* E-6 E-6-One of the more chilling missions flown by naval aviators (a mission unique to the Navy) involves flying the E-6 Mercury-the TACMO (Take Charge and Move Out) aircraft. TACMO was originally the control function for the Navy's Trident Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarines, but its mission has grown. Based on a Boeing 707 airframe, the E-6 Mercury is packed with secure communications and battle-management equipment. Along with the gear for the TACMO mission, the E-6 carries a fully equipped battle staff from the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM-BASED at Offut AFB near Omaha, Nebraska). This allows the E-6's to control the launch and weapons release of all all U.S. nuclear forces (bombers, land-based missiles, and sub-launched missiles) from a (relatively !) secure airborne command post (this job was previously handled by the USAF fleet of EC-135 Looking Gla.s.s aircraft). In the event that a nuclear strike were to destroy the National Command Authorities in Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C., and other land-based locations, the TACMO aircraft would still be able to order a counterstrike. U.S. nuclear forces (bombers, land-based missiles, and sub-launched missiles) from a (relatively !) secure airborne command post (this job was previously handled by the USAF fleet of EC-135 Looking Gla.s.s aircraft). In the event that a nuclear strike were to destroy the National Command Authorities in Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C., and other land-based locations, the TACMO aircraft would still be able to order a counterstrike.To support this highly specialized mission, the Navy has a specific pipeline to supply air crews for this single type of airframe. While generally like the Maritime pipeline, the multi-engine-trainer time is carried out on the new T-1A Jayhawk Tanker/Transport Trainer System (TTTS-based on the Raytheon/Beech 400A business jet). Like the T-45 training system, the Jayhawk training curriculum makes extensive use of computerized task trainers and simulators. Overall, the E-6 pipeline emphasizes all-weather flight techniques and c.o.c.kpit resource management.* Helicopter-Since Helicopter-Since about half of sea service aircraft are helicopters, the rotorcraft course of study is second only to the strike pipeline in numbers of aviators trained. The Helicopter intermediate-phase PFT is composed of six additional weeks at the primary training base, with an emphasis on instrument flying. This is followed by the twenty-one-week advanced phase of the Helicopter pipeline, which is composed of 116 hours of flight training in the TH-57B/C Sea Ranger helicopter (the Navy's trainer version of the famous Bell Jet Ranger business/utility helicopter). Along with the flying, the cla.s.sroom work includes helicopter aerodynamics and engineering, night and cross-country flying, as well as combat search-and-rescue techniques. Finally, the Helicopter pipeline SNAs actually take off and land from the Helicopter Landing Trainer (HLT), a specially configured barge at NAS Pensacola. about half of sea service aircraft are helicopters, the rotorcraft course of study is second only to the strike pipeline in numbers of aviators trained. The Helicopter intermediate-phase PFT is composed of six additional weeks at the primary training base, with an emphasis on instrument flying. This is followed by the twenty-one-week advanced phase of the Helicopter pipeline, which is composed of 116 hours of flight training in the TH-57B/C Sea Ranger helicopter (the Navy's trainer version of the famous Bell Jet Ranger business/utility helicopter). Along with the flying, the cla.s.sroom work includes helicopter aerodynamics and engineering, night and cross-country flying, as well as combat search-and-rescue techniques. Finally, the Helicopter pipeline SNAs actually take off and land from the Helicopter Landing Trainer (HLT), a specially configured barge at NAS Pensacola.
The decision about where an individual goes is based on several factors, most importantly where he or she finishes in the first part of their PFT cla.s.s. Normally, high-scoring students are funneled into the ”glamor” Naval aviation a.s.signments, like the fighter/attack communities. Since air wing and carrier skippers have traditionally come from the ”fast movers,” a.s.signment to one of these communities carries great weight, status, and self-esteem. Still, more than a few young aviators choose other specialties, such as helicopters or support aircraft. Though one reason is that the skills of flying transport and cargo aircraft have greater value in the civilian job market, sometimes trainees just want to fly a particular kind of aircraft, or a specific mission. Whatever community the trainees want, the personnel detailers do their best to match these desires with the needs of the Navy and Marine Corps.
While every SNA undergoes a rigorous training regime, those in the Strike and E-2/C-2 pipelines clearly have the toughest challenge-learning to make arrested landings aboard aircraft carriers. You cannot overemphasize how this this one skill, more than any other, sets Naval aviators apart from their land-based counterparts. Landing on a moving s.h.i.+p at sea is insanely difficult, and it must be done with absolute precision one skill, more than any other, sets Naval aviators apart from their land-based counterparts. Landing on a moving s.h.i.+p at sea is insanely difficult, and it must be done with absolute precision every every time. In fact, no other phase of SNA training ”washes out” so many young fliers. The defining moment for every naval aviator occurs when they come out of the break and line up into the ”groove” for their first carrier qualification. Terrifying. Heart-stopping. Insane. That's what they all think when they first look down and out at a carrier and realize they'll have to land on time. In fact, no other phase of SNA training ”washes out” so many young fliers. The defining moment for every naval aviator occurs when they come out of the break and line up into the ”groove” for their first carrier qualification. Terrifying. Heart-stopping. Insane. That's what they all think when they first look down and out at a carrier and realize they'll have to land on that that in just about fifteen seconds! in just about fifteen seconds!
To survive your first set of carrier qualifications (naval aviators have to requalifiy literally dozens of times in the course of a career), the key is to make ”good” landings as early as possible during qualifications. This is because your final score is an average of all all your landing attempts. If you start out poorly, then you've dug yourself a hole that is almost impossible to get out of. The Navy likes SNAs who are ”comfortable” and ”natural” with the carrier landing process (as if this is your landing attempts. If you start out poorly, then you've dug yourself a hole that is almost impossible to get out of. The Navy likes SNAs who are ”comfortable” and ”natural” with the carrier landing process (as if this is ever ever possible!), and pilots who have to ”learn” or ”force” it are considered potentially dangerous, and not suited for the trade. possible!), and pilots who have to ”learn” or ”force” it are considered potentially dangerous, and not suited for the trade.