Ask a Naval Aircrewman

[FlyNavy]

I've got a question!!

Where do I submit my chit for my Tom Cruise starter kit?!

;)

/r
CTT1

[Haasino]

Originally Posted by oly077

I'm not sure if you are married or have children, but do you have any advice, words of encouragement or caution, or need to know information for the spouse of someone headed towards A School and potentially a career in the AWO rating?

Fortunately, fixed-wing Aircrew has the best deployments when it comes to family separation... by that, I mean we're not in the middle of the ocean on a ship, and we're not in the mountains of Afghanistan on a 12-man COP. When we deploy, we go to foreign air stations and either stay in a hotel, base housing, or Contained Living Units in the case of Bahrain and Djibouti. In all situations, we either have WiFi in our living spaces, or there's WiFi somewhere on the facility accessible for us to email, Skype, etc. The only hurdle for us to communicate with loved ones back home is usually time-zones, crappy internet speeds, and potential missions we're flying.

As far as the negatives go, you're going to have to understand that, as an AWO, there are going to be times when you're not going to be able to tell your spouse where you are, what you're doing, or when you'll be back. What we do ranges from Secret, to SCI depending on the mission and entails much more than the generic "Anti-Submarine Warfare and Maritime Patrol" description we publicize. AW's will sometimes be able to get away with using code-words like, "I'm gonna be working a lot of overtime for the next week, you may not hear from me"... since overtime doesn't exist in the military, that's code for "I'm on a mission". Sometimes, however, we can't even say that... there may be times, even when not deployed, when you may have to pack a bag, say "I'll see you when I see you", and head out somewhere on a short-term detachment. I've got friends who have had to tell their families, in the most blunt fashion imaginable, that unless a chaplain shows up on their doorstep to deliver tragic news, that unexplained absences in communication are normal.

Now, on the plus side, this isn't a common occurrence... it's just a little-publicized byproduct of the 21st century missions Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance is undertaking around the world.

Originally Posted by CTT1(SW)Griffin

I've got a question!!

Where do I submit my chit for my Tom Cruise starter kit?!

;)

/r
CTT1

Hahaha! Week three of Naval Aircrew Candidate School you get issued your Tom Cruise Starter Kit... flightsuit, flight boots, green jacket, bitchin' leather bomber jacket, gloves, flight bag, and thermal underwear... gold aviators not included (unless optometry says you have bad eyes), but available for purchase for $38.99. Drop that packet to go EP-3's and pass the swim tests and it's all yours!

[FlyNavy]

Originally Posted by Haasino

Hahaha! Week three of Naval Aircrew Candidate School you get issued your Tom Cruise Starter Kit... flightsuit, flight boots, green jacket, bitchin' leather bomber jacket, gloves, flight bag, and thermal underwear... gold aviators not included (unless optometry says you have bad eyes), but available for purchase for $38.99. Drop that packet to go EP-3's and pass the swim tests and it's all yours!

Our skipper once instituted "Flight Suit Fridays" while we were underway. He was the only other guy onboard (besides AIRDET) with a flight suit


....He's a career SWO.

/r
CTT1

[Haasino]

Originally Posted by CTT1(SW)Griffin

Our skipper once instituted "Flight Suit Fridays" while we were underway. He was the only other guy onboard (besides AIRDET) with a flight suit


....He's a career SWO.

/r
CTT1