USNA

[Serenity]

Yeah, forums working!

Then you'll be wanting to be a F/A-18F driver, the F/A-18E is the one-seater Super Hornet (slightly less internal fuel on the two-seat varient I think).

Serenity, if you want a new ride that might interest you, but you'd have to talk to someone in the Navy to find out how to get there: Checkout the new F/A-18G Growlers ( http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/ea18g/index.html   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EA-18G_Growler ) It's replacing the older electronic warfare EA-6B Prowlers.  It's a F/A-18F (two-seat super hornet) where you'll always be flying around with a guy in the back that knows everything that's going on around you.  They're supposed to start equiping operational squads with them this year, so you might be lucky enough to jump aboard something there if you can.

Ooh! Do they actually fight? Or is it just ECM/ECCM work?

[Babalonian]

Only what I've read in those articles...

The Growler has more than 90% in common with the standard Super Hornet, sharing airframe, AESA radar and weapon systems such as the AN/AYK-22 Stores Management System. Most of the dedicated airborne electronic attack equipment is mounted in the space that used to house the internal 20 mm cannon and on the wingtips. Nine weapons stations remain free to provide for additional weapons or jamming pods. The added electronics include AN/ALQ-218 wideband receivers on the wingtips, and ALQ-99 high and low-band tactical jamming pods. The ALQ-218 combined with the ALQ-99 form a full spectrum electronic warfare suite that is able to provide detection and jamming against all known surface-to-air threats.[16]

The EA-18G can be fitted with up to five ALQ-99 jamming pods and will typically add two AIM-120 self-defense missiles and two AGM-88 High Speed Anti-Radiation (HARM) missiles. The EA-18G will also use the INCANS Interference Cancellation system that will allow voice communication while jamming enemy communications, a capability not available on the EA-6B.

So it sounds like no 20mm and 2/5 your normal hornet loadout, and bad news for anything not friendly flying near you.

[Sincraft]

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew! NICE!


CONGRATS!

[yankedudel]

First off, Congrats Serenity.  Lots of hard work goes into an appointment.

Don't forget that you can still receive an Air Force Commission even if you graduate from USNA (not sure why you would want too tho )

If requested and approved, any graduate from one of the Service Academy's can receive a commission into the service of their choice.

Congrats and goodluck

Duke
USNA '94

Duke, when I was at USMA in '98 I was thinking of a branch transfer but was told it had to be requested and approved AND a cadet from the branch you were wishing to tranfer to had to be requesting a tranfer to your branch, i.e. If I was to get an Air Force commission there had to be a USAFA cadet requesting an Army commision.
'Course it was all moot because I left because I was young and dumb.....still regret it every day of my life.
Regards,
YAF1

[ebfd11]

NAVY = Never Again Volunteer Yourself

U.S.M.C. Uncle Sam' Misguided Children, U Suckas Miss Christmas, MARINES Muscles Are Required Intelligence Not Essential Sir..

I can say these and not get in any trouble, Cpl USMC Mwss 172 Okinawa Japan..

[Cthulhu]

Congrats Serenity.

When you make Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, we'd all like carriers named after us.

[Tordon22]

Congrats! I have family going into the AFA, it's a race to see who can get into a jet first. I'm 3 years of education ahead though . Maybe we will see each other around eventually.


-Zap

[Stoney]

I can say these and not get in any trouble, Cpl USMC Mwss 172 Okinawa Japan..

How is Camp Foster these days?

Serenity--I applied to the USNA back when I was in High School--got nominations but didn't get an appointment.  Regardless, I got to where I wanted through NROTC.  Anyway, you go to Annapolis and take the Marine aviation route.  If you can get an appointment to Navy, you can handle the Marine Corps physically.  Marines aren't super-human, simply normal men that over-achieve.  I have to keep telling you to forget the Air Force--perhaps one of these days you'll listen to me.

[Babalonian]

Congrats Serenity.

When you make Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, we'd all like carriers named after us.

That... or an F/A-18F "accidently" signed over and delivered to my house. 

[Serenity]

lol. I'll be the idiot who suggest the next Super-Carrier...



USS Graf Zeppelin!!! lol.

Got my letter from the AFA today. Denied for summer seminar. Not surprising though, as I submitted my application only hours before the deadline.

[Babalonian]

Serenity, I went to NAF El Centro this Saturday and was surprised to not find one F/A-18 Super Hornet...   but three (and all two-seat Fs!... I think they're in your head Serenity).  Two were off to the side standing by with the pilots, crews and everything, just chillin, watching the Airshow, their planes were all powered up and ready to go though.  I wish you were there so you could distract... err go chat them up while I maybe poked around the cockpit a little.  The third was on display and you could walk up to it as close as you wanted (you better believe I spent some quality time drueling on that one).

I was disapointed that they didn't get to fly them for a demonstration (like they were supposed to )... but they had a really long Blue Angels chunk with plenty of F-18 goodness to be had at the end.  The USMC also brought in a F/A-18C and a Harrier that I got a couple shots of.

Pics and vids from the day here:  http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,260665.0.html

I was disapointed that there wasn't an E or G Super Hornet (and I know they recently had some Gs around too, see the video links in the thread I linked above), but I'm glad they had what they had.

[Serenity]

Serenity, I went to NAF El Centro this Saturday and was surprised to not find one F/A-18 Super Hornet...   but three (and all two-seat Fs!... I think they're in your head Serenity).  Two were off to the side standing by with the pilots, crews and everything, just chillin, watching the Airshow, their planes were all powered up and ready to go though.  I wish you were there so you could distract... err go chat them up while I maybe poked around the cockpit a little.  The third was on display and you could walk up to it as close as you wanted (you better believe I spent some quality time drueling on that one).

I was disapointed that they didn't get to fly them for a demonstration (like they were supposed to )... but they had a really long Blue Angels chunk with plenty of F-18 goodness to be had at the end.  The USMC also brought in a F/A-18C and a Harrier that I got a couple shots of.

Pics and vids from the day here:  http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,260665.0.html

I was disapointed that there wasn't an E or G Super Hornet (and I know they recently had some Gs around too, see the video links in the thread I linked above), but I'm glad they had what they had.

Great thanks! You're right, those F/A-18Fs have gotten in my head. I have one as my wallpaper.

[gpwurzel]

Congrats Serenity, I so wish I could go back in time - waaaay to old to even think about doing anything like that.


 

Wurzel

[Serenity]

Just a question for anyone in the know. What is the deployment/leave cycle like for carrier pilots? It's 6 months at sea, and then what? How long are you home and what do you and your bird do while you're there?

[Stoney]

6-7 months out, somewhere between 12-18 months back, or more.  At this point, don't sweat it.  Just don't get married in between the day you get commissioned and the end of your first sea tour so you can enjoy the local scenery on port visits.   

After you've had time to appreciate foreign liberty, then you can think about getting married and having kids.  O-3/O-4 is a good rank for "Intro to Family 101"...