I have returned, alive, from our detachment to the California desert. Not many pics, but I'll see what I can find.
So my wing spent the last month in El Centro CA for our Weps detachment. On the training schedule were bombing: manual (bore sight) and CCIP; ONAV (500 ft AGL and 360kts) and Road Recce ("how much damage can two dudes do once the SEAD rolls through?").
Manual bombing was a s*** show. I was the first wave, and weather was BAD. Clouds forced us low (we have 3 patterns, a 30 degree, for the best accuracy, flown at 8k AGL, a 20 degree no one does, and a 10 degree which gives the worst errors, at 2.5 AGL). Well, ALL of my manual flights were in the 10 degree for weather, and winds were gusting up to 50kts, so my scores were all around 130 (average distance from bullseye in feet). The second wave of guys got nice calm winds and good weather, so they had MUCH better scores. But my CCIP score was the best score of the Det at 17ft!
There was a class of Navy SEALs going through JTAC school, and the Navy decided that they should see what bombing attacks look like for the guys in the air, so they got back seat rides in our jets. It was HILLARIOUS. These dudes had their tridents, they'd seen some s***, so they walked in all stoic and serious. But once they got off the ground, they were like little kids, taking pictures of everything! When they landed, they couldn't stop smiling and talking about how cool it was. It makes you feel pretty aweso,e when a Navy SEAL can't stop talking about how badass your job is! Oh, and every one of them puked lol.
The ONAVs went both ways, depending on where your IP came from. Believe it or not, we DO have E2/C2 guys and even P-3 guys teaching us. The premise of ONAVs is a day one coordinated strike. You're sneaking in low to pop up and attack a target and get back out under the radar. Big wing guys wanted you AT 500 AGL, or slightly above, and at a CONSTANT 360kts, following the straight line planned route. If your LAW (Low Altitude Warning, based on the Radar Altimeter) went off, they wanted you announcing it, saying why it went off, and saying what you were doing to fix it ASAP. The strike guys were MUCH more fun. They wanted you lower, faster, they wanted you hiding behind mountains, sneaking low through valleys and using the terrain to mask your signature. If your LAW DIDNT go off from time to time, it meant you weren't being aggressive enough. And if you saw a highway with cars, you BETTER do some rolls over the cars. As one IP put it, "the most important part about being an Aviator is looking cool!" It was a LOT more fun with Strike guys. I'm glad I'm in this community!
Road Recces were two plane events, two students flying 3-4K theoretically flying over enemy airspace after the SAMs had been knocked out. We would fly over strategic targets, in theory gaining visual intel, but in practice you were supposed to be attacking targets of opportunity. We popped for simulated simultaneous rocket attacks on power plants, pumping stations, bridges and airports. Bonus points if you got a valid attack on a moving train. It was a lot of fun, and really emphasized just how terrifying an air wing could be if we were in a WWII type "kill anything that moves" scenario.
It was a GREAT time, and I'll try to get some pictures up when I get home. All that's left now is night formations, section low levels (only about 4 flights each), BFM and then the boat! I'm expecting my wings at the end of April!
