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Back from the Boat...with pics and video

jai5w4

By jai5w4,
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jai5w4

jai5w4

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Good to be back. 12 days on the USS Abraham Lincoln...went out there with HS-2 as part of my midshipman summer cruise. Got hops in a Prowler, Rhino, and of course, the HH-60H. Got to shoot a .50 cal from a moving helo...you haven't lived until you have shot a machine gun from a helicopter!!! :bobby:

Kick in the pants! That's all I can say about getting shot off an aircraft carrier. :cop::nanner:

Below is a link to just a few of the many, many pictures I took while I was out there. I will post more in a week or so once the connection is non dial up.

http://community.webshots.com/user/jai5w4

I put together a video.from footage I shot while out there..inspired by the Flighter Flings....but I don't know how to put it up on the internet. I think I need somebody to host it...is that right? How do I do this?

Enjoy the pics and I'll let you know when there are more of them.

John :o

Edited by jai5w4
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The_Animal

The_Animal

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John, damn, I'm jealous. A ride in a Super Hornet. WHEWWEEEE!!!! That musta bin a kick in the pants. Take it you're now lookin' forward to fast-movers...as a selection once you get selected to Aviator training? :nanner:

Edited by The_Animal
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jai5w4

jai5w4

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How long was your superbug hop? They hung quite a few gasbags under there! (Yeah, I know the tomcat guys are gonna jump all over this one) Musta been one awesome trip! LUCKY!

Trev

Couple of hours...ya, five wet = plenty of play time. We did some dry runs with a KC-10 and gave some gas to CAG...he's the pilot of the other Bullet's bird in the photos. We dumped a lot on the way down, though.

John :nanner:

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Holeshot

Holeshot

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Man, my "what did you do last summer" stories couldn't hold a candle to that one!

One question about the Superhornets:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/372354...372610959anoUMJ

When you've got that many gasbags on the pylons, where do they put the bombs?

:thumbsup: :o :P

Seriously, congrats and best of luck on the upcoming year John!

:cop:

Curtis

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mycole

mycole

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Many, many, many thanks for posting those pics!! Very nice, esp. for those of us who will never have the pleasure/honor of such an experience! Cheers to you!

michael

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jai5w4

jai5w4

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Glad the Nukes didn't shanghai you!

Did they have the joyrides set up or did you work it yourself?

Sponge

Self...the Bullets had 2 Mids of thier own, but the VAQ guys were Midless. So, I went around after the first day of CQ's and put in the word that I was looking for rides...gave them my upchit and quals sheets, got seat briefs and got up after they qualed and gave their two (way dorky) Mids rides first.

Thanks again,

John

P.S. Shogun and 116 seemed busy and so I didn't bother after the initial encounter. No worries. I had a hell of a time.

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John B

John B

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Wow! Looks like you're having/had a great summer cruise. Oh, to be young and have so many opportunities available again. Were I to do some things over....

Anyway, I admire your luck, but I think a lot readers might look over the pics and miss the work you put in. There's a saying that goes something like "luck is preparedness meeting opportunity". In this case, it was luck that Abe was at-sea with CAG-2 when you could get out to them. Your preparedness was A) commiting to NROTC and the aviation pipeline, :cheers: getting the proper paperwork and quals done, C) going through the proper folks and being prepared to WAIT while other more-pressing requirements (other than "middie rides") take priority, and D) recognizing the opportunity when it presented itself and taking proper action.

Just a few items of advice from someone who wore those old-fashioned cammies.

#1 Take pics of anything. Take pics of everything. Take pics of everybody. If you have any downtime, get your email updated and get pics. Don't delete the pics or throw the negs away. Save it on CD or put it in a shoebox, you'll never know when you'll want the image again later. Pics are records of moments of your life & career. You can't go back to recreate events. Military life has some things that are sometimes difficult to convey to others, pics more easily illustrate what you're trying to convey. Also, it is at that moment the group of folks you working with is together. You won't always be together in that place all together. You won't always be together. People get orders, people get out, people go to other commands/communities/branches, and people (sadly) die.

#2 Continue to keep your ultimate goal in mind. When you're sitting mind-numbed in a class, lying in cold mud, sweating in a bag on hot Texas day, or otherwise frustrated - keep these moments in mind, know that everything is just a minor hurdle in your career. Don't let them dissuade you from pursuing the dream. For example, when you meet that special Marine at Pensacola, remember that it's his job to screen you, test you, train you, and ultimately build you the way you need to be in body & mind. You'll never forget him, the mental scarring won't let you. Just count the days until you graduate and don't take it personally. The same goes for Basic Flight instructors, SERE trainers, and skeds guys who bump you.

#3 Live the dream for as long as you can. Do what you need to keep living it. Something to remember when you've accomplished step #2. Remember all those that had the same dream, but never got the chance (as opposed to those who never even tried or never really put in thier dues). There are a lot of teen-age-minded men who have every issue of Playboy arranged in thier closet and know everything about everything & everyone contained in the covers, but only one person gets to live in the mansion - that's Hugh Hefner. There are a lot of know-it-alls and wannabes. Few can pursue the dream. Fewer still actually commit to pursuing the dream. A lucky, commited few get a shot at the dream. A few lucky, commited, talented few ever actually live the dream. Never forget that. It's okay to be "just happy to be here". Enjoy it as long as you can because nothing lasts forever (eventually you have to retire) and civilian life, trust me on this, really is a different, alien world. Of course, the Nuke snipe-type bubble-heads are aliens from a different world.

Continue to work hard, have fun, and pursue your ultimate goal. Realize that there are other options available if you don't get Flight, but go for Flight first. (I don't think you would find black-shoe, nuke-qual'd, bubble-head a desirable one.) Best of luck and best wishes. If it was supposed to be easy, anyone could do it.

Edited by John Bibay
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Spongebob

Spongebob

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John,

Good job, young padawan. Yeah, talked to Shogun today and they didn't have fun out there...heck, they had to take one of our planes!

Glad you got the quality trip!

Sponge

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maurizio

maurizio

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Hi John,

many thanks for the pics! Much appreciated as modeller and as flightgear collector....

If you'll have your own web site I would link mine with your.....

congrats again!

Maurizio Bressan

www.ma-files.it military aviation files

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Collin

Collin

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When you've got that many gasbags on the pylons, where do they put the bombs? 

Answer...you don't. Basically, the Super Hornet is taking over the tanking role from the S-3B Viking (note buddy refueling store on the cenerline station), which is now being retired. I was suprised to learn that the Rhino actually passes more gas than the Hoover (no, really....I'm serious).

How much give does a Hornet have after a double or triple cycle recover tanker? Single cycle Yo-Yo... sure... the E/F give is greater...but she burns more gas over each cycle while the S-3 actually "made" gas. Even when I cruised with A-6's... it was the same deal... A-6 Yo-Yo give was greater...but anything past two cycles... we had more give for the baby Hornets (we were always hawking them).

Cheers

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Spongebob

Spongebob

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Collin,

They do front side, single cycle recovery tanking.... if they don't give any there they will spread some love among the ULT players and go do SSC or ULT themselves. Nothing like doing AIC's in a 5-wet jet.

Sponge

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Tilt

Tilt

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Great photos!! Congrats on the flight in the "Super Hornet". I see by the photos that you're face muscles have now learnt the 'all important' $hit eating grin. Don't worry.....it really never goes away. :rofl:

fahr01.gif

Cheers,

Tilt

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Collin

Collin

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Collin,

They do front side, single cycle recovery tanking.... if they don't give any there they will spread some love among the ULT players and go do SSC or ULT themselves. Nothing like doing AIC's in a 5-wet jet.

Sponge

You have to be kidding. No double cycle with constant SSC coverage ... what is the CV Navy coming too???

Bring back the 1+45.

Cheers

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