Nav School.

[SoonerStormchaser]

I just got the call...after being here six months, I'm finally starting Nav School on Friday.

Just curious...anyone out there former AF/Navy navs? Any advice would be appreciated.


Hopefully...I'll get AWACS.

[KABOOKIE]

Nav school? Are they teaching you how to program the FMS?

How hard is D-> KTIK?

;)

[KentuckySooner]

Hey,

I just just got a NAV Slot. Would love to keep in touch and see how your training is going about.

[Hamhock]

i have a gps in the wife's mini van.

i use it all the time.

feel free to pm me any questions.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Ok...it's a tad bit more than GPS..actually, the new term for Navs in the AF are one of three things:

Combat Systems Officers (CSO's): basically, your true panel-navs
Electronic Warfare Offivers (EWO's): They control a lot of our electronic defenses/ operations on the bigger planes
Weapons Systems Officers (WSO's): the back-seaters on the F-15's and B-1's...they get to push the buttons to make the weapons go BOOM


Air Force and Navy CSO's and EWO's are trained here, WSO's are trained at NAS Pensacola...


KentuckySooner...you about to go to OTS? ROTC?

[KentuckySooner]

ROTC at U of Kentucky. In my Junior year now.

[BajaOklahoma]

My f-i-l was a Nav in WW2.
He is crazy.

[1stTimeCaller]

Goose, won't you be gone all of the time if you ride an AWACS?

[SoonerStormchaser]

No...they have the lowest deployment (at this time) of all the possible planes I could get assigned to.

The AC-130 Gunship, on the other hand...

[soonerboomer93]

are alot of AWACS are still based out of Tinker?

[SoonerStormchaser]

23 out of the 28 airframes are at Tinker...3 are at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska and 2 are at Kadena AB, Japan.

[usmc-sooner]

23 out of the 28 airframes are at Tinker...3 are at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska and 2 are at Kadena AB, Japan.

unless you love heat and humidity and nothing to do, you don't want Oki
as for me I wouldn't want the cold of Alaska either, but I really wouldn't want Tinker either.

All in all sounds like Tinker is your best bet.

[soonerboomer93]

but tinker means OU homes games are a good possiblity

[soonerboomer93]

oh, and grats on getting in

[Boffingham]

I'm at EWO school right now, but I'm not an EWO...I'm a Strike Eagle WSO...just getting the training. but I'm sure I can answer any questions you have since I'm only across the street...I have about 4 years operational experiance..more useful than "nav school"

[KStatePike]

Congrats on the nav slot! I'm a sophomore ROTC cadet at K-State right now... heading off to field training this summer. We've got a couple guys who are gonna be navs, one is graduating this semester. Do they still have any B1's at Tinker or is it all AWACS now? Anyways congratulations on the nav slot and good luck!

[Okla-homey]

Good on ya. Hope you make it thru. The washout rate used to be about 25%, I've no idea what it is these days.

[Boffingham]

Try to get to Pensacola if you can...F-15s and B-1s

[SoonerStormchaser]

Boffingham, I had the chance to apply for Wizzo at OTS...didn't want it, so I'm at Randolph with the rest of the peons. I wanted AWACS for the following reasons:
1. Mrs. SoonerStormchaser lives in Norman...has a house...a job...and a minor daughter from her first marriage.
2. Assignment options: Tinker...Alaska...Japan...and Europe (flying NATO AWACS). Alaska is my dream assignment (yah the winters suck, but the summers more than make up for it). I lived in Japan for four years with my parents when they were in the Air Force, so I wouldn't mind being back there...and my BIL and SIL live in Europe (he flys with the NATO AWACS).

Homey, what was your AFSC when you were on active duty? The washout rate is a little less, but the program is still hard as ****!

K-StatePike...no B-1's at Tinker...unless they're getting re-engined. B-1's are at Dyess AFB (Abeline), Texas and Ellsworth AFB (Rapid City), South Dakota. They also re-engine B-52's and KC-135's there as well...but that's it. As far as field training is concerned...HOPE YOU LIKE ALABAMA IN THE SUMMER! I did OTS at Maxwell last summer...I can take the triple digits in Oklahoma just fine...triple digits in Alabama are an entirely different thing.

Boffingham, where are you at right now (as far as EWO school)? Your Strike Eagle base at S-J, Lakenheath or MH? My brother works Strike Eagle avionics at Lakenheath.

[usmc-sooner]

Boffingham, I had the chance to apply for Wizzo at OTS...didn't want it, so I'm at Randolph with the rest of the peons. I wanted AWACS for the following reasons:
1. Mrs. SoonerStormchaser lives in Norman...has a house...a job...and a minor daughter from her first marriage.
2. Assignment options: Tinker...Alaska...Japan...and Europe (flying NATO AWACS). Alaska is my dream assignment (yah the winters suck, but the summers more than make up for it). I lived in Japan for four years with my parents when they were in the Air Force, so I wouldn't mind being back there...and my BIL and SIL live in Europe (he flys with the NATO AWACS).


Did you live in main land Japan? Kadena is in Okinawa and it's a little different.

Good luck and I wish you the best where ever you end up.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Yah...Misawa. But my parents have been TDY to Kadena numerous times. They said it was great if you were AF...it sucked if you were Marines.

[Okla-homey]

Good news for you is if you wash-out, its back to being a weather guy. In my day, wash-outs went to ICBMs or hit the bricks.

[SoonerStormchaser]

They still do...our options if we wash out are intel or space & missles. I'd reapply for a weather slot...but that's not gonna happen cause I am not gonna wash out.

[SoonerJack]

Yah...Misawa. But my parents have been TDY to Kadena numerous times. They said it was great if you were AF...it sucked if you were Marines.

My brother flew P3's out of Misawa.

[Okla-homey]

They still do...our options if we wash out are intel or space & missles. I'd reapply for a weather slot...but that's not gonna happen cause I am not gonna wash out.

and that is a very important reason intel is, well, less than accurate in their prognostications. Intel is full of guys who couldn't hack flight school. Don't get me started about coneheads either.;)

[SoonerStormchaser]

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/1/11/Coneheads.jpg
Why do you hate Beldar?

[SoonerStormchaser]

Homey, what was your job?

[Okla-homey]

Homey, what was your job?

I flew Bongo 52's, Bones and a bunch of other crap they make rated officers do from time to time. If I told you all about it I'd have to shoot you.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Here's my options outta Randolph:
E-3
KC-135 (only assignment is McConnell AFB, KS)
RC-135 (Offut AFB, NE)
AC-130 (Hurlburt Field, FL)
EC-130 (Eglin AFB, FL)
MC-130 (Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ)
B-52 (Barksdale AFB, LA)
C-130 (Little Rock AFB, AR; Dyess AFB, Texas; RAF Mildenhall, England; Ramstein AB, Germany; Yokota AB,Japan; Hickam AFB, HI)

[KStatePike]

K-StatePike...no B-1's at Tinker...unless they're getting re-engined. B-1's are at Dyess AFB (Abeline), Texas and Ellsworth AFB (Rapid City), South Dakota. They also re-engine B-52's and KC-135's there as well...but that's it. As far as field training is concerned...HOPE YOU LIKE ALABAMA IN THE SUMMER! I did OTS at Maxwell last summer...I can take the triple digits in Oklahoma just fine...triple digits in Alabama are an entirely different thing.


Its either going to be in Maxwell or Ellsworth, we haven't found out yet. This is the last year Ellsworth is having an FTU. Only thing I know is, no matter where I go, its gonna be hot.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Oh...I thought that it was all going to Maxwell this year...that last year was it for Ellsworth and Tyndall. Mrs. SoonerStormchaser's oldest son (my step-son) was at Tyndall last year with his OU AFROTC peeps.

If it's Maxwell...get ready...and for the record: you don't have to call the OTS trainee's "sir."

[KStatePike]

Thanks I appreciate it. I'm just looking forward to August.

[SoonerStormchaser]

What's slot are you applying for?

[KStatePike]

I don't have the eyes for a rated slot, so I'm gunning for Intel or Maintenance. I think those 2 sound like pretty sweet deals.

[Boffingham]

I am leaving SJ, going to Lakenheath in May.

As for your training...here is my advice:

Go EWO! Why? Nav's are dropping like flies (RIF)...especially on the AWACS...Mr. Computer does all that now.

[SoonerStormchaser]

I would Boffingham...but Mrs. SoonerStormchaser is in Norman...with a minor child from her previous marriage...and a house...and a job...

The deal is for me to try like hell to get up there...if I do, we'll stay til her daughter is out of high school in a few years...then it's fair game as to where we go from there.


BTW...my brother is a Staff Sgt. in the F-15E avionics squadron at Lakenheath. If your plane is broken, blame him!

[royalfan5]

Do you get to pick a cool name for yourself as a navigator that will be on your helmet and whatnot?

[KABOOKIE]

Do you get to pick a cool name for yourself as a navigator that will be on your helmet and whatnot?


Negative Ghostrider, that one will be assigned to him by his fellow servicemen when the young nugget either F ups or makes a fool of himself.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Yep...or they find out something in your past that you did that was stupid or odd...like the time I took out a moose in Wyoming with a 2005 RENTED Toyota Sienna.