Incentive Rides

[Hawker1 0]

After getting an early beta of my EA-6B emailed to FE, I was told I would get a ride in a Tomcat at NAS Oceana. I was told that every third Thursday they give rides, and that I could get one. When I asked FE about what date would be best, and when I'd have some leave to come down there for the ride, no response. In fact I've had no response from him for a long time. If he is what he claims to be, he would have the integrity to reply with an honest comment. So it looks like I've been had as well.

[switch 0]

Boy, that guy was getting around! :D

Even some of the maintainers, who want to get an incentive ride have to wait

sometimes for a while. And not everyone of them gets it :(

Not the same as it used to be. In any branch.

 

BTW. What EA6B beta are you talking about? Strike Fighters or FS add-on?

Edited December 22, 2003 by switch

[Cretin 0]

I was at an event where they were giving rides in F-16's. Actually got buckled down in the "back seat" and then got scrubbed. Stayed soft for years after that.

[Guest MrMudd]

After getting an early beta of my EA-6B emailed to FE, I was told I would get a ride in a Tomcat at NAS Oceana.  I was told that every third Thursday they give rides, and that I could get one.  When I asked FE about what date would be best, and when I'd have some leave to come down there for the ride, no response.  In fact I've had no response from him for a long time.  If he is what he claims to be, he would have the integrity to reply with an honest comment.  So it looks like I've been had as well.

Unfortunately that is an Extreme Stretch of the Truth. I am very disgusted to here this.

 

WE have some very severe restrictions on Providing "rides" in Military aircraft to civillians. It is difficult enought to proved these to non-aircrew personal. We have a hard enought time Having uptime on jets to meet or mission Obligations and Training. Were not a "Joyride service"

 

Those that have been chosen to recieve an Incentive Ride, that were civillians fall into 3 Categories. "Press, Authors, Technical Support, Public icons (movie stars, Sports personalities etc)

 

the DOD does not give a Thursday ride program. and they never have.

 

Their is a big Command review process that takes place, Security background checks, Flight Surgeon Evals, and most of all. It is a Wing level or higher Approval required. It is a highly complex Political process.

 

The DOD only provides these incentives to assist in strengthening bonds with the community, Technical support reasons, Contractors photographers etc. and For the press pool. these activities usually can take up to 2 years from beginning of process to completion.

 

While we may provide a Incentive program to Military personel that is a quicker process. there is no. step to the jet, i'll take you for a ride program.

 

The best i could do for people was, Schedule time on a weekend or evening, and Strap someone into a Simulator or a parked jet, and give them some hands on.

 

I have flown Numerous press and Technical people and military folks on Flights.

 

You would be amazed how long allot of press people have to wait to get scheduled in to one.

the public taxpayers would also not appreciete us competing with the Rollercoaster and amusement parks For jet rides.

 

Fraud waste and Abuse is certainly not anything the military wants to get involved in in the public eye.

[Falcon Six Two 0]

That sucks.....damn and I though being a civilian was hard! Looks like you military types have it tough(not that it hasn't ben tough enough for you already)

[Guest MrMudd]

That is exactly the point.

 

Incentive rides for military personal have really become a highly competitive process, Airmen of the year ETC. Most of the Time Crew Chiefs Can wait years before the opportunity.

 

If i had to choose between taken A military person that busts his Knucles and Tolerance putting sweat equity into ensureing his jet Flies the next mission. And the choice of hooken a civilian up for a joyride.

 

Who do you think i am going to choose.

 

Only the Crew Dawg deserves that ride.

 

For us leaders its an Educational and Professional investment to take care of our own. At times it also helps us explain to technicians. Those keypoints of examination one can only get from a dynamic flight sortie as compared to a static session on the ground.

 

A typical highly squared away 20+ year Crew Chief would be lucky to see 2+ rides in his entire career. in the Fighter Community.

 

The heavy aircraft, Like cargo, tankers and special mission aircraft it is an entirely differnt situation. Allot of that is up to the squadron level commanders. They do allot of "Public relations Activities" they have the additional seats to facilitate these activities, and not interefer with their mission schedules.

 

We have some Guard units here locally that ofton use Rides in the Tankers and heavy lift aircraft as an Recruitment and incentive tool, for college students and those with close ties to the military. its a good investment into our future servicemen and women.

 

So to keep a long story Short. Their are thousands of Fully qualified people that are waiting for their time on the sortie Chart for an incentive public affairs ride.

 

I dont see how a pathological liar such as "Fast Eagle" can be useing it to exchange a favor or Bribe. for services rendered.

 

These type of things get a real Military person fried under the UCMJ.

 

Trust me. If it was even realisticly possible to Freely at will take our non aircrew personel for rides. I would do it in a heartbeat if I could. They deserve all the incentives and experiance we can give them.

 

Unfortunately the Cost, Maint hours and operational obligations for the Fighter community dont make that even possible.

[navychief 1]

I can tell you with personal experience, that getting backseat rides is definitely NOT a quick process. Back in the early 1970s (the Stone Age), you had to go through a Flight Physical, Swim Test, Pressure Chamber Test, and classroom instruction, which included a ride on a ejection seat simulator. The simulator was a actual ejection seat on a rail, which was pneumatically shot up a rail. It was the equivalent of a 1/4 charge of the real ejection process.

 

Even if you could get all of the requirements done in sequence, it would take three separate weeks. It took me almost three months to finish, because enlisted non-aircrew types were (and still are, I am sure) the very LAST priority for completion of such tests. Getting on the list for the tests was on a standby basis.

 

I went through all of the requirements twice in my career. Once, when I was stationed at Pax River in the 70s, and then again, when stationed at NAS Cecil Field, FL. in the early 80s. My last ride was in a F/A-18D in 1985.

 

It is even harder, nowadays, to get "joyrides". Funding is very tight for training, and if there is an empty seat, you can rest assured a pilot in need of training will be in it.

 

Navy Chief

[+Armourdave 0]

That F-18 has my name on it! No seriously! ;)

 

Cheers

[firehawkordy 34]

As far as I know the Navy stopped giving backseat rides in the early '80s. Used to be you could get one,maybe,if you re-enlisted.I asked for that on my first re-up and was politely told that VX-4 doesn't give rides anymore,so I got one in a P-3 instead. <_<

The rides were stopped for the reasons the Chief mentioned plus the safety factor. Just look at what happens when a fully trained crew gets in trouble,now add a wrench turner or a civilian. Can you say PR disaster?

To paraphrase a line from Top Gun, FE is writing checks that he can't cash.

 

 

 

Launch the ALPHA Strike!!

[Cretin 0]

My one shot at a ride came about 1980. The company I was working for did business with the base. Our company got one pass to the closed event. My coworker, who actually called on the base, was kind enough to give the pass to me. That's the closest I have ever gotten and, without doubt, the closest I will ever get. At least I have gotten to sit in an F-16 twice. Once in the "back seat", as mentioned above, and once in the driver's seat at an airshow. I suppose I was pretty lucky to get that considering how tight things are now.

[Hawker1 0]

Good post Mr Mudd. Thanks. I do realize that it is very tough to get incentive rides.

 

Btw,

I am military (USAF in Iraq at the moment) but in the heavy airlift dept. While in Kuwait at the end of the Gulf War an F-14 landed and forgot to turn on his anti-skid. He blew a tire after the wheel locked up and 1/3 of the wheel ground down to nothing as it skidded to a stop. I (then a C-5 flying crew chief) went out with a flight engineer to offer help but then we found out they ended up needing to call in a maintenance recovery team off of their carrier. So as they waited they put me in the front seat and gave me the dime tour. It was very cool. I sat in there for about an hour as the pilot told me all I could think to ask about it. The best part was it was a night and still on the runway. With all the lights lit up it felt like I was getting ready for take off. So far in my life that's about as close as I got to a flight in a Tomcat. :D

Edited December 23, 2003 by Hawker1

[Falcon Six Two 0]

Some guys just have all the luck......

[olaleier 0]

Just a little note...

 

Two years ago, a 21-year old RNoAF sergeant Marthe Gaugstad got a ride in an F-16, which she had waited a long time for. Little did she know that she would experience more of fighter jock life than she bargained for! :D

 

The Viper ate a bird. The 1000+ hr pilot Vegard Bøthun got a firelight and his wingman reported smoke. They had to punch out above water. The young sergeant got nothing but the highest credit for her calm and collected actions, and they got picked up by a Sea King, no injuries, text-book stuff. Regardless of pre-flight training, one wonders if a yellow-belly news-jock would have kept his cool the same way. :D

 

I saw a piece of the fowl-ed F-16 in the Norwegian Air Transport Museum. A chunk of the leading edge flaps (or slats or whatever) with some wiring sticking out had floated around a peninsula (don't remember the exact distance, but 30 or 40+ miles) where some puzzled fisherman picked it up.

[Falcon Six Two 0]

That's the thing I hate about flying: birds. They're such a safety hazard. getting caught up in the engines and jamming them up.....

[olaleier 0]

That's the thing I hate about flying: birds. They're such a safety hazard. getting caught up in the engines and jamming them up.....

:D

 

Not only birds can be dangerous, deer, salmon and turtles are hazardous too!

 

http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/media/app...ticles/0066.htm

Edited December 24, 2003 by olaleier

[Falcon Six Two 0]

Why would a turtle cross a runway? I don’t know, but we held up operations for a short time while we cleaned up the mess and held a quick memorial service.

 

 

 

LOL!!!!!! For a turtle!!!!!! ROTLMFAO!!!!!

[firehawkordy 34]

I remember being called back to the Arm/DeArm area at NAWS China Lake because an F-18 got a bird strike on take off. It hit a crow,a big "F'ing" crow were the inboard pylon,Sta.7, met the wing. My crew and I had to download two Mk.82's,the VER, and remove the pylon. Fortunatly the pilot kept his cool and managed to do an aborted take off and return to the ramp.

The best part was that the tin benders had to go to work for a change and clean bird out from inside the wing.

[Cretin 0]

That's why Russians do the Cobra. Scares the birds away. :D

[+pcpilot 181]

That's the thing I hate about flying: birds. They're such a safety hazard. getting caught up in the engines and jamming them up.....

:D

 

Not only birds can be dangerous, deer, salmon and turtles are hazardous too!

 

http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/media/app...ticles/0066.htm

What a hoot! The turtle "dashing"?? LOL!

 

PS. I had the pleasure as LSE on the DD-971, to get a ride in the SH-2 back in '84. We were in the Persian Gulf playing sitting duck for the Iranians. The helo naturally did a LOT of patroling. We had flight ops nearly continuasly. The flight was a blast.

Edited December 24, 2003 by pcpilot

[Falcon Six Two 0]

Sitting duck?