It isn't the automation, it is the Pilot Monitoring, CRM and Culture

[MikeD]

WHoa there.....not so fast. I'm about to partake (as a frightened bystander) in the Prowler's last CVN deployment. I'm sure those guys would like the world to know that they are still out there, hanging their pink skin out behind the ship at night in a death trap for at least the better part of the next year That said, it will be nearly the end of the road for her when we get back. And yes, they all have camo SH bags circa "Flight of the Intruder".......

The USMC will be getting our old jets (the ones that weren't irradiated beyond repair in Japan/Fukishima) and flying them for years to come.

Btw, the VAQ community was the one place where NFOs ruled the roost; generally 3:1 over Aviators, which was more than the VAW squadrons of (I believe) 2:1 (4:2 per plane).

Now, it seems like with the EA-18, it will be going 1:1 NFO to Aviator. What's going to happen to the glut of NFOs?

 

[///AMG]

No EA-18s for the VMAQs? And they're all east coast at Cherry Point, right?

Nope....the Marine Corps has a real inverse hard on for the Super Hornet for whatever reason. Last I heard, they were banking on an as of yet undeveloped EA variant of the F-35. We shall see if that comes to fruition, but my guess is that it will be many years. More than likely, I see them falling the way of the AF in the ES/EA game for a good number of years.......though I am sure they will at least attempt to fly the wings off the Prowler (which are probably nearly falling off already) in the meantime. And yeah, they will all be Cherry Point jets, including the RAG once the USN standdown is complete. Which is funny, because I don't know that I have ever seen a Prowler at Cherry Point, in spite of all the VMAQ's being there.

 

[///AMG]

Btw, the VAQ community was the one place where NFOs ruled the roost; generally 3:1 over Aviators, which was more than the VAW squadrons of (I believe) 2:1 (4:2 per plane).

Now, it seems like with the EA-18, it will be going 1:1 NFO to Aviator. What's going to happen to the glut of NFOs?

Yeah, you called it. I'm not sure what the breakdown of NFO/pilot in VAW is, but per airplane per flight, there are 3 NFO's in the back, and 2 pilots in the front. Typically 3 ECMO's in a Prowler and 1 pilot, sometimes 4 ECMO's mission dependent......min of 1 pilot, 2 ECMO's for FCF or ferry due to Grumman's love affair with backseat CB's. (Notably the Tomcat was the last 2 seat jet that required a backseater to fly, other than by SOP or NFO oriented self imposed community survival measures now present in the Rhino).....no offense Pilot Fighter or nauga

My guess is that being an NFO in the VAQ community is going to be getting a lot more competitive in the coming 2-5 years.

 

[MikeD]

Nope....the Marine Corps has a real inverse hard on for the Super Hornet for whatever reason. Last I heard, they were banking on an as of yet undeveloped EA variant of the F-35. We shall see if that comes to fruition, but my guess is that it will be many years. More than likely, I see them falling the way of the AF in the ES/EA game for a good number of years.......though I am sure they will at least attempt to fly the wings off the Prowler (which are probably nearly falling off already) in the meantime. And yeah, they will all be Cherry Point jets, including the RAG once the USN standdown is complete. Which is funny, because I don't know that I have ever seen a Prowler at Cherry Point, in spite of all the VMAQ's being there.

All the VMAQ jets have been sitting at Bagram or Al Asad, until recently, haha.

Btw.....with the VAQs gone, what will become of Whidbey Island? It's been VAQ central, as well as VA (A-6) central forever for West Coast (I believe East Coast VA for A-6s folded earlier).

 

[MikeD]

My guess is that being an NFO in the VAQ community is going to be getting a lot more competitive in the coming 2-5 years.

NFO disassociated sea tours now as SSN / DD/ FFG navigators or communications officers?

 

[///AMG]

Btw.....with the VAQs gone, what will become of Whidbey Island? It's been VAQ central, as well as VA (A-6) central forever for West Coast (I believe East Coast VA for A-6s folded earlier).

VAQ's aren't going away, just being infested by EA-18's. Other than Growlers, there will be P-8's, and EP-3's (at least for a little longer) up there, as well as VR traffic, which at least last time I heard, was still the C-9/DC-9. My first training officer got out of the Navy a couple years ago, retired her TOPGUN patch for a reserve gig with them, while pursuing other tree hugging interests in a masters program at UW. Awesome chick, and a true individual amongst a very otherwise homogeneous group of people.

 

[///AMG]

NFO disassociated sea tours now as SSN / DD/ FFG navigators or communications officers?

haha....I think my old man did his disassoc on an old diesel sub as the "air officer" or something ridiculous like that. At least the food was probably good back then, and the cruises interesting and relevant. I'm guessing some of those dudes will get farmed out to places like CVN TAO, to get screamed at by the CSG admiral for gooning up alerts, or worse.