I have already bragged about the fact that I don’t have to live on the boat for much of my six month on deployment, but I really can’t complain about life on the boat. We are back on it for the transit to our next det site. We flew the whole det on yesterday except for two people who are going in advance to our next site to set up before we get there. They will take an Air Force or Navy flight on a cargo plane at a reduced rate to what the airlines would offer.
On the boat we officers live in staterooms. Our room is an eight man suite and is pretty huge seeing as though we only have 4 dudes living in it permanently… We (VRC-30) have an awesome room compared to the other pilots on board who will be living here for the whole cruise. Most rooms are 2/4/6 man and are really cramped, but I guess we are trying to preserve “the good life” and somehow we managed to get the best room on the boat. We brought on a 32-inchLCDTV, which is hooked up, to a PS3, an Xbox 360, and a Nintendo Wii. We also have about 300 DVD’s to watch! We also got a little fridge in our room so that we can always have cold drinks at a moments notice…Needless to say we will never be bored or thirsty…
Our room is very close to one of the three wardrooms onboard the ship where we eat. There are set times for breakfast, lunch and dinner but there is always food out. There is always a salad bar, sandwich bar, and a hot food bar at each meal as well as a full fountain of drinks. Around 2200 each night midrats (midnight rations) start. I guess these are for people that were flying during dinner and didn’t get to eat, but mostly it seems like an ice cream social (there is actually hard ice cream out 24/7). Everybody shows up to midrats to hang out and socialize. I think that in order to save my gut, I might try to avoid midrats even though it seems sort of antisocial. The food though is very good, and we actually have starbucks coffee too! This morning, Sunday (and every Sunday), there is a brunch. They have a waffle bar, smoothie bar, and a breakfast buffet with roast beef, ham, eggs, bacon and sausage. It is really is top notch but I must say that I do miss cooking with my wife!
Overall the experience of living on the boat is sort of like living in a college dorm. The main difference is that you can never leave. You are permanently at work, which can get pretty taxing, but I haven’t experienced that yet. The ship does have several gyms, one of which is near to our room. There are different setups at each gym, but all together we have cardio equipment like treadmills, stairmasters and elliptical machines as well as free weights and machines. The ship puts on events too to keep up morale. Tonight they are showing some movies in the hangar bay, which are still in the mainstream theaters. I think they are showing Iron Man and What Happens in Vegas. I guess they are going to set up a big screen and some chairs for whoever wants to watch.
Communication on the ship can be tough sometimes. We do have email and internet access, but only through NMCI (navy-marine corps internet) computers on the NMCI network. So I can’t just plug my computer into the network, I have to use a work computer. The internet is also pretty slow. I am not sure exactly how the ship connects to the internet, but I guess it is amazing that we have it out in the middle of the huge Pacific Ocean! We also have phone lines to contact the outside world, but in my experience the connection is usually poor and with a healthy delay. So it is easier for me to keep up with personal contacts through email or just to wait a few days until I am back on dry land. Snail mail is the last form of communication, which happens to be my job! We can send and receive mail out here on the ship, which is transported, on our airplane. I am not sure how long it takes for mail to go to/from the ship, but we can find out if you want to send me some care packages….
Carrier aviation is pretty cool. Just thinking about the fact that we takeoff and land from a boat that we live on in the middle of the ocean is pretty amazing. We COD guys only fly during the day, but the rest of the airwing flies at night. I got the experience of watching night landings from the LSO (landing signal officer) platform last night. It was awesome but sort of scary at the same time. Landing on the boat is not exactly easy and to do it at night with most of the ships lights turned off and no moonlight doesn’t help anything. The LSO platform is on the aft end of the flight deck on the port (left if you are looking forward) side of the ship. The LSO’s job is to make sure all the planes get aboard the ship safely and to talk the pilots down when they need corrections. You can only see the airplanes lights as they are coming down to land. When they get to ¾ mile from the ship they call the ball, meaning that they see the vertical landing aid. From there the LSO (or Paddles, a throwback term from when LSO’s would actually guide planes down with paddles) will give calls to the pilot to correct left/right or to add/reduce power. The LSO will tell the pilot to wave off (or go around and try again) if they get into a dangerous situation. Essentially the pilots are trying to catch one of the 3 wires spanning across the flight deck. At night when the planes touch down, sparks from the hook shoot all over the place and the deck is immediately illuminated from the glow of the jets afterburners. The jets apply full power on touchdown to ensure they will be able to take off again if they bolter (don’t catch a wire). Once safely aboard, the jets taxi clear of the landing area and the next plane comes to attempt to land. This is no easy process and I was constantly nervous for the pilots of the planes landing at night because I wouldn’t want to be in there shoes. I guess somebody has to do it!
After watching all the night traps (arrested landings) last night I was just thinking how cool it is that I am a part of this. The pure notion of what an aircraft carrier is and does is stunning. There is so much that goes into the ships movement. Just to say that I was a part of it all is a really great feeling. I cannot wait for the rest of the deployment to pan out and to see what the Navy has in store!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Aloha
Well we just got done working out of Hawaii. It was my first time there so everything was new to me. I didn’t really know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised! We stayed on the island of Ohau where Honolulu is located and worked out of Hickam Air Force Base, which is connected to Honolulu international airport. Hickam is directly attached to Naval Station Pearl Harbor and that is where our hotel was. Incidentally we were on Pearl for Memorial Day, which really hit home for me seeing as though so many Americans died there when were attacked by the Japanese. There were a few older buildings on Hickam that still had bullet holes on the outside from the attacking planes, amazing! Needless to say, there is a lot of history on those bases and many people to remember who lost their lives way back when.
We delivered two hits a day to the ship carrying parts for the ship(s) and airplanes, mail, and passengers. All of our passengers are usually pretty excited to take an arrested landing and a catapult shot but some people get forced into the action. For anybody that needs to get on or off of the ship our plane is usually the only way. Some people don't care for airplanes, especially ones landing on and taking off from the ship. We once had a passenger who started to freak out. We had to calm him down by putting an oxygen mask on him. He truly thought that he was going to die..... Honestly I felt bad for him, but I guess it is just one of those things that you are obligated to do when you join the Navy. I however love the action on the boat. Traps and catapult shots are awesome! We took a pretty hefty catapult the other day that was so strong I started to black out a little… It was NIIIICE!
In order to maintain our operational readiness our airplane maintainers worked around the clock ensuring that our planes were ready to fly. That task was/is not easy though seeing as the C-2A was developed in the 1960’s. The planes are always breaking and we are always fixing them. This aspect makes our job pretty challenging because the boat always expects two hits a day no matter what the status of our planes is. So that means if one plane is broken, the other one will pick up the slack. This process is day to day and we are always having to flex. But overall, I can’t complain because even though I might have a rough day, I am still living on the beach, unlike the guys living on the ship. Each day when returning to land we were greeted with a great view of the amazing Honolulu coast line.
When were not flying or dealing with bureaucracy that Air Force liked to throw our way, we got to go explore Honolulu and Waikiki. Pearl Harbor is about a 12-minute drive from the downtown areas. There are a multitude of beaches, hotels and restaurants to explore. We went body boarding one day on the beach in Waikiki. The surf there wasn’t too bad. I hear though that on the north shore the surf can be pretty brutal. I am still waiting to learn how to surf. I guess that if I don’t learn while on deployment I can always do it back home on North Island. Hawaiian food is pretty good too! I love pork, which seems to be the specialty in Hawaii.
While in Hawaii we also me up with VRC-30 Det-3 which is just finishing up it’s deployment with the USS Nimitz. The Nimitz pulled into Pearl Harbor on its final port call. It was nice to see our squadron mates whom we hadn’t seen in a couple (5) months. We all met up and went downtown to a bar and grille called Duke’s (named after the famous surfer dude). It is located at the bottom of the Outrigger hotel. Duke’s is an open-air place right on the beach with a great view of the ocean. Mai Tai’s are the local drink specialty there (and all over Hawaii for that matter) and are very tasty if I do say so for myself!
Overall, Hawaii was a great experience. My first det site on my first Navy deployment. Good sights to see and lots of mission experience. My morale is still high on the chart! One week down, 23 to go! What’s coming next?
We delivered two hits a day to the ship carrying parts for the ship(s) and airplanes, mail, and passengers. All of our passengers are usually pretty excited to take an arrested landing and a catapult shot but some people get forced into the action. For anybody that needs to get on or off of the ship our plane is usually the only way. Some people don't care for airplanes, especially ones landing on and taking off from the ship. We once had a passenger who started to freak out. We had to calm him down by putting an oxygen mask on him. He truly thought that he was going to die..... Honestly I felt bad for him, but I guess it is just one of those things that you are obligated to do when you join the Navy. I however love the action on the boat. Traps and catapult shots are awesome! We took a pretty hefty catapult the other day that was so strong I started to black out a little… It was NIIIICE!
In order to maintain our operational readiness our airplane maintainers worked around the clock ensuring that our planes were ready to fly. That task was/is not easy though seeing as the C-2A was developed in the 1960’s. The planes are always breaking and we are always fixing them. This aspect makes our job pretty challenging because the boat always expects two hits a day no matter what the status of our planes is. So that means if one plane is broken, the other one will pick up the slack. This process is day to day and we are always having to flex. But overall, I can’t complain because even though I might have a rough day, I am still living on the beach, unlike the guys living on the ship. Each day when returning to land we were greeted with a great view of the amazing Honolulu coast line.
When were not flying or dealing with bureaucracy that Air Force liked to throw our way, we got to go explore Honolulu and Waikiki. Pearl Harbor is about a 12-minute drive from the downtown areas. There are a multitude of beaches, hotels and restaurants to explore. We went body boarding one day on the beach in Waikiki. The surf there wasn’t too bad. I hear though that on the north shore the surf can be pretty brutal. I am still waiting to learn how to surf. I guess that if I don’t learn while on deployment I can always do it back home on North Island. Hawaiian food is pretty good too! I love pork, which seems to be the specialty in Hawaii.
While in Hawaii we also me up with VRC-30 Det-3 which is just finishing up it’s deployment with the USS Nimitz. The Nimitz pulled into Pearl Harbor on its final port call. It was nice to see our squadron mates whom we hadn’t seen in a couple (5) months. We all met up and went downtown to a bar and grille called Duke’s (named after the famous surfer dude). It is located at the bottom of the Outrigger hotel. Duke’s is an open-air place right on the beach with a great view of the ocean. Mai Tai’s are the local drink specialty there (and all over Hawaii for that matter) and are very tasty if I do say so for myself!
Overall, Hawaii was a great experience. My first det site on my first Navy deployment. Good sights to see and lots of mission experience. My morale is still high on the chart! One week down, 23 to go! What’s coming next?
Saturday, May 10, 2008
I'm a COD Guy!
You might be wondering what "COD" means. It stands for Carrier On Board Delivery. The phrase can be applied to any aircraft that delivers people, mail and cargo to the aircraft carrier, but right now in 2008 it is used to the describe the mission of the C-2A Greyhound (C-is for cargo). The C-2A is a twin turboprop. It weighs about 38,000 lbs., carries 12,000 lbs. of fuel, and can carry 10,000 lbs. of cargo (whatever the carrier needs that day).
My squadron is VRC-30 (V-fixed wing, R-Replenishment, C-Carrier) and we are based out of NAS North Island on Coronado island in San Diego, Ca. The squadron is comprised of 5 detachments. Dets 1-4 are based in San Diego, and Det-5 is forward deployed with Carrier Airwing 5 in Atsugi, Japan. Each Det has 2 planes, 6 pilots and 40 enlisted maintainers and is assigned to a carrier airwing.
The mission of a deployed C-2 detachment is to keep up the critical flow of people, mail, and cargo to the carrier on a daily basis. Under the usual conditions the carrier can expect one flight a day from each of the 2 Det airplanes. The Det is usually based on land, meaning that we don't live on the carrier for much of the deployment (this is nice!). Initially, when the ship leaves home port the CODs will fly on and ride along until land is near. Once close enough, the planes set up a base on the nearest land and start making runs everyday, back and forth from the ship, until land gets too far. At that point the Det will pack up and ride the ship again or fly to a new location on dry land and start making hits again.
As for what we take.... One day we might fly 10,000 lbs. worth of toilet seats and the next day we might fly the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) to the carrier. We deliver all the mail going to/coming from the ship, which is not as much any more with the invention of email. I have heard though that care packages pick up around the holidays (I like care packages too!). The cargo we might bring could be a plane full of valuable parts for the ship or for any of the airplanes aboard the ship or could be as small as a shoe box for something equally important. We also take a steady stream of people to and from the boat. Most of the people are just Navy personnel that are transferring to/from the ship, but sometimes we carry distinguished visitors/ VIP's from various nations to see the ship.
That is the basic mission of my airplane. I personally like the fact that I get to land aboard the carrier and be part of the tail hook Navy, but I don't have to live on the ship for 6 whole months. Because of the fact that we get to see dry land on a daily basis and the rest of the airwing does not, we (COD pilots) try to bring cool things for our friends aboard the ship. Sometimes we bring newspapers and sometimes we bring local food. I have heard that a cold pizza from land is worth a lot of money.... I am looking forward to seeing all the sights that the Pacific and Southeast Asia have to offer and getting a chance to experience the cultures as well. Of course I can't wait to share my experiences with you! My next blog will be from somewhere I have never been before..... Talk to you then
Jason
My squadron is VRC-30 (V-fixed wing, R-Replenishment, C-Carrier) and we are based out of NAS North Island on Coronado island in San Diego, Ca. The squadron is comprised of 5 detachments. Dets 1-4 are based in San Diego, and Det-5 is forward deployed with Carrier Airwing 5 in Atsugi, Japan. Each Det has 2 planes, 6 pilots and 40 enlisted maintainers and is assigned to a carrier airwing.
The mission of a deployed C-2 detachment is to keep up the critical flow of people, mail, and cargo to the carrier on a daily basis. Under the usual conditions the carrier can expect one flight a day from each of the 2 Det airplanes. The Det is usually based on land, meaning that we don't live on the carrier for much of the deployment (this is nice!). Initially, when the ship leaves home port the CODs will fly on and ride along until land is near. Once close enough, the planes set up a base on the nearest land and start making runs everyday, back and forth from the ship, until land gets too far. At that point the Det will pack up and ride the ship again or fly to a new location on dry land and start making hits again.
As for what we take.... One day we might fly 10,000 lbs. worth of toilet seats and the next day we might fly the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) to the carrier. We deliver all the mail going to/coming from the ship, which is not as much any more with the invention of email. I have heard though that care packages pick up around the holidays (I like care packages too!). The cargo we might bring could be a plane full of valuable parts for the ship or for any of the airplanes aboard the ship or could be as small as a shoe box for something equally important. We also take a steady stream of people to and from the boat. Most of the people are just Navy personnel that are transferring to/from the ship, but sometimes we carry distinguished visitors/ VIP's from various nations to see the ship.
That is the basic mission of my airplane. I personally like the fact that I get to land aboard the carrier and be part of the tail hook Navy, but I don't have to live on the ship for 6 whole months. Because of the fact that we get to see dry land on a daily basis and the rest of the airwing does not, we (COD pilots) try to bring cool things for our friends aboard the ship. Sometimes we bring newspapers and sometimes we bring local food. I have heard that a cold pizza from land is worth a lot of money.... I am looking forward to seeing all the sights that the Pacific and Southeast Asia have to offer and getting a chance to experience the cultures as well. Of course I can't wait to share my experiences with you! My next blog will be from somewhere I have never been before..... Talk to you then
Jason
My First Blog
Ok, this is my first blog ever. If you are reading this you must be my friends or family. I will apologize in advance because I am not a writer nor a good descriptor. I will try my best to describe what I am up to, where I have been and to update this blog as frequently as I can. I will be officially deployed as of May 22nd, 2008 and we should be home the day before Thanksgiving. We will be going all around the Pacific Ocean and I will try to send pictures from each location.
Jason
Jason
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
