Back when I served in the AF, I was surrounded by pilots. The vast majority didn't impress me with their diligence or intelligence. Yet, they were almost always given squadron and group command as a sinecure even when utterly lacking any experience at that portion of the AF mission. The non-rated officers with long experience at their specific missions were put in as deputy commander so they could be made the goats for any failure. 🤦♂️
In any military aircraft, whether single seat or crewed by a dozen or more there always has to be the Designated Bus Driver, someone to get the plane from Point "A" to "B" and back. And you can't go handing out DFC's to everyone on the aircraft. It cheapens the award. So it's easier just to give it to the pilot. Every line officer in the Surface community had to qualify as Fleet OOD (bus driver) to become SWO qualified. No SWO qual, no career. For Navy line CWO's and LDO's it was optional, but desired of them. What puzzled me was that once qualified as a bus driver very few ever wanted to stand a bridge watch again...mostly because it put you under the hard gaze of the Captain. I loved being a bus driver...high school drop-out, a CWO2, 20/400 vision (correctable to 20/20), all OJT and no schools. Zipping around on a brand new 35kt Guided Missile Frigate. What joy. I liked it so much that I extended my tour to 4 years.
Back when they were converting spare Essex Class Bird Farms to LPH's it made some sense to let a Aval Naviator command them as a step up to the newer Bird farms.
That ended fifty something years ago. Gator Freighters are surface fleet and should be run by SWO's.
Back when I served in the AF, I was surrounded by pilots. The vast majority didn't impress me with their diligence or intelligence. Yet, they were almost always given squadron and group command as a sinecure even when utterly lacking any experience at that portion of the AF mission. The non-rated officers with long experience at their specific missions were put in as deputy commander so they could be made the goats for any failure. 🤦♂️
NO surprise there, sadly.
In any military aircraft, whether single seat or crewed by a dozen or more there always has to be the Designated Bus Driver, someone to get the plane from Point "A" to "B" and back. And you can't go handing out DFC's to everyone on the aircraft. It cheapens the award. So it's easier just to give it to the pilot. Every line officer in the Surface community had to qualify as Fleet OOD (bus driver) to become SWO qualified. No SWO qual, no career. For Navy line CWO's and LDO's it was optional, but desired of them. What puzzled me was that once qualified as a bus driver very few ever wanted to stand a bridge watch again...mostly because it put you under the hard gaze of the Captain. I loved being a bus driver...high school drop-out, a CWO2, 20/400 vision (correctable to 20/20), all OJT and no schools. Zipping around on a brand new 35kt Guided Missile Frigate. What joy. I liked it so much that I extended my tour to 4 years.
That must've been awesome, Dale. 😁
LOL, always said you weren’t right… ;-)
Back when they were converting spare Essex Class Bird Farms to LPH's it made some sense to let a Aval Naviator command them as a step up to the newer Bird farms.
That ended fifty something years ago. Gator Freighters are surface fleet and should be run by SWO's.
The invoice has remained unpaid for 47 years.
I notice there's a common thread running thru that list. Or should I say, a common ingrown hair that's festered into a metastasizing global tumor.
Indeed. Sovereign U.S. territory and American hostages were seized and held for 444 days.