All about Naval Flight Officers (ep. 188)

[@HabitualButtonPusher]

Nothing but huge respect for Naval Flight Officers. My buddy was a navigator on a P-3 before becoming a Tacco. He used to always joke NFO stood for No Future Occupation, quipping at least pilots can get an airline gig.

[@leonardmoore2833]

West Coast RIO here. Thanks for telling "Goose's" story here!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

You're welcome. 😎

[@Vicarium]

NFO here. While I met a few pilot members of the 'Fo Flux Flan, for the most part we respected our individual mission responsibilities and operated as a team...

[@skeeter-q4q]

P3 NFO. A lot of pilots were respectful...unfortunately the Navy less so.

[@Watchandcutgearchannel]

This was great to watch, you guys are great - my uncle was an F14 Rio on the Jolly rogers in the 90's "mogli" with his pilot "stiffy" ... god i miss the call signs from back in the days LOL love the podcast keep up the great work Gents

[@johnb7490]

Great job as always. Loved the topic and guest. That was quite the career, hats off to his wife.

[@Zone5Aviation]

“Hoot” Gibson would be a good guy to get on. F-4, F-14, Space shuttle pilot. Great career.

[@PrestonKallshian]

Loved this! Matt is a friend and we are coaching youth football together. 👏

[@tzisme]

As Matt Arny said..."Hopefully interesting to the listener" As I say...mission accomplished

[@MEDGAR001]

I remember signing contract as an NFO with the Marines about 15 years ago. Its a really interesting job.

[@JG20204]

Just signed and got accepted an OCS slot for SNA in the marines !! Semper Fi family

[@jhoughton-fx2sj]

Great Episode Jello!!! When I was at VFA-122, we used to joke to never trust an even set of anchors in the F/A-18F!! Keep up the great work with all of the information you present!

[@skeeter-q4q]

This is how many pilots ( and the Navy in general viewed NFOs)

[@Roy-qn2ie]

I love your podcasts, so great to listen to. Ow and thank you for showing the breviation and explaining it.

[@TomcatMMCO]

Haven't seen Flounder in some time, great seeing him again. Keep up the great work on the Podcast.

[@JoeCrew-yv2kk]

Never have I understood the need for a distinction. As a Marine RF-4 pilot in the early '70s our squadron ready room was occupied by our flight crews without designation. In the aircraft the RSO (NFO) was my equal teammate, full stop!

[@GaryBrandt-f7l]

Great interview with the NFO mission and opportunities. Fly Navy! ⚓✈️⚓💪 Beers to you 🍺🍻

[@henrypuyi5485]

In the Air Force all the flyers have the same overall badge design for wings and the center shield distinguishes pilot, WSO, etc . . . you have to be up close to see what the shield has on it. Navy the NFO and Aviator wings are distinctive from a distance. Thoughts on the difference?

[@PBAR_B1B]

My impression is the Navy treats pilots and NFOs much more equally/fairly than the Air Force does its pilots and CSOs. As a Bone WSO, definitely felt like 2nd class citizen.

[@henrypuyi5485]

@@PBAR_B1B do WSOs become commanding officers of squadrons? Could you have become a Bone squadron CO?

[@PBAR_B1B]

@@henrypuyi5485 Yes, generally if they are USAF Weapon School graduates. In my case, I wasn't a USAFWS graduate so I doubt I could have gotten a B-1 squadron but maybe a different squadron (I didn't, but that's a long story and why I didn't make colonel). However, the majority of squadron commanders in airplanes that have CSOs (combat system officers, i.e. navs/WSOs, etc.) are still pilots. The Navy does it more evenly.

[@henrypuyi5485]

@@PBAR_B1B in P-3/P-8/E-2 squadrons, they tend to alternate NFOs and Aviators as COs.

[@skeeter-q4q]

When I was in the P-3 community in the late 80s, I believe there were 12 squadrons west coast. Of the 24 COs and XOs, there were only 5 NFOs when I arrived. While in my squadron, out of 6 COs and XOs, we only had one NFO. This despite huge retention of NFOs. Squadron pilots were fine; the Navy was less so.

[@dahawk8574]

A huge reason why Navs/WSOs are 2nd Class Citizens is structural. If you wash out of UPT, there's an option that they'll send you to Nav Tng. But there is NEVER a case where you wash out of Nav Tng and they send you to UPT. So any time you see a person wearing Nav Wings, there is the question that they're someone who couldn't hack it as a pilot. But never such a question when seeing Pilot Wings worn on a person's chest. Now there is one case where a person washed out of UNT, and then got sent to UST. Way back when Space Training was a thing. So there are freak examples of unusual paths.

[@timgeist1450]

As an EP-3E NFO, we joked about the anchor-deficient SAMR (Single Anchor Master Race) in VQ-1 and VQ-2.

[@FlyingDutchmanPodcast]

I understand the EP-3 are being retired

[@timgeist1450]

@@FlyingDutchmanPodcast Yes, but I can't recall if the last squadron (VQ-1) is getting disestablished this year or next. Hopefully they'll make a broad invite to the ceremony since I'm here on Whidbey.

[@FlyingDutchmanPodcast]

@@timgeist1450perhaps one day you would like to be a guest on my show? Not looking for spy stuff I like the human story and the journey from first interest in aviation to where are ya now or going discussion

[@azfinctrsaazvaat4568]

There was a time when flying in the back at nose bleed altitudes as a support aircraft was looked down upon by those of us who also sat up front doing what the carrier was there for in the first place...

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

It takes the whole team, glamorous and otherwise.

[@francescovolpe3244]

Flounder, good friend from the BRIGHT STAR ‘99 deployment!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

I was there too! Jell-O

[@rostamr4096]

Love these podcasts...

[@geezerider1]

When I finished primary flight syllabus in VT-10 (1971) It came time for type selection. I really wanted P3s. Long runways, per diem on deployments and solid ground beneath my feet were quite attractive. I had the grades, but the Navy didn't have any ready seats. I offered to go "on hold" for the next available slot. The detailer asked me one question: "Ensign, what part of NEEDS OF THE NAVY do you not understand. Sigh... Went Phantoms, VF-33, Indy. I met and served with some of the greatest people I have ever known and still keep in touch with several. But, I hated living on a boat and left when my time was up. I might have stayed but my wife told me that if I wanted to raise a family with her I had better be around. She was right, of course. But I sure did miss going over the top and hanging in my straps trying to keep track of wingmen and aggressors in ACM. But not so much the 7G possible aftermath...

[@RaceBanner_]

Arny’s core ideals are adorable. As a Growler pilot it was great to deploy, get on station, and fly off the boat just about every day. Go share those with the “dunnage specialists”

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

...um...ok.

[@tarjas]

Twice the anchors, twice the equipment where it counts (for both the dudes and dudettes). #1 NFO rule is to always make fun of pilots (easy) because, as certain as the firmness of the earth, pilots are gonna make fun of you! Fight's on!

[@TheReck12]

Surprisingly I know a lot of student NFOs who chose NFO over pilot for various reasons, myself included. I think being a pilot is cool for the clout, you don’t have to explain what you do to people, but do I actually like piloting enough for that? I don’t know, I think I’m okay with being the nerd in the back focused on the mission and computers.

[@ponch-t7z]

Post navy career impact would be interesting to look at. My experience is that NFOs earning potential is multiples higher in private industry. And in my unscientific study but with numerous data points - the highest of all warfare specialties

[@keithmitchell6240]

Great stuff, Jello. With this camera angle, I always feel like you're 8 feet tall compared to guests. Maybe they just all slump :) Keep up the great work and thank you for your service. God bless.

[@dahawk8574]

9:54 - "You're not less of a person... but watch my hands as I graph out exactly how much less of a person you are."

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@dahawk8574 🤔

[@christophercruz7932]

Great video!

[@KiDstoltz]

I just enlisted into the US Navy as a Logistics Specialist, I’m currently working on my private Pilot written test. I have one semester of college although I need a bachelors. I’m turning 26 this fall, think it’s possible that I could still make it to naval aviation?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Absolutely

[@KiDstoltz]

@@FighterPilotPodcast now that’s good news. Does the degree have to be in STEM? What’s the US Navy age limit?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@KiDstoltz those are questions for an officer recruiter but I think “no” and 30-ish.

[@biff2142]

I did it at 32. Just get your degree and put in that package!

[@biff2142]

@@KiDstoltz You don't need a STEM degree. Check out the program requirements on MyNavyHR. Study for the ASTB ( The aviation battery test) there are AUTO select numbers which gives you an automatic spot if you meet the other requirements. Great opportunity for us enlisted to make the jump. Iam currently in NIFE now for NFO training

[@Mariner311]

lol... NFO - when the Department of the Navy has the funds to use Officers instead of Enlisted. Yep, I was an Aircrewman - SH-60B Crewman

[@TheReck12]

So how would you know what the responsibilities or training entails if you were on helos your whole life

[@geezerider1]

When I got my NFO wings (way back in '71) applicants had to have a degree in an approved science curriculum and minimum 2.5 GPA. The Navy wanted some assurance that we had an aptitude in math or science to hack the training syllabus. I was also ex-enlisted as a reservist.

[@indy500tabasco8]

👽👽👽👽dealing with 🙈solar eclipse and 🙊alien invasion is too hard on my 🙊civilian brain👽👽👽👽

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

...and that applies to this subject how?

[@Digital_KO]

👍

[@chelseabullock1181]

The amount of acronyms and abbreviations they use in the military 🥴🥴😂

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@chelseabullock1181 the video captioned most of them.

[@texxasal]

As a dissenting opinion from the guy in front, Sometimes referred to as the stick monkey, Just curious as to why the pilot of an f and g model gets paid the same as the pilot of an e model? Just make sense that the e model driver should get paid the same as both of the crewmen since he's doing exactly the same work as the f model for sure.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Yeah, that's not how ot works.

[@tamaralazzaraelld1167]

Can you have a family while doing this?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@tamaralazzaraelld1167 many of us did, yes