Cool Military Free Rides!

[NW004]

So have any of you prior enlisted have ever found yourself riding in the back of one of those fighters?

I always wonder if the mechanics, crew cheifs and enlisted personnel ever get chances to go up for a ride just to see what its like.

I understand how civilians cant do this, but what about military staff?

[Chewie von Nubbins]

I flew on and off a few aircraft carriers in the back of the C2. Also, on and off via helo. Nothing like taking off on the catapult. And, nothing like feeling of the base leg to final in the C2. Just couldn't imagine what it would be like in an F-18 or F-14.

The chair force allows their enlisted guys that win awards and stuff like that to get the ride.

If you want to fly on and off of an aircraft carrier, sign up for the Postal Clerk rating, and demand to go to an aircraft carrier. Those guys get some serious hookups when it comes to getting extra liberty and cushy trips ashore.

Here is a pic of a C2:

[Hacker15e]

The term you're looking for is "incentive flights", and yes they do occasionally happen.

Most of the time, open fighter cockpits in B or D models are simply just open during flight. The reason? The training required just for a ride for anyone not currently qualified to fly in that jet. You need a current FC1 medical, plus current egress and ejection seat training. You also need an altitude chamber card if you're going above 18K.

So, because of all the extra training required, it doesn't happen all that often.

However, the AF goes through the effort when they want to reward/recognize higher achievers, like Airman or NCO of the Quarter or Year.

Unfortunately, that means that the vast majority of the guys who bust their a$$ to keep the jets flying don't ever get to know what it's like to fly in it.

Pretty lousy, but that's how it is.

[skidz]

If you work at a fighter squadron and re-enlist, you can ask for a ride and they will probably let you. You can ask to re-enlist at 50,000 ft or something. I rode on C-2's and Helo's off the aircraft carriers, I wish I had a chance to do that in Tomcat or f-18.

[skidz]

btw, mechanics can also get "turn" qualified, they can turn the engines of fighter jets for troubleshooting, they can volunteer as aircrew and fly in the back. That's pretty much as far as it goes for enlisted folks.

[BCTAv8r]

I remember reading quite a while ago about ROTC cadets getting to visit bases and going up for incentive flights. Does that still happen?

[Hacker15e]

Originally Posted by BCTAv8r

I remember reading quite a while ago about ROTC cadets getting to visit bases and going up for incentive flights. Does that still happen?

Yes, during organized base visits occasionally cadets get orientation flights.

[H46Bubba]

If you want to fly, just become a crewman. I flew in the back every day! Now the luckiest are those chosen for the Blue Angels. Everyone in the squadron gets to fly backseater once a year. I tried so hard to get on but even as an enlisted person, you're still screened by the person who's position you're applying for and his superiors. I had NJP, so I was cut right off the bat!

We gave our guys incintive rides. Most would wait for a x-cnty or x-cnty form flight. They would also usually ask some mechs if they wanted to volunteer and come along with us when we went to airshows.

[mtsu_av8er]

Originally Posted by H46Bubba

I had NJP, so I was cut right off the bat!

They're just mad because you had character!

[H46Bubba]

Originally Posted by mtsu_av8er

They're just mad because you had character!

I'm a firm believer in the old tradition of you can't be a SNCO, Warrant or Mustang without not having gone to NJP! It builds character!

[Zondaracer]

As an ROTC cadet I got a backseat ride in a T-38 and one in an F-16 at Luke. For ROTC cadets it is really easy. On organized base visits it sometimes happens, but if you have a cool commander who signs a form giving permission to go on orientation flights, you just have to find a unit that has open back seat rides. Going to an ACC base with high ops tempo is not a good idea, they treat you like you are a nuisance. Going to an AETC base (training mission base), they are used to having lots of academy and rotc cadets stopping by for rides.

Apparently, Intel guys assigned to units that have airplanes with two or more seats can get rides, but i got a purely desk job

[MikeOH58]

A good buddy of mine went through the Air Force Academy, and during his time there he recieved rides in the Strike Eagle, Viper, C-17 (Flight Deck), and Pavehawk. Granted the guy was going for a pilot slot, and is currently in training to fly the F-15E, however, I can't say I agree with giving those guys and girls all those rides, when there are so many enlisted folks who make it all happen, still sitting, waiting and wishing.

[fish314]

When I was in the Academy I got rides in a UH-1 (Huey), an HH-60 on a live fire exercise (even got a chance to shoot the .50 Cal on NVG's), an MC-130 and an AC-130 as part of one of those dedicated Academy/ROTC programs (called "Ops Air Force").
As an officer, I've only had a chance to fly on C-5's as a space-A passenger, and in the back seat of an F-15D out at Kadena. For the F-15 ride, I was already a pilot on KC-135's so all I needed was seat training (which took all of 15 minutes), and since I was a rated pilot, a lot of the restrictions that are normally placed on the mission didn't apply (so we could do any training mission, we could look at classified, we could go above 18K, etc., etc.)

As the pilot giving the incentive ride, I've had JROTC cadets on the KC-135 a bunch of times. We used to take up about 10-20 JROTC guys at a time as long as we had 1 extra crew member to act as a passenger monitor, and then we'd let 2 in the cockpit for takeoff and 2 for landing (since that's how many extra seats we had). We'd also let them cycle through during the air refueling in the boom pod, so everyone got a chance to see the F-15 or C-17 or whatever pull up and get his gas.

As a tweet pilot, the only guys I've taken up who weren't student pilots were ROTC and JROTC cadets, and I took up 1 USMC gunnery seargeant who had won some kind of award. On those sorties we would always go up single ship, but we were pretty unlimited as to what we could do aerobatically.... so loops, rolls, cloverleafs, and cuban-8's were all acceptable- until the kid pukes.

A buddy of mine was even able to work out a deal with the squadron commander and the public affairs office to fly "The Fray" (the guys who sing "Cable Car" and a few other songs). Apparently he knew the guys from high school, and he was able to put together two 2-ship formations, so those guys got to go up in formation. Of course after the flight they put on a concert in the local area and offered everyone from base reduced price tickets!

See here: http://www.justgetfit.com/The%20Fray.htm or here: http://www.columbus.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123039425

[Tram]

I almost snagged a right in the pointy end of a T-38.. However, the ride would have been very short..

I guess a better way to put it was, I almost got pierced by a Columbus T-38 on a low level run near Russellville, Alabama.

[Zondaracer]

Originally Posted by fish314

and since I was a rated pilot, a lot of the restrictions that are normally placed on the mission didn't apply (so we could do any training mission, we could look at classified, we could go above 18K, etc., etc.)

Yeah, as a cadet I had gone through physio training at Peterson (one of the benefits of being at an ROTC unit near the academy, we get extra slots that they don't fill) so in the fighter type planes we could also go above FL180. As a cadet I also got a ride on a C-130, C-21, UH-60 (army national guard guys nice enough to give a ride), and your mom.
ok just kidding about the last ride

AMC type aircraft always seemed to have seats for cadet rides, T-43s and T-1's too

[SeatClutcher]

Originally Posted by NW004

So have any of you prior enlisted have ever found yourself riding in the back of one of those fighters?

I always wonder if the mechanics, crew cheifs and enlisted personnel ever get chances to go up for a ride just to see what its like.

I understand how civilians cant do this, but what about military staff?

I wish civilians could still do it. Ian (my husband) said they used to be able to, and that things changed after a mishap, or something.

I would SO have loved to get a ride in the Chinook. Drat!

[skidz]

Originally Posted by SeatClutcher

I wish civilians could still do it. Ian (my husband) said they used to be able to, and that things changed after a mishap, or something.

I would SO have loved to get a ride in the Chinook. Drat!

Yeah, unfortunately, it wouldn't take much for some dumbass to pull that pretty red handle whether accidentally or not and go for a ride of his lifetime....and that's not the ride he's gonna dig a whole lot
Riding an ejection seat means you're either dead or an inch shorter.

[skidz]

I was reffering to fighters of course

[GatorFC]

Originally Posted by SeatClutcher

I wish civilians could still do it. Ian (my husband) said they used to be able to, and that things changed after a mishap, or something.

I would SO have loved to get a ride in the Chinook. Drat!

Civilians can do it. You just have to get famous enough!

Rock stars (ref. fish314 above), TV reporters, Radio show hosts, actors, sports stars, etc. still get to do publicity rides. Guess what? Authors do as well. Here's children's book author Jan Brett getting a ride in a Blue Angel, and she does a better job than most in handling the Gs!

Jan Brett rides with the Blue Angels

So, get cracking on some more hit novels.

[BobDDuck]

I snagged a ride in a Tweet and and a 38 while I was instructing. I had a standing invitation for the back seat of a F16 but apparently the unit the guy who promised me the ride in never gets the two seaters so that never happened. The Tweet was really fun and the T38... hehe... I don't remember too much if it, but what I do remember was awesome.

[skidz]

Originally Posted by BobDDuck

I snagged a ride in a Tweet and and a 38 while I was instructing. I had a standing invitation for the back seat of a F16 but apparently the unit the guy who promised me the ride in never gets the two seaters so that never happened. The Tweet was really fun and the T38... hehe... I don't remember too much if it, but what I do remember was awesome.

I see tweets every once in a while, boy those things are loud

[Zondaracer]

Originally Posted by skidz

I see tweets every once in a while, boy those things are loud

T-37... Burn fuel to produce noise

[SRA_kbad]

Originally Posted by Hacker15e

The term you're looking for is "incentive flights", and yes they do occasionally happen.

Most of the time, open fighter cockpits in B or D models are simply just open during flight. The reason? The training required just for a ride for anyone not currently qualified to fly in that jet. You need a current FC1 medical, plus current egress and ejection seat training. You also need an altitude chamber card if you're going above 18K.

So, because of all the extra training required, it doesn't happen all that often.

However, the AF goes through the effort when they want to reward/recognize higher achievers, like Airman or NCO of the Quarter or Year.

Unfortunately, that means that the vast majority of the guys who bust their a$$ to keep the jets flying don't ever get to know what it's like to fly in it.

Pretty lousy, but that's how it is.

AMEN TO THAT!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Hacker, when you were at Barksdale a few months back, didn't you give some incentive flights to some "deserving" people? Of course I wouldn't know because I was just a little ol' wrench turner out at the test cell. You couldn't have shot me a PM could ya

But seriously, riding in back of the plane you work on simply depends on what aircraft you're assigned. In my case, I'm now stationed at March Field in socal where we work on the C-17 and 135's. For reservists like myself who live in Las Vegas, and Pheonix, a C-17 will pick us up and take us to the base for the weekend and return us after the weekend is over. Not a bad deal considering its free. I haven't done it yet, but next month I do plan on using it.

[Hacker15e]

Originally Posted by SRA_kbad

Hey Hacker, when you were at Barksdale a few months back, didn't you give some incentive flights to some "deserving" people? Of course I wouldn't know because I was just a little ol' wrench turner out at the test cell.

Yup, we had an entire day that was ALL incentives.

I actually gave an incentive ride to an E+E troop, who was VERY deserving. That makes my day to be able to fly guys like that.

[SeatClutcher]

Originally Posted by GatorFC

Civilians can do it. You just have to get famous enough!

Rock stars (ref. fish314 above), TV reporters, Radio show hosts, actors, sports stars, etc. still get to do publicity rides. Guess what? Authors do as well. Here's children's book author Jan Brett getting a ride in a Blue Angel, and she does a better job than most in handling the Gs!

Jan Brett rides with the Blue Angels

So, get cracking on some more hit novels.

Now THAT'S motivation!!!!