# Air Force, Army Air, Naval Air



## air-ops (11 Aug 2006)

Has the time come to rethink the integration of the flying services and return to service specific fliers and support infrastructure? What is your experience? Would it be different, better or worse?


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## Inch (11 Aug 2006)

All that would change for me is my uniform and at that, only the couple days a year I wear DEUs. I'd still be wearing a green flight suit the vast majority of the time while doing the same job I do now. We already chop Control over to the navy when we embark and the only lingering Air Force things we have on board ship are our blue DEUs and our continued adherence to 1CAD Flying Orders. Beyond that, we do what the ship wants when they want it.

Of course, I also think there would be an increase in accidents and incidents. Considering what the navy has requested we do and complained when we explain to them that it cannot be done according to our regulations. I recall back in Sept the Capt of a ship that shall remain nameless, was on the verge of ordering us to cut the rotor blades off due to a fold/spread problem we were having on the flight deck. The ship was required to slow down to give us a steady deck to work on and the task group just kept going. By the time we got the problem sorted, the task group was 30 miles ahead of us, the Capt was pissed but we had a serviceable helicopter complete with 5 rotor blades. Had he ordered us to cut them off, we would have been disembarking the helo via crane.

Not to mention we'd probably be standing watches in addition to our flying duties. I see how tired the navy guys are on shift work, I couldn't imagine being that tired and then having to go flying.


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## Good2Golf (12 Aug 2006)

Isn't the CDS pushing for greater integration, not division?


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## SeaKingTacco (13 Aug 2006)

Nothing would make me happier than to wear a Navy uniform and fly for them fulltime, but after watching the Tactical UAV fiasco, if anyone seriously thinks that we are going down the "de-unification route" wrt aircraft fleets, they are smoking crack.  IMHO.


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