Since Erik isn't really here a lot to write his own mind farts, I have adopted the task of writing about what he does at work. Mind you that I'm not 100% sure of the everyday life on the USS Kitty Hawk (nor do I really want to know all the details), but I can ascertain tidbits of info from our daily emails with each other.
First of all, Erik flies in an EA-6B Prowler jet for VAQ-136 squadron, based out of Japan. It seats four butts: one pilot and three electronic countermeasure officers (known as ECMOs). My hubbie is an ECMO. The main goal of the Prowler is along the lines of electronic warfare -- jamming radars and such. It also can drop some missiles, but its not its main job. The jets are old and unsexy; they have been around since the early 70s. In dog years, that's really old (dead, in fact). Alas, they've got a few more years in them before the Navy transitions to the 2-man Growler.
Video of a Prowler taking off from Miss Kitty...
Because our tax dollars are at work, you will see a tint of the gold embedded in the jet's canopy. Because the Navy likes goooold! (You are supposed to read that with the Austin Powers Goldmember character in mind). Anyhoo... the gold provides protection from electromagnetic interference and prevents emissions of the same. That sounds crazy -- I want my tax dollars back!
As another side note, the nozzle on the front is so the Prowler can refuel while its in the air. I call it the fuel wiener, but I don't think its the technical term.
When Erik is not flying, he is sitting around in the ready room, swearing and farting with his fellow squadron members. They watch these little TVs that show whats going on up on the flight deck and giggle about other people's takeoffs and landings.
Actually, the guys all have regular jobs when they are not flying. Some of them help out with education stuff for the sailors, others do admin tasks, etc. So its not all fun and games. As an obligatory disclaimer, I know they all work really hard and are usually at their wits ends with being stuck in the middle of the ocean. But they've got camaraderie (and farting contests) to get them through it all. Keep up the good work, Gauntlets!
The air wing (which includes various squadrons of Prowlers, Hornets, Helos, etc) is soon transitioning to the USS George Washington and the Kitty Hawk will head on into retirement. Hopefully Erik will have a chance to post some pictures of his new digs (usually 4 to 6 people sleep in a room) and write about his day-to-day life aboard a carrier... minus the farting comments, from his own perspective.
No comments:
Post a Comment