Desert Pilot Podcast

Today I official graduated from ASTAC school I received my call sign "Atlas". Not the paper map, the greek god charged with holding up the entire world. Ya I know I'm awesome at least today. The story behind a call sign is never really fully told but I did have a lot on my shoulders during the course and still made it through, now on to the fleet. The middle 5 is our class with instructors on the ends. From left to right our class call signs: Jeeves, Snorlax, Atlas, SAP, Siri In Greek mythology, Atlas was the primordial Titan who held up the celestial sphere.

I passed my last section and the finals week. The last thing that we had to learn was P-3C Orion employment. They are the only fixed wing aircraft that we control on a regular basis. That is because  they like to fly low and they do ASW . I passed that week's test and then move on the to the finals week which was a recap of all that we learn through the couse in one week it was 4 different tests and I passed. We get our call signs and graduate next week. P-3C Orion

The next part of our training we were tested on was the implantation of the MH-60R Seahawk  . Up to this point we had simulated controlling the capabilities of a SH-60B which has been the work horse of the Navy since the 80's.The new "Romeo" has all the latest and greatest equipment and the tactics are slightly different. Passed the test. Just a few weeks until graduation. MH-60R with it's dipping sonar hanging below, you can also see the sonobuoy launchers on the side.

The so called hardest week of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) is over and I passed. I say so called not because it wasn't hard but because we are told a lot and I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a harder week to come. I can't talk too much about it, but here are a few wikipedia links that will give a good idea of ASW  and helicopters dropping  sonobuoys . It was a lot of material that had to be memorized and done exactly right. I'm not too good at either, but I made it through. Although the class is hard I'm really enjoying it. It interests me and I'm good at it. I hope everyone can find that combination in life. Getting paid for it doesn't hurt either. cross roads at the sub base

We are through our 2nd or phase of training and our 2nd test. All is well. This phase or week as they still call them, although the couse is not split up in to weeks any more the Navy can be set in their ways, dealt with the control function of the computer systems that work with the ship and the helicopter. The focus was understanding how to get the computer to do what you want. And talk to both helicopter and ship. I think this is going to be a common theme for the rest if the course. The next phase is the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) which I hear is the hardest part of the course.

I'm in school right now. Not back to college but at school for the Navy. I got selected to go to (are you ready for this) Anti-Submarine Warfare/Anti-Surface Warfare Tactical Air Controller or ASTAC school. What that is the air traffic controllers on smaller ships. Like mine USS Princeton (CG-59) where all we have is a helicopter pad on the back of our ship. When we get underway we have a squadron of 2 helicopters on our ship with the pilots and crew to man them. But the controlling of the aircraft and any other aircraft coming to our ship is the responsibility of the ship. That is where my job comes in once I'm done with school I'll be one of the two ASTACs on board to control all helicopters (or helos as we call them) around our the ship. It's a tough school one of the hardest for my rate (job) as an Operational Specialist or OS. I haven't been in that long so I was really luckily to get this school. Being a commercial pilot definitely helped too. Since I've...