Naval Aviation or Air Force?

Question

I am a Naval Aviator on the USS Nimitz, and I wondered what people think about the old air superiority debate: do you prefer the Navy or the Air Force in terms of aviation? Please give your reasons.

Answer 1

Hell Warrior! You already know the answer. I recall only Marines and Navy test their wits by landing on a carrier. Add to this the quality of life issues. Hardships create pride for those who stand the measure of pressure. I have spent too much time on Air Force bases to know that their privileged life of royalty does not hold my interest. Give me hardships, war stories to tell, camaraderie over that dull civilian life any day. They are so specialized in the Air Force that rarely will you encounter a fly boy who has several collateral duties.

Semper Fi!

Answer 2

as a Marine in nam I preferred Navy/Marine close air support for bombing, strafing, nape and I was so impressed by how well those guys flew (real hotdogs) that I tended to shortchange credit to the air force(.they always flew so high.).......until spooky gunships which is something the Navy just didn't have. They were literally a life saver more than once. I always had the impression be it right or wrong that Naval aviators were better trained and gutsier pilots but I think there have been a lot of changes since vietnam and I'm not sure if that is a valid observation today. Plus..AFTER I was in nam myself I finally heard about what air force wild weasels were doing in nam and to me that took some balls. I'm a little confused myself and maybe you can answer a question for me. A couple weeks ago a woman who claimed she trained pilots in the air force said they also trained navy and marine pilots...she said there were two ways naval aviators could go..the traditional school at pensacola or the air force shorter training...this surprised me...is this true?

Answer 3

As a retired AF E-7, I've traveled enough and attended enough joint service schools to have glimpsed at both. If you are trying to compare the Navy and the Air Force, you are trying to compare apples and oranges and probably not doing it very successfully. Each has a specific mission and each mission has different requirements.

I have to admire the Navy's' training that gives their pilots the ability and confidence to land on a floating/moving landing strip. They are some of the best fighter pilots around. However, the Air Force pilots are no slouches either. They exhibit the same ability and confidence in their job and mission that the Navy pilots do, they just don't do it on the water.

Perhaps, it is not a matter of this or that service being better than the other. Perhaps, if you took away the one outstanding difference, that of landing on aircraft carriers, you could then compare the pilots flying abilities more easily. No matter how you decide, know that there are those who admire both the Air Force and the Navy pilots simply because of their dedication and willingness to serve.

Answer 4

Here's what my husband has told me in the past and if he was here right now I would have him answer. But, he used to fly for the air force, the KC-135 , and was a captain. He left the Air Force because of all of the bureaucratic nonsense he had to put up with. He said that things had to be done exactly as planned or on paper, even if they didn't make sense per the situation. He told me that Naval flying is a lot better in that the pilots are more in control of their aircraft and are trusted to make decisions in tight situations. He would have gone with the navy flying but he didn't want to spend 6 months on a trip.

Answer 5

By far the Air Force is the best. Navy is good at protecting its fleet but not very effective at projecting real air power. Air Force has a deep network of tanker/transport/command and control/fighter/bomber/recon etc... They are the real experts. But the Navy is cool and makes much better movies. The Blue angels rock too

Enjoy your tour, then Cross into the Blue if you want bombs on target!

Answer 6

I would say Naval Aviation. First, I'm partial to Marines/Navy and tend to like them more. Second, Navy Aircraft have better platforms from which to launch their missions and can usually be deployed much faster. Third, think Top Gun the movie.

Answer 7

according to an interview of Hugh Hefner ,Naval fighter pilots have the SECOND BEST JOB IN THE WORLD,of course his is best.The NAVY had the best movie( TOP GUN ) ,but as far as who I prefer ,the f-15 and f-16 are faster than the f-14 and f-18 and the b-1 flown from Scott AFB could sink the Nimitz but the nimitz could not destroy Scott afb.That having been said its still tough to vote against MAVERICK & GOOSE ,so I vote NAVY-lol

Answer 8

Like what others may say...each has its duties. The NavAir is tasked primarily with air-defence of the fleet, projecting power in areas where no close-enough bases exist for the land-based guys assisting navy warships (battleships, cruisers, destroyers, etc...) with providing supression fire for amphibious missions. Air Force duties lie primarily with defence of USA airspace, management of strategic strike assets (bombers and ICBMs) and also power projection (use bombers and long-range fighter planes with air-refueling tankers) Both also have recon and ECM warfare and other miscelleneous jobs. For peacetime enforcement around the world (a.k.a a better soldiers' life), nothing beats having NavAir and carriers close to a shore. For round the clock air defence of the USA (a.k.a. watching for terrorist airliners), the Air Force has the edge. For overall military effectiveness and superiority though...both are needed.

Answer 9

Well sir, each has their own mission. Naval aviation is primarily tasked with Air DEFENSE of the naval battle group, secondarily tasked with air support of forces ashore & air superiority over those assets. All tactical you'll notice.

The Air Force is tasked with strategic over tactical missions. They first establish air superiority, then bring in strategic bombing assets behind, with a little bitty tactical (A10s & such). I know it's somewhat confused & there's lots of overlap, but I'm sure you see the differences in specialization.

Answer 10

As a former Marine I would say it would have to depend on the mission. I think I might be more comfortable with the airforce taking on the air superiority and large scale bombings, but I am going to have to say that if I was on the ground calling in close air support I would rather have you guys covering my ***.