If you're still visiting this section, you're probably lamenting the demise of Jane's F/A-18 and remember the VFA-41 Black Aces as being the longest running squadron in the sim. Eventually Jane's F/A-18 was simply no longer able to support multi-player mission flying and VFA-41 was decommissioned.
Fast-forward a couple of years. DCS World finally incorporated the F/A-18C Hornet and proper carrier ops! The sim is so good, that it sparked the resurrection of the Black Aces!
VFA-41 has been recommissioned as a squadron, operating under the same protocols and policies that made it so successful in over a decade in the Jane's era. The Black Aces are flying missions in the Caucuses and in the Persian Gulf.
Whether you knew the Black Aces in the Jane's days or not, if you miss carrier ops and wish you could get back in the F/A-18 cockpit again, visit or re-visit VFA-41. As always, you don't have to be an expert pilot to join the squadron, you just have to want to fly. The squadron has a well-developed one-on-one training program and Instructor Pilots to get you up to speed in the F/A-18C, rather than telling you to study the manual and the NATOPS.
Yes, typically on Sunday evenings, Eastern time. We have pilots from Toronto to Hawaii. We need more pilots interested in scripted carrier-based missions, primarily in the Hornet but in the Tomcat as well when released.
"Airplanes are interesting toys, but of no military value." - Ferdinand Foch, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces, WWI
on·er·ous /ˈōnərəs,ˈänərəs/ adjective involving an amount of effort and difficulty that is oppressively burdensome.
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From the VFA-41website: 1. VFA-41 is a squadron of active F/A-18 pilots. "Active" is defined as flying in a squadron mission at least once a week. The squadron roster is limited to 12 active pilots. There is no "inactive" or "reserve" roster. A pilot who can no longer remain active shall resign his commission or request retirement.
You are absolutely correct, sir. A person who considers the effort and difficulty to actually get in the cockpit once a week as being "oppressively burdensome" is not the pilot we're looking for to support ongoing squadron operations.
There are, however, any number of "biggest and best" squadrons out there that will accept you and add you to their roster instantly with no participation or activity requirements whatsoever. And that's absolutely fine. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be a member of something without any real commitment of time or effort.
Unless you're conducting continuous combat flight ops. Then it sort of requires pilots who want to fly and look forward to the opportunity to participate in regular scripted squadron missions. That's a different breed altogether, and exactly what we're looking for.
[Note: thanks for reminding us to review the Rules and Regs. We are changing it to say "active carrier pilots" instead of "active F/A-18 pilots." The F-14 will obviously be immediately added to the squadron hangars as soon as it is released.]
Last edited by RhinoX55; 03/31/2001:21 PM. Reason: added note
"Airplanes are interesting toys, but of no military value." - Ferdinand Foch, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces, WWI