"more aircraft at the bottom of the ocean than there are submarines in the sky"
Good one, now I gotta get the Windex and wipe the coffee off the screen.
"The real brains are the ones who keep the things in flying shape."
Technically Aircraft Maintenance Division ARE Naval Aviators, anyone in group IV with wings on the rating badge. AW (Aviation ASW OPERATOR) is Operations Division, AX (Aviation ASW TECH) is Aircraft Maintenance Division. The AW does most of the pinging and ponging, the AX is mostly along for the ride except when needed for relief/secondary operator or troubleshooting. I did a lot of maintenance outside my rating (MOS for you Army Air Force types) since a helicopter (10,000 mismatched vibrating shaking parts flying close formation around an oil leak waiting for metal fatigue to set in) requires a LOT of it.
Snarf, my worst trouble with that type of thing is no self discipline - I start doing that and it's hard not to go overboard with it.
