CVW-14 wants F/A-18 pilots!
CVW-14 is recruiting again!
tl;dr - MILSIM-LITE squadrons recruiting Hornet pilots of all skill levels. We fly on Thursdays @ 8:30 US Eastern and have a good time while we're doing it! Training starts July 16th, 2026.
The intrepid aviators of CVW-14 have just completed a peacekeeping deployment on the Parani border, and now we're looking for motivated individuals looking to join one of our virtual squadrons flying the F/A-18C Hornet. We're a very close-knit group (though we live all over the country, a bunch of us have become good friends and met up IRL!) that shares a love of naval aviation and the wing itself has existed for over 5 years with a rich and storied history.
CVW-14 consists of two strike fighter squadrons. Both VFA-161 (the fabulous Fighting Stingrays – go team orange!) and VFA-44 (the Kingfishers if you're one of those weird guys who prefers blue) will be taking on new members this cycle.
CVW-14 is a MILSIM-LITE group focused solely on Naval Aviation, though we do have some weirdos who enjoy flying the Herky Bird on off nights. What do we mean by MILSIM-LITE? We endeavor to fly the Hornet by the book as much as we can (sorry, Tom Cruise!) but we forego the more mundane aspects of military aviation to focus on the fun. We do not completely throw reality to the wind, but this is not a Yes Sir-No Sir environment!
We fly as a wing on Thursday evenings at 2030 (8:30 PM US Eastern). We average about 6 four-ship flights on a given flight night, and the coordination between that many jets both around the boat and in bad guy land is always something to see! The wing operates in cycles, with a 10-12 week cruise followed by a combined training cycle for new folks and skill refreshers for cadre, followed by about a month of workups and another cruise.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:
⦁ A 10-week training course designed to integrate you into your squadron + teach you "our way"
⦁ Weekly handcrafted missions
⦁ Two cruises (campaigns) a year, lasting 10-12 weeks
⦁ 2 dedicated squadron servers
⦁ A group that is passionate about flying and about having fun
⦁ A group that is inclusive
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
⦁ Mature adults (21+ and North America only, sorry!) with a passion for Naval Aviation regardless of skill level
⦁ Pilots who want to improve their skills in the Hornet
⦁ Individuals who are willing to learn
OUR TRAINING PIPELINE
Brand new to the F-18? Excellent!
Experienced bug jockey with 500 hours in the jet & a Top Gun graduate? We're looking for you too!
No matter your background, we’ll take you through an organized training program that’s designed to teach you advanced systems, tactics, and wing SOP. Over the course of 10 weeks, you’ll gain the confidence and skills required to be a virtual naval aviator in the Hornet. More than that, the program will get you onboard with "our way" so even if you're super experienced, we think you'll find value here too!
We have awesome instructor pilots and a library of resources that will help you get up to speed on the basics before training kicks off. If you are willing to put in the effort, we will get you through the training.
REQUIREMENTS
⦁ Aircraft: F/A-18C Hornet
⦁ Maps: NTTR, Syria and South Atlantic*
⦁ Asset Packs: Supercarrier
⦁ Additional Software: Open Mod Manager and DCS Simple Radio Standalone (SRS)
⦁ HOTAS
⦁ Working microphone
⦁ Discord
⦁ Head tracking or VR headset
⦁ 21+ years of age
⦁ North America based
⦁ Availability Thursday nights at 2030 Eastern
*Just an FYI about South Atlantic & Syria – yes, they're a wing requirement, yes, you'll need them, eventually, no, you won't need them for at least the next campaign cycle. If it's a problem, talk to us and we'll see what we can do.
We've got 12 seats open for our 26-2 class, which is currently planned to kick off with orientation on July 16th. We know this is short notice, but we're looking forward to seeing a lot of new faces around the wardroom!
If we sound like a good fit for you or somebody you know (bring your friends!), we'd love to chat with you and get you on the board for the 2026 summer training course. Visit our Discord link to get to know us and see if we're the right fit for you!