How hard is it to become a naval aviator, specifically for a

>>33242139
>degree in a maritime related field
From what I hear, they literally don't give a fuck what your degree is so long as you get a good GPA.

>>33242139
>After you're done with your service, does your service as a fighter pilot transfer over to the civilian world? Like would I be licensed to purchase and operate a private aircraft like a Cessna? Or would I have to take a separate civilian flight school?

All I know is that a good deal of civilian airline pilots are former military aviators, but I imagine they have to log so many hours in whatever type of aircraft they're flying before they can take passengers.

>>33242139

Think of it this way. There are 11 carriers. Each holds 75-90 aircraft. So at any given moment, there are 825-990 naval aviator spots available. Compare that to special forces where there are entire battalions worth of positions available.

All this shit is better answered elsewhere, flyingsquadron.com is a decent resource.

You should look into getting your PPL now. Lots of flight schools will give you an intro flight for cheap. Helpful for figuring out if you even like flying airplanes.

>>33242235
>the only naval aviators are assigned to carriers

>He doesn't know how convoluted the world of aviation is in regards to qualifications, licensing, and ratings.
Ask /n/ instead.

>>33242235

I'm not in the navy and the basic crew compliment for my jet is 2 pilots. However, we have 13 jets assigned to our base, 11 are supposed to be taskable at any time, and between the two units here we're at nearly 200 pilots.

So that math is stupid.

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>>33242139

You better not be from Texas boy...

>>33242309
No, I'm not. Why?

>>33242139
I've been told that you fill out a dream sheet at some point in the aviation pipeline. Then the Navy throws it in the trash and puts you where they need you. The book I was reading mentioned that sometimes entire classes coming out of Penncicola being sent into multi engine aircraft, or attack aircraft.

>>33242316
>doesn't get the reference

>>33242139

I love this photo. It looks so "Used-Car Future", makes me think of "Outland".

>>33242339
No, I'm afraid I don't.
>>33242328
So should I say on my dream sheet that I would want nothing more than to fly a multi-engine or attack craft? :^)

>>33242139
Cool Picture! What are the tiny canards on the nose?

>>33242739
sensors most likely

why don't you ask a recruiter?

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>>33242269
>Ask /n/ instead.
He wants to fly a plane, not be a bike messenger.

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>>33242382
Don't bully little France!

>>33244160

Truthfully, I love military stuff that has that shot-to-hell look. It's my main issue with a lot of mecha stuff. It's just too clean and polished.

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>>33242235
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_United_States_military_aircraft#Navy
The Navy has over 3,000 aircraft in total, and many of those require aircrews greater than just one pilot. And it's common for multiple aircrews to share one aircraft these days.
>>33242739
AOA probes. Alpha and beta, probably 2 of each for redundancy (though only 2 are visible from the side).
Pic sorta unrelated

OP, I'm in flight school right now (about to start API).

>got nrotc scholarship
>did alright in school, graduated with a 3.3 w/ a b.s. in comp sci, didn't really apply myself
>through a lot of luck and a CO that actually cared about us, I managed to get aviation

Everyone I've met so far is pretty cool. Pensacola is fun, the weather is nice, and since I haven't started API yet, I have a lot of free time. I would recommend this life to anyone.

If you have any questions about NROTC let me know.

Why would you fly Navy over Air Force?

>>33244275
Does contracting help your chances? I'm curious as to how NROTC works, we don't have it here. I Got a 4.0 last semester and just got offered a type 2 scholarship through AFROTC, hoping that it'll lead through to aviation, but medical might hold me back.

>>33244312
Not sure how contracting works for OCS, but for NROTC, you can pick up a scholarship as late as your sophomore year.

What medical issues are you worried about? I had to get LASIK to pass my flight physical, and I had a high red blood cell count in my urine, which led to like 7 urinalysis before the just gave up. Unless you have adhd or something serious, chances are you'll be ok

>>33244275
Well, like I said, my school doesn't have NROTC so I can't go that route. I guess my question would be about how difficult aviation is. Like I said, is it some grueling ordeal where they weed out 90% of the applicants, or if you get in and simply do what's expected of you you make it through?
>>33244280
As I said before, I'm going into the maritime industry once I'm a civilian. I love ships. It also seems like maybe naval aviators have a better chance of actually being deployed and seeing combat. A lot of our air strikes in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan were carried out by F/A-18s from carriers, I believe.

>>33244390
It's not grueling so far, but I've barely even started (only done IFS, which is getting your student pilot license). It's a decent amount of memorization. From what I heard, 20ish% of people drop out/fail out/get medically rolled.

Just don't so stupid shit, and enjoy your stay.

>>33244385
I *might* have a heart murmur - Heard once when I was 14, not heard at any physicals since, then DoDMERB physical doc said I had a third heart sound when he was examining me. The doctor said it might be because my heart was racing at the time. It may be completely benign, but DoDMERB wants to look into it. I really hope this isn't the end of my lifelong dream, maybe I'll get lucky and it'll be nothing. I certainly think I have the mental aptitude to get there, it's just whether or not my pesky body will make the cut.
Not OP by the way

>>33244436
Do you know anything about how the selection process goes for fighter aircraft? Do they allow the top people in a class pick what they want to do or something?

>>33244563
The only surefire way to get what you want is to be #1 in your class. Current policy is that the #1 gets whatever they want. Otherwise, it's a quality spread.

Ex:
>#1 gets first pick
>#25 gets second pick
>#50 gets third pick
>#2 gets fourth pick
>#26 gets fifth pick
etc

>>33244659
Alright, guess I've got something to shoot for then haha. Is it helpful to do any flight training beforehand? I've heard conflicting reports on that. Some people say that they want people with absolutely no prior flight training so they don't have to unlearn bad habits. Others have told me that the more flight experience you have, the better you look.

>>33244721
It might help you select pilot at OCS, but not sure. Other than that, absolutely not. I had zero flight training before I showed up, and I'm glad. I had no bad habits to break.

You should talk to a recruiter and see if it's beneficial to have flight hours going into OCS. If not, don't bother flying till you get here.

>>33244201
>It's my main issue with a lot of mecha stuff. It's just too clean and polished.

Mostly because of miniscule budget and simplicity reasons on the animator's side. And on the hooby side, modellers tends to makes them shiny and chrome just for the sake of attention, because bitches love Lamborghinies.

There's tons of gritty mechas out there, you just need to makes the google be your friend.

>>33244721
>>33244764
I'll say for the USAF side, it helped. Flight hours helped get a pilot slot and I felt like I had decent stick and rudder skills going into pilot training with about 40 hours total, but might just be luck that I was born twith stick and rudder skills and/or I played a lot of flying games as a kid. On my 3rd or 4th flight with a reservist instructor who's been an IP for basically his entire career (Lt Col, old dude) said "you're going to be an interesting fighter pilot" and here I am living the dream. Another dude I knew had 2500 hours as a civilian instructor and airline pilot and was essentially teaching Air Force T-6 instructors how to land on his very first flight in the program. However, on the other side there's countless dudes with 0 flight hours going in who get fighter slots left and right and become amazing fighter pilots as well.

It might just come down to having the "right stuff" but IMO it doesn't hurt to have flight hours at least to get the pilot slot and have the opportunity to become a fighter pilot. Good luck to you.

>>33244390
Do you have your top secret clearance yet? How was the SSBI? I have some neighbors that hate me so that might be a problem

>>33244992
For the USAF side it's stupid to not fly if you have the money to. It can only increase your PCSM, and in some cases by a lot.

>>33244390
If you want to drop bombs, strike eagles and hornets are doing the heavy lifting currently. Strike eagles have a way higher payload though so more fun to be had, but having the alpha of a hornet would be nice.

>>33244992
Thanks for the advice! I'm hoping that I'm just naturally good at it, I played a lot of flight sims too. But honestly, I've just always been really good with handling vehicles. Cars, motorcycles, boats, etc. They just make sense to me. A year after I got my license I was already street racing and drifting and doing motorcycle stunts. I realize a car isn't like an aircraft but I'm saying I'm just very good at predicting how a vehicle will respond to input and behaving accordingly, I guess. Not trying to brag because in real life I'm cripplingly autistic with social situations, so my riced up Honda and cool tricks never got me any pussy in high school

>>33245013
Correct. I think they adjusted the PCSM a lot since I did it. Only 40 hours plus a good AFOQT pilot score and TBAS and had a 99. The scores were still up and corrected after I got my pilot slot and they made it more flight hour oriented and it went to an 80 or so.

>>33245064
I'm jealous of your 99. I'm going to work over the summer and use my savings of $5000 (maybe take out a "student" loan) to pay for flight hours so I can get them as high as possible before boards. My only worry is that I'm not incredibly coordinated, never was that great at sports, so I think my TBAS might not be amazing. I can probably make up for it with my GPA and AFOQT, though.

>>33243387
>ask a recruiter
Topkek

>>33244390
Civilian maritime is boring as fuck. Most ships have cheap third worlders for grunt work and usually their own countrymen as "officers". Carnival might hire you as a severely underpaid cruise director. Port engineer is boring. Traveling pacific feed pump fixer pays well but gets old fast.
What do you imagine civilian maritime is?

>>33245091
I sucked at sports (and still suck) too. Ran cross country in high school because it didn't involve hitting a ball. TBAS was actually pretty difficult but if I remember there was a part about figuring out which direction something was from you based on your heading and a bearing towards an object that you can practice online from a 3rd party source, might help you out. Other than that, your only control of it is getting good grades, PFA score, FT ranking, and flight hours. My det cc based his commander ranking off of pure GPA alone so that kinda sucked with my 2.8 (I sucked at engineering) but I still made it here. Just worry about what you can control and the rest will work out.

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>>33245176
I'm hoping Trump's expansion of the military will make it easier for me to slip in. We had some people getting RPAs with PCSMs of 28, so maybe I won't need a 90+ to get where I need. The competitiveness is kind of getting insane.

>>33245165
Civilian maritime is not boring. US merchant vessels are required to be crewed by American citizens. You make really good money as a deck officer, and there are always openings on the Great Lakes for officers. The oceans are shittier but the maritime field is a great career.

You're away from family for a long time but I've never cared about that since I'm lonely as fuck anyways.

>>33242395
>No, I'm afraid I don't.
go watch "An officer and a Gentleman" You only need to watch the begining

>>33245253
Where did that data come from? There were plenty with lower PCSMs in fy13 I believe for afrotc. Is that for ots only? If you do manage to get a pilot slot your chances of fighter are pretty high though, air force is way short of fighter pilots and pushing to get as many as possible out of upt.

>>33245266
I don't know much about the Great Lakes, although state-to-state is obviously Jones Act.
But why are there always openings? And outside of MSC and Matson, how many US merchant ships are there?

>>33244659
>Only surefire way
Unless you're AFR/ANG.

:^)

>>33243387
He'll tell you you'll be like tom cruise in top gun, and you end up mopping floors at a naval base.

>>33245302
Shite, I think you're right, that data is OTS only.
I'm looking to graduate in 2020 so I don't know if that shortage will still exist haha

>>33245302
Also just to add on to that, have you tried applying to any fighter reserve or guard units? If you have a good interview and bring a good bottle of scotch or bourbon as a gift they will get you a slot. Might take a few units and even more money down the drain from airline tickets and good alcohol but it is an option

>>33245329
Well by 2020 the demand for pilots will probably be better because of funding from a Republican majority in the government. We'll still be low on fighter pilots but hopefully not as low as we are now. Still might help you a bit

>>33245342
Had a math teacher do that. Flew LC-130s with the reserves and taught middle school math as well. Cool job, got to haul supplies to Antarctica while teaching.

>>33245368
I'm still not 100% sure I want to go fighter, just sure I want to fly. I've heard that sometimes people learn that they hate the Gs and they'd rather do cargo or something.

>>33245312
Depends what you want to call a merchant ship. Over 100 GRT, I think there's probably like 200-300 US flagged ships. But that doesn't include the countless ferries, tugs, etc. where you can earn a comparable amount of money. The big money is in being a registered pilot. They're the guys who are required to help guide in foreign ships to a port because they know the local conditions. They make easily over $200,000 a year, and pilots for busy harbors like Oakland or New York can make like $400,000.

That said, I'm not doing it for the money. I love the water and I love shipping. But I would also like to serve my country for a few years, and doing it as a fighter pilot seems pretty badass. When I was younger I always wanted to be a fighter pilot.

>>33245342
Anything else I should be aware about for interviews? Not OP but I'm gonna try to submit a packet to every AFR/ANG base near me.

>>33245013
It might help in the air force, all I was telling the guy was that in the Navy, flight hours has absolutely 0 impact on whether or not you get SELECTED for aviation (at least for NROTC). It could possible be different for OCS, maybe flight hours helps in selection.

You're right though, it can't hurt (unless you develop bad habits I guess?).

>>33245013
I wonder why it helps for the air force, but not for the Navy? Like, for service selection, prior flight experience has absolutely 0 relevance. I wonder why? Not being a dick or anything, just genuinely curious why the Navy doesn't care at all.

>>33242166
This

A buddy from highschool went to the naval academy to study English and now he is in flight school

My recruiter told me he'd have me flying F35s in no time, was he having me on?

>>33248768
Probably a baitpost but almost certainly. He probably said something like this:
> Enlist to get in
> After you enlist get selected to go to OTS*
> Get a pilot slot out of OTS*
* = might not happen

The part he didn't mention:
>OTS selection varies significantly year to year
>Getting a pilot slot out of OTS is very difficult
>You must perform very well in UPT to get the airframe you want

Apply to OTS as a civilian. Don't talk to the recruiter.

>>33242139
Really hard

>>33248768
>flying F35s
You meant flying simulators, right?

>>33242139
Becoming a pilot isn't that difficult. Fighter pilot, much more so. To give you an idea, we got about 84 CF-18s for about 15 000 enlisted members in the RCAF. That's the top 0.56% of pilots getting to fly in a Hornet.

>>33242168
>I imagine they have to log so many hours in whatever type of aircraft they're flying before they can take passengers
Pilots are usually only rated for one aircraft at a time (you don't want your instincts in an emergency to be wrong) but you can transfer your rating to a new aircraft, it's just training etc.

>>33249108
Those are Canuck numbers. The US has higher military spending and way more fighter aircraft, also there is typically more than one pilot per aircraft.

>>33244224

>The Navy has over 3,000 aircraft in total

The OP specifically asked about fighter jets, though.

>>33242168
Each aircraft is different, but if you can handle an F-18 you can easily handle a Cessna 172. Also you might not even be a fighter pilot, which is fine because the Navy uses many planes that are based on civilian aircraft.

>>33242139
>do you have any say in what aircraft you're assigned to?
>having any say
>in the military
read those last two greentexts and ask yourself how stupid you actually are

>>33249500
Don't listen to this retard. He's probably a fuckup at everything he does so of course he has no say. If you're actually good at what you do and make a point to prove it, you can definitely get a say in what you want to do. The needs of the service come first, but they'd rather stick perpetual fuckups into jobs they don't want than their best and brightest

>>33249532
>the needs of the service comes first
that alone disproves your entire claim
I was damn good at my job, but would my chain of command let me Lat Move?
fuck no
sometimes you're too good at your job that you end up making others look good, and no officer or enlisted will let you leave if you make them look good

>>33242316
>only steers 'n' queers come from texas

>Or would I have to take a separate civilian flight school?

Yes, you would have to start from the bottom and work your way up to get the million and one ratings in a flight school, regardless of whatever you would potentially fly. Honestly, you would be better off skipping the military and just going straight into civil aviation instead, because from what i've been told, flight hours accumulated in the military don't count towards your civilian career, and when it comes down to it, all commercial aviation companies only care about your flight hours, though being an ex military pilot does look good on your resume.

>>33249390
Fighters don't have more than one pilot, it is just 1 pilot and in some cases as Weapon Systems Officer who is generally focused on air to ground systems and backing up the pilot in air to air by using FDL and the TPOD

>>33249686
>because from what i've been told, flight hours accumulated in the military don't count towards your civilian career
This is a blatant lie from whoever told you this. And it looks good when you have combat hours. At least in military you get paid $50k a year starting as an officer and aren't in a fuckload of debt from flight training and you're getting turbojet multi-engine time after only around 90 hours of flight time in the turboprop T-6.The pay that you get from going straight civilian and working your way up making crap wages in regional airlines only starts outpacing military pay after several thousands of flight hours when you get into a large airline. Largest downside of being a military aviator is being in the military and having to endure endless sexual harassment and suicide awareness briefings like everyone else in the military.

>>33249108
You have 15000 airmen and women, not 15000 pilots.

>>33250376
No dipshit he's saying more than one aircrew is assigned to an aircraft.

>>33248807
>Apply to OTS as a civilian. Don't talk to the recruiter.

Is this true? How should one start?

Their website is a fucking shitty relic from the goddamn 90s

>>33250551
I c

>>33242139
literally everyone on /k/ saying they're a fighter pilot is lying

that's like saying you're elvis or at least a pro footballer in terms of odds

>>33245099
>>33245327

If all recruiters are manipulative liars than how do I go about applying for OCS?

You have to do that through a recruiter, right?

>>33251257
Not really, there's only like 3 people claiming that they're pilots on the board.

>>33251257
Lurk more, newfag. There's like two of them. One of them posted a timestamp once in their cockpit mid-flight and did a Q&A

>>33251257
I mean we literally have a nuclear physicist who works for the Department of Energy with nuclear weapons, so...

>>33251257
That's not true, I'm a fighter pilot. I'm also a US Naval SEAL.

>>33251831
me too bro, but I'm taking a break from it right now to do some OPERATOR shit with CIA/SOG

>be me
>grew up in ellsworth running outside at the sound of every jet engine roaring to see buffs and bones
>first movie was top gun
>the dream: to become a fighter pilot
>learns that he does not have 20/20 vision
>learns from his first rollercoaster ride he does not like high speeds and gravity-defying motions
>learns from his first airline flight that he is claustrophobic and has panic attacks during take-off/landing
>learns he could have been a drone pilot to satisfy that dashed dream
>while eagerly awaiting Ace Combat 7, he holds a meager, boring office job as a marketer

follow your dreams aspiring pilots.

>>33252283
If you hold a bachelor's degree, RPA slots are being handed out like candy. If you meet the requirements to commission you can probably get one, if splatting mudslimes thousands of miles away is your dream. You guys get some pretty nice retention bonuses, if anything.

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>>33251257

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>>33251257
Say that to my face fucker not online then see what happens

Pic taken from back in my T-38 days on cross country.

>>33253013

What are the hours like?

>>33253209
Been 10-12 hour days since the beginning of pilot training to what I'm doing now with ~2 hours a night studying at home for the most part. Worth it IMO but when you have a few bad flights it can make you feel like you aren't meant to be here and like you should quit. When you have a good flight and it's a Friday and you're drinking beers in the debrief with your instructors though... it will instantly reverse your negativity and realize it's the best job in the world.

>>33253467

How did you get in? Through NROTC?

>>33253530
AFROTC. I don't know how the Navy side does pilot training except I've heard their initial side is a bit slower paced. An instructor I had back when I was flying the T-6 in UP went through the Navy equivalent of UPT back when they had an exchange program. He held a job outside of being a pilot while he was there because they had so much downtime. I don't know if it is still that way.

>>33253569
I've heard that UPT is more "by the book" than Primary, but that Primary allows more freedoms to students.

Are you that F-15E guy?

>>33253665
I'm one of them. I think there are a few lurking around /k/

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How does somebody with an engineering degree go about applying to OCS for naval aviation, without any prior exposure to ROTC or anything?

Is the avoid-recruiters-at-all-costs meme real? I always thought those things were like job interviews, you'd make an appointment and show up dressed nice with your resume?

(assume I'm a complete dumbass who doesn't know anything about the armed forces)

>>33253706
Pretty sure you'll have to talk to a recruiter, just don't take anything that isn't:
>here's a trip to OCS
>Here's you're trip to IFS

If they tell you to enlist first and then you'll become a pilot then don't do it, if they tell you to commission as something other than a pilot first then don't do it. It's possible they'll try to Jew you but it can be avoided.

If you don't get a USN slot then try USAF

>>33242139
Why aren't you attending a college like Embry-Riddle, Daniel Webster, or University of North Dakota? Embry - Riddle produces the second most Naval Aviators after the USNA .

>>33253884
>Daniel Webster
I've been there, it gave me scammy as fuck vibes. Sure, it has the aviation thing going, but they were recently bought by ITT Tech and I'm not touching that with a 100 foot pole. I got all tuition covered there and half of room and board,

>>33253706
By applying to OCS. Completing 4 years of University level ROTC results in a commission, OCS is for those with a degree wishing to join. Most officers, especially those in Aviation have a degree in one engineering discipline or another.

>>33253852

I was always told that naval aviation was easier to get into, and that the USAF is just shoehorning people into drone pilot positions (like one of my close friends)

Is there a third party you can consult for unbiased advice? Like those people you can hire to iron out employment contracts

>>33253569
It's still like that. I'm in Pensacola right now. I have so much free time it's ridiculous. I show up at 7, they take attendance, and I go home the rest of the day. I probably have a other 3 weeks of this before I start API. And I had 8 weeks of it before I started IFS (which I just finished).

What's the difference between IFS (Initial flight screening) and IFT (initial flight training)?

>>33253952
Would you want to do ANG or AFR? You're guaranteed to get the airframe you apply for.

>>33253955
So you're getting paid to do nothing?

>>33252335

That's drone-flying, right? Do you happen to have any info on where I'd get started to look into that? I've got a bachelors, good GPA good references good alma mater and may be going back to get a masters but am 28. I was wanting to go into the analyst/intelligence/national security kind of field but with just a bachelors fucking nothing is biting.

I never figured I'd ever make it as some fighter pilot but I've wondered about cargo or utilitarian or drone. Going to do a flight-school free trial experience thing in a few weeks to see if flying bites something in me.

I just don't really know where to look for how to get started with drone training, military or otherwise. Annd I'd have to wait a year for military because SSRI are haram till you're off a year.

>>33254015
For the USAF side (IDK how Navy conducts their IFS) it was called IFS for Initial Flight Screening but within the past 2 years or so became Initial Flight Training and it became less of a weedout program because the USAF can't produce enough pilots. Used to be 10-20% washout but now less than 10% with a lot of those being people who dropped out. Some of the would-be washouts washout of UPT anyway though because they just have no ability to fly planes.

>>33254056
I think you're too old for pilot, but they recently increased the RPA age to 34. Talk to a recruiter and don't accept any bullshit about enlisting for a few years beforehand. Apply to OTS and commission. Godspeed.

>>33254047
I've been getting paid to do nothing for almost an entire year. I commissioned May 14th, and I just now am about to start (not including IFS). It's been fantastic. But I'm also ready to start doing shit.

>>33254148
It might be different for people coming from the civilian world, but my buddy was enlisted, commissioned through the MECEP program, and he's about to finish up TBS. He was too old for even the age waiver. He had to get a waiver for the age waiver. It just got approved. He's 35 I think? But yeah, since he served first, the Marines were probably more lenient. I'm sure it helped he was at the top of his class too

>>33254148

Yeah I looked around and airforce cutoff is 28, army (mostly rotary) is 33ish. I'm not sure if I'll be cut out for military but that I can still possibly make a cut is an encouragement to sort my shit in order. I'm not even sure if flying is for me save that it's a little spooky how mirrored I am to my grandpa in personality, academic studies, interests and he was a navigator (So not pilot I guess) back in WW2.

https://www.airforce.com/careers/detail/remote-piloted-aircraft-rpa-sensor-operator

Not pilot but that's good to know the age limit is higher.

Does anyone know the most respectable and solid quality drone schools or programs or whatever civilian side? I figure that could be a good way of figuring out if I'm cut out for it or if I should stick with the analyst/intelligence direction.

This thread is relevant to my interests. I just got out as a grunt in the Marines and am pursuing a bachelor's with my GI bill.

I've kinda been eying the WOFT program but it kinda seems iffy. If I got a bachelor's I might as well just try aviation.

What kind of stuff do prior service guys gotta do to fly? Do you think theyd let a salty former grunt become a pilot if I promise not to eat any more crayons?

>>33253940

How does one apply to OCS?

Through a recruiter? Or do you just fill out a form and mail it in?

Seems like something they would want to interview you for

>>33254317
I've heard that prior enlisted often get preferential treatment when applying for a pilot slot. You'll still have to go through OCS like everyone else though.

>>33254650
I didnt expect to not have to go to OCS, but I dont think it will be a problem.

But im kind of concerned with the whole "needs of the military" thing. Like, I apply for aviation, the recruiter smiles and nods, then I find out "oh gee, we dont need pilots right now, guess you get to become a maintenance crew commander" or some shit.

My time as an enlistee has given me a cynical view of military bureucracy.

Thanks for answering btw, heres a video of me blowing up an old well house the taliban had been using to sneak up and snipe inside our wire from.

https://youtu.be/ECCZynKXWig

>>33254728
>Like, I apply for aviation, the recruiter smiles and nods, then I find out "oh gee, we dont need pilots right now, guess you get to become a maintenance crew commander" or some shit.

Does this actually happen? Don't scare me anon

>>33254754
Thats what I want to know. Cuz it happens to enlisted guys trying to do career moves all the time.

Great example:
>buddy been in 29 palms infantry unit for 8 years
>absolutley fucking sick of infantry
>absolutley fucking sick of 29 palms
>career planner says he can get him moved cross decks into the gunner's cadre as a threat weapons training instructor at quantico
>just teach guys to handle and shoot soviet machineguns and RPGs all day in quantico? Fuck yeah, my buddy was stoked.
>packet comes back
>"well gee sorry sergeant, the TTECG cadre here needed you more"
>buddy is "moved" to training evaluator position for 29 palms
>still doing infantry crap for another 4 years
>still living in 29 palms another 4 years


I know for enlisted you can kinda just get shoved into any job they decide they need filled and if it ruins your life and your career plan you can just go fuck yourself.

Im nervous that its the same for officers too.

>>33254864
Well if the one guy is a grunt who just got out, he can get back in signing paperwork. In that paperwork, he can have things specified in the contract like a pilot slot. Once you're in they can fuck with you but generally speaking things you sign on for you actually get as long as you don't fail out of training.

>>33254944

Is it possible to get like a lawyer or some other third party to review your contract before you sign it?

Also what happens if you fail out of training for whatever reason, medical or otherwise?

>>33255244
No idea on the lawyer part. For fairling out. I know a lot of USAF people doing OTS route go through medical before shipping out for OTS but in other services they might make you stay if you went through OTS/OCS then failed out medically. I believe most do medical before they accept you so not a big worry on that side for a dumbass reassignment, but if you fail out they will throw you wherever the fuck they want to.

>>33255320
That's what happened to me at OCS for the Navy, they said I had astigmatism then gave me SWO, drop or Supply as my options. Best part was when they didn't allow a second opinion.

I'm an IFR rated pilot with a first class medical.

>>33254728
> Like, I apply for aviation, the recruiter smiles and nods, then I find out "oh gee, we dont need pilots right now, guess you get to become a maintenance crew commander" or some shit.

This is fucking nightmare fuel. The want to do some service for my country as an officer so I can do something cool, but the thought that I sign up for some cool shit only to get done being a literal pencil pusher like I could be as a civilian for 6 years scares me to death. It's like having a really shitty version of the equivalent civilian job, but with way less pay.

>>33242139
Yes, it's very hard. You have to be very healthy, good physical condition and a very very fast learner

Flying fighters doesn't translate over much into the civilian sector certification wise - what you should be doing is getting a PPL before going into the Navy, doing your service commitment and then using the GI/Post 9-11 bill to fund your multi engine/commercial aviator license. After years of being a fighter pilot it will be pretty easy to get cert'd

>>33255892
Its like the lottery, ya cant get paid if ya dont play. If you join theres always a small chance they decide they need you somewhere else. You know what course of action 100% garuntees you will never fly? Not joining.

Odds are waaaaay higher than the lottery though. I served enlisted, I would say (atleast enlisted) only 10% of guys ever get fucked like that.

90% of that 10% only happened because they had a lackluster reputation and were on the shitlist when higher decided they need a new supply officer to be sent over to iceland.

A lot of the guys who get fucked like that have shitty records or performance just not good enough for anyone in charge to want to stick up for them. Or people dont make the cut or get into heavy disciplinary trouble and thats when a fucking is garunteed.

Its rare but does happen though that somebody just has a quota to fill and chooses somebody at random to fuck over. If you are a stellar performer (like top 10% of the group) somebody might jump in and be like "no, fuck off, choose somebody else, this guy dont deserve that." In short if you know you will perform well and genuineley put the work in you will have drasrically lower chances of it than somebody from the middle to back of the pack.

A core value in the military selection process is "it pays to win, it sucks to suck."

>>33255359
>That's what happened to me at OCS for the Navy, they said I had astigmatism then gave me SWO, drop or Supply as my options. Best part was when they didn't allow a second opinion.

dude man fuck

>>33242139
My brother graduated from the chairforce academy with a deg in CS, now flies planes. He claims the degree doesn't matter so long as you get a good GPA and show competency in flight school. I'd bet that translates over to the navy

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god this thread is unsettling

Is the chairforce less likely to fuck you over than the navy?

Nothing scares me more than being shoehorned into a shitty pencil-pushing job for 6+ fucking years

Is there any way to guarantee anything when you sign on? Like, if I get disqualified for whatever reason I just get discharged instead of forced into whatever shit position they need filled?

>>33256390
Yeah, felt great. I'm in the waiver process but idk if it'll go anywhere. I think I'm still just angry and disappointed.

>>33256501

So sorry to hear man, is there any third party you can hire for help to leverage your chances or anything?

I don't know how things work in the military in general, are you pretty much on your own in these situations?

>>33256477
>6+ years
Where are you getting these numbers? I am about to contract in AFROTC and my service commitment will be 4 years. With that said, to get into a place where you can compete for a pilot slot, you'll probably have to serve 3 or 4 years even if you don't get it. If the service commitment irks you, check out the Air National Guard. Send in some packages to ANG bases around you.

>>33256562
Pilots incur a mandatory 8 year commitment from their winging. I think the Air Force has been considering dropping it to 6 because they're getting tired of freshly promoted majors immediately quitting once their requirement is up but I'm not sure if they've made that change yet

>>33256555
Not really, I've got my FAA medical, and the recruiters are willing to work with me for the waiver, but it's mostly out of my hands. Either I get lucky and they approve the waiver and contract me for SNA again or I've got to try another branch.

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Any Air Force fags here? How much longer do you think the A-10 will remain in service? I want to do OCS for the Air Force and try to become an A-10 pilot, but its situation seems very precarious at the moment. If it's just going to be retired by the time I get my wings I'd rather just do naval aviation and fly a F/A-18 or something