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Flying the F-35?

Old 10-17-2014, 05:31 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Billy Pilgrim View Post
I can't talk to the Marine pilot training pipeline (I was USAF) - however, I would be cautious about the F-35. I know they have like one or maybe two right now at Luke AFB, I would anticipate more delays etc...

Good luck.
Way off Billy.
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Old 10-18-2014, 05:01 AM
  #42  
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Glad to hear that
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Old 10-29-2014, 02:01 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by 2loud View Post
If you are dead set on flying fixed wing, your best bet is the Air Force, the Navy, then the Marine Corp IMHO.
Wrong. Generally, helos are the preferred slot for Coast Guard students at P-Cola. I had many an advanced FW student in Corpus that was not there because that was their choice. They were voluntold to go fixed. Granted, with demise of the Falcon, it's now just Hercs, Casa, and from what I understand, now C-27, so it's gonna be a prop. But you're flying a ton, and doing the mission daily. I retired with over 5K hours. I can't tell you how many times I heard at our joint service squadron "I wish I'd known about the CG back in college". Inter service transfer paperwork was constantly being submitted.

If you are in college and reading this, now you can't use that excuse. You're welcome.
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Old 10-29-2014, 02:20 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by breakfall35 View Post
Wrong. Generally, helos are the preferred slot for Coast Guard students at P-Cola. I had many an advanced FW student in Corpus that was not there because that was their choice. They were voluntold to go fixed. Granted, with demise of the Falcon, it's now just Hercs, Casa, and from what I understand, now C-27, so it's gonna be a prop. But you're flying a ton, and doing the mission daily. I retired with over 5K hours. I can't tell you how many times I heard at our joint service squadron "I wish I'd known about the CG back in college". Inter service transfer paperwork was constantly being submitted.

If you are in college and reading this, now you can't use that excuse. You're welcome.
What is the route to the guaranteed aviation slot in the USCG?

Also - I'm not quite sure I follow the first part of your post.
What is 2loud "Wrong." about?

If a student is dead set on flying fixed wing - - and the USAF has the lowest selection rate for helos out of any other service - - then it would seem a safe bet that going to the USAF would give you the highest chance of being selected for a fixed wing assignment.

What does the rest of your post, with your experience of USCG students being forced into fixed wing slots instead of helo slots, have to do with a person who is dead set on flying fixed wing? They should go into the USCG because they are more likely to selected for (or forced into) fixed wing slots out of the USCG?

As far as inter-service transfers - I hear ya! I wish I had done the job I wanted to do earlier in my career and I would have been asking for one myself. USCG aviation rocks in my opinion
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Old 10-29-2014, 04:18 PM
  #45  
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No guarantee unfortunately. You roll the dice coming out of OCS or the Academy. You may find yourself steering a ship in the Bering sea. You can always keep applying though.

By wrong, I think he is incorrect. He stated his opinion on what he thought the heirarchy was on the chances of getting a FW slot, and I disagree. From my observation as a former flight student, I saw lots of Navy and Marine studs end up at S. Whiting who had no desire to fly helos. I saw 0 Coasties in that situation. If you wanted FW, you were sunny S. Texas bound! The fact USCG didn't even make his list is another thread all together .

If the CG needs to force students to go FW to put enough butts in FW seats, to me, that seems a good indicator that you got a pretty darn good chance of getting a FW slot if your dead set on going FW, and not getting stuck in a helo. It has everything to do with it.

You could make the same argument to 2loud then based on his list. Should someone join the AF just to get a FW slot? Why someone chooses to join a particular branch is their business, but from an empirical standpoint, and expanding on 2louds list, I think the CG offers an almost sure fire way to FW.

Without getting to bromantic here, I appreciate the nod to CG aviation. At times, I'd wished I had gone another branch, so I'm not saying it's the end all be all. I saw plusses and minuses to every branch. I even ended up flying with the Army post CG as a contractor, so I have literally worked with every one. Any option will be rewarding, and my hat is off to someone no matter what branch they fly for.
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Old 10-29-2014, 05:44 PM
  #46  
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Just to clarify, I have no idea or opinion on the chances of even getting into any of the flight programs. My above posts is with the assumption that a person has made it to flight training.

I can say for the CG, if you are medically qualified, and a good performer in OCS, you have a strong chance of getting selected, and if you don't initially, you will likely get it eventually if you remain a solid officer and stay medically qualified. The Academy used to not allow grads to go straight to flight school, then did, and now, I don't know. That rule changes with the whims of the current leadership.
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Old 10-29-2014, 07:36 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by breakfall35 View Post
No guarantee unfortunately. You roll the dice coming out of OCS or the Academy. You may find yourself steering a ship in the Bering sea. You can always keep applying though.
That is what I remember. You are definitely rolling the bones and hoping to perform well enough to get that flight slot out of the Academy or OCS. that is a big chance considering you can go to the other DoD service () with a guaranteed flight slot.

By wrong, I think he is incorrect. He stated his opinion on what he thought the heirarchy was on the chances of getting a FW slot, and I disagree. From my observation as a former flight student, I saw lots of Navy and Marine studs end up at S. Whiting who had no desire to fly helos. I saw 0 Coasties in that situation. If you wanted FW, you were sunny S. Texas bound! The fact USCG didn't even make his list is another thread all together .
If the CG needs to force students to go FW to put enough butts in FW seats, to me, that seems a good indicator that you got a pretty darn good chance of getting a FW slot if your dead set on going FW, and not getting stuck in a helo. It has everything to do with it.
Times change for what is available and what the slots are then (well...we know they do). When I was going through, my fellow Coastie buddies said that getting fixed wing was very competitive - relating it to the getting jets out of the pipeline for the USN/USMC SNAs. If your experience is different and they are practically forcing people to go fixed wing then that is good for the time while it lasts - but I'd place a safe bet that the cycle will continue and timing plays a major factor in the outcome.
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Old 10-29-2014, 07:59 PM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by De La Ghetto View Post
Greetings,

I'm a current college student considering a commission as a pilot in the Marines/Navy in a strike platform. I understand that that at least 60% of the Marines fly helos. With the new F-35 program in the works, what are the chances of getting a slot to fly this platform if I commission in 2015-2016? Also, how competitive is it to get into a fix-wing pipeline during primary flight training? Do most students want to fly helos (I guess that depends), but generally speaking, what else can be done to ensure fix wing during training?

Also, what IF someone were to end of with helos... How difficult would it be to take a tour as a t-34 IP? Is a transfer into a fix wing airframe common? (as you can see I don't want to fly helos.) Please pardon my ignorance.
Here's a slightly different viewpoint. I started out as a helo pilot and did an helo IP tour. BTW, some of the most fun I've had in an aircraft....low levels, NVD and SAR flights in the middle of the Pacific, and of course, hauling around NFL/USO cheerleaders around the strike group. I got picked up for a DC-9's after a joint staff gig. In the squadron, a bunch of other helo (USN/USA/USCG) guys that made the switch after a tour as T-34 IP's. It's pretty competitive these days to get the Primary IP gig (as it is for most cool jobs). So, it's all possible and just depends on a little luck, who ya know, where ya are in the career track, and a lot of hard work. Step 1: get picked up for a commission. Without that...everything else is just a conversation on APC. Good luck!
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Old 10-30-2014, 01:43 AM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by UAL T38 Phlyer View Post
And, all the T-34s are gone...T-6 now.
VT-28 in Corpus still fly's 34's.

Pretty much all questions have been answered in this thread. The primary factor in the Navy as to where you go is the needs of the Navy....and there is always the E2/C2 draft. Ask me how I know about that one
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Old 10-30-2014, 01:55 AM
  #50  
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Some of us volunteered hoping for C2s. And got E2s.
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