Originally Posted by
Packrat
Of course it is. But you have to want to be a Marine first and foremost. That's what makes the Marines different from all the other services.
Its what makes the Corps the Corps.
Correct.
So if you want to be a Marine and fly - 7 months at TBS (not including waiting for TBS and then waiting for your spot at flight school) is part of the price you pay.
So in reference to the post that you responded too:
Originally Posted by
Alldaysushi 
If you're already degreed, OCS, Basic school, and flight school, very straightforward and well respected.
Isn't the Basic School a year out of your life learning to be a grunt platoon leader 2nd Lt.? Seems like a diversion from your goal to be an aviator.
In that case it isn't a diversion from the path - it is the path.
I tell people - you had better want to be a Marine first, because it is a longer, more difficult path to get into the cockpit than any other service.
Rickair7777 - as far as someone trying to play the game of figuring out when they are going to graduate and what the week's selection tree is going to shake out - it is all guess work. Unless you are sitting in the seats actually deciding what slots are available each week, you are just trying to make some educated guess using hearsay and gouge. There will be successes, there will be failures. Thinking you actually played the cards right I'll bet has a small, if any at all, percentage in the outcome.
Also - if you are found to be trying to play that game - both your fellow students and the IPs will be spreading that word which will follow you for quite some time to come - and Naval Aviation is a small group that just keeps getting closer and closer the further you go along your training, community, fleet, coast, Wing/Group/CAG/squadron/Etc......
Quality spread? The USMC is famous for the HELO drafts. Of course that is the chance you take to be in a service who's aviation arm is probably well north of 70% helos (no - I don't know the exact numbers). But within the T-34C selection process I didn't see too much quality spread in my short time there with my peers going through the selection process. I saw quality spread within the Strike/Fighter pipeline. There was a Harrier cut-off for the NSS and you had to be ABOVE that NSS in order to be selected for Harriers (flawed logic in my opinion, but who is asking the 1st Lt at the time right?!) I have no idea if they are still doing that.