USMCFLYR

It's about being a Marine.
I achieved my goal just fine.

rickair7777

I have seen on numerous occasions Navy-wide where PCS costs drove detailing and even career-track decisions. Not just aviation. It happens. From the tax-paer perspective it makes sense. From the service-member perspective it blows.

But Navy helo guys who get FW time as an IP or at a regional are a shoe-in for the bigs.

B2G2

yws4234,

Your situation is very similar to mine from 10 years ago. The advice you're getting here is golden.

PM sent with some more details.

B2G2

Grumble

They did the “quality spread” thing when I went through too. Didn’t work out as it was a shot to the head of everyone’s motivation. They killed it pretty fast.

Sorry you got screwed the week you selected 40 years ago, but telling this kid that’s how it always is, is BS.

rickair7777

No more quality spread? I recall folks would Adjust their performance to jockey for a position tion in the pack that might give them a crack at what they wanted.

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.

Packrat

Tell it to Grumble. He thinks its B.S.

That's how it worked out for me. 2nd duty station got me both H-46 and C-12 time. That lead to VR squadrons as a TAR flying VC-131H and C-9B. It just took 5 extra years of active duty to get the quals I needed to get my Major airline job.

USMCFLYR

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:
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.

BoxFlyer

I was in your boat back in 87. Graduated from college and then went into the USMC with an air contract. Off to Quantico, Va for OCS (10 weeks), 2 days off before going to TBS (6 months). Every Marine officer does TBS before heading out to their specialty school.

Marine, Navy and Coast Guard (a few) all do basic indoc and primary flight school together before “pipeline” selection. Do your best and let the chips fall where they do. A lot is luck and timing, the needs of the Navy and USMC can change week to week.

Good luck

sourdough44

I would get in and talk to an ‘Officer’ recruiter about options. I would also look into every other service with potential flight positions, Coast Guard, Guard units, Air Force, everything. You need current information to make decisions.

Cast a wide net. If finances allow, look into some flight instruction now.