yws4234

I am looking for applying for Navy Pilot.
Graduated from University of Michigan with 3.5 gpa in Psychology. 25 years old.
I was a nupoc applicant but did not make it at the final interview because I was not qualified to the nuclear officer.
Through this experience, I have obtained medical examination (which will expire on october) and security clearance. I think I have done everything for navy pilot except taking astb.

My question is how often the navy has the slots for pilot for ocs candidates? I was told that we have to get gurantee for flight school before signing for ocs.

One more question, if I go to flight school after ocs, is it really hard or impossible to be a fighter pilot in navy compared to the academy or nrotc?

rickair7777

Congrats! You saved yourself some misery there. If you can get into aviation, you'll have a much more enjoyable life both during and after the Navy.

Not sure how many/how often, but yes you want to get a guaranteed flight slot before OCS. Like you said, I think OCS candidates all have designated career tracks before they start.

Not at all, it all comes down to flight school performance (and some luck and timing, based on slot availability and needs of the Navy).

Now the ROTC and Academy folks have likely been thinking hard about this for a few years, and they were all on full-ride scholarships so the competition will not be trivial. But it's mostly up to you.

sailingfun

Referencing your last question once you start flight school assignments within the needs of the Navy are based purely on performance. It does not matter how you got to flight school only how you perform while there. If you are a .001 GPA above a Academy grad you pick before him.

cow0man

Go talk to a officer recruiter. Use whatever study material you can use to prep yourself for the astb. A little naval aviation history and basic parts and function of an airplane, ie. rudder, flaps, airelons, etc.. The astb can be taken only three times in a lifetime, so you want to do your best first time.

The recruiters have slots to fill and can advise you if you need to wait for the next quarter to get a pilot slot.

As far as a guaranteed fighter slot, not going to happen. Do the best you can do and you get to put in a preference. #1 guy will get #1 pick. Needs of the navy, quality spread, and preference will be factored during selection process to determine airframe. Just realize, you are not guranteed a fixed wing airframe.

Before I retired, I was an instructor at a NROTC unit and administered the astb.

Merle Dixon

Save yourself years of pain and misery. Go find an Air National Guard unit. If you get hired, you go to Officer Training School, AF pilot training, follow-on training in your primary aircraft, then back to your guard unit for 2 to 3 years of full-time orders. After that you can live the part-time guard life and find an airline job.

Packrat

This is the best advice ever. Navy flying billets are assigned at the end of basic flight training. It has nothing to do with how well or poorly you did through basic but WHAT IS AVAILABLE THE WEEK YOU COMPLETE BASIC.

You may have had the best flight grades in a decade, but if there are nothing but helicopter training billets open, you're going to fly helos. In my case, I wanted to fly multiengine (P-3s or C-130s). The week I graduated there were 5 ME slots and 1 Helo slot. Usually the guy with the highest grades got first pick.

However, everything is driven by the NEEDS OF THE NAVY. Of my classmates, 3 were married and two were ex-P-3 aircrewmen. Additionally, it was the end of the fiscal year and the Navy was out of money for moving. My squadron was in Corpus Christi and helicopter training is in Pensacola.

So, according to the NEEDS OF THE NAVY, it was cheaper to move the only single guy to Pensacola who didn't have P-3 experience.

The other thing you need to watch out for if this story hasn't soured you on Navy flight training is an old recruiter's trick. They'll tell you that if you really want to get in you should apply for BOTH pilot and NFO billets. They lure plenty of guys into the backseater track with that story. If you don't want to be a RIO, TACCO etc. DON'T FALL FOR THEIR TRICK.

The previous poster is correct...Go Guard. Find a unit that flies the jet you want to fly. They'll send you through OTS and the flight program that trains you for THEIR unit. No sweating what billets will be offered the week you complete Basic flight training.

If I had it all to do over again, I'd do that.

Alldaysushi

Have a look at the Marine corp options. Helo, fighter, or transport,
all guaranteed seats, same flight schools as the Navy.

If you're already degreed, OCS, Basic school, and flight school, very straightforward and well respected.

Safe Travels... Sushi

Packrat

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.

Grumble

This is full of half truths (bitter dude)?

If you are the number one guy, you get first pick of the slots available. They sit you down with the other graduates, they tell you what’s available, then they start with the number one guy.

Yes it’s true that you may graduate the week there are only helo slots available. Personally I’d take that over flying P-3/P-8.

If you want to fly pointy nose jets, there is no better place than the deck of an aircraft carrier to do it. Yes it’s hard to get there, yes there will be pain involved, yes the days are long and the weeks are longer.

However the years fly by, and when it’s all over, you’ll be sad to leave. Your first sea tour will be a brotherhood of friends you’ll keep for life. Every time you take that cat shot, and hit the end of the cat stroke, throw the gear up and accelerate to 7 miles at 500 knots/500 feet and park the nose bullseye nose high.... none of any of that pain will be at the forefront of your mind. Ever. You’ll see and do things you’ll only ever talk about with those that have been there, because you just can’t explain it to those that haven’t.

There is truth to the recruiters tricks. Do NOT apply for any job you don’t absolutely want. If you only want to be a pilot, leave the rest of the lines blank (or put pilot in all of them). All that said, Naval Aviation is a special club and it’s not looking for guys that need to be convinced to sign up. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Packrat

Sorry Grumble, but its 100% true. Back in 1980 at least. Last week of the fiscal year so moving funds were tight. In addition, they had been getting too many low rollers in the helicopter world so the Navy ordered that for a period of time every other pilot would be "awarded" helo orders regardless of their desires.

That was also the time when the CNO ordered the FRS units to attrite a minimum of 10% of the pilots ordered into them. That was after a number of marginal grade A-7 pilots were involved in accidents.

Granted, things are probably different today, but I'm sure the old detailer's mantra, "Its the Needs of the Navy," is still in full force.

P.S. I actually enjoyed my helicopter tour although it did cost me 5 years seniority at my airline career. One of my contemporaries actually turned down an offer to transition to A-6s because his lifelong goal was to fly Navy helicopters.

That's why there's different flavors of ice cream.