Pursued a commission in the Navy because I wanted to be a VP pilot. If I select maritime, a goal of mine for the community, and big Navy at that, would be to expand it's role in the Arctic. Choosing the Navy to fly offered me the opportunity to fly, stay in the military, and use my degree. I was looking for a rewarding experience on top flying. If given the opportunity to fly maritime I intend on staying career. That being said, I see myself flying until the bitter end, hence the airline aspirations or NOAA, whichever makes itself available/best for my family. As stated earlier, my family is my number 1 priority.

This document was a big influence: http://greenfleet.dodlive.mil/files/...admap-2014.pdf

 

You have a lot of good advice so you probably don't need any more, I'll give another point of perspective if you want. You did specify military turned airline pilots but you probably wanted military aviators.

I was not a military aviator, I was a black shoe Navy SWO turned airline pilot (that never ever envisioned or had a desire to be an airline pilot.)

It is your dreamsheet and only you can make the decision for spot #3.

No one knows what the hiring environment will be in 8-10 years when you are looking at the end of your obligated service requirement. Going fixed wing and TACAIR makes the transition from military aviator to major airline relatively painless.

You mention the "horror" of having to go to a regional airline at 70k. It's just another means to the end. Being a non-aviator, I had to go to a regional airline starting at $18/hr. Not the end of the world, but a huge pay cut going from O-3 at 10 years to $18k/annual. (That first year regional airline FO pay cut while drastic wasn't actually too bad - I survived it)

Anyways aviation is a small world, and I never realized how small.

I was assigned to a Marine Corps artillery battalion for 2 years as a Navy SWO, so when I showed up to new hire training at the regional airline, I found myself sitting next to one of my Lance Corporals who used to be in my platoon that i hadn't seen for 5 years after I left the artillery battalion. He had since gotten out of the Marine Corps did his flight training in the civilian world and now we were sitting in new hire training at a regional airline together. Now he's an FO at American Airlines.

Fast forward to last week, when another pilot comes in to request the jumpseat and we recognize each other by name. I hadn't seen him in 20 years. I was an engineering division officer in P1 division on my very first ship, and he was one of my boiler techs assigned to my division. So I was his division officer. Now he's a captain at a LCC airline.

A lot of guys I commissioned with from my ROTC unit who went naval aviation are now all flying for the airlines as well. They just had an easier path to major airline.

Anyways the point is that it's not the end of the world and guys who haven't been naval aviators still end up at the major airlines. They just have to do the like everyone else does it - pay their dues - do the regional airline thing and eventually up to major/lcc.



As far as helos. As a det OIC (not me- but as an OpsO working with the air dets assigned to my ship) you have a lot of latitude in how you conduct the mission. Since you're on a destroyer/cruiser/LCS (?) - there is some tasking from the battlegroup if your ship is attached to a strike group. but if the ship isn't attached to the strike group, then you (Det OIC) along with the Capt and OpsO of the ship, run the show. You decide what to do, how to do it, when to do it. There is a lot of independence on your job. I found that to be the most satisfying aspect of being deployed to WestPac, SNFL, and JIATF. It was so liberating being away from deployment workups. It's tight knit group and when you have a good air det it's a lot of fun... It goes both way too. If you have a good ship it's a lot of fun.

There's that saying - if it's not prohibited - why dont we try to see how that works out. A lot of that once you're deployed.

So that is my impression of the HSM/MH-60R community (HSL/SH-60B community in my day) from working with them aboard ship.

But in the end, if your desired end state is employment with a major airline after your naval service, going helos is counterproductive towards your end state and you'll have to go the route that I, my LCpl and BT3 had to go to get to the airlines. Right now going regional to get to the major airline isn't that bad. It's a lot better than when I had to do it 10 years ago. 10 years from now, it may become difficult again.

Its your dreamsheet. You just need to decide if going the harder regional route after the Navy is acceptable.

Yeah that advice about holding your cards close... Do it... As soon as I dropped my resignation letter, I went from #1 EP to #2 MP - that is a career ender. (it was back then anyways, don't know about now)

 

Well then I think you should stick to that dream. It is very unique so I doubt you would be satisfied doing something different.

As for choice #3 the E6 guys I know are bitter about the community but can get hired directly. The helo guys can’t (and many of them are bitter too).

 

He should also have a plan B & C. I was involved in the arctic business at one point. It's a very small niche, with little resources at this point. It would take luck and creative detailing to get to a major HQ command which has policy responsibility/influence for that region, and then more luck to get assigned to work on it. Even then it would likely be a collateral duty.

NOAA jobs are low density, high demand. Also need luck, timing, and persistence to have a crack at that.