Career Advice For Daughter, Navy ROTC NFO
 

My daughter has been a member of Navy ROTC. She has not been under scholarship. A couple weeks ago she received her assignment of NFO. She wants to be a pilot. She will graduate in May with a economics and minor in math degree. She is close to completing her
private pilots license.

What advice would you give her? I have co workers that have suggested she try and get a pilot slot with a guard unit. Does anyone know of units that are actively looking? She is willing to go anywhere, even Fairbanks lol

Thank you,

Mickey

I don’t know how NROTC works, but 7 years ago in AFROTC, getting a Nav slot also put you first in line as an alternate pilot slot, that meaning once everyone got sent to get physicals and some people got disqualified, you could move up into the pilot category.

Alternatively you could go through nav school and then keep applying and go to pilot training later, this is all Air Force intel so maybe the Navy doesn’t roll that way.

Ultimately my advice as an active duty AF pilot would to shop herself to AF reserve and Guard units and try and go to pilot training that way, get through and bum until she’s eligible for R-ATP, then get a regional job and split time between the two until she’s able to get a major airline job. It would be the quickest way to a seniority number without paying for flight training, doing some of the coolest missions a all civ pilot can’t do.

All that said, this is only if airline flying is the end goal. If she’s all about flying mil for 20 years, just fight to get an active pilot slot, Navy or AF. If her stats are decent (mind out of the gutter folks, I’m talking test scores and GPA) it shouldn’t be hard. At least the AF is trying to pump as much through the pipeline as possible.

I did NROTC, but was under a scholarship and was able to get a pilot slot upon graduation.

My advice would be to look at other options for a pilot slot whether it be Air Force, Coast Guard or even Navy through a different commissioning source.

She could always apply to transfer from NFO to pilot, but there’s no guarantee that would work and could take years and even more of a commitment.




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Do the best job she can as an NFO and apply for a transition if she decides to continue in the USN.

If she wants to do military and airlines, look for guard or USAFR units in that order

If she wants to do airlines with minimal training cost, same answer.

If civilian pilot training is affordable, that might be faster than guard, but hard to say for sure. If I had to do it all over again I'd do the guard if career progression was the goal.

Was their a medical reason for not being accepted as a Student Naval Aviator?
if so, then that may or may not limit pilot/aviator opportunity in other service components as others suggest.
Assuming your daughter is afflicted with the same Aviation aviator disease most of us are afflicted without cure, then her actions should follow her priorities.
If goal was to be a carrier Naval Aviator, then would continue to seek an assignment change before commissioning.
If unable, realize that only 4-5 NFO's per year are selected to Pilot transitions and must meet Year Group limits (Navy determines need based on yet to be determined officer needs after she is commissioned) . Can see FY2016-2019 results.
https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-n...otProgram.aspx

Extraordinarily competitive for fleet NFO's to get a transition.
If she chooses to follow the NFO path, she could potentially be locked into a community (VFA/VAQ/VP..) that isn't her first choice and potentially lock herself into that community if selected for a aviator slot later in the transition board.
Things to consider.
If desire to be rotary aviator, Army and USMC are options. Since NROTC, (not sure if USMC is still an option at this point) but it can potentially offer a pilot position. However, USMC requires further training in The Basic School (TBS) and potentially could still be physically disqualified after at TBS and lose aviator slot.
If desire to ultimately fly for the airlines, then pursuing an Air Guard or USAFR position as a pilot would be attractive. ANG is ideal as one can pursue units that fly the aircraft she desires. May take awhile if she enlists/commissions in the Guard until can can compete for a pilot slot. If works, added benefit is rather seamless transition to airlines.

Understand the expectation and anticipation of being selected for a Naval Aviator. However, generally recommend to young folks who desire to serve to start off with most desired duty. Have DD214s in USMC, USAF and USN in that order.

If she pursues the military track at this point in her life, she will have ample opportunity to be a good leader in any service in any role privileged to serve. May as well start in desired role. Often challenging to switch once in primary designation in same service. i.e. USN NFO to Pilot.
Many change services to pursue new roles and opportunities. If being a military pilot/aviator primary. Give a serious look at pursuing other service opportunities to fly now.
Best adventures to your daughter!

Start applying to every ANG unit in the country (that flies aircraft she is interested in). 2nd choice, AF Reserve.

https://bogidope.com/squadron-job-listing

Since your daughter has been in NROTC for quite some time, does she have a minimum commitment at this point?

I’m assuming as non scholarship student that she has no commitments. Simple questions...does she want to be a military pilot, airline pilot or simply just serve her country?

If she doesn’t want to be an airline pilot then serving as an NFO will make a great Navy career. Pilots are leaving in droves and the path to O6 and command seem to be easier these days for NFOs. There may be an opportunity after a few years to transition to pilot but the path until her service obligations are done would be about 15 years. It is also very competitive.

If she wants to be a military pilot - don’t accept the Navy offer and find an air guardunit or USAF officer recruiter.

If she principally wants to be an airline pilot then go find a guard unit or private flight school as that is the fastest route to an RJ.

Just spitballing here, but if she's not a scholarship MIDN, can she just walk? An NFO to pilot transition won't occur until after her first sea tour, ~5-6 years into her career, and they don't take many every year. It's a long shot.

If I were in her spot, assuming there's no medical reason (eyes?) they sent her NFO, I'd try to switch to pilot. If that didn't work, and I could walk without repercussions, I'd walk. From there, I'd apply to Coast Guard OCS and Navy OCS to be a pilot, in that order. 12 weeks OCS, butter bars, then on to Pensacola for flight school for either. I know zero about Air Force stuff, cannot help there.