Naval Aviators.....
#21
Originally Posted by quaileman
My first advice to you is fly Navy, not USMC. The Marines are an extremely proud and professional organization and I have the utmost respect for them but they are always left at the bottom of the barrel in the military budget game. I would also say that greater than 50% of their pilots fly helos. If flying 15 combat loaded, hard charging marines into a hot LZ while max performing your helo is your bag then do it. You have a better shot at fixed-wing in the Navy. The biggest aircraft the Marines fly is C-130's and they do not have many. They may have all transferred to reserve squadrons but I'm not sure. Another question you should ask is if you are given an aviation guarantee. You may be competing for a slot and could get ground, supply, intel, etc and still be committed to at least four years of active duty in a job you may not want. Remember, as a Marine you are a rifleman first, your job second. Pay and bennies are good and so are advancement oppurtunities. O1 to O3 are automatic based just on time in service. Two years to make O2, and two more to make O3. After that your record will determine advancement after five more years as an O3. Same base pay food allowance for equal ranks across all services. Then variances by location for housing allowance. Pilots get flight pay ranging up to $850 month based on yrs of flying service. Don't get married anytime soon. If the Marines wanted you to have a wife they would have issued you one. It is much easier going on deployments, detachments, last minute tasking, etc. when you do not have anyone at home asking when your coming home/leaving again. I would say family commitments is the #1 reason guys punch out. This holds true for the Navy too. Life as a Navy pilot has been great. You will go places you've never heard of, do cool things, make life-long friends, and get paid to do it. Oh and you will be flying too. Grades and extra curiculars are key. Your life begins now wether its the military, med/law school, or whatever so get the best grades you can. BTW, see if you are med qualified to fly (20/20 vision correctable, no asthma, bad joints, serious knee injuries etc.) You must be aeromedically qualified before you ever get the flight billet so if you think you may have an issue, ask to talk with a flight surgeon before you sign anything. If your college has a NROTC unit, you should go over and talk to them. You can take the Naval Science courses, be a part of their unit and not be on scholarship. You may be able to apply for one in following years. Good luck.
#23
Originally Posted by 727C47
I went into Marine Corps OCS as an aviation guarantee, missed a few letters on the eye chart, then decided " what the hey,I'm here anyway" suffered through OCS,TBS,and IOC, and did a tour as a Grunt,before pursuing my wings CIVLANT. I loved my time in the Marine Corps, in fact if I didn't love flying so much I probably would have stayed in for a career in the infantry. The point I am trying to make is that the Marine Corps is a passion,a calling almost. Pick the Corps if being a Marine is as important to you as being an aviator,otherwise joining our brothers in arms in the USAF,or the Navy,is probably an easier road to hoe. Best of luck,Godspeed, and Semper Fi,to all my fellow jarheads out there in cyberland.
#24
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2006
Posts: 296
FR8,
I don't think that he has an aviation guarantee yet. That is why I said to get one. Also, you being out the last ten years alot has changed with the current situacion. I was not sure about the active/reserve C-130 thing becuase I fly through NAS Fort Worth alot and have only seen the reserve squadron there but really have not seen the active guys around in my travels, I guess that is because their aircraft are all stationed overseas and they just rotate the aircrews. Saves time on the airframe transiting back and forth and keeps then in theatre. My point was exactly what you said, join the Marines for love of the Marines, not to get FW flight time to work for the airlines. Thanks for your 23 yrs of service and sacrafice, I've got 16 myself.
I don't think that he has an aviation guarantee yet. That is why I said to get one. Also, you being out the last ten years alot has changed with the current situacion. I was not sure about the active/reserve C-130 thing becuase I fly through NAS Fort Worth alot and have only seen the reserve squadron there but really have not seen the active guys around in my travels, I guess that is because their aircraft are all stationed overseas and they just rotate the aircrews. Saves time on the airframe transiting back and forth and keeps then in theatre. My point was exactly what you said, join the Marines for love of the Marines, not to get FW flight time to work for the airlines. Thanks for your 23 yrs of service and sacrafice, I've got 16 myself.
#25
New Hire
Joined APC: Mar 2006
Position: USCG HC-130H IP
Posts: 6
Have you considered the USCG?
Originally Posted by mtsupilot09
Hi all, as some of you remember I was considering going into the Marines through their PLC program. For those of you who don't know my situation, here are the basics: current college freshman at MTSU studying aerospace administration with a business minor, I've always dreamed of being a naval aviator, after talking to a Marine recruiter and flying with them in their King Air, I'm considering their PLC program. I understand that this isn't the route to build high flight time, and that's ok with me. I know all the technical jargon, but I'd really be interested in talking with as many of you naval aviators as possible about lifestyle. Just tell me what your life was like while you were in the Navy or the Corps. What you flew, your pay, how it affected your marraige/family, etc. Thanks a lot in advance guys, I certainly appreciate your advice.
Chandler
Chandler
I have invested over 14 years of service with this organization to date and cannot think of any negative comments. More importantly, neither can my wife and three children. The majority of our missions within the fixed-wing community are focused around counter narcotics interdiction/Homeland Security and typically include 2-3 two-week deployments somewhere in Central/South America per year. Statistics show that we are the lead drug interdiction agency within the U.S. government, and consistently confiscate drugs valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
Another primary mission of ours is search and rescue, of which we are without question amongst the best in the world. Although chances are slim you will get shot at in the USCG, I can guarantee that you will be challenged beyond your farthest imagination, to include flying in the eye of hurricanes, or dropping survival equipment 2000 miles offshore in the dark of night, while 200' off the ocean floor with 50-60' seas and 100 knot gale force winds. You will fly many missions when ATC traffic is minimal. Why? Because we are congressionally mandated to launch within 30 minutes of receiving many of our missions and the weather is often so crappy that others simply stay home.
The Coast Guard is famous for being extremely selective in who they hire, and will undoubtedly work you very very hard. I know countless ex-Army pilots who joined the Coast Guard thinking life would be easier without 6-month deployments to the desert, only to find out that they now work harder then ever. For all practical purposes we do not get promoted based on our flying abilities, but instead are promoted on your ability to lead/manage people and equipment.
You are cheating yourself if you do not conduct some research into the USCG. A recruiter will not seek you out, you will have to find them. As with the other military branches, the aircraft you are assigned to fly is based on your performance when compared to your classmates. Besides helicopters, we currently have HC-130H's, HC-130J's, HU-25 Falcons, one GV, one Challenger 604 and are acquiring some CASA 235's.
Sorry if this sounds like a pitch from a Recruiter, that is not what I intended. Just trying to ensure you make an educated decision. All branches of the U.S. military are equally as important, you just need to find the one that best suits your goals.
Regards
#26
Guest
Posts: n/a
Lots of good responses. The overall trend in Naval Aviation is less flying. H-60's and P-3's are flight time limited to extend service life. Individual Augment billets to the desert are a new reality. Both of these issues translate to less time in the cockpit.
Also, the straight to reserve flying (VR C-9's, C-40's, C-130's) was only for year group '04 student naval aviators. It is no longer an option.
If you want a real good shot at herks go Coast Guard. Most Coastie students want helo's. If you do o.k. in Primary (don't need to be an ace, but not a plumber), you stand a very good chance of getting assigned a fixed wing asset (they also fly Falcons Jets).
Also, the straight to reserve flying (VR C-9's, C-40's, C-130's) was only for year group '04 student naval aviators. It is no longer an option.
If you want a real good shot at herks go Coast Guard. Most Coastie students want helo's. If you do o.k. in Primary (don't need to be an ace, but not a plumber), you stand a very good chance of getting assigned a fixed wing asset (they also fly Falcons Jets).
#27
Guest
Posts: n/a
Hey CalCapt, I am in much of the same situation as mtsupilot is, looking to go in the Navy. From you post earlier, it looks like i was looking most into exactly what you did, fly tacair in the navy and fly airlines afterwards. I am extremely interested to hear your story of how you got to where you are now, the choices you are glad you made and choices you regret. I also had a few specific questions to ask you but i dont have any posts yet so i cant PM you for those. (This would be my first post ever so im fairly new to it!)
#28
Guest
Posts: n/a
Hey CalCapt, I am in much of the same situation as mtsupilot is, looking to go in the Navy. From you post earlier, it looks like i was looking most into exactly what you did, fly tacair in the navy and fly airlines afterwards. I am extremely interested to hear your story of how you got to where you are now, the choices you are glad you made and choices you regret. I also had a few specific questions to ask you but i dont have any posts yet so i cant PM you for those. (This would be my first post ever so im fairly new to it!)
#29
Guest
Posts: n/a
Questions for CalCapt
Hey CalCapt, I am in much of the same situation as mtsupilot is, looking to go in the Navy. From you post earlier, it looks like i was looking most into exactly what you did, fly tacair in the navy and fly airlines afterwards. I am extremely interested to hear your story of how you got to where you are now, the choices you are glad you made and choices you regret. I also had a few specific questions to ask you but i dont have any posts yet so i cant PM you for those. (This would be my first post ever so im fairly new to it!)
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