I'm not trying to be a dick, but can you un-"Air Force" that for the rest of us?

Exactly. No one in their right mind tells anyone their true intentions for this very reason. You're a career guy, right up until you drop your letter and quit. Lot of current/post DH guys coming up the pipe for command screen that shouldn't be, because peers superior to them quit. They wouldn't be there if ranked appropriately to their quitting counterparts. Not to sat they're aren't a lot of really good dudes that deserve it and will out perform their own leadership. Only takes one turd to ruin a punch bowl though.

B-Course=intial qualification. UPT grad to F-15, F-16, C-17, etc.

TX-1= long transition course. Could be a non-current (more than 5 years) out of cockpit guy coming back, or someone changing fighters (A-10 to F-16, etc).

TX-2= Short course. Flew F-16 but did 2 year staff or 1 year ALO, now going back to course....

3/4 are modified short courses. Some rides can be waived or proficiency advanced.

Its been 10 years since I was an FTU IP so I may be fuzzy on some details...but short answer is B course and TX-1 are long, expensive courses that take 3-6 months on average. There are fewer of these than the easier, shorter, TX-2/3/4 programs.

If you are current--it doesn't cost the force much to get your requalified. Been out of the jet a while--its tougher for the unit and the cost and time are higher.

Thanks!

...filler...

I hear what both of you are saying collectively. I agree that making your intentions known to leave active duty before you have to is not going to bode well for you, nor should it really on the active component side. Bottom line, if I'm an active component CO, am I going to write a #1 EP FITREP in traffic on a guy that is getting out and continually break them out over someone I think can and will make a great DH or CO on the active component side? No, probably not unless there was that much disparity between their performance.

The O-4 board was a travesty and that's all that needs to be said, really. I'd only add that was the exception and not the rule and it has been addressed, moving forward. That doesn't make it any easier for those that were 2 x FOS'd, I also get that and understand why folks would look at that and jump. There were plenty of those JOs in the squadron (FRS) I fly in, so I saw it firsthand.

The hard part about Naval Aviation and the minimum service length post wings is the timing associated with dropping your letter and getting out coupled with zones for O-4. They don't mesh well. That said if you're passed over for O-4 on the active side and affiliate with the reserves to a flying unit(board selected) and your reserve CO writes your FITREP correctly, regardless of EP/MP, you WILL promote. I have sat on those boards and watched it happen.

To your point about post DH folks screening for command that shouldn't: The board can only look at the record as its briefed in the tank. If the record on an eligible has a 12 month #1EP from his/her DH tour, they will probably screen over someone with a 7-8 month ticket. You might not like the guy/girl and they might not be who you'd want in command if those other folks had stayed, but guess what, the board only has the records in front of them to look at and the FITREPS written by COs. I don't necessarily agree with how that system works in terms of timing/FITREP length but its the system we have.

What the heck happened in the Navy? Nobody made O4?

Not aviators.

Sounds like the O5s in Air Combat Command. Too busy fighting the war and not enough time to do bake sales, MC an awards ceremony, or be the Air Show POC.

Marines didn't fair any better. Lots of very surprised JOs.......

The selection rate for aviators and NFOs has been dropping wildly. Used to be in the 80's and is now below 50%.


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