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I sent you an email.

Not at the present. The few UAV pilots we have are winged aviators that have been through flight training and served at least a tour at a unit before entering UAV training.

Definitely not a viable path IMHO and something you should not consider in deciding to go CG.

The Coast Guard uses the ASTB for those applying for pilot training. The recruiter is likely correct that it will not factor into your OCS application like it does for the Navy. Those already in the OCS program applying to go to flight training following commissioning require ASTB scores...

I don't have first hand knowledge, but that sounds like a fairly accurate bundle of info that recruiter gave you. We have TONS of qualified applicants right now. With that being said though, you will never know unless you apply. Force them to tell you no if this is what you really want.

Just stick with it and work closely with your command. You will need that CO recommendation, no doubt, and it needs to find its way into the potential block of your OER. It doesn't really matter what unit you are at as long as your command gives you a recommendation. I would pick a unit...

PM sent.

Yea, like Herc said...it's all about timing and often who you know. From a flying perspective, it takes you out of the operational picture but sets you up for some sweet corporate flying jobs on the outside and looks great on a resume. I've known a lot of people that did it as second/third...

Looks like this is gonna actually happen. 14 aircraft at that! http://sewardcitynews.com/2013/06/napolitano-approves-transfer-of-c-27j-aircraft-to-coast-guard/

I don't think there is really a cutoff that determines a 'good' score from a 'bad' one. When I applied (granted that was over 10 years ago), flight school boards didn't put a whole lot of emphasis on the ASTB unless you had an alarmingly low score. I don't remember my exact scores, but I was...

I wouldn't say there is fixed wing 'envy' at all in our community. Sorry, I guess my post lead you in the wrong direction. I think the majority of Coast Guard pilots are absolutely happy with the aircraft they are flying and probably wouldn't trade it for another. I've rarely met a pilot who...

Ha, ha.....depending on your aircraft, many of us are still in the steam gauge era! I'm just over 10 years out of flight school, so my post just goes to show, it doesn't take long for views within communities to shift. Everything is cyclical.....except flying fighter jets, I think that has...

Wow, the rotary/fixed debate is ageless! When I was a flight instructor, I transitioned countless rotary pilots into the Falcon and every single one of them was humbled and pleasantly surprised. The majority of incoming CO's/XO's of large air stations opted for fixed wing transitions for various...

I heard it was loosing steam but not sure for what reasons.

Miami boasts to be the 'busiest air/sea rescue unit in the world' which in a sense they are but only after you add the law enforcement sorties from migrant ops to the search and rescue load. If you look at just SAR alone, NOLA has traditionally been the front runner.

Miami....no doubt!

Yea....limited spots like Brunes said and from I remember they are typically given to those in the aviation engineering track.

Ha, ha....I graduated USCGA and often wish I had transferred and spent my money on beer and booze at a 'normal' college! Probably a good thing I CAN'T choose again.

I wouldn't get the surgery based on the idea you need it to be a better pilot. If you meet the Coast Guard requirements for vision standards, you are fine. I flew with lots of guys who wore contacts/glasses (especially on night flights). Sadly, I think I'm almost to that point but I'm stubborn...

Ok, deep breath everybody. ;) I think I understand the angle Sam is coming from. If you major in something other than engineering at the academy, your GPA tends to be higher. My roommate was a government major (or 'political engineer' as he liked to call it) and his GPA was much higher than...

Your typical duty stander can range anywhere from 20 to 50 hours a month depending on what you are doing. Deployments boost that number up big time. I would say, I averaged about 400 hours a year which was slightly above the average for a fixed wing guy. I think helo guys tended to be a...

Here's my two cents..... I don't think your engineering degree will help or hurt you from the perspective you are looking at. You won't get over looked for an aviation slot and sent to a cutter turning wrenches because you have an engineering degree. In my opinion, a technical degree is...

Wow, this is pretty cool news. Although I find it difficult to get overly excited about moving eventually into a prop, this is a step in the right direction! ;)

Sounds like they were on a Key West deployment which was common back in those days when Miami had more 65's attached to them. They would deploy without a rescue swimmer because they were on a law enforcement mission looking for migrant activity. The SAR coverage was still usually covered out...

Thanks for joining and best of luck to you in getting into flight school. Even if you don't get a flight school spot right out of CGA stick with it, keep applying and I'm sure you will get picked up.

Easy, now, fellas....he admitted it was a poor attempt at a tasteless joke. Let's not beat him up too bad over it! :icon_wink

I truly do hope it changes, Brunes, but because of how our OER system is set up and promotes aviators on how many collateral projects they do instead of how devoted they are to becoming great pilots, I just don't see it happening. It's just a sad truth that you don't get good OER's while you...

Yea, don't know how it is in the other services, but getting a Whiting or Corpus IP job is pretty easy. It's really not the best thing for progressing your career although I'm sure it's a great tour! Now getting an ATC Mobile instructor job is typically much more challenging and does help your...

It sounds like you are wondering if going after a Navy OCS billet could compromise your chances of a Coast Guard spot if I'm reading your post right. I wouldn't think the Coast Guard would care, or even find out for that matter, that you are pursuing other commissioning sources. I wouldn't...

What looks kind of odd is his first unit tour length. 2001 through 2003 is a pretty short first tour. Even if he got to the unit in January 2001 and transfer at the normal summer rotation of 2003, that's only 2 1/2 years. CG aviators normally get 4 year orders to Sacramento. I'd be curious...

I've heard DCA spots, especially on the fixed wing side will be VERY hard to come by, if not impossible. Only an unsubstantiated rumor....probably not what you were looking to hear.

Thoughts and prayers.....

They are going............LOTS of them. I think I counted 14 65's in the hanger the other night from various units deployed here. The CASA's seem to fly all day and night on it. All we have been doing lately is flying admirals from point A to point B but it beats looking at oil slicks.

Because the Coast Guard wants their academy grads to experience a tour at sea, so they only offer a handful of non-afloat tours. They use OCS grads to fill in the rest, which are mostly land based billets.

I think the numbers are even higher than 70%.....probably closer to 90%+ for Academy grads going to sea and it will only get higher with the reduction in flight school billets. From talking to the cadets around here this summer, most of them say the few non-afloat tours (sectors, flight school...

Nope.....

PM sent.

Until about 5 years ago or so, there was a Polar Operations Division based out of ATC Mobile. They would cross country planes out to Seattle and go on the icebreaker trips. They were decommissioned, but I'm not 100% sure which unit took the mission over or if it was contracted out to civilians.

Been a rough couple of years for Coast Guard Aviation in regards to MISHAP's. Glad to hear everyone is ok.

Not quite sure on that one but I don't think you can DCA with an active commitment. You would probably have to serve it before you could even apply to the DCA program. By the time you did that, who knows what the status on Coast Guard aviation will be. We might all be flying UAV's from the...

Not flying it much from what I hear....in fact, he has orders to a non-flying job this summer so they are looking for bodies. I'm sure there's a spot for you in the UAS branch if you want it!

Coast Guard UAV's coming to a theater near you......never thought I'd see the day! Article

Same here, I'm not 100% educated on Blue 21, but I've never heard of a Class 1 requirement.

And chances are...they could be done far, far away! :)

Good luck on your book search, but I don't think you will find what you are looking for. There is a lot of literature out there about Coast Guard history, "harrowing rescues", etc., but not probably anything along the lines of what you want. CG aviator life varies drastically from unit to...

Very true...I was speaking from an aviator's perspective only. Life on a boat=crap in my opinion! :icon_wink

Previous post pretty much answers it. From the fixed wing side, deployments are benign compared to the helos since we can't sit on the back of boats. Even at the busiest fixed wing units, I'd venture to say you may deploy a few weeks at a time, 2-3 times a year. Guys may be going more, but...

Well, to keep the answers brief.... 1) You are cutting it pretty close, but see what the recruiter says. Our website FAQ's say you must be between the ages of 17-27, prior service up to age 29. See this LINK. 2) Not really, just having an undergrad degree of some sort is all that pretty...

If it's correctable to 20/20, no problem....but you said you don't wear glasses. Would glasses correct you to normal eyesight? Below is the excerpt right off the Coast Guard's website..... Vision requirements are also very stringent. Eyesight should be 20/20. If not, it must be correctable to...

C130 and Cobra mid air in California Sad news............ Article