USMC Aviation Training

[HbiatchIC]

I know that the aviation training pipeline can be up to 2.5 years long, but how much time is spent at each location before your specific MOS is decided?


How long is it before your MOS is decided?


Are Corpus Christi and Pensacola the main locations where flight school is completed?


On average, how many moves do you make during flight school, and are they PCS's or does your spouse live in one location the whole time?

 

[Lt Awesome]

You start off doing IFS somewhere. There are different locations for Marines/Navy but I think they are working toward doing all of IFS at Pensacola. This takes about 6 weeks.

After IFS you do API in Pensacola. This is 6 weeks long. However, if it is backed up there may be a bit of a wait to start. Navy starts quicker than Marines usually.

After API you go to Primary in one of three locations, Whiting, Corpus Christi, or a small number go to Vance AFB in Oklahoma and fly the T-6. Primary can take 5-8 months depending on weather. There is no way to really predict which location will get you through faster. A lot of people say one is quicker than the other but it all depends on weather. My roommate went through Corpus in 5 months and it is taking me 8. However, a few times a year Corpus sends out a detachment to Las Cruces and that speeds things up if you go on that. That is how my roommate went through so fast. At the completion of Primary you select. For Marines you pick jets, helos, C-130s or Ospreys. Nave picks tailhook, P-3s, or helos.

Following Primary you go to Advanced. If you get C-130s or P-3s you go to Corpus for about 4 months. If you get helos you go to Whiting for about 6 months but there is a 1-2 month wait right now to start. If you get jets/tailhook you can go to Kingsville or Meridian. There is about a 3 month wait to start jets right now and jet school is taking about 16 months.


Marines usually get to choose where they want to go for Primary. Navy usually gets told where they are going. If you are married and don't want to move a lot they will usually keep you in Florida for Primary.

Marines PCS to each place do you get DLA and paid to move. They give you 7 days to move to Texas. Not sure how the Navy works but they do pay for your move. They only give 3 days to move to Texas or Mississippi though.


Hope this helps.

 

[Herc_Dude]

If you get KC-130s or P-3s you go to Corpus for about 4 months.

More like 6 months of training, and that is not counting getting there, waiting in the pool, and then some sitting around you might have to do after - which has been as much as 4 months and as little as 2 weeks. You can expect to be sent to SERE during this time.

 

[Lt Awesome]

More like 6 months of training, and that is not counting getting there, waiting in the pool, and then some sitting around you might have to do after - which has been as much as 4 months and as little as 2 weeks. You can expect to be sent to SERE during this time.

I was just going off of what I know from my roommate. He checked in here from Whiting and started the following week. His winging date is 5 months after he started. There may be a wait after but at least you are winged.

 

[SemperGumbi]

Here is sort of a GENERAL pipeline and TTT (time to train) for a Marine going up to through the Jet pipeline:

OCS 10 weeks (Quantico)
TBS 6 Months (Quantico)

API (Pensacola): figure about 3 months with check in/check out/pool (but note: The "pool," which is where you wait before you start API and after you finish API but before you start primary, can vary. I waited about 4 months to start API. There is usually good gouge on wait times around the board here)

PRIMARY: I stayed for primary in Pensacola (Milton). It took about 7 months to complete. This made my total time in Pensacola 12 months.

Advanced: I went to Meridian. You can figure on about 13 months for Jet Advanced.

Is that what you are looking for?

 

[Herc_Dude]

I was just going off of what I know from my roommate. He checked in here from Whiting and started the following week. His winging date is 5 months after he started. There may be a wait after but at least you are winged.

I forgot I had some slag time due to Thanksgiving and Christmas - 5 months not counting any breaks, but come on, don't cut us too short! You said 4 months - it may be easy, but give us some credit We do fly low, just not as fast. And fuel is RARELY a factor - shit we give it away like candy on Halloween.

 

[SemperGumbi]

I'm dying to know huggy's comment.