Attrition

[ajpurvis]

I'm looking for some advice from those who have made it through the majority of your training. I just got picked up for SNA after graduation and keep reading about the incredibly high attrition rate for fighters, but usually no-one ever says why. If you'd like a study break and are willing to answer some of my lingering questions, I would greatly appreciate it!


Throughout your training what are the biggest reasons for other students having dropped out? Do you have a story about a friend of yours who got dropped?

If you were in my shoes, what advice would you give yourself to make it into a fighter slot?

What personality traits do you think have made you successful throughout training?


Thanks again for any advice you can pass on!
-AJ

 

[Eulenspeigel]

A lot more people don't select jets then get attrited from jets. Also there are dudes who start primary all about selecting jets and have jets as their last choice by the end. To select strike: study a lot, don't suck at flying and having luck on your side never hurts.

Frankly if you haven't even gone to OCS yet I wouldn't dedicate too much brain power to these questions

 

[Swanee]

Flying is hard, and it gets harder as you progress. As such, some people will fail at each new level. That's life.

 

[millalex]

Congrats! You've already won the lottery. You'll have a blast no matter what you fly.

-People drop or get dropped for many different reasons. Friend dropped because he kept getting airsick. Another almost finished and decided he didn't want to fly anymore. You'll see these people in flight school, but attrition isn't very common. Either way, don't focus on them. Focus on yourself and the things you can control (attitude, time management, social skills).

-Sleep more than you study, study more than you party, and party as much as you can. Take care of your body. Pick up a new hobby, go to the gym, explore new places. Try out different study techniques. The way I studied in college did not work for flight school. Don't say no to your friends when they ask you to go out on the weekends. Make sure you choose to enjoy the time you spend in each phase of training (at least most of it).

-Showing up with a positive attitude and an eagerness to learn is the key to being successful in flight school. There's no secret or single technique. This program has been around for a while and it works. At the end of the day, the grades will be what they are, and big Navy will fill their slots with whoever they need. Timing and luck will outweigh grades anyway.

 

[ajpurvis]

Sleep more than you study, study more than you party, and party as much as you can.

This made me laugh - well said.

 

[Meyerkord]

incredibly high attrition rate

The people who posted before me are completely correct. Just wanted to point out there is no incredibly high attrition rate anywhere. If you make it through OCS, you basically have a ~90% chance of getting your wings (that number came from one of my instructors in API), and most of those are DORs, not attrites. The Navy isn't looking to give people the boot. As long as you want it and try your best, you'll most likely be OK.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I'm looking for some advice from those who have made it through the majority of your training. I just got picked up for SNA after graduation and keep reading about the incredibly high attrition rate for fighters, but usually no-one ever says why. If you'd like a study break and are willing to answer some of my lingering questions, I would greatly appreciate it!


Throughout your training what are the biggest reasons for other students having dropped out? Do you have a story about a friend of yours who got dropped?

If you were in my shoes, what advice would you give yourself to make it into a fighter slot?

What personality traits do you think have made you successful throughout training?


Thanks again for any advice you can pass on!
-AJ

Focus on OCS man. You're not even in the Navy or flight school yet.

 

[Fallonflyr]

Flying is hard, and it gets harder as you progress. As such, some people will fail at each new level. That's life.

I found just the opposite, everything got easier as I progressed through the program. I had never flown an airplane prior to fam 1 so everything was a new experience. By the time I got my wings I was totally comfortable in the jet. This is not to say that the tasks and expectations did not increase with every phase.

The OP just needs to give it his best effort. You are either cut out to be a fighter pilot or you are not...you won’t know unless you give it your best shot.

 

[FLGUY]

I think the most important things to focus on are having a good attitude, showing up prepared, and demonstrating to the IP that you’re giving it your best. Things like crushing your briefs, having good questions for the IP that show that you actually studied, and owning up to your mistakes that you will inevitably make will go a long way through every part of training.

Don’t be the one who does the bare minimum and slacks their way through the program. Effort will get you further than you would think.

 

[insanebikerboy]

showing up prepared

This more than anything else.

 

[ajpurvis]

Focus on OCS man. You're not even in the Navy or flight school yet.

I graduated Marine boot as platoon honor-man. I'm not saying OCS will be a walk in the park, but I'm definitely not worried about it.

I think the most important things to focus on are having a good attitude, showing up prepared, and demonstrating to the IP that you’re giving it your best. Things like crushing your briefs, having good questions for the IP that show that you actually studied, and owning up to your mistakes that you will inevitably make will go a long way through every part of training.

Don’t be the one who does the bare minimum and slacks their way through the program. Effort will get you further than you would think.

This seems like solid advice. I'm passing up a much larger paycheck for the chance to be a fighter pilot, the one thing I can bring to the table is effort and give-a-fuck.

 

[HuggyU2]

Congrats! You've already won the lottery. You'll have a blast no matter what you fly.

-People drop or get dropped for many different reasons. Friend dropped because he kept getting airsick. Another almost finished and decided he didn't want to fly anymore. You'll see these people in flight school, but attrition isn't very common. Either way, don't focus on them. Focus on yourself and the things you can control (attitude, time management, social skills).

-Sleep more than you study, study more than you party, and party as much as you can. Take care of your body. Pick up a new hobby, go to the gym, explore new places. Try out different study techniques. The way I studied in college did not work for flight school. Don't say no to your friends when they ask you to go out on the weekends. Make sure you choose to enjoy the time you spend in each phase of training (at least most of it).

-Showing up with a positive attitude and an eagerness to learn is the key to being successful in flight school. There's no secret or single technique. This program has been around for a while and it works. At the end of the day, the grades will be what they are, and big Navy will fill their slots with whoever they need. Timing and luck will outweigh grades anyway.

One of the best posts I've seen on here in quite a while.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I graduated Marine boot as platoon honor-man. I'm not saying OCS will be a walk in the park, but I'm definitely not worried about it.

 

[ajpurvis]

View attachment 23002

If I was worried about OCS I would've posted in the OCS forum.

 

[FLGUY]

If I was worried about OCS I would've posted in the OCS forum.

No offense dude, but this is exactly the kind of attitude you don’t want to have. No matter how trivial you may think something is going to be, walking in saying “I’m not worried” gives off the wrong impression. Many have not made it through OCS for various reasons. Be humble, always do your best and take every training evolution seriously.