CG Flight Advice

[11smitsaj]

I'm a US Merchant Marine Academy Graduate and Air Guard member looking at the option of Coast Guard flight. I see two options that I know of.

One DCO and become an engineer and then try to apply within the CG to get a flight slot, or two Apply to OCS, and compete for a flight slot. I can't find anyone else to contact besides the recruiters on what is the best route to take and as expected they don't know. If there are any other options available or any advice is much appreciated.

 

[11smitsaj]

Before anyone wastes their time replying I saw this other guy's thread. Looks like thats pretty much my answer, looking at three years of service before I could get a slot if I'm DCO http://www.airwarriors.com/community/index.php?threads/newbie-questions-for-ocs.37972/.

Any other input is still appreciated as always.

 

[Renegade One]

I'm a US Merchant Marine Academy Graduate and Air Guard member looking at the option of Coast Guard flight. I see two options that I know of...

On the subject of "options"...and really because I'm genuinely curious...can you give me/us "the Hollywood Minute" on what a career as a professional Merchant Mariner might be like? I've known more than one Naval Aviator actually go into this after flying careers. I can only assume the time away can be a burden, but is it a well-paid, good benefits career? 6 months at sea then six months off, or am I dreaming?

 

[11smitsaj]

It gets better actually, long story but I just gave up my job in Hawaii that paid over $400 a day to fly for the Air Guard but it isn't working out. My schedule out there was supposed to be two months on one month off, some schedules are even like you said, they can be anywhere from two weeks on, two weeks off or you can keep sailing however long you want and make the big bucks. My job market-wise was the low end of the totem pole. Starting pay for some graduates can range as high as $600 a day. Those oil companies love to pay the big bucks. Also the two major unions out there only do 90 day rotations, for every 30 days worked you get 27 days off or something like that.

 

[11smitsaj]

Too add to that yes its full benefits. If you wish to be slave to a union there is a hefty pension you can collect in installments or in a lump sum of which i believe amounts to be around 1.5 million depending on time served and your license rating

 

[taco09]

On the subject of "options"...and really because I'm genuinely curious...can you give me/us "the Hollywood Minute" on what a career as a professional Merchant Mariner might be like? I've known more than one Naval Aviator actually go into this after flying careers. I can only assume the time away can be a burden, but is it a well-paid, good benefits career? 6 months at sea then six months off, or am I dreaming?

Yeah, that's pretty much it; the cut off seems to unofficially be 5 years of sailing or a career (15-25+). Like 11smitsaj says, time varies pretty greatly from company to company, union to union and brown water vs blue water, but generally a day at sea equals a day off. The pay is ridiculous compared to what your SWO equivalent will make, though when you decide to hang up your sailing shoes you generally don't have many transferable skills for a shore job (if you're a deckie** - engineers can take their show on the road no problem), hence why folks tend to sail for 5, get their nest egg and try to come ashore for brokerage firms or shipping insurance.

From experience, I was a little upset when came back from a 5 month deployment with 5 months of 0-1 pay ($20,00 or so) and a friend sailing on a supply ship with us for 4 months came back with over $70,000...

If you don't mind losing most of your relationships/friendships and are generally a solitary person, it's just about impossible to beat commercial sailing, however that was a bit too steep of a price for me...

 

[Renegade One]

To all who replied above...thanks. Very informative. The takeaway seems to be "goods and others". As in most things, I expect...nice to have those options, however.

 

[parrothead08]

Before anyone wastes their time replying I saw this other guy's thread. Looks like thats pretty much my answer, looking at three years of service before I could get a slot if I'm DCO http://www.airwarriors.com/community/index.php?threads/newbie-questions-for-ocs.37972/.

Any other input is still appreciated as always.

That's a good thread.

It's tough to get in to CG aviation right now. From my (limited) understanding, there are too many co-pilots in the fleet; also, there are too many students in flight school. From what I have seen on the message boards, the number of people selected for aviation has gone down on each selection board. I had to wait 6 months prior to starting advanced helo training. My buddies that just got down to Pcola have to wait a 1-2 months, if not more, before each phase of the training.

I've also heard rumors of Big CG waiving the service obligation for pilots who want to get out and do something else. This could also be a completely fabricated flight school rumor.

Again, I'm still in flight school so my knowledge of what is really going on in the fleet is limited. I've been down here two years now.

Good luck! It's a great service. PM if you want anything else.

 

[parrothead08]

^I did two years on a Cutter before getting down here. Had to apply 4 times.

 

[sodajones]

Parrothead08, thanks for the info, I've been trying to get a good read on CG aviation (numbers wise). It's a little disheartening to see how small the OCS classes are, let alone those drawn for aviation. I'm hoping by the time I finish school it'll be back on the upswing.

 

[11smitsaj]

^I did two years on a Cutter before getting down here. Had to apply 4 times.

Just curious what did you do aboard the cutter? And where do a lot of guys go that get scrubbed from flight school? Do they return to their area of expertise? Don't worry I've heard directly from students in other branches say the same thing, about waiting between phases.

 

[Brunes]

Just curious what did you do aboard the cutter? And where do a lot of guys go that get scrubbed from flight school? Do they return to their area of expertise? Don't worry I've heard directly from students in other branches say the same thing, about waiting between phases.

I was a Deck watch officer-just like SWO. You can also be a student engineer. I was responsible for the electronics, weapons, and navigation divisions at various points in time. I was also the urinalysis officer, ships store officer, primary Maritime LE boarding officer and LE program coordinator. I think I did some other stuff but honestly - I don't remember all of it.
Coming out of flight school without wings-You still kinda don't have a specialty (specially not folks who went right from The Farm to Pensacola), sot he they'd to find those folks a billet that fits what the think they want to do. Seen folks go to Sector and District Command Centers, training billets, logistics and planning jobs. Kinda depends in what the CG needs...ya know??

 

[positiveg89]

Would it be "easier" to join another service and then try to join the CG via the DCA program? If I were to fly in the Navy, would I have to finish my ADSC prior to applying to DCA?

 

[Brunes]

Would it be "easier" to join another service and then try to join the CG via the DCA program? If I were to fly in the Navy, would I have to finish my ADSC prior to applying to DCA?

IDK about easier...But it's an option. And you have to get conditionally released from your service to join the CG, so I'm gunna go with yes on completing your ADSC first.

 

[taco09]

If your main goal is flying, other services are a bit easier to get into right now. To try to come into the CG as a DCA, however, is (numbers wise) the hardest way to get into CG flight right now. Speaking with a USMC O-3 trying to cross over, he lamented they only took 3 of 54 in the last panel...