Community Transfer from Helos to E6s/P8s?

[MGoBrew11]

Ya so this has crossed my mind several times... unfortunately I think it’s a band aid to an underlying issue.

HSM definitely does not have an identity crisis, but if you really hate HSC/helos, yeah it probably won't be much better. I've done Arctic ASW in HSM...it wasn't The Hunt for Red October or anything. Rad port calls though.

Like DanMa said, there are a ton of opportunities outside of flying the Navy too if you want to do something else and stay in. Another one that doesn't get talked about a lot is LEP. Free law school and you're getting paid.

 

[Tanhauser0621]

HSM definitely does not have an identity crisis, but if you really hate HSC/helos, yeah it probably won't be much better. I've done Arctic ASW in HSM...it wasn't The Hunt for Red October or anything. Rad port calls though.

Like DanMa said, there are a ton of opportunities outside of flying the Navy too if you want to do something else and stay in. Another one that doesn't get talked about a lot is LEP. Free law school and you're getting paid.

I do wish I got selected for HSM... I wonder if my experience would be more positive.

 

[nugget81]

I do wish I got selected for HSM... I wonder if my experience would be more positive.

If there is one truth in life, it’s that you can be happy or miserable wherever you are—it’s completely up to you.

 

[DanMa1156]

HSM definitely does not have an identity crisis, but if you really hate HSC/helos, yeah it probably won't be much better. I've done Arctic ASW in HSM...it wasn't The Hunt for Red October or anything. Rad port calls though.

Like DanMa said, there are a ton of opportunities outside of flying the Navy too if you want to do something else and stay in. Another one that doesn't get talked about a lot is LEP. Free law school and you're getting paid.

FWIW - and this may have changed since I looked at it - but LEP is pretty difficult to pull off as an aviator. You have to have under 6 years of service to be accepted into it and it's non-waiverable. Getting the community to release you and be accepted is a challenge, in particular given that by the time you're done with your first tour, you're probably at 5 years total service and owe about 5 years left to aviation. Perhaps release will be easier given the assumed smaller footprint of HSC in the future, but I am convinced more and more that for Helo and Maritime land BUPERs cares less about fleet JO seats and production tours than they do about disassociated tours... semi sarcastic.

 

[Tanhauser0621]

If there is one truth in life, it’s that you can be happy or miserable wherever you are—it’s completely up to you.

Miserable is an overstatement... but given the time... I’m fairly certain I’d rather be flying in a different community... and if I’m not, I’m fairly certain I don’t enjoy my current community.

 

[insanebikerboy]

Miserable is an overstatement... but given the time... I’m fairly certain I’d rather be flying in a different community... and if I’m not, I’m fairly certain I don’t enjoy my current community.

As a guy who has done pretty much whatever I’ve wanted career/job wise, I gotta recommend putting in for the transition to P-8s. The worst they can do is say no, and you might just pull it off. You’d be surprised how often people say yes.

 

[Tanhauser0621]

As a guy who has done pretty much whatever I’ve wanted career/job wise, I gotta recommend putting in for the transition to P-8s. The worst they can do is say no, and you might just pull it off. You’d be surprised how often people say yes.

That’s what I’m thinking. At this point I have nothing to lose it seems.

 

[Angry]

FWIW - and this may have changed since I looked at it - but LEP is pretty difficult to pull off as an aviator. You have to have under 6 years of service to be accepted into it and it's non-waiverable. Getting the community to release you and be accepted is a challenge, in particular given that by the time you're done with your first tour, you're probably at 5 years total service and owe about 5 years left to aviation. Perhaps release will be easier given the assumed smaller footprint of HSC in the future, but I am convinced more and more that for Helo and Maritime land BUPERs cares less about fleet JO seats and production tours than they do about disassociated tours... semi sarcastic.

LEP is pretty much impossible. My front office put in a package for me as a joke (I was the legal officer) and it immediately got kicked back by Millington, despite incredibly over the top endorsements. Apparently the community manager said they refused to entertain any packages that take JOs out of community, like LEP, Fleet Scholars, lat transfers, etc. Something about needing enough bodies for Shooter billets and CTF-57...

 

[DanMa1156]

Something about needing enough bodies for Shooter billets and CTF-57...

Ha! As I stated before, I am more and more confident aviation accession is less about demand for pilots and NFOs flying planes than it is for them to be in disassociated sea tours.

 

[Tanhauser0621]

LEP is pretty much impossible. My front office put in a package for me as a joke (I was the legal officer) and it immediately got kicked back by Millington, despite incredibly over the top endorsements. Apparently the community manager said they refused to entertain any packages that take JOs out of community, like LEP, Fleet Scholars, lat transfers, etc. Something about needing enough bodies for Shooter billets and CTF-57...

Getting lost in acronyms... LEP?

 

[loadtoad]

Getting lost in acronyms... LEP?

Law Education Program. Like MGoBrew11 said, it's a program the Navy does where you are paid to go to Law School, then you incur a payback as a JAG.

 

[Angry]

It's also up there with the greatest deals the Navy offers to officers - which is why it's so competitive. If you apply with 4 years in (typical SWO commitment) and get picked up, you get LT pay plus tuition & living costs for three years of law school, then serve an additional 6 as a JAG on the back-end. So at the end of the JAG commitment you're a LCDR/CDR, 13 years of work experience, 6 years of experience in the courtroom, and no law school debt. You could easily go get a job as a senior associate at a major law firm or work as a US ADA (depending on your law school of choice) without the first few years of back breaking labor as a junior associate. Oh, and if you get into Harvard, the Navy will pay for that too - it isn't just the cheapest law school available (although you have to apply to at least one in-state I believe).

 

[Pags]

It's also up there with the greatest deals the Navy offers to officers - which is why it's so competitive. If you apply with 4 years in (typical SWO commitment) and get picked up, you get LT pay plus tuition & living costs for three years of law school, then serve an additional 6 as a JAG on the back-end. So at the end of the JAG commitment you're a LCDR/CDR, 13 years of work experience, 6 years of experience in the courtroom, and no law school debt. You could easily go get a job as a senior associate at a major law firm or work as a US ADA (depending on your law school of choice) without the first few years of back breaking labor as a junior associate. Oh, and if you get into Harvard, the Navy will pay for that too - it isn't just the cheapest law school available (although you have to apply to at least one in-state I believe).

Yeah, but then you'd be a SWO and lawyer. Which I think is the definition of the lowest form of life.

 

[MGoBrew11]

LEP is pretty much impossible. My front office put in a package for me as a joke (I was the legal officer) and it immediately got kicked back by Millington, despite incredibly over the top endorsements. Apparently the community manager said they refused to entertain any packages that take JOs out of community, like LEP, Fleet Scholars, lat transfers, etc. Something about needing enough bodies for Shooter billets and CTF-57...

This is definitely not the case in helo land. While not the norm, we send people to FSEP all the time. My front office sent out the info on LEP when I was in the fleet. I briefly considered it but decided I wasn't ready to give up flying. But they were at least willing to entertain the discussion of signing off on the application. Yes, PERS would have had to sign off on it of course. Maybe your experience of everyone saying "no" is as a VP NFO?

EDIT: on the FSEP note, anyone know what kind of candidates they selected in most recent board from aviation? We were sending guys pretty consistently from FRS to FSEP 1 or 2 per year, but in the last one it was a big fat 0. I know they opened FSEP up to post-DH...so maybe to @Angry point they are not letting post-shore tour guys do it anymore.

 

[Tanhauser0621]

This is definitely not the case in helo land. While not the norm, we send people to FSEP all the time. My front office sent out the info on LEP when I was in the fleet. I briefly considered it but decided I wasn't ready to give up flying. But they were at least willing to entertain the discussion of signing off on the application. Yes, PERS would have had to sign off on it of course. Maybe your experience of everyone saying "no" is as a VP NFO?

EDIT: on the FSEP note, anyone know what kind of candidates they selected in most recent board from aviation? We were sending guys pretty consistently from FRS to FSEP 1 or 2 per year, but in the last one it was a big fat 0. I know they opened FSEP up to post-DH...so maybe to @Angry point they are not letting post-shore tour guys do it anymore.

funny to hear about this program... there is no shit a barred attorney who is flying west coast. Classic OCS guy with wild story.