General Questions About Being an NFO

[Devil07]

I have a question. I just completed the juniors session of the PLC program for Marine Corps Officers Candidates. I am currently a Lance Corporal in the Marine Corps Reserve while i attend school. I am under an NFO contract and I have yet to get a straight answer as to what being an NFO actually envolves. Through my own research i have devolped a general idea but I am tring to find someone that is an NFO that could maybe talk with me about it and answer some more specific questions i have about being an NFO.

 

[a_m]

As a Marine NFO, you will be either a Prowler ECMO working multitudes of electronic attack warfare (others can give much more info on that part) or you can be an F-18D WSO in the more traditional strike/fighter role. You will have plenty to time to ask questions before you select between the two in flight school.

 

[DevilDog9782]

Feel free to shoot me a PM with any specific questions. Althought I'm not a fleet aviator like many of the others that post on here, I can definately let you know what training is like and what is expected during flight school and the types of things you will be learning. BTW, I was definately in the same boat a few years ago, and found it hard to get straight answers to what an NFO actually does until actually coming to Pcola and talking to them - there aren't a huge number of them in the Marine Corps.

 

[Swanee]

Stupid Question: Do Marine NFOs do the Nav thing on Marine C-130s?

 

[Renegade One]

In some other thread, one of our on-line bubbas named e6bflyer pretty much said it best: "You (will be) a walking, talking, living, breathing fucking god among men and others (will) know it and fear you." -e6bflyer

 

[phrogpilot73]

Stupid Question: Do Marine NFOs do the Nav thing on Marine C-130s?

No. Navs are/were enlisted, and they aren't on KC-130Js.

 

[a_m]

Stupid Question: Do Marine NFOs do the Nav thing on Marine C-130s?

All the Marines I trained with only had the 2 options I listed above.

 

[RighteousMile]

just out of curiosity has anyone wanted to go sna but decide to go snfo instead to avoid having to get prk?

 

[Birdog8585]

just out of curiosity has anyone wanted to go sna but decide to go snfo instead to avoid having to get prk?

Not me personally but a friend of mine did not want to get the surgery and he was content with being an NFO. It's not that uncommon.

 

[CommodoreMid]

Ditto. I'd like the surgery at some point (mainly since I'm sick of not being able to see for crap) but even if I had the eyesight, I still think I would have chosen NFO.

 

[ea6bflyr]

just out of curiosity has anyone wanted to go sna but decide to go snfo instead to avoid having to get prk?

I know two Marines awaiting API and they are getting their eyes cut before starting the NFO pipeline.

-ea6bflyr

 

[TheBubba]

I got my eyes cut. However, I got mine cut in hopes of selecting SNA. But, if I could go back and do service selection over again, I'd get my eyes cut and ask for NFO first. I have no desire to be a pilot anymore.

 

[ea6bflyr]

I got my eyes cut. However, I got mine cut in hopes of selecting SNA. But, if I could go back and do service selection over again, I'd get my eyes cut and ask for NFO first. I have no desire to be a pilot anymore.

I see you have sipped from the Prowler ECMO kool-aid!

-ea6bflyr

 

[TheBubba]

I see you have sipped from the Prowler ECMO kool-aid!

-ea6bflyr

Once or twice...

 

[efini_kid]

congrats on gettin prowlers bubba!