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Highwater FITREP Burden

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
"Timing" is the chickenshit way of saying "yeah you made HAC and went where we told you, but you didn't stand out in any particular way to the front office/DHs. That's a mix of ground job, additional duties, aircraft quals, and good dude/dudette points. Fair or unfair, it's the game in helo squadrons.

As others have said, the Navy is effectively done with you as far as flying goes. Absolutely possible to grind out an EP ashore and in your disassociated to pickup O-4, but OP DH is a long shot. OP-T may be possible (my OCS roommate hasn't flown since the fleet and just picked it up, but TACRON is looming big and I hope he doesn't get fucked). And even if you picked up OP or OP-T, kicked ass as a DH, deployed a lot, worked 12 hour days, etc you have effectively 0% chance of making CO. Why play that game?

It's totally possible to eek out a sea duty/shore duty non-flying rotation until 20 if you pick up O4, but you'd have to really love the Navy (and not miss flying) to make that work. Start thinking of alternative career options (guard, reserves, civilian, etc) and put plans into motion as soon as you can. Good luck.
 

bubblehead

Registered Member
Contributor
Why not stay active duty until you 2xFOS fo O4 and then off-ramp directly to the Reserve either as a pilot or change your designator to something in the NAVIFOR (IP, CW, etc.) where you have a very high likelihood of making O4 and beyond. If you want to do this I'd make sure you try to get assigned somewhere as close to where you want to exit the Navy as possible so that the Navy can pick up the tab for your move and future plans.

You could stay SELRES (active drilling with pay) until the 2 year mobilization waiver expires and decide if you want to keep doing it. You can get out at that time altogether or keep plugging away until you make O4 which will likely be, if you are off ramping after 2xFOS, the first O4 board after you affiliate with the Reserve. If you pick up O4, you can stay SELRES or you can come join us in the VTU (drilling status without pay, points only, no annual 2 week orders requirement, and no mobilizations) and finish out your time.

You've got options.
 
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Pags

N/A
pilot
Why not stay in until you 2xFOS fo O4, off-ramp directly to the Reserve with a 2 year mobilization wavier... In the Reserve you have a very high likelihood of making O4 and beyond. Honestly. It's not a bad option.
Depends on your timing. If there's other things the OP wants to do getting out soonest will let him start the next thing ASAP. The severance is good but not sure its worth waiting around for unless there's something else you want to do in the USN as ACDU.
 

bubblehead

Registered Member
Contributor
Depends on your timing. If there's other things the OP wants to do getting out soonest will let him start the next thing ASAP. The severance is good but not sure its worth waiting around for unless there's something else you want to do in the USN as ACDU.
I get it but it's free money... I see so many 2xFOS people coming to the Reserve who get picked up for O4 their first board, one of whom also just got picked up for O5 on their first try (an 1825).
 

Pags

N/A
pilot
I get it but it's free money... I see so many 2xFOS people coming to the Reserve who get picked up for O4 their first board, one of whom also just got picked up for O5 on their first try (an 1825).
Nothing is free shipmate. While you're waiting on your "free" check you're missing out the opportunity cost of starting your new career. Depending on OP's timing he could be wasting 2+yrs in the USN for 80k when he could maybe make that much in a real job and get his second career started and caught up to the pack there.
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
Why not stay active duty until you 2xFOS fo O4 and then off-ramp directly to the Reserve either as a pilot or change your designator to something in the NAVIFOR (IP, CW, etc.) where you have a very high likelihood of making O4 and beyond. If you want to do this I'd make sure you try to get assigned somewhere as close to where you want to exit the Navy as possible so that the Navy can pick up the tab for your move and future plans.

You could stay SELRES (active drilling with pay) until the 2 year mobilization waiver expires and decide if you want to keep doing it. You can get out at that time altogether or keep plugging away until you make O4 which will likely be, if you are off ramping after 2xFOS, the first O4 board after you affiliate with the Reserve. If you pick up O4, you can stay SELRES or you can come join us in the VTU (drilling status without pay, points only, no annual 2 week orders requirement, and no mobilizations) and finish out your time.

You've got options.

Usually that 18 months of waiting for 2xFOS and then getting mandatory kicked out involves being on disassociated sea duty orders at the time. So you're talking about being extended on sea duty, probably another workup/deployment cycle, to take the man's money. Or you can just make your plans ahead and get out at the earliest possible (probably around 12 months after showing up to das boot).
 

bubblehead

Registered Member
Contributor
I always recommend people off ramp into the Reserve if for nothing else, a safety net until you land on your feet. The Reserve has saved me countless times since 2009. It's currently saving me now as I've been on telecommute orders since last year (I get differential pay) b/c my boss was trying to smoke me out (never work on the non-revenue generating side [IT, Risk, Cyber, etc.] of financial institutions, they are toxic). Turns out, my boss -- a 20+ year lifer -- got the boot while I was on orders ?
 

Hair Warrior

Well-Known Member
Contributor
Why not stay active duty until you 2xFOS fo O4 and then off-ramp directly to the Reserve either as a pilot or change your designator to something in the NAVIFOR (IP, CW, etc.) where you have a very high likelihood of making O4 and beyond. If you want to do this I'd make sure you try to get assigned somewhere as close to where you want to exit the Navy as possible so that the Navy can pick up the tab for your move and future plans.

You could stay SELRES (active drilling with pay) until the 2 year mobilization waiver expires and decide if you want to keep doing it. You can get out at that time altogether or keep plugging away until you make O4 which will likely be, if you are off ramping after 2xFOS, the first O4 board after you affiliate with the Reserve. If you pick up O4, you can stay SELRES or you can come join us in the VTU (drilling status without pay, points only, no annual 2 week orders requirement, and no mobilizations) and finish out your time.

You've got options.
Both Romeo pilots I know who got out after their initial service commitment pinned O4 in the USNR without any trouble (one as a SELRES in a NIFR unit, one as IRR-VTU). I don’t even think the VTU bubba wrote a letter to the board or reviewed his paper beforehand. Neither had JPME I, IIRC. Point is, it may be easier to pin O4 as a 1315 then later transition as you like to another designator.

Intel is getting crushed at O4 selection. Rates are at or below 60%. I went through NIOBC with two LCDR lat transfers (a SWO and a SUPPO). They both have a shot at O5 but even if they don’t make it, both seem happy spending 9-10 years in Intel as a terminal LCDR as a sort of second naval career, after 10-11 years in their first designator
 

Pags

N/A
pilot
I always recommend people off ramp into the Reserve if for nothing else, a safety net until you land on your feet. The Reserve has saved me countless times since 2009. It's currently saving me now as I've been on telecommute orders since last year (I get differential pay) b/c my boss was trying to smoke me out (never work on the non-revenue generating side [IT, Risk, Cyber, etc.] of financial institutions, they are toxic). Turns out, my boss -- a 20+ year lifer -- got the boot while I was on orders ?
Reserves can be a safety net...but they can also knock over your civilian career house of cards just when you were getting it set up with a mob.

All of the guys I know who got 2xFOS picked up O4 on their first look in the reserves. And all the guys I know who stayed 1315 SELRES outside of HW units got tagged with a MOB just as their civilian careers were taking off.

The reserves are as much a risk as they are a benefit.
 

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
Reserves can be a safety net...but they can also knock over your civilian career house of cards just when you were getting it set up with a mob.
Best advice here is for the individual person to research as much as they can about the ins and outs of the reserves.

There is PLENTY of gouge on that, especially pilot gouge for pilots of all kinds: current, former, flying a desk, flying helicopters, flying airplanes, flying military/civilian/airlines, don't care if they fly again/desperately want to fly again, and everyone in between. There are a lot of ways to manage a reserve career in the most advantageous way possible to you, it's like having different cards you can play- not just squadrons and SAUs, but how to take advantage of IRR, VTU, broken service, and yes, nonflying billets. Not just how to take advantage of those things but just as important how to not screw yourself by mistake.

It comes down to what the individual wants to get out of life but that means a lot of footwork and time spent reading and researching by the individual. (A lot like when a youngun' comes on any forum and quietly finds where their question has already been answered.)
 

Waveoff

Per Diem Mafia
None
As a JO less than halfway through my first sea tour, I appreciate everyone’s bluntness, honesty, and background information on the subject of fitreps and retirement goals. Not a pilot (and hopefully not a thread-jack) but the general principles here are a sobering reminder of the reality of the Navy machine.
 
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