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New CG pilot program
- Thread starter wink
- Start date
whats the deal with lat transfers from other services. it was posted above that you may not make higher than Jr officer. If a major in the USMC or LCDR in the navy want to move to CG after his/her contract is up, does this mean that they will move down in paygrade/rank?
Corpsviation:
That seems to be the question of the day. There's a rumor floating around that you wouldn't lose the rank, but I have my doubts. However, an O-4 wouldn't be making the transition over, based off their requirments, since they don't want anyone over 10 years. This happens to be about the time most people are getting picked up for O-4, so the normal progression is get out of your current service as an O-3 (declining your promotion to O-4) and then taking the CG commission as an O-2. Then you start over as an O-2 as far as time to promotion. You'll still hold your time in service for pay and retirement.
Also, and I'd love for someone to correct me on this if I'm wrong, but you could technically retire while an O-2 (for whatever reason, like medical) but retire w/ O-3 benefits, since it was your highest rank held. I haven't seen that in writing, but that's my understanding. Could come in handy for those that would go to the Army as a warrant after serving as an O-3. They take the immediate pay cut, but still retire w/ the larger amount of money coming their way.
That seems to be the question of the day. There's a rumor floating around that you wouldn't lose the rank, but I have my doubts. However, an O-4 wouldn't be making the transition over, based off their requirments, since they don't want anyone over 10 years. This happens to be about the time most people are getting picked up for O-4, so the normal progression is get out of your current service as an O-3 (declining your promotion to O-4) and then taking the CG commission as an O-2. Then you start over as an O-2 as far as time to promotion. You'll still hold your time in service for pay and retirement.
Also, and I'd love for someone to correct me on this if I'm wrong, but you could technically retire while an O-2 (for whatever reason, like medical) but retire w/ O-3 benefits, since it was your highest rank held. I haven't seen that in writing, but that's my understanding. Could come in handy for those that would go to the Army as a warrant after serving as an O-3. They take the immediate pay cut, but still retire w/ the larger amount of money coming their way.
Ya, that is the way I remember it. Back in the day, when an active duty recruiter, we helped a couple Marine helo guys lateral to the National Guard as WOs and they were going to retire at their last permanent rank in the Corps.
Elder
US Coast Guard C-130 Demonstration Team
Blue-21 has been around several years. For Blue-21, you do need a PPL.
I've been in 16 1/2 years, 10 years was Enlisted (Yeoman). I'm at my fourth Air Station ... I've never met a DC Aviator that came in any higher than a JG. I'll ask the DC's at work tomorrow.. pretty sure they're all coming in as ENS's. Heck, we have a Army Major (O-4, right?) Select that is now a LTJG in the CG ... he's been in a few years.
http://www.gocoastguard.com/dc/dcprograms/dca.htm
" Those applicants who are selected to the DCA program, all Warrants and O-1's and O-2's will be commissioned in the Coast Guard as Ensigns (O-1). All O-3's and above will be commissioned in the Coast Guard as Lieutenants Junior Grade (O-2)."
Well, there isn't any "classic" Coast Guard aviator...
As many know here, I happen to have no degree.. only ever attended one college class. But, I busted my ass to make E-6, get selected for OCS, and 4 years after that, flight school.
But our Academy grads have always had to go to a ship for 18-24 months before going to flight school.. ALL of them had to. Last couple of years, we haven't had enough ship billets for them so there are some going straight from the Academy to Flight School.
OCS.. either have a 4 year degree, OR, be E-5 or above w/4 years of CG service, 30 S/H college and 1 college level math class.. Our OCS classes are tpyically 40ish people.. give or take. Anywhere from 2 to 8(???) will get selected for flight school. You can apply again out in the "fleet" if you dont get selected in OCS. We usuallly have 2 to 3 OCS Classes a year.
My unit also has a two DC's from the Merchant Marine Academy.. one guy was a prior reserve enlisted who got a conditional release to attend Kingspoint.. he graduated and joined the CG under a DC program we've had for years.. applied for flight school, whalla. The other guy went to a Marine Safety Office after his DC school then applied for flight school.
There is no cookie cutter officer or aviator in the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard recognizes performance as much as they do education. We are probably half and half.. half Coast Guard Academy ... half OCS ... with half the OCS'ers having prior service.
My unit there is another former Yeoman, a two former Boatswain's Mates, former Navy Rescue Swimmer, and the lsit goes on and on.
I've been in 16 1/2 years, 10 years was Enlisted (Yeoman). I'm at my fourth Air Station ... I've never met a DC Aviator that came in any higher than a JG. I'll ask the DC's at work tomorrow.. pretty sure they're all coming in as ENS's. Heck, we have a Army Major (O-4, right?) Select that is now a LTJG in the CG ... he's been in a few years.
http://www.gocoastguard.com/dc/dcprograms/dca.htm
" Those applicants who are selected to the DCA program, all Warrants and O-1's and O-2's will be commissioned in the Coast Guard as Ensigns (O-1). All O-3's and above will be commissioned in the Coast Guard as Lieutenants Junior Grade (O-2)."
Well, there isn't any "classic" Coast Guard aviator...
As many know here, I happen to have no degree.. only ever attended one college class. But, I busted my ass to make E-6, get selected for OCS, and 4 years after that, flight school.
But our Academy grads have always had to go to a ship for 18-24 months before going to flight school.. ALL of them had to. Last couple of years, we haven't had enough ship billets for them so there are some going straight from the Academy to Flight School.
OCS.. either have a 4 year degree, OR, be E-5 or above w/4 years of CG service, 30 S/H college and 1 college level math class.. Our OCS classes are tpyically 40ish people.. give or take. Anywhere from 2 to 8(???) will get selected for flight school. You can apply again out in the "fleet" if you dont get selected in OCS. We usuallly have 2 to 3 OCS Classes a year.
My unit also has a two DC's from the Merchant Marine Academy.. one guy was a prior reserve enlisted who got a conditional release to attend Kingspoint.. he graduated and joined the CG under a DC program we've had for years.. applied for flight school, whalla. The other guy went to a Marine Safety Office after his DC school then applied for flight school.
There is no cookie cutter officer or aviator in the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard recognizes performance as much as they do education. We are probably half and half.. half Coast Guard Academy ... half OCS ... with half the OCS'ers having prior service.
My unit there is another former Yeoman, a two former Boatswain's Mates, former Navy Rescue Swimmer, and the lsit goes on and on.
Scotty-O
Due to the government,I feel over-stimulated.
Rockin' the boat...
Hey AW Crew,
I've been looking into Blue 21 for a while now and just started taking a degree in Aviation Management (no flight time saves $$) from a school that has the >25% minority demographic so I can qualify for the program. It is my only military flight option now due to being 29, except for Army, but I already wasted 2 years waiting for them....different story.
I went back and forth w. the Blue 21 coordinator's office before deciding to go back to school and this thread really threw me for a loop thinking I had missed something.
So I got back to the coordinator's office and he said I am fine without a PPL. I would only need it if I went to my same college BUT took something other than aviation, eng, tech degree.
To refer to the USCG website and "education requirement" list under Blue 21, if you qualify under sections A-E, you do not need a PPL; it only applies to section F. I'm not saying it wouldn't help, but the extra 10-12 grand for a PPL is not absolutely necessary.
Here's the Blue 21 coordinator's response to my question if PPL is required:
QUOTE:
"You are correct. You only need a PPL if your degree is not aviation or
technical related. In your case, you don't need a PPL. If you were
pursuing a history degree, you would need a PPL. All degrees must still be
from a qualifying school."
Don't scare me like that guys...:shake_125
BTW - recently joined, LOVE this site so far, great community!!
Hey AW Crew,
I've been looking into Blue 21 for a while now and just started taking a degree in Aviation Management (no flight time saves $$) from a school that has the >25% minority demographic so I can qualify for the program. It is my only military flight option now due to being 29, except for Army, but I already wasted 2 years waiting for them....different story.
I went back and forth w. the Blue 21 coordinator's office before deciding to go back to school and this thread really threw me for a loop thinking I had missed something.
So I got back to the coordinator's office and he said I am fine without a PPL. I would only need it if I went to my same college BUT took something other than aviation, eng, tech degree. To refer to the USCG website and "education requirement" list under Blue 21, if you qualify under sections A-E, you do not need a PPL; it only applies to section F. I'm not saying it wouldn't help, but the extra 10-12 grand for a PPL is not absolutely necessary.
Here's the Blue 21 coordinator's response to my question if PPL is required:
QUOTE:
"You are correct. You only need a PPL if your degree is not aviation or
technical related. In your case, you don't need a PPL. If you were
pursuing a history degree, you would need a PPL. All degrees must still be
from a qualifying school."
Don't scare me like that guys...:shake_125
BTW - recently joined, LOVE this site so far, great community!!
What information do they use to verify the 25% minority enrollment? Is it the most recent statistical information that the school has or can it be older, say within two years Is it university-wide, or undergraduate only numbers that count? The reason why I ask is b/c I just crunched some numbers and even Texas A&M has about 20% minorities, and we are considered to be the opposite of diverse. This sounds like an awesome opportunity for almost any college student w/ a PPL who wants to fly in the military.
Scotty-O
Due to the government,I feel over-stimulated.
petersons.com
Hey slickag,
They pretty much rely on www.petersons.com for their data on schools. If you need to find a school you can do an area search on that site, or just research the schools you may already have in mind.
Also, some of the smaller schools are not on there or have no data posted. You might have to contact some schools directly to get the demographic info.
Remember - it's the US citizen students only, foreign students do not count.
Good luck!
Hey slickag,
They pretty much rely on www.petersons.com for their data on schools. If you need to find a school you can do an area search on that site, or just research the schools you may already have in mind.
Also, some of the smaller schools are not on there or have no data posted. You might have to contact some schools directly to get the demographic info.
Remember - it's the US citizen students only, foreign students do not count.
Good luck!
I was just wanting to get some opinions on a situation that my friend is in. Any replies would be greatly appreciated.
My friend is currently in AFROTC and has a navigator slot. He is scheduled to commission in April/May. Right now the AF is allowing cadets to get out of the program since they are overmanned. He's from South Florida and likes most of the locations the Coast Guard has to offer. He wants to be a pilot and was thinking about trying to get a pilot slot in the AF after being in for a few years, however, he heard about the blue-21 program and is considering switching over. This would mean declining his commission for an attempt to get a guaranteed aviation slot with the CG. His feelings are indifferent about the two services. If he chose to do the CG, he would have to get a PPL before he graduated since he is a business major. The 25% minority thing is covered. Here are some of his questions.
1.What are the likely chances of him getting selected given the fact he has competitive scores/How competitive are the boards?
2.Why is OCS 18 weeks and what can he expect/ any personal advice/info?
3.Is he insane for thinking about walking away from a commission 4 months away? (what would you do?)
I know that most of the answers to these questions depend on a number of variables, but any help you can give would be awesome...I guess I'm just looking for some different opinions and any advice I can give my friend.
Thanks in advance.
TGW
My friend is currently in AFROTC and has a navigator slot. He is scheduled to commission in April/May. Right now the AF is allowing cadets to get out of the program since they are overmanned. He's from South Florida and likes most of the locations the Coast Guard has to offer. He wants to be a pilot and was thinking about trying to get a pilot slot in the AF after being in for a few years, however, he heard about the blue-21 program and is considering switching over. This would mean declining his commission for an attempt to get a guaranteed aviation slot with the CG. His feelings are indifferent about the two services. If he chose to do the CG, he would have to get a PPL before he graduated since he is a business major. The 25% minority thing is covered. Here are some of his questions.
1.What are the likely chances of him getting selected given the fact he has competitive scores/How competitive are the boards?
2.Why is OCS 18 weeks and what can he expect/ any personal advice/info?
3.Is he insane for thinking about walking away from a commission 4 months away? (what would you do?)
I know that most of the answers to these questions depend on a number of variables, but any help you can give would be awesome...I guess I'm just looking for some different opinions and any advice I can give my friend.
Thanks in advance.
TGW
Hello all. First time poster here. Saw a couple erroneous statements in the previous posts and thought I'd jump in here and correct them.
Elder: Surely the text below your avatar is a joke right? US Coast Guard C-130 Demonstration Team. I've been an AD pilot for 24 years, most of it in the CG, and I've never heard about this distinguished team of aerial performers. Hmmm...oh well, I digress.
Elder: Surely the text below your avatar is a joke right? US Coast Guard C-130 Demonstration Team. I've been an AD pilot for 24 years, most of it in the CG, and I've never heard about this distinguished team of aerial performers. Hmmm...oh well, I digress.
Boy, this one jumped right out at me. I happen to be a member of the aforementioned group (i.e. the "butt load" group). I agree there are a lot of us. In fact, a large number serve today as Ops, XOs, and COs at many of our Air Stations. They bring a lot of experience to the table. If you ever get a chance to meet/fly with one I recommend you share your "butt load" view with them - I think they'd get a real kick out of it. By the way, here's how you emphasize butt.Elder said:
Nor will you. Refer to the link and read the text you included in your own post.Elder said:
Now how the hell is a Damage Controlman going to answer your question? These are enlisted guys that maintain and repair ship and shore facilities. I suggest you ask a DCA (stands for Direct Commission Aviator).Elder said:
Again bum gouge. The majority of DCA's entering the CG are O-3s. In fact, check the results of the latest DCA Board (here's the link). 16 people were selected, 3 were Ensigns. That works out to 19%...hardly a majority.Elder said:
Not even close! Did you forget that earlier you said there was a butt load of prior Army guys? "Half and half" implies 50%-50%. Where is the butt load in this equation?Elder said:
You need to get one. They'll educate you on the finer points of percentage computations.Elder said:
contrail_dash
Registered User
Hey SlickAG, what year are/were ya at A&M. '02 here.
My old man just retired from the CG, O6. Uncle just got admiral. This next board is my final chance before I get "old".
Someone asked about the career progression. My old man had a weird career, class 77, went helicopters, did 4 years as the cheif test pilot on the HH60J program, then went back to 65's. I forgot why he went to DC to work at HQ, but he didn't have to. Basically he flew his whole career all the way up to his last command..and there he x-trained into hercs. Lots of flying, and fairly short deployments compared to the other services.
And yeah I remember a BUTT load of ex army guys.
My old man just retired from the CG, O6. Uncle just got admiral. This next board is my final chance before I get "old".
Someone asked about the career progression. My old man had a weird career, class 77, went helicopters, did 4 years as the cheif test pilot on the HH60J program, then went back to 65's. I forgot why he went to DC to work at HQ, but he didn't have to. Basically he flew his whole career all the way up to his last command..and there he x-trained into hercs. Lots of flying, and fairly short deployments compared to the other services.
And yeah I remember a BUTT load of ex army guys.
I have a question hopefully one of you can answer. I am a LTjg in the Navy currently in pilot training, about tog et my wings in the next month. I did primary at Whiting Field,where I finished number 2 in my selection class and selected Navy Jets(T-45) out of there. The ironic thing was it was my third choice behing E-6 and P-3. So Once I go to Kingsville I started the program there and after 3 months of flying there I got my transfer to the E-6 pipeline. Now I am here at Vance AFB flying the T-1(Beechcraft 400) and currently in the top 2 of my class here, and will wing in a month and then go fly the E-6B Tacamo. With the overmanning of the Navy esp in the P-3 and some in the E-6 community they are overing us the "reserve option" and some other little things that aren't very good options. I was curious how hard would it be to transfer into the Coast guard to fly one of your fixed wing aircraft(since all my training has been fixed wing)???? I dont think the Navy would have a problem leting me go, since thy're overmanned!! Any input would be great. thank you for advice in advance!
Balance51 said:
The CG's DCA program is used to meet fleetwide pilot requirements that can not be met using the CG's flight school pipeline. Historically, the "gap" that needed to be filled was in the RW community. This is also true today. I can't even recall the last time the CG brought in FW DCA's (my guess is that the current problems in the commercial airline industry have increased the CG's FW pilot retention rate).
Balance51 said:
One of the items that must be submitted in a DCA packet is a Certified Copy of Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD-214). Here's a link to the Direct Commission Officer Programs Check-off Sheet. This sheet is part of the DCA packet that goes before the selection board.