Officer Promotion/Test Pilot Selection with Enlisted Background

[F14Flier7]

I am currently in Ohio for this New Year and I am visiting my family. My parents are very excited for me; being selected for STA-21. My mother just asked "How does the Officer advancement work?"

I am rather spotty on the actual advancement of the Officer Communities. My CO told me in an interview to fly 18's and not choppers, because of the poor advancement (he was a chopper pilot and seemed rather bitter about it).

I read post: http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133848&highlight=Officer+Advancement

I also found a good website posting: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/navypromotions/l/blofficerprom.htm

However; I cannot find any pots or articles about the Selection of individuals with an enlisted background. Does the background of the enlisted STA-21 Officers have an edge over an OCS grad?

I am just looking into this topic; being behind "normal" Ensigns 6 years in the terms of being separated or career progression.

One of my main concerns for this topic is that my next goal is to apply for the Test Pilot Program. On the test pilot program website: http://www.npc.navy.mil/Boards/Administrative/TestPilot/ there are a LOT of time requirements to be eligible. All of the time requirements on this website are gibberish to me... I don't quite understand the requirements, and I really need to understand this so that I don't set my goals too high.

I have only been in the Navy 3.5 years and will be graduating from Ohio State with 7 years in the Navy. Will this progression hurt me in both my chances of being selected for Promotion, and applying to Test Pilot School?

Any input would be appreciated; I know that numerous members here have a plethora of information on these topics. Thank you.

 

[bunk22]

I am currently in Ohio for this New Year and I am visiting my family. My parents are very excited for me; being selected for STA-21. My mother just asked "How does the Officer advancement work?"

Number one, congrats on being selected for STA-21 :icon_smil

I am rather spotty on the actual advancement of the Officer Communities. My CO told me in an interview to fly 18's and not choppers, because of the poor advancement (he was a chopper pilot and seemed rather bitter about it).

However; I cannot find any pots or articles about the Selection of individuals with an enlisted background. Does the background of the enlisted STA-21 Officers have an edge over an OCS grad?

I am just looking into this topic; being behind "normal" Ensigns 6 years in the terms of being separated or career progression.

One of my main concerns for this topic is that my next goal is to apply for the Test Pilot Program. On the test pilot program website: http://www.npc.navy.mil/Boards/Administrative/TestPilot/ there are a LOT of time requirements to be eligible. All of the time requirements on this website are gibberish to me... I don't quite understand the requirements, and I really need to understand this so that I don't set my goals too high.

I have only been in the Navy 3.5 years and will be graduating from Ohio State with 7 years in the Navy. Will this progression hurt me in both my chances of being selected for Promotion, and applying to Test Pilot School?

Any input would be appreciated; I know that numerous members here have a plethora of information on these topics. Thank you.

The thread you listed and the website cover it pretty good. It's pretty automatic for O-1 to O-2 to O-3. Unless you do something bad...DUI, screw the help, etc, should promote to those ranks. Your previous enlisted rank has nothing to do with it. Going from O-3 to O-4 is not automatic, I think there is a board now. From O-4 to O-5 and on up is certainly harder. With everything, the needs of the Navy is going to prevail. If they need more O-5's within a certain community, they will select more O-5's. Being a Hornet driver isn't going to put you ahead of a helo pilot for advancement unless one community has more of its share of pilots and can't promote. Hope that makes sense.

Don't forget, many factors come into play for advancement....how you finish in your sea tours (competitive EP's), hardship tours, JPME, etc. Remember, if you take the easy route (skip a dissociated or fly C-12's instead of going to the VT's or FRS), don't screen for DH, negative FITREP, etc can negatively effect you ability to promote.

I don't know enough about Test Pilot School to answer your questions but others just might have the knowledge.

 

[2sr2worry]

Look at these resources for some insights into your questions.

http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyre...C9FA4704FE/0/ActivePromoBrief52207Revised.ppt

And...

http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyre...F97B6E99/0/FY08AviationURLCommunityBriefs.ppt

And...

http://www.npc.navy.mil/Boards/Administrative/TestPilot/

And...

http://www.bupers.navy.mil/cdrom/dev/cd/INSTRUCT/150062.PDF

And...

http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyres/03FE4E9B-3D7A-4C65-85DB-E676B8D00344/0/adhsb_fy07_precept.pdf

 

[Scoob]

Your enlisted time will get you higher base pay (O-1E, O-2E, O-3E), and will count towards your retirement counter for 20. That is the entirety of the difference that prior time makes as an officer.

You will be on the same career track - based on your commisioning YG (year group) as all other officers. Selection for promotion is determined by board, separated only into URL and RL (unrestricted line - stars over bars; restricted line - weird-leafy-things over bars). Promotion boards now start at O-3 for Navy, though at this point promotion to O-3 is still a "fog the mirror" cross-checked against the "naughty list". O-4 is where your carreer thus far really gets put under the microscope - though, as mentioned, selection is based on how you break out among all URL officers.

The department head board (at O-4) is the first place where your community (aviation) separates the wheat from the chaff. Every community has different gouge on what will get you selected. The one constant for any board is "sustained superior performance" - although production (VT, HT, FRS) for your shore tour is pretty much the stamp of approval as well.

TPS - if there's an 80 lb brain here, I'll let them answer that.

 

[Pags]

When you get commissioned, you will not be behind the "normal" ensigns you commissioned with, you will be at the same point in officer career progression, except that you will get different pay (more time in).

While your goal to get into TPS is very admirable, your first goal should be do to extremely well in school (you didn't say, but hoping you're gonna do engineering). After that, you need to get your wings by making it through flight school. Then, you're gonna need to do very well at your first squadron.

The timing criteria on there basically says that as an aviator, you'll need to have enough time after your first squadron tour to finish up the grad school portion of TPS, TPS itself, and then a tour at one of the squadrons (HX-21, VX-23, etc) before you return to the operational world as a DH. The bit about SG+11 means screen group (basically your YG, which is when you get commissioned, but could change a bit) plus 11 years, which is when you have to be back in the squadron as an O4 to make career progression.

Hope this helps, and congrats on getting STA-21.

 

[phrogpilot73]

For what it's worth, a buddy of mine is in TPS right now. Started life as an enlisted nuke guy, then went to USNA, then commissioned in the Marines. I don't know if being prior enlisted is a factor or not, but I'm pretty sure it's not a hindrance.

 

[navy09]

Here's the breakdown for the FY08 O-4 boards. It shows a breakdown by platform on the first page. Looks like TACAIR selected at a higher rate than Rotary this year.

 

[Flash]

Here's the breakdown for the FY08 O-4 boards. It shows a breakdown by platform on the first page. Looks like TACAIR selected at a higher rate than Rotary this year.

How the heck are there still VA pilots up for O-4? Didn't the RAG shut down in '95? And no VA NFO's? Just curious.........

 

[MasterBates]

I was wondering who the VA Medium guys were.

 

[HeyJoe]

I was wondering who the VA Medium guys were.

Maybe they're tracking how former A-6 folks did.

 

[bert]

Maybe they're tracking how former A-6 folks did.

That is exactly what they are doing - if we checked today we would likely find MB on the Helo Bubba list.

Looks like TACAIR selected at a higher rate than Rotary this year.

They do better every year. Don't kid yourself; while one or two helo groups may occasionally beat an obscure TACAIR community like S-3 NFO's, TACAIR always beats helos in promotion rate. Always have, always will.

 

[navy09]

TACAIR always beats helos in promotion rate. Always have, always will.

Why is that? I assume it's because there is less competition for TACAIR pilots (1 pilot per jet vs 2 pilots per helo/E2/C2/P3). Is there any other reason for their higher screen rate?

 

[bert]

Combination of who makes Flag, composition of boards, number and composition of squadrons compared to size of the wardroom and number of airframes.... etc.

You aren't even commissioned yet: don't sweat the politics, just file that info away in the back of your mind if making rank is the top of your priority list.

 

[68 Chevelle]

Could someone please explain to me what the different designators are? Such as

VF NFO
VP NFO
VS NFO
VAW NFO
VQ Prop NFO
VQ TAC NFO


I tried google-ing it without much luck! Thanks!

I am just trying to better understand the O-4 selection info. Also what does In zone, Above Zone or Below Zone mean?

 

[Flash]

Maybe they're tracking how former A-6 folks did.

That was my point, there should be no former A-6 guys up for LCDR, unless they got out and then came back in, and that would be rare. This year's board was for YG 98 (correct me if I am wrong), that is a year after they retired the last A-6 and 3 years after they shut down the RAG, so it would be pretty hard for there to be any real number of A-6 guys in YG 98, much less YG 99 like they have depicted. One or two I could buy, but 48 for both YG's?! The lack of VA NFO's makes me think it was a misprint or something.