Path to Flying

[cxhlxn]

Hey all, I'm new on this forum as I am expanding my reach for information regarding my current aim in my career. I am seeking advice that current and retired service members have regarding the following situation. For starters I will give my background, then where I am trying to go and lastly what I know. Any advice is appreciated, furthermore I understand the conditions of the 1306/7 conditional release and how 18 months prior to EAOS is typical, however it is NOT a requirement.
Background:
- Qualified MMN2, JSI, BS in Engineering Management (obtained while I was in, not prior to enlisting)
- Regarding competitiveness, I meet or exceed GPA, PRT and eval limits by a good margin and have good award history
- 20/20 vision as well as good physical health, no prior drug use or disqualifying surgeries or conditions
What I am trying to do:
- Obtain conditional release form nuclear duties to fly for either Navy or Marines through OCS. I do not meet age maximum requirement for academy (I am over 23), but thanks for the offer and STA-21 may not be the most logical step being that I have my degree.
What I know:
- 1306/7 conditional release prior to last 18 months in contract is waiver-able and has happened, you do not need to wait as there is no pre-requisite regarding time in service left.
- I understand all of the requirements listed out in the 1420.1B and meet all with the exceptions of anthropometric measurements (not yet taken) and ASTB/OAR scores (also not yet taken).
- Release from the nuclear field is solely based on community health regarding manning and is generally not a typical occurrence but there have been and are exceptions made, positive command morale and leadership helps.

Any advice regarding how to accomplish this feat will be greatly appreciated. Feel free to ask questions and I will reply when I can.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Hey all, I'm new on this forum as I am expanding my reach for information regarding my current aim in my career. I am seeking advice that current and retired service members have regarding the following situation. For starters I will give my background, then where I am trying to go and lastly what I know. Any advice is appreciated, furthermore I understand the conditions of the 1306/7 conditional release and how 18 months prior to EAOS is typical, however it is NOT a requirement.
Background:
- Qualified MMN2, JSI, BS in Engineering Management (obtained while I was in, not prior to enlisting)
- Regarding competitiveness, I meet or exceed GPA, PRT and eval limits by a good margin and have good award history
- 20/20 vision as well as good physical health, no prior drug use or disqualifying surgeries or conditions
What I am trying to do:
- Obtain conditional release form nuclear duties to fly for either Navy or Marines through OCS. I do not meet age maximum requirement for academy (I am over 23), but thanks for the offer and STA-21 may not be the most logical step being that I have my degree.
What I know:
- 1306/7 conditional release prior to last 18 months in contract is waiver-able and has happened, you do not need to wait as there is no pre-requisite regarding time in service left.
- I understand all of the requirements listed out in the 1420.1B and meet all with the exceptions of anthropometric measurements (not yet taken) and ASTB/OAR scores (also not yet taken).
- Release from the nuclear field is solely based on community health regarding manning and is generally not a typical occurrence but there have been and are exceptions made, positive command morale and leadership helps.

Any advice regarding how to accomplish this feat will be greatly appreciated. Feel free to ask questions and I will reply when I can.

Welcome to the page. Airwarriors is a wealth of information to assist you with your commissioning path, use the search function to find answers and resources to assist you with getting to your goal/s. Good luck.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Hey all, I'm new on this forum as I am expanding my reach for information regarding my current aim in my career. I am seeking advice that current and retired service members have regarding the following situation. For starters I will give my background, then where I am trying to go and lastly what I know. Any advice is appreciated, furthermore I understand the conditions of the 1306/7 conditional release and how 18 months prior to EAOS is typical, however it is NOT a requirement.
Background:
- Qualified MMN2, JSI, BS in Engineering Management (obtained while I was in, not prior to enlisting)
- Regarding competitiveness, I meet or exceed GPA, PRT and eval limits by a good margin and have good award history
- 20/20 vision as well as good physical health, no prior drug use or disqualifying surgeries or conditions
What I am trying to do:
- Obtain conditional release form nuclear duties to fly for either Navy or Marines through OCS. I do not meet age maximum requirement for academy (I am over 23), but thanks for the offer and STA-21 may not be the most logical step being that I have my degree.
What I know:
- 1306/7 conditional release prior to last 18 months in contract is waiver-able and has happened, you do not need to wait as there is no pre-requisite regarding time in service left.
- I understand all of the requirements listed out in the 1420.1B and meet all with the exceptions of anthropometric measurements (not yet taken) and ASTB/OAR scores (also not yet taken).
- Release from the nuclear field is solely based on community health regarding manning and is generally not a typical occurrence but there have been and are exceptions made, positive command morale and leadership helps.

Any advice regarding how to accomplish this feat will be greatly appreciated. Feel free to ask questions and I will reply when I can.

I would recommend getting the ASTB knocked out, that will let you know where you stand and essentially what you need to do for the next step.

Good luck on getting a conditional release from the nuke program, it can be done but is not easy. There have been a few on here that were going down that same path, not sure how easily those posts can be found with the search feature.

 

[Brett327]

Sounds like OP is mostly interested in how to get the Nuke community to let him go. Recommended writhing that aspect through your current command leadership. If they concur with your plan/intentions, they can advocate for you with PERS. Your community managers will be spring loaded to keep you through any OBLISERVE you have, but deals can be made if you involve the right leadership.

 

[cxhlxn]

Sounds like OP is mostly interested in how to get the Nuke community to let him go. Recommended writhing that aspect through your current command leadership. If they concur with your plan/intentions, they can advocate for you with PERS. Your community managers will be spring loaded to keep you through any OBLISERVE you have, but deals can be made if you involve the right leadership.

Current immediate chain of command is on board, our local nuclear community manager is relatively on board too. I may be hoping for a lot.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Current immediate chain of command is on board, our local nuclear community manager is relatively on board too. I may be hoping for a lot.

That is good, I would highly recommend taking the ASTB prior to going for the conditional release, it would not look great if you obtained the release then failed to get qualifying scores.

 

[Uncle Fester]

What @exNavyOffRec said. Make sure you’re on the other side of any bridges before you burn them.

Since you already have your degree, no sense in looking at other commissioning routes other than OCS. Save your post-9/11 to do grad school down the road or go to WyoTech or whatever (don’t laugh, I know an Academy grad former Nuke Sub officer who is now the most over-educated Harley tech in America).

I’ve known plenty of Nuke rates who got a CR to go to OCS over the years, though of course Millington’s willingness to let them go has ebbed and flowed with rate manning over the years. If the community manager isn’t straight out laughing in your face, though, that’s a good sign. Worst case, you’ll just have to ride it out to the end of your contract, but very broadly speaking, when well-performing sailors want to go the Officer route, the Navy tries its collective bureaucratic best to make it happen.

Just an additional $0.02 from a former instructor: find some way to stay in the books between now and when, god willing, you class up for flight school. Nothing too crazy, even just some local CC or online courses or whatever. Being out of formal schoolhouse schooling for a while and then getting the firehose at NASC often was a shock to the system for priors like yourself. The academics at NIFE (formerly known as API) aren’t difficult but there’s a lot of material and it comes at you fast. Just keep that part of your brain limbered up, is all I’m saying.

Good luck!

 

[cxhlxn]

What @exNavyOffRec said. Make sure you’re on the other side of any bridges before you burn them.

Since you already have your degree, no sense in looking at other commissioning routes other than OCS. Save your post-9/11 to do grad school down the road or go to WyoTech or whatever (don’t laugh, I know an Academy grad former Nuke Sub officer who is now the most over-educated Harley tech in America).

I’ve known plenty of Nuke rates who got a CR to go to OCS over the years, though of course Millington’s willingness to let them go has ebbed and flowed with rate manning over the years. If the community manager isn’t straight out laughing in your face, though, that’s a good sign. Worst case, you’ll just have to ride it out to the end of your contract, but very broadly speaking, when well-performing sailors want to go the Officer route, the Navy tries its collective bureaucratic best to make it happen.

Just an additional $0.02 from a former instructor: find some way to stay in the books between now and when, god willing, you class up for flight school. Nothing too crazy, even just some local CC or online courses or whatever. Being out of formal schoolhouse schooling for a while and then getting the firehose at NASC often was a shock to the system for priors like yourself. The academics at NIFE (formerly known as API) aren’t difficult but there’s a lot of material and it comes at you fast. Just keep that part of your brain limbered up, is all I’m saying.

Good luck!

Thank you kindly for the great, deep advice. I appreciate the sense of realism you brought to your statement. As days go by and pieces fall into piecing together my 1306, seeing and meeting more chain of command who are behind it is really motivating. Time will tell, and as one of my department heads told me: even if you don't get it the first time, keep putting in, sometimes it's like they want to see the initiative.

 

[AllAmerican75]

Hey all, I'm new on this forum as I am expanding my reach for information regarding my current aim in my career. I am seeking advice that current and retired service members have regarding the following situation. For starters I will give my background, then where I am trying to go and lastly what I know. Any advice is appreciated, furthermore I understand the conditions of the 1306/7 conditional release and how 18 months prior to EAOS is typical, however it is NOT a requirement.
Background:
- Qualified MMN2, JSI, BS in Engineering Management (obtained while I was in, not prior to enlisting)
- Regarding competitiveness, I meet or exceed GPA, PRT and eval limits by a good margin and have good award history
- 20/20 vision as well as good physical health, no prior drug use or disqualifying surgeries or conditions
What I am trying to do:
- Obtain conditional release form nuclear duties to fly for either Navy or Marines through OCS. I do not meet age maximum requirement for academy (I am over 23), but thanks for the offer and STA-21 may not be the most logical step being that I have my degree.
What I know:
- 1306/7 conditional release prior to last 18 months in contract is waiver-able and has happened, you do not need to wait as there is no pre-requisite regarding time in service left.
- I understand all of the requirements listed out in the 1420.1B and meet all with the exceptions of anthropometric measurements (not yet taken) and ASTB/OAR scores (also not yet taken).
- Release from the nuclear field is solely based on community health regarding manning and is generally not a typical occurrence but there have been and are exceptions made, positive command morale and leadership helps.

Any advice regarding how to accomplish this feat will be greatly appreciated. Feel free to ask questions and I will reply when I can.

I'll echo the advice you've already received about getting your chain of command and your community manager to work together to let you go. That seems to be a huge problem with Nukes, sometimes even to the point of being spiteful. As long as they are all happy with it, your Command Career Counselor should have the inside skinny on getting your package to the Fleet Recruiter (I think that's what they're still called) who will help manage your package through the selection process. I believe you will need to take the ASTB, get letters of recommendation from Aviation officers, and possibly get a flight physical. Start engaging those people now so you're ready for the next board.

 

[ChuckMK23]

Go get your private pilot rating and Bachelor's degree anywhere. Get released from USN service and apply for pilot training and commission with an Air Force Reserve or ANG flying unit of your choice. Good luck.