pre OCS flight time...

[scotty008]

Can anyone shed some light on the value of having accumulated flight hours before reporting to API? I can understand the obvious advantages of already knowing how to fly, but I guess what I'm trying to figure out is whether or not you see the majority of people coming in with significant hours doing noticeably better. I've got my private pilot, but only around 100 hours accumulated (reporting to OCS 189). I know this is looking a bit down the road seeing that I've got OCS and TBS ahead of me, but any info would be much appreciated.
-on a similar (i guess) note, is most of the math and physics used learned at API, or do you continue to expand on it throughout primary, int, etc... I took some serious calc classes in school, but looking through this Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators book has already got me thinking.

 

[KBayDog]

This has been covered at great length, but what the hey:

Flight time never hurts (and will help with some API concepts), but the flight school is designed to train ANYONE to fly, regardless of experience. Everyone goes through at least IFS prior to API now, so everyone will have some experience. It's nothing to worry about, ESPECIALLY this early in the game.

As far as the math, it is serious - seriously Math for Marines. Do you have roughly 10 fingers and 10 toes? If so, or somewhere close, you'll be alright.

Just enjoy your civilian flying, and get prepped for OCS. You're right; you've got a ton of time left before API.

 

[nocal80]

100 hours will put you way ahead of the game in primary, especially with stuff like landings. Any instrument time would probably help a lot too. I had no prior time and landings were a real @ss kickr at first. after primary the prior time doesn't seem to help guys much, but obviously doing well in primary is important because that's what determines what you select.

 

[Geese]

I talked to a Commander at the Navy Officer Programs office a week ago or so about this subject. I told him that I was a flight instructor, and he told me that he had also went NFO (and later Aviator) with prior flight time as a commercial pilot. He said that the instructors like it when you have flight time and know how to fly an airplane already, BUT, and this is a big one;

Don't get cocky, "show off" or tell everyone that you're already Chopper Harley and that you can fly anything anywhere anytime. I'm kind of exaggerating here, but his point was that you don't want to "raise your bar" too high, because then the instructors will expect a lot out of you, and when you are cruising through the first few flight lessons you are not even thinking and doing what you already know, but when it comes time to do something new it can hit you like a ton of bricks, and all of a sudden when you are not performing up to this stratospheric level it all of a sudden makes you look pretty bad. So this is a rut that you are trying to avoid. Study for the flights, visualize the flights, try to improve yourself on the flights, but just don't sit back on "autopilot" and figure that you already know it all and have it all figured out.

So yes, it can be a big asset, but just watch yourself and don't get complacent or cocky.

He also told me that when you have a lot of pilot training and the type of training that goes along with advanced pilot training (CRM, crew coordination, ATP, etc) it is invaluable when you get out to the fleet, ESPECIALLY if you are (un)lucky enough to get sent to the fleet when they are deployed. When you are comfortable and familer with topics like "shared mental model", CRM, situational awareness, and so on, it makes a big difference in being able to get your head in the game and not just acting clueless and waiting for someone to tell you what to do. He did say that the above situation would still suck though, just to a lesser extent