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USMC Maritime

D

DaveKell

New Member
Hello sirs,

I apologize and understand "what percent" questions are highly frowned upon. But from what I have gathered, one basically should do their best and the rest is up to the needs of the Corps.

I've never really read any info regarding the availability of C130s as most want jets. Any insight on selecting this platform?

I apologize again and thank you for your service and time.
 
zippy

zippy

Freedom!
pilot
Contributor
DaveKell said:
Hello sirs,

I apologize and understand "what percent" questions are highly frowned upon. But from what I have gathered, one basically should do their best and the rest is up to the needs of the Corps.

I've never really read any info regarding the availability of C130s as most want jets. Any insight on selecting this platform?

I apologize again and thank you for your service and time.
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Have decent grades and good timing and it could be a player for your selection. People have said that if you don't put it #1 you wont get it. Thats bullshit. There are dudes who've gotten it as their second choice when jets weren't available for them. there are few slots so you really can't count on the Marine Corps having one available at selection time, but put it down if you want it.
 
LFCFan

LFCFan

*Insert nerd wings here*
A buddy of mine (UH-1 pilot) told me that there were more marines that wanted helos than jets when he was in flight school. Some people "got stuck with" jets. Might have been a jet draft though.

Anyway, I got the impression from him that the culture of the marines meant that not everyone was hell bent on jets, as he said "You can't smell the battle from 10,000 feet"
 
Swanee

Swanee

Cereal Killer
pilot
None
Contributor
LFCFan said:
A buddy of mine (UH-1 pilot) told me that there were more Marines that wanted helos than jets when he was in flight school. Some people "got stuck with" jets. Might have been a jet draft though.

Anyway, I got the impression from him that the culture of the Marines meant that not everyone was hell bent on jets, as he said "You can't smell the battle from 10,000 feet"
Click to expand...

Fixed it for you.

This always ebbs and flows. When I selected I wanted jets. There indeed was a jet draft going on and a few guys who wanted helos were sent to Kingsville or Meridian (if you had jet grades you were going jets). Don't be mistaken though and think that if you go Marine that means you're a shoe in if you want to fly jets. There were guys who wanted jets who didn't get them because they didn't make the NSS cut.
 
squeeze

squeeze

Retired Harrier Dude
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
LFCFan said:
Anyway, I got the impression from him that the culture of the marines meant that not everyone was hell bent on jets, as he said "You can't smell the battle from 10,000 feet"
Click to expand...

No, not "everyone" wants jets, even in the caste system USAF. That's a ridiculous assumption and no one would ever say that.

It's just that old flight school (and "i had jet grades, but got drafted" helo pilots) mantra of 'distance from the ground = involvement in the fight.' Please, do go on.
 
LFCFan

LFCFan

*Insert nerd wings here*
squeeze said:
No, not "everyone" wants jets, even in the caste system USAF. That's a ridiculous assumption and no one would ever say that.
Click to expand...

He told me that the demand for jets wasn't the same as in the Navy and AF, using the 10,000 feet line to illustrate why he and some others didn't want them. "Everyone" being in the non-literal way we use that word ("But everyone is doing it!" when only some are), poor wording on my part. You seem to disagree with what he said and the reasoning for it, but I'm just repeating it here. That's all.
 
81montedriver

81montedriver

Well-Known Member
pilot
Swanee said:
The Herc guys would like you to think that.
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The OP's post is actually not far from the truth. If you look at any USMC Av Plan from the last few years, you will see that we have the fewest slots available out of flight school, somewhere in the ballpark of 22. With that being said, I'm sure more students want jets then Hercs.

Nonetheless, the demand is still there. Enough demand that out of the guys or gals selecting that week, the spot will go to those with the highest NSS. To back this up even more, when I was the NATOPs officer, I got familiar with everyone's NATOPs jackets whenever we did audits. More often than not, flight school grades were in there and the majority of our pilots had high grades. Maybe not as high as jet pilots, but I think it's safe to say 50+ was common to see.

Advice to the OP, there are not many spots but if you want it, put it on your list. Don't let anyone tell you the spots are gone for the year, because that's horseshit. That's what they told me and somehow I got Herks. Let me know if you have any other questions about the community.
 
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