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Year Long Wait for API

Trev82

Registered User
pilot
paid i think 75, got me fixed wing commercial/instrument + rotary wing commercial/instrument, definitely an absurd deal considering the massive load of cash to do that the civilian route.
 

eas7888

Looking forward to some P-8 action
pilot
Contributor
paid i think 75, got me fixed wing commercial/instrument + rotary wing commercial/instrument, definitely an absurd deal considering the massive load of cash to do that the civilian route.

That's no joke, rotary wing on the civilian side is NOT cheap.
 

revan1013

Death by Snoo Snoo
pilot
Silly question/threadjack on the way. I don't know much about the civilian flight certification process beyond what I learned in IFS.

I know I need a PPL to qualify to earn my commercial on the civilian side. When taking the FAA equivalency post-winging, the commercial qualifies me to do all the same things a PPL does right? Is the PPL not necessary since a commercial supercedes it? Not entirely sure how the legal-side of the whole things works (ie if a Commercial = PPL + x).
 

eas7888

Looking forward to some P-8 action
pilot
Contributor
Silly question/threadjack on the way. I don't know much about the civilian flight certification process beyond what I learned in IFS.

I know I need a PPL to qualify to earn my commercial on the civilian side. When taking the FAA equivalency post-winging, the commercial qualifies me to do all the same things a PPL does right? Is the PPL not necessary since a commercial supercedes it? Not entirely sure how the legal-side of the whole things works (ie if a Commercial = PPL + x).

The commercial certificate will allow you to exercise all of the privileges up to and including commercial privileges...which really doesn't give you much in the way of job options. (outside of sitting in the right seat of a regional carrier) For that, you'll need the ATP, though the commercial certificate is a good place to start.
 

phrogpilot73

Well-Known Member
All I have to say is suck it up, pussies.

I didn't know SHIT about flight outside of Microsoft Flight Simulator when I started. I got the fire hose of API, then touched the first controls of an aircraft in Primary. Damn near got attrited because of my inability to flare (I figured it out the flight before my solo check).

If you work your ass off, you will make it. If you don't, you won't.

Oh, and no matter how much over the Marine Corps is for pilot contracts - it's a fucking contract. If they "force" you to re-designate for no other reason than they contracted too many people, you can sue them for breach of contract. If you fuck up - sorry, you shouldn't have fucked it up.
 

eas7888

Looking forward to some P-8 action
pilot
Contributor
All I have to say is suck it up, pussies.

I didn't know SHIT about flight outside of Microsoft Flight Simulator when I started. I got the fire hose of API, then touched the first controls of an aircraft in Primary. Damn near got attrited because of my inability to flare (I figured it out the flight before my solo check).

If you work your ass off, you will make it. If you don't, you won't.

Oh, and no matter how much over the Marine Corps is for pilot contracts - it's a fucking contract. If they "force" you to re-designate for no other reason than they contracted too many people, you can sue them for breach of contract. If you fuck up - sorry, you shouldn't have fucked it up.

Microsoft Flight Simulator - It's probably been discussed before...but this is actually a great resource. Not for learning to fly, specifically, but for instrument approaches. Before my IPCs, I've fired it up for a few hours of instrument fun. It's much nicer to make the embarrassing mistakes there, as opposed to the cockpit. Just my $.02

And on your contract, is there a "Needs of the Marine Corps" clause? In other words, is there a clause in there that would allow them to re designate you to another branch, should the need arise?
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
I can't speak for USMC.. But my BDCP/OCS contract allowed me to walk if they tried to make me be anything other than an SNA.
 

Swanee

Cereal Killer
pilot
None
Contributor
Microsoft Flight Simulator - It's probably been discussed before...but this is actually a great resource. Not for learning to fly, specifically, but for instrument approaches. Before my IPCs, I've fired it up for a few hours of instrument fun. It's much nicer to make the embarrassing mistakes there, as opposed to the cockpit. Just my $.02

And on your contract, is there a "Needs of the Marine Corps" clause? In other words, is there a clause in there that would allow them to re designate you to another branch, should the need arise?

I just dug up my contract and looked. It says k. Any projected delay in assignment to flight training may result in a temporary assignment to duties as dictated by the needs of the Marine Corps until assignment to flight training can be effected.

So basically yes they can send you to IOC and you can do a pump in the desert with a reserve unit while there is a year long back up at flight school. It also talks about when any delay in training starts to chip away at your service obligation after winging and when it doesn't. It also says that you will serve 42 months if you DOR, attrite or are found NPQ, but there is no clause that says we can decide that we aren't sending you at all.
 

vick

Esoteric single-engine jet specialist
pilot
None
Good to see that nothing's changed. I was A-96 at TBS along with another 140 air contracts - I had an 8 month wait to start API and another month wait after that to start primary at Whiting (followed by 3 month wait to start intermediates, followed by a 2 month wait to start advanced, followed by a year wait to start the RAG). I picked up a convertible, had a great time at the beach and became a regular on the p-cola bar circuit. SNAGs were a fun way to pass the time too. My roomie's boat was integral to hitting bars with a dock. Started studying when I started API.

I thought Marine manpower was a cluster fXXk until I experienced AF personnel - now I realize that manpower mismanagement is simply inherent to organizations of this scale and nature. Don't sweat what you can't change, just kick back and enjoy the good deals when they arise.
 
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