Ground to Air @ TBS?

[thull]

I heard about people getting qualified for Air contracts, then going to OCS with a Ground contract and *once in a while* getting offered an Air contract at TBS b/c of drop out, etc.

I'm looking for info on what the likelihood is of this happening. Air slots are full for another year, and I'm considering taking my qualified Air app and going ground, hoping something opens up after I commission. Has this happened to anyone here? Does it ever really happen? Thx...

 

[scotty008]

You won't get offered one, but you can compete for any spots available come MOS selection time. There are usually few, if any, available and competition is fierce. But yes, it happens... We had one pilot slot and one NFO slot in my company.

 

[Cordespc]

We had 1 pilot/2 FO slots. The guys who got them (that I knew anyway) were really determined, and seriously busted their asses for them. I think there were probably 25-30 guys competing for those 3 slots. Stiff competition for sure.

 

[squeeze]

Has this happened to anyone here? Does it ever really happen? Thx...

Worked for me.

 

[thull]

... Stiff competition for sure.

What sort of competition? ie, don't they pick out of those who are pre-qualified for Air, or do they throw it out there and let everyone who wants to go through the Air app (ASTB, physical qualifications, etc) while at TBS. Say I went with an extremely qualified Air app before I even went to OCS, would they go with that or would there be other hoops to jump through to snag that slot?

Squeeze, you went this route? were you pre-qualified when you went to OCS?

I'm weighing this against waiting indefinitely (and getting older..)

Thx again..

 

[Cordespc]

What sort of competition? ie, don't they pick out of those who are pre-qualified for Air, or do they throw it out there and let everyone who wants to go through the Air app (ASTB, physical qualifications, etc) while at TBS. Say I went with an extremely qualified Air app before I even went to OCS, would they go with that or would there be other hoops to jump through to snag that slot?

Squeeze, you went this route? were you pre-qualified when you went to OCS?

I'm weighing this against waiting indefinitely (and getting older..)

Thx again..

Yes, anyone who wanted to compete could compete. They arranged flight physicals and ASTBs for those who needed them. The more qualified you are the better, but I would submit to you that your performance at TBS weighs very heavily on their decision who to award the slot to.

 

[Marine4life]

One thing to consider when making your decision; there is no guarantee that your TBS class will have air slots. It is highly unlikely for this situation to occur, but it is still possible.

 

[thull]

thanks for the feedback...sounds like a serious roll of the dice.

 

[skidkid]

something to think about, OCC flight slots are used to fill any gaps left after USNA, NROTC, PLC in that order so........ if there currently arent any OCC flight slots, dont expect many at TBS unless there is record attrition in the near future.

All this will probably change within the year and there will be slots again.

as said before, luck timing and skill.

 

[ArkhamAsylum]

Not having any waivers will weigh heavily in your favor as well.

 

[squeeze]

Squeeze, you went this route? were you pre-qualified when you went to OCS?

I'm not really sure what "pre-qualified" means in this case. I had a solid ASTB score on record, but due to timing with my PRK procedure and the following probationary period, I was technically NPQ'd until I could get a flight physical. Once I was beyond the 90 day mark (or whatever) I managed to get a flight physical and start the waiver process. Eventually, I had the waiver, a first class swim qual, and a good ASTB score.

In the end, I had to go through the MOS-assignment process like every other ground guy. It's just that I was permitted to list SNA and SNFO as well as the other 30-odd MOSs.

 

[pourts]

Not having any waivers will weigh heavily in your favor as well.

Are some waivers worse than others? PRK surgery...tattoo...which types of waivers are worse? Since you were already accepted to OCS and graduated, do waivers like a tattoo matter? Or, do they only care about aeromedical waivers like the PRK?

 

[TheOldMan]

I went to TBS on a ground contract and picked up the one available flight school slot at MOS selection....but that was a long time ago.

 

[jamnww]

Are some waivers worse than others? PRK surgery...tattoo...which types of waivers are worse? Since you were already accepted to OCS and graduated, do waivers like a tattoo matter? Or, do they only care about aeromedical waivers like the PRK?

Yes, some waivers are better than others, and specific aviation waivers will obviously look worse than a tattoo waiver for instance. There are however too many waivers to even attempt to go through the list so best bet would be to ask your OSO...

 

[Harrier Dude]

There were 6 SNA and 1 SNFO slots available in my TBS company. Since there were 139 air contracts already, the 6th SNA slot went to a guy in the bottom of the second third. Don't count on it, but it does happen.