USMC Cobras

[machodiesel]

I will try my hardest to keep this from turning into a question asking what % get jets..

as a grunt.. there is nothing like sweating ur ass off and dirty during an infil on camp pendleton and watching cobras fly above you firing the 20mm cannon at night..

i am not trying to ask what % get cobras out of advanced... i just want to know what do you have to do to get a slot..

i get it..

needs of the marine corps come first... and if not slotted for cobras i would be fortunate to fly anything else

availability of select platforms change every week and one week there can be a ton of cobras slots and another week there can be none.. and you can't game the game..

but after reading conflicting threads i was wondering is there still a quality spread or is it 1st come 1st serve.... basically im saying if i bust my ass and work hard and graduate 1st in my class and cobras are available can i pretty much guarantee my slot?

there are two cobras for every huey, does that mean that cobras are on average more likely to be available than hueys? or are cobras as rare nowadays as c-130s?

sorry for the confusing questions gentlemen, like i said i am trying to keep this from being a question asking what % get cobras and I thank you in advance for your insight....
and if i get my ass chewed for basically asking a question thats turning into "what % get cobras" it wouldnt be the first time

 

[DocT]

When I winged, there were only two assault support slots. The other 6 guys got cobras. The selections had been that way for a few months. Remember the phrog rag is drawing down, there's only so many shitters and the plopter guys have already been selected. You're chances are probably pretty good if you do well. They might be good even if you don't do all that well. That being said, my info is old and maybe it will swing in the other direction by the time it's your turn.

 

[phrogdriver]

The quality spread v. lineal standing thing changes periodically. Current HT students can give the gouge there. Once you're in the helo pipeline, you are pretty much down to 53s and H-1s. 164's PTR is going to be negligible next year.

Yes, there are generally more Cobra slots than Huey. Hueys are also generally not as heavily sought-after as Cobras, though. Long term, that might change. As the UH-1Y is showing its capabilities, not to mention it being further along programmatically, there's been talk of changing the HML/A mix.

 

[usmarinemike]

164's PTR is going to be negligible next year.

Can you explain this?

 

[Pepe]

Can you explain this?

HMM(T)-164 is the Phrog FRS. No Phrogs=No Phrog Pilots.

 

[eddie]

there's been talk of changing the HML/A mix.

To what end?

 

[phrogdriver]

To what end?

Because the Huey's value as a utility helo was marginal until the Y upgrade. Now that it can carry everything the Cobra can, except Hellfire, and it can do limited assault support, its value relative to the Cobra went way up.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Because the Huey's value as a utility helo was marginal until the Y upgrade. Now that it can carry everything the Cobra can, except Hellfire, and it can do limited assault support, its value relative to the Cobra went way up.

And I think that you're going to see it utilized more in the assault support role than in the past. Not saying the Osprey isn't a capable aircraft, but there's places and things you can't do that a Phrog could. The Huey is going to step up and fill that gap...

 

[MarineT]

Machodiesel, As of right now in the HT's we use a quality spread just like at TBS. Top, Middle, and Bottom thirds. If you are at the top of your third you will have a really good shot at getting your number one or two choices. If you are at the top of your class, you will get your first choice. If you are at the bottom of your third, you will probably get one of your choices further down the list. I knew a guy who selected recently who was second in his class standing, and he selected Cobras (His 7th Choice) so don't worry about it too much because in the end the Stucon and Monitor Gods will decide your fate.

 

[Swanee]

Machodiesel, As of right now in the HT's we use a quality spread just like at TBS. Top, Middle, and Bottom thirds. If you are at the top of your third you will have a really good shot at getting your number one or two choices. If you are at the top of your class, you will get your first choice. If you are at the bottom of your third, you will probably get one of your choices further down the list. I knew a guy who selected recently who was second in his class standing, and he selected Cobras (His 7th Choice) so don't worry about it too much because in the end the Stucon and Monitor Gods will decide your fate.

How many guys are competing against each other selection-wise? Seems like there would need to be a lot to actually split it up into thirds, and then still have competition inside those...

 

[MarineT]

How many guys are competing against each other selection-wise? Seems like there would need to be a lot to actually split it up into thirds, and then still have competition inside those...

It varies from class to class. Every two weeks there is a winging class. For us Marines sometimes 2 will wing. Sometimes 20 will wing. It just depends on how fast different studs make it through at different times. However I will say that IMHO it is better to wing with a bigger class than a smaller one, because lets say that they need two 53 slots filled for a class. If there are only 2 studs winging for the class guess what they are selecting. =)

 

[CumminsPilot]

And I saw the Marine winging sheet a couple months ago, and of 10 Marines only two didn't get their first choice. Both of them got their second choice, which was their preferred platform, but on the opposite coast. Soooo....your mileage is probably gonna vary, depending on the day you get gold put on your chest...

 

[phrogdriver]

Then there was my class, where one guy got -53s, and the other 7 got -46s.

As an IP, I had to break the news to a class that was almost all Hueys. No offense to the Huey crowd, but most of those guys left pretty dejected.

As the cliche goes though, everyone grows to love their platforms. Sometimes to the point of near psychotic loyalty. To be honest, the most insanely devoted pilots are Phrog and Cobra guys, for very different reasons.

 

[Pepe]

However I will say that IMHO it is better to wing with a bigger class than a smaller one, because lets say that they need two 53 slots filled for a class. If there are only 2 studs winging for the class guess what they are selecting. =)

What if they need 2 H-1 slots filled for a class? What if they need 2 H-46s slots filled for a class? What if they need 1 H-1, 3 H-53s, AND there's still only 2 in your winging class? Your just creating an imaginary scenario with an imaginary outcome. The reality is that HQ USMC determines how many pilots The Machine needs for each platform. These numbers are passed down to the monitors and they pass it down to the HT StuCon. Your StuCon will look at your preference sheet and the slots that he/she has been alloted for that winging class and do his/her best. People who score higher are given priority on their preferences, keeping quality spread in mind. It's a giant puzzle that is always changing.

 

[Pepe]

To be honest, the most insanely devoted pilots are Phrog and Cobra guys, for very different reasons.

...go on...