• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

Transition to FTS

JimmySpank

Buenos días
pilot
Did anyone else on here submit a package for the Spring FY16 FTS board?

I just submitted my FTS package last week. A friend of mine who also submitted a package was talking to the detailer about trying to confirm receipt of his package and the detailer said there were 200 packages to go through. Not sure if that is a high, low, or average number and also not sure if that is all designators or just aviation packages. Anyone have any insight into how competitive this board will be? The word on the street is that VR is hurting for people since tons of guys have jumped ship now that the airlines are hiring. Any insiders that can confirm or deny that rumor? Wonder if that means there will be more slots available this time around. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Best of luck to you on the board!
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
...The word on the street is that VR is hurting for people since tons of guys have jumped ship now that the airlines are hiring. Any insiders that can confirm or deny that rumor? Wonder if that means there will be more slots available this time around...

VR is hurting for SELRES, not sure about FTS. And I don't think that the airlines hiring now was the biggest motivating factor for folks to jump ship, that they were finally eligible for MOB's now was likely the biggest.
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
VR is hurting for SELRES, not sure about FTS. And I don't think that the airlines hiring now was the biggest motivating factor for folks to jump ship, that they were finally eligible for MOB's now was likely the biggest.

At this point, it's the airlines. MOBs aren't a "thing" for CNAFR guys now. But yes, even FTS guys are leaving, at least according to a couple of VR buds that I talk to.
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
At this point, it's the airlines. MOBs aren't a "thing" for CNAFR guys now. But yes, even FTS guys are leaving, at least according to a couple of VR buds that I talk to.

That is interresting, most of the VR guys I know were airline guys already marking time in the reserves 'til retirement eligibility. That is too bad about MOB's, some value in spreading the love around to everyone.
 

dustydog

Registered User
pilot
VR is not hurting for SELRES, at least not in the C40 squadrons. VR is currently hemorrhaging FTS who are in turn becoming VR SELRES. The airline hiring spree is the main driver behind this and the fact the FTS ain't quite what it used to be.

Over the past two years, only 2 of 14 FTS in my squadron took follow on orders, the rest became SELRES.

CNAFR SELRES are once again fenced off from INVOL Mobs. The great IA scare of '15 changed that policy.
 

Uncle Fester

Robot Pimp
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
...That is too bad about MOB's, some value in spreading the love around to everyone.

That was the rationale behind TSW saying everybody was going to do a mob, which led to the Great RMP Panic of 2012 and dudes leaving for the IRR in droves.

The way I see it, though, guys flying in hardware units are already contributing a lot of time on the road to the company, including no-shit deployments. The Navy deciding that they need to cough up a year in the sandbox on top of that, in some non-flying 'any URL' powerpoint billet, when there are still plenty of Couch Reserve unit dudes who've never gone, seems like an odd policy.
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
That was the rationale behind TSW saying everybody was going to do a mob, which led to the Great RMP Panic of 2012 and dudes leaving for the IRR in droves.

The way I see it, though, guys flying in hardware units are already contributing a lot of time on the road to the company, including no-shit deployments. The Navy deciding that they need to cough up a year in the sandbox on top of that, in some non-flying 'any URL' powerpoint billet, when there are still plenty of Couch Reserve unit dudes who've never gone, seems like an odd policy.

If it wasn't clear when I heard the complaints last year, I still have very little sympathy. To me there is a very big difference between the TSW, SAU's along with other reserve flying units that directly support warfare and training communities and the VR's. The vast majority of the complaints I heard were from VR guys who had been doing that gig for years and frankly whined like entitled millennials when the MOB's started coming down, not the HSC/HCS/VAQ guys who had actually deployed downrange. I realize that there is little value in pulling someone out of a RAG SAU to go and stand a random watch in the sandbox, but not all guys flying fit in that category.

The 'any URL' billets have greatly diminished too, everyone MOB'd out of my unit the last two years has either volunteered or has gone to a 13XX billet that was actually aviation related. Shockingly enough almost every one them, volunteers excepted, has even gone to billets related to AQD's they got in my unit.
 

dustydog

Registered User
pilot
I'll try to keep it simple but it all started with the Active/Reserve Integration initiative that begin around 13yrs ago. The Naval Reserve (what it used to be called) was its own separate entity, with its own air wings and ships. That all went away mainly because of OIF/OEF and the demands it created. The CNO, Clark at the time, told the Chief of Navy Reserve to either get relevant or go away. Not all of this was necessarily a bad thing, there was plenty of dead weight in the reserves that contributed very little to the overall war fighting effort. However this created the new FTS career paths that we have today that very closely mirrors the active component. DH, Staff job, War college, etc.

You ask "why is that a negative"? It's only a check mark in the con column if you consider that officers, and I'm speaking mainly about reserve air here, don't transition to be part of a new pseudo AC career path. Most come over because they want to fly something different, VR for example, or specialize in a mission, VFC or HSC.

The flying club days are dead. Guys used to be able to fly out 20, But like everything in the Navy, that pendulum is swinging back because FTS are leaving in mass, more opportunities for follow flying tours.

My experience won't be yours, as mine was not the same as my predecessors. Don't apply for a transition thinking that FTS is some panacea for all the ills of the AC. The reserves has the same silliness and some addional stuff on top of that. All that being said, VR does beat the hell out of being on the USS Never Home.
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
You ask "why is that a negative"? It's only a check mark in the con column if you consider that officers, and I'm speaking mainly about reserve air here, don't transition to be part of a new pseudo AC career path.

To add to everything dustydog mentions, with the mirroring of the AC career path, you get all (or most) of the same reindeer games (staff tours, getting the right checks in the box to be upwardly mobile, dealing with PERS and the same games they play on the AC side, etc) that you get on the AC side. However, operational command opportunities are drastically reduced (with perhaps the exception of VR), if that's something that is important to you and your career aspirations.

I think I was selected for FTS ~2 years after dustydog, and like him, the community I applied for changed in front of my eyes and it's definitely not the same FTS now that I signed up for. Would I do it again now? Probably. I've been very fortunate that I will make it to 19-ish years time in service and still be in the cockpit, but that was because I had some advocates on my side (front office and even a detailer). But if I was applying now, I'd plan on that not happening again and would perhaps give some thought to doing my DH tour and then bailing to SELRES to do something else that interests me on the outside.

But as with everything, take it one day at a time. At the end of the day, FTS is still a pretty good deal.
 

Ken_gone_flying

"I live vicariously through myself."
pilot
Contributor
The new change allowing for applicants who are 2 years from their MSR (instead of 1 year) made me eligible to apply for the spring board. My current PRD is OCT16. If I were to get selected, there would be a 13 month gap between my PRD and MSR. Does anyone have any idea how recent selectees have been filling these gaps? IAs, shortened boat orders? Has anyone heard of members being able to extend at their shore tour and show up to their FTS squadron early? I realize this is a fairly new change and there may not be much experience with this but if you have any insight I'd like to hear it. Thanks.
 

Ken_gone_flying

"I live vicariously through myself."
pilot
Contributor
For any VR FTS guys on here:

1. Are there any pros or cons to certain locations as far as the mission is concerned? (Like trips being longer than others, trips more frequently) Or are all the C-40 locations pretty equal and all the Herc locations equal?

2. I don't know much about either mission so any insight would be great! I have to make a decision in the next week or so. Thanks!
 

dustydog

Registered User
pilot
What decision do you have to make? Have you been selected and are working on your sheet or are you applying?
 
Top