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A-Pool info

fc2spyguy

loving my warm and comfy 214 blanket
pilot
Contributor
I have a feeling this may be a reaction to the overall continuum of fitness throughout the training pipeline..or lack thereof. When 23 year-old CAT 1s are showing up to the RAG out of standards and/or unable to pass the PRT, I'm guessing they're seeing similar issues throughout the pipeline.

But I agree, certainly cheaper to keep them and deal with it locally.
I'm curious how many people that really is. Going back to my previous squadron I can't think of a single officer who I have seen fail a PRT. Even if there is a small percentage that fail, you're not really helping it by sending em back somewhere.
 

Uncle Fester

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I'm curious how many people that really is. Going back to my previous squadron I can't think of a single officer who I have seen fail a PRT. Even if there is a small percentage that fail, you're not really helping it by sending em back somewhere.

When I was instructing, in-PFA failures were not uncommon, averaging one per class usually. Especially with the kids who'd been sitting around A-Pool, OHARP, or the Academy, etc, for months. The officers in your last squadron weren't fresh-out-of-school knuckleheads like some of these kids. The vast majority showed up shiny and eager and comported themselves properly; but there was always a non-zero number who were either still civilians in uniform, or had obviously dropped the pack hard once they were out from under the DI's or Commandant's gaze. Failing the PFA was one thing. I saw young ensigns gundeck musters and paperwork, fail the FAA exam at IFS, get arrested for everything up to and including poaching...it was eye-watering sometimes. Shit you would never in a million years imagine an officer doing, because some of them still didn't know - or didn't care about - how to be an officer.

I imagine the rationale for sending them back from whence they came is to put pressure on the commissioning sources to take responsibility for what they're sending to the TRACOM. "They can spend six months as a sailing instructor at USNA, but make sure they show up fit and shipshape at Pensacola, or they'll be your problem again."
 

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
pilot
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I imagine the rationale for sending them back from whence they came is to put pressure on the commissioning sources to take responsibility for what they're sending to the TRACOM. "They can spend six months as a sailing instructor at USNA, but make sure they show up fit and shipshape at Pensacola, or they'll be your problem again."
Let me guess . . . the paperwork drill for ADSEP/redes then becomes the commissioning source's problem too. Along with (allegedly) gainful employment while that works its way through the bureaucracy.
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
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Super Moderator
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...if you were above the weight limit (we assume he meant the 231 pound aviation limit) you would be "sent back to your commissioning source"....

...I imagine the rationale for sending them back from whence they came is to put pressure on the commissioning sources to take responsibility for what they're sending to the TRACOM....

This sounds a bit like a scare tactic, they might do it to one or two folks to make an example of them if they are so inclined but I imagine the threat alone will do most of its job. Sort of like the threat your dependents wouldn't get your SGLI if you die doing something illegal, which was nothing but a load of BS but still scares folks.

...get arrested for everything up to and including poaching...it was eye-watering sometimes...

Pretty sure some them eventually got winged.
 
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Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
I'm curious how many people that really is. Going back to my previous squadron I can't think of a single officer who I have seen fail a PRT. Even if there is a small percentage that fail, you're not really helping it by sending em back somewhere.

I'm not disagreeing with you that it's probably more trouble than it's worth from a tax-payer's point of view, but I believe the number here is 2 in the last 6 months. Both CAT 1s. I believe that's 200% (or maybe it's just "E" on the calculator) more than historically normal.
 

fc2spyguy

loving my warm and comfy 214 blanket
pilot
Contributor
I'm not disagreeing with you that it's probably more trouble than it's worth from a tax-payer's point of view, but I believe the number here is 2 in the last 6 months. Both CAT 1s. I believe that's 200% (or maybe it's just "E" on the calculator) more than historically normal.

Sounds more to me like statistical outliers, not worth changing an entire pipeline to adjust.
 

RadicalDude

Social Justice Warlord
This sounds a bit like a scare tactic, they might do it to one or two folks to make an example of them if they are so inclined but I imagine the threat alone will do most of its job. Sort of like the threat your dependents wouldn't get your SGLI if you die doing something illegal, which was nothing but a load of BS but still scares folks.



Pretty sure some them eventually got winged.

Some of them got #1 EPs and successfully completed the prestigious Navy Fighter Weapons School. Goes to show you can be a dumb ensign and a perfectly acceptable officer down the line.

I know of a retired CDR who got drunk and stole a hellcat when he was a JG. Got court martialed. Even officer ship should be be a zero-defect kind of mentalityX
 

Mitcherd

New Member
Anyone that's down there now have a projection on how long A-pool is right now? I check in the first week of April and was just wondering what it looks like
 

Switchstone

Active Member
Anyone that's down there now have a projection on how long A-pool is right now? I check in the first week of April and was just wondering what it looks like

Not too long ago, they were only classing up 7 or 8 per IFS class due to funding issues, but it looks like classes are back up to 20ish. I'd say expect to be sitting around for 4 weeks before starting IFS.
 

Hopeful Hoya

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
The wait is variable and is impossible to quantify, considering that as a shit-hot water-walking SNA, you are behind pretty much everyone in terms of priority for classing up for IFS. It's been tightening up recently (my Candios spent 2+ months waiting but people from my class were classing up three weeks after checking in), but if you don't make it down here before the Academy and ROTC bum rush takes place then you will have lots of time to work on your tan. ;)

If you REALLY are itching to get started then you can check in early in that week they give you. At least for my class they classed us up by the date we checked in, so you deal with a few extra days of A-pool in the beginning but it saves you a couple of weeks or so on the backside.

Also for anyone reading this, PLEASE do not check-in in your chokers, as ~15 or so people tried to do last week.
 

Uncle Fester

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...Also for anyone reading this, PLEASE do not check-in in your chokers, as ~15 or so people tried to do last week.
710d56f2c9361005423e09bcb8a2bd6b_1306699190001jpg-meme-reaction_768-768.jpeg

Anyone that's down there now have a projection on how long A-pool is right now? I check in the first week of April and was just wondering what it looks like

This time of year is usually pretty slow, since the Academy and ROTC kids won't start showing up until July or so. Small class sizes and you should class up fairly quickly.
 

Hopeful Hoya

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
How did that happen? One of them think it was a good idea and it spread or did someone pull one over on them?

No idea, especially considering your orders specifically say SDBs or summer whites. But being A-pool they had to of course atone for their sins by having an impromptu summer whites inspection later that week. :D
 

Austin-Powers

Powers By Name, Powers By Reputation
Pink Sheets: Don't get these. Two gets you a PRB, and three means you are kicked out of aviation. Can be awarded in IFS, API, or even from doing stupid things in A pool.

A bit late but is it hard to get these? I'm not screaming to get handed pink sheets, but how do you avoid getting one?
 
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