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Flying billets after your first helo tour

J

jpmizzou

Registered User
pilot
What are the various flying billets helo pilots can pick up? I know about IP billets with the RAG, HTs, VTs, but what else is available? I've also heard of flying the SH-60 for the Australian and Spanish navies. Any other countries that are an option? Or are their any interservice exchange tours with the army, air force, marines, or coast gaurd?
 
M

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
Station SAR (Whidbey, Fallon, Corpus, P-Cola, and others)

C-12s in various locales.

Warfare Transition :D

Test Pilot School

Owego/Stratford for acceptance test of new/overhauled Romeo's & Bravos(HSL guys). HSC/HM probably have something simlilar.

Wing Weapons School

NSAWC (Fallon)

That's all the junk I tried to get or had interest in.

Like most stuff, with some jobs, timing is everything.
 
S

S.O.B.

Registered User
pilot
1. VX-1 Operational Test in PAX River H60 R/S.
2. Coastal Systems Station (CSS) Panama City, MH53E and UH1

From what I here CSS is an awsome deal.
 
P

Pags

N/A
pilot
S.O.B. said:
1. VX-1 Operational Test in PAX River H60 R/S.
2. Coastal Systems Station (CSS) Panama City, MH53E and UH1

From what I here CSS is an awsome deal.
Click to expand...
Those must be the dudes I saw at Florala a few months back in the Navy Huey.
 
BigIron

BigIron

Remotely piloted
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Pags said:
Those must be the dudes I saw at Florala a few months back in the Navy Huey.
Click to expand...

Probably. Florala has good eats. They are very limited in the flight hours on the 53s, so they get their annual mins combined in the 53s and H1.

I was hoping to fly the Huey on a recent visit, but it was down for specials. :(
 
P

Pags

N/A
pilot
BigIron said:
Probably. Florala has good eats. They are very limited in the flight hours on the 53s, so they get their annual mins combined in the 53s and H1.

I was hoping to fly the Huey on a recent visit, but it was down for specials. :(
Click to expand...
yeah, i figured they couldn't have come from too far away in a huey. still had the old glossy slate green paint job.

gotta love burritos and cookies. and underaged FBO girls.
 
Circle K

Circle K

Registered User
pilot
Pags said:
90and underaged FBO girls.
Click to expand...

Someone really needs to take it upon themselves to get them up on fbohotties.com. I'd do it, but the only chance I'll be going back in the near future is a random tasking to a BI/RI observer.
 
HeyJoe

HeyJoe

Fly Navy! ...or USMC
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
S.O.B. said:
1. VX-1 Operational Test in PAX River H60 R/S.
2. Coastal Systems Station (CSS) Panama City, MH53E and UH1

From what I here CSS is an awsome deal.
Click to expand...

Don't forget HX-21 at Pax River (Rotary Wing Developmental Test). They do DT side flight test before OT (VX-1, HMX-1 or VX-9 gets it): http://www.nawcad.navy.mil/testwinglant/rotarywing.cfm

Also used to be a Naval Postgraduate School cooperative deal with TPS where you went to both and then onto typically a DT squadron like HX-21 if you were so inclined. Still listed on their site at: http://www.nps.edu/Academics/Content/CurrAlphabet.html
Look under listing for NPS/TPS Cooperative Program 612
 
P

Pags

N/A
pilot
heyjoe said:
Don't forget HX-21 at Pax River (Rotary Wing Developmental Test). They do DT side flight test before OT (VX-1, HMX-1 or VX-9 gets it): http://www.nawcad.navy.mil/testwinglant/rotarywing.cfm

Also used to be a Naval Postgraduate School cooperative deal with TPS where you went to both and then onto typically a DT squadron like HX-21 if you were so inclined. Still listed on their site at: http://www.nps.edu/Academics/Content/CurrAlphabet.html
Look under listing for NPS/TPS Cooperative Program 612
Click to expand...
I think all coops are going to AFIT these days...NPS no longer has an aero engineering program.
 
ChuckMK23

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
jpmizzou said:
What are the various flying billets helo pilots can pick up? I know about IP billets with the RAG, HTs, VTs, but what else is available? I've also heard of flying the SH-60 for the Australian and Spanish navies. Any other countries that are an option? Or are their any interservice exchange tours with the army, air force, marines, or coast gaurd?
Click to expand...

Have a heart to heart chat with your detailer becuse these things are all time sensitive. There are unusual flying billets that people don't always know about that are fun - but may not be what your current CO has in mind for your development.

Don't underestimate what your first tour CO has in mind for you as far as development and staying in the community. That's why sometimes these oddball - but fun billets can be a stretch. Bottom line is to have multiple chats with your detailer.

Back in my day I had a woody to go to VC-1 and fly 53's (A models!) doing range support in Hawaii - sounded like a blast - then there was station SAR at Brunswick flying H-1's - both sounded like a blast. Call both squadrons and talk to other JO's there and find out these places are where non career O-3's and O-4's go to die. My skipper at HC-6 simply said "you're goingto the HT's" and that was the end of it :) He had already decided with my detailer where I should go.

HT's, VT's, PEP, TPS are all viable options to keep you in the drivers seat. Don't go too far off though because out of sight out of mind.

There are always some cool interservice exchange stuff that are onesy-twosey.

Let your detailer know early what you would like and have him/her work for you - it's like having a real-estate agent in a way.
 
Scamahmrd

Scamahmrd

Boiler Up!
pilot
ChuckMK23,

I saw that you mentioned PEP tours as viable options. I was under the impression that those were sort of "good deal" tours which were not good for career progression. That's the word that I got from the detailers when I was stashed at PERS-43. That being said, I don't really have any experience, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks
 
ChuckMK23

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
Scamahmrd said:
ChuckMK23,

I saw that you mentioned PEP tours as viable options. I was under the impression that those were sort of "good deal" tours which were not good for career progression. That's the word that I got from the detailers when I was stashed at PERS-43. That being said, I don't really have any experience, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks
Click to expand...

It may have changed - bottom line though if you do well anywhere you will be ok. A PEP tour won't sour your career on it's own. If you do well your first squadro tour ad have the opportunity and desire to do a PEP tour then I doubt it would hurt you long term - the detailers get in the habit of echoingthe same message over and over - they want the easiest path ossible in detailing people - believe me they are constantly overwhelmed.

It's easier to detail a strong top 10% O-3 to the FRS than to do all the paperwork and explanations on sending him/her to the UK or Australia or wherever.
 
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