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Is API family accompanied? Is it worth it to move?

Smirnoff

Member
pilot
I'm prior enlisted with school age kids currently living in Atlanta, GA. I will have orders to pensacola next summer. I am not sure how long it takes to class up for API or how long I will be in Pensacola. Is it worth it to change my kids schools when I don't know how long I will be there or where primary will be? How nice is on base housing? Any info is helpful.
 

OSUbeaver

Time to musk up
pilot
I'm not sure what the current wait for API is but I can tell you that I checked in to NASC on 24 Aug 2009 and just reported to TW-5 on 9 July. Chances are you will be there for a similar amount of time. As you are married with children it is HIGHLY likely that your orders are follow on which makes it a near certainty that you will be going through primary at NAS Whiting Field. I can't speak about base housing as I live off base as most people do. Hope this helps.
 

CenixOne

SNA FS, DA
Contributor
OSUbeaver, if I understood correctly, you started IFS/API on 24 Aug 2009 and reported to TW-5 (Primary) on 9 July 2010? About a 10 month period. How much of this was waiting?
 

wlawr005

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
It's worth it man. You'll be in Pensacola for at least a year, maybe longer if you fly helos. Most guys live off base because it's not very expensive. I've been doing some looking and have found a lot of nice homes around Whiting Field in the $900-1300/month price range, which is less than O-1E BAH.
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
If you're married, you'll have orders to Whiting and your family can come with you if you want. I know people who let their family stay home until they finished out the school year, and others that had them stay all together and Geo-Bach.

To the married dudes, this goes against popular routes, but I'd say live near NAS Pensacola while in A-Pool/API and then move up to Milton for Primary if you can swing it. 90% of the bitching from married dudes I hear revolves around the drive they make daily from up North, either Milton or even by UWF.

@ Cenix, you'll likely wait a bit in A-Pool, do IFS, wait some more, do API, and hopefully go the the TRAWING. That's how it's supposed to work. Some guys finished API and were held here to wait for Primary. That backlog is almost done, so be flexible is my best advice. I've had so many plans get crushed by the Navy in just 6 months due to changing stuff.
 

wlawr005

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
If you're married, you'll have orders to Whiting and your family can come with you if you want. I know people who let their family stay home until they finished out the school year, and others that had them stay all together and Geo-Bach.

To the married dudes, this goes against popular routes, but I'd say live near NAS Pensacola while in A-Pool/API and then move up to Milton for Primary if you can swing it. 90% of the bitching from married dudes I hear revolves around the drive they make daily from up North, either Milton or even by UWF.

@ Cenix, you'll likely wait a bit in A-Pool, do IFS, wait some more, do API, and hopefully go the the TRAWING. That's how it's supposed to work. Some guys finished API and were held here to wait for Primary. That backlog is almost done, so be flexible is my best advice. I've had so many plans get crushed by the Navy in just 6 months due to changing stuff.

The general rule is to live near Milton and suck up the drive during A-pool/API. That way when you start primary at Whiting, you are in close proximity and can get to the CPT's, briefs, flights, and squadron with time to spare.

And by the way, fuck moving twice. The Navy won't pay for that second move and you probably will have trouble breaking your lease anyway. Whiting doesn't exactly qualify as a PCS.
 

CenixOne

SNA FS, DA
Contributor
Synix, thanks for the clarification. I'm hoping to skip IFS which should alleviate some of the wait time.
 

punx_clever

New Member
Current wait times are really short. API was sped up and now the trawings have opened up as well. People are classing up for API as soon as they finish IFS.

OTOH, as has been stated before, the married guys are given follow on orders to Whiting for the specific reason that it isn't considered a different geographical area and the navy will not pay for a move between PCola and Whiting. Best bet is a house in Pace and a motorcycle or a buddy to carpool with.
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
And by the way, fuck moving twice. The Navy won't pay for that second move and you probably will have trouble breaking your lease anyway. Whiting doesn't exactly qualify as a PCS.

Like I said, if you can. You don't have to sign year leases. I signed a 7 month and thats about the time needed for APool/API/CPool. I was planning on going to Whiting, but am now Corpus bound. Just a thought. And a moving trailer rental for a weekend isn't that expensive.
 

CenixOne

SNA FS, DA
Contributor
So it seems families and married folks get priority to stay in pcola. Do single guys have a choice? And what location is preferred?
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
So it seems families and married folks get priority to stay in pcola. Do single guys have a choice? And what location is preferred?

Single? At the moment, no. If you have an awesome reason, maybe.
 

Swanee

Cereal Killer
pilot
None
Contributor
Synix, thanks for the clarification. I'm hoping to skip IFS which should alleviate some of the wait time.


Why skip IFS? It's a good time, flying on the our rich uncle's dollar. At least, it's a good time in the Marine Corps...
 

et1nuke

Active Member
pilot
Contributor
...And by the way, fuck moving twice. The Navy won't pay for that second move and you probably will have trouble breaking your lease anyway. Whiting doesn't exactly qualify as a PCS.

Not really true. They WILL pay for 600lbs of HHG which is more than nothing and you should be able to break your lease or just get month to month which may then qualify you for per diem.
 

zippy

Freedom!
pilot
Contributor
I'm prior enlisted with school age kids currently living in Atlanta, GA. I will have orders to pensacola next summer. I am not sure how long it takes to class up for API or how long I will be in Pensacola. Is it worth it to change my kids schools when I don't know how long I will be there or where primary will be? How nice is on base housing? Any info is helpful.

Bring the family, you'll be there for a while most likely. Base housing is decent on both NASP and Whiting from what I saw of it. If you know you have follow-on orders to whiting you can decide between driving an hour every day and living in milton while your assigned to NASC, or living in NE Pcola and commuting 25-35min to each base. The military will only move you once so if you decide to move to a place down by the back gate of NAS (as long as the move is outside of 35mi IIRC... under fl military claust you can break your lease) you'll probably end up having to move yourself up to closer for Primary instead of having an hour commute up to whiting.
 

Stick

Member
pilot
words...motorcycle... more words

I am about to transfer down there and was wondering how base security is with respect to motorcycles. The base in Charleston just implemented a new instruction that said if you have a white jacket that doesn't count as brightly colored. This sucks as my jacket is white, so I just avoid going on base for now.
 
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