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01JUN26 SNA/SNFO board

PanthersFan1 said:
I know people with 5's on ASTB get picked up because they had their commercial rating. They say flight time doesn't matter but it definitely does, however they won't use it against you. I think recruiters say that so people with no flight time don't get discouraged. Also, it makes sense. The purpose of the ASTB is to predict how well you'd do in flight school. If you have proven that you finished and passed private, instrument, and commercial, it's the same as earning your wings in the navy. The absolute best way to demonstrate to the navy that you will finish and pass navy flight school. For example, if one were to even get their multi-engine add on, or even CFI/CFII, they'd get picked up one hundred percent, and if they did not, it would not be logical.
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I get the logic, but we have to look at the ground truth here. The numbers just don't lie. The trends have always shown that a higher ASTB score leads to a higher chance of selection for SNA or SNFO. Now, is that formula 100% consistent? Not at all. You could be the perfect candidate on paper with a 4.0 GPA and 9/9/9 scores, but if you have a lengthy legal or drug record, the board will see that and very likely lean towards a non-select. Sometimes stats are more than just meets the eye. When you mention seeing 5s with flight time get picked up, there may be missing variables. Was the full score actually a 5/5/5? They might have had a 5 on the AQR, but their PFAR or FOFAR could have been much higher, which changes the whole picture. There are also programs like URLO-ISPP for fleet folks where hitting the minimums and having a Flag Officer endorsement can fast-track an OCS spot regardless of the "typical" stats.

As for civilian ratings, they don't always correlate to success in military flight school. Learning to fly on your own is great to see if you actually like being in the air, but I’ve seen students with commercial certs struggle because they had to unlearn civilian habits to fit the military system. It’s not always a leg up.

At the end of the day, do the civilian flight hours because you want them, not because you think it’s a 100% guarantee for the Navy. The idea that a CFI or a multi-engine rating makes you an automatic lock and/or competitive just isn't how the boards operate. Focus on the ASTB, as that is the most important part of the puzzle piece here.
 
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