From what I understand, the eight year commitment as a NA is very regimented. You know ahead of time that you have shore duty, deployment, work-ups, etc... But how much time is spent where you don't fly at all and what are your other options? I really want to fly, but I'd really be miserable if my time is spent behind a desk on shore for an extended period.
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8 years.
- Thread starter gsavy10
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You should have a tour in the fleet, a B billet (recruiting, flight instructor, or something), then a second tour in the fleet, I'd think. You could probably minimize your time outside the cockpit by selecting an airframe that's short on pilots and/or making flight school your B-billet.
Goliath112
Registered User
what do you think an officer does? man don't expect to go in and come out with 15,000 hours. check out the squadron homepages and some of the carrier webpages and look at the CO's and XO's bio they usaully got under 5,000 navy flight hours and they're Captains and Commanders. One thing is though, that as an officer you'll have to deal with a load of bull that you won't like. Discipline reports, XOI, maybe duty as the base err(the LT that you go to sometimes when you get a speeding ticket). so I know everybody here, knows the whole Naval officer First spiel but, understand its really true.
man the wait is killing me
To answer the orignal question - and I'm speaking from a strike guy's prespective so realize that other communities may be different.
For the typical jet guy: 2 years in flight school (API to wings). You'll then spend about a year, maybe a little less at your respective RAG sqaudron. From there you'll generally spend 3 to 3.5 years on a sea tour with a deploying fleet sqaudron. Your primary job initially will be to get all of your required quals so that you can be utilized while deployed. You will also be given, at first, a collateral job. You wont start off as the OpsO or SafteyO, more likely something like Assistant Saftey, Ground Safety, maybe a shop (powerplants, frames, etc..). You'll rotate off of your sea tour and have several choices from there. Maybe IP in the training command, IP in the RAG, Post Grad, ROTC/Acadamy staff, the list goes on. That tour will last anywhere from 2.5 - 3 years. The way things are going now you may get stuck with a Disassociated Sea Tour. That sucks. You basically become a shoe for a year and a half or so. There are ways to avoid this but it takes a lot of work on your part to make the system work for you. If you decide at that point, that would be 10 years of service with your first 8 year commit being up, to stay in then you would go back for what is called a Dept Head Tour. You will most likely be a senior LT or a new LCDR and will go back to the RAG for a refresher sylabus and then back out to a deploying fleet sqaudron. Clear as mud? Hope that answered some questions for you.
For the typical jet guy: 2 years in flight school (API to wings). You'll then spend about a year, maybe a little less at your respective RAG sqaudron. From there you'll generally spend 3 to 3.5 years on a sea tour with a deploying fleet sqaudron. Your primary job initially will be to get all of your required quals so that you can be utilized while deployed. You will also be given, at first, a collateral job. You wont start off as the OpsO or SafteyO, more likely something like Assistant Saftey, Ground Safety, maybe a shop (powerplants, frames, etc..). You'll rotate off of your sea tour and have several choices from there. Maybe IP in the training command, IP in the RAG, Post Grad, ROTC/Acadamy staff, the list goes on. That tour will last anywhere from 2.5 - 3 years. The way things are going now you may get stuck with a Disassociated Sea Tour. That sucks. You basically become a shoe for a year and a half or so. There are ways to avoid this but it takes a lot of work on your part to make the system work for you. If you decide at that point, that would be 10 years of service with your first 8 year commit being up, to stay in then you would go back for what is called a Dept Head Tour. You will most likely be a senior LT or a new LCDR and will go back to the RAG for a refresher sylabus and then back out to a deploying fleet sqaudron. Clear as mud? Hope that answered some questions for you.
Going to Naval Postgraduate School or some other graduate program on the government's dime is going to mean an additional service committment. Going to NPS is a possibility, but consider that the Navy is going to send career-oriented, high-performing officers to those kinds of programs. It's not just a nice perk if you happen to get accepted--it's also a way for the Navy to get officers with master's degrees in the fields where it needs such expertise.
So, to make getting chosen for NPS more likely, be the best officer anywhere and be willing to take "needs of the Navy" before your own choice. If you go to NPS, you're going to have to study what the Navy needs, not necessarily what you'd like to be studying or what would help you most on the outside.
So, to make getting chosen for NPS more likely, be the best officer anywhere and be willing to take "needs of the Navy" before your own choice. If you go to NPS, you're going to have to study what the Navy needs, not necessarily what you'd like to be studying or what would help you most on the outside.
Dave Shutter
Registered User
Based on the 8 yr. commitment upon winging plus RAG time you come out with a 1-1/2 year time frame remaining. I've asked a lot of senior Officers on their 2nd and 3rd tours where the logic is in this and have pretty much gotten a unanimous answer.
1.) Shooters and misc. airwing staff (dis-associated sea tour!) have to come from somewhere.
2.) Apparently after a year and a half on the ground you're not "current" and are not as qualified for the airlines (re-enlistment!)
It used to be 6 years for fixed wing and it worked out nicely where after a 2yr shore tour you were gone with current hours (providing you were an IP) but they changed it a few years back so the Navy gets more out of their Pilots. Just what I heard though.
1.) Shooters and misc. airwing staff (dis-associated sea tour!) have to come from somewhere.
2.) Apparently after a year and a half on the ground you're not "current" and are not as qualified for the airlines (re-enlistment!)
It used to be 6 years for fixed wing and it worked out nicely where after a 2yr shore tour you were gone with current hours (providing you were an IP) but they changed it a few years back so the Navy gets more out of their Pilots. Just what I heard though.
Well...they do and they don't. Obviously it depends on your command, and how flexible they are, but there's two ways to do it. One, have the Navy's blessing and have them pay for it. The other is to do it on your own time, and pay for it yourself. The latter incurs no extra commitment, unlike when the Navy pays for it.
Apparently beginning OCT 1 - the navy will be paying 100% tuition assistance - in effort to meet the CNO's vision of expanding educational oppurtunities. I went over the local navy college office to ask about this - it seems like too good of deal to be real.
According to the navy college people it is true that it is slated to start OCT 1, but they are going to wait until OCT 2 to see if congress actually signs off on it.
I next went over to the local Embry Riddle office to see about grad work. My take on it, start as soon as you can. I am planning on taking two classes over the next year. They are nine week classes. You will be obligating yourself to two years of service from the time you complete your last class. This can, however, run concurrent with any previously obligated time - say your initial 8 years. So start early and be finished before you hit six years(from wings or 8 total years - and that is for the strike commitment bump the numbers down for different contracts) and you wont owe anything extra. Hope that makes sense.
Another great thing about working on a Masters of Aeronautical Science through ERAU is that all of their grad classes can be taken as distance courses over the internet. You can be on the boat in the Med working on a class, provided you have the time or motivation to do that while afloat. I think the the Playstation 2 in the stateroom might get more attention.
According to the navy college people it is true that it is slated to start OCT 1, but they are going to wait until OCT 2 to see if congress actually signs off on it.
I next went over to the local Embry Riddle office to see about grad work. My take on it, start as soon as you can. I am planning on taking two classes over the next year. They are nine week classes. You will be obligating yourself to two years of service from the time you complete your last class. This can, however, run concurrent with any previously obligated time - say your initial 8 years. So start early and be finished before you hit six years(from wings or 8 total years - and that is for the strike commitment bump the numbers down for different contracts) and you wont owe anything extra. Hope that makes sense.
Another great thing about working on a Masters of Aeronautical Science through ERAU is that all of their grad classes can be taken as distance courses over the internet. You can be on the boat in the Med working on a class, provided you have the time or motivation to do that while afloat. I think the the Playstation 2 in the stateroom might get more attention.
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