A few questions regarding Naval Aviation

[BadNewsBear93]

I'm new to this forum (although I've been lurking for a while), and I have a few questions regarding Naval Aviation and Navy/ Marine OCS in general. I apologize if this is in the incorrect spot.

1) Age limit: I know this has been beaten to death, and I have read a dozen or so threads regarding this info, but I emailed a recruiter and the information he/she (it was a cyber recruiter) gave me was confusing. So far I understand that you must be 27 by the time you commission in order to become a Naval Aviator in the US Navy. The recruiter said something along the lines of me having to be 28 by the time I complete the whole program in order to qualify. I've seen "27 by commission" dozens of times on here, so I'm only asking in case the policy has recently changed. To piggy back this, I understand that for the USMC, the age is 28 and for the Air Force it is 30. Is that correct?

2) I'm 23 years old with a Bachelor's degree in political science (3.6 GPA). I'm concerned about the age limit because I intend on pursuing my Master's degree in the near future and if all goes to plan, I should be graduating at 26 years old with 4-5 months before my 27th birthday. To be clear, if I need to leave graduate school in order to become a pilot or military officer in general, I am more than willing. Is going to graduate school a good idea? Is cutting it that close to the age limit an awful plan? The program would be in public administration/ public affairs, and I'd use those two years to receive my PPL as well.

3) Could anyone shed some light on the physical expectations as well as the height/weight standards specific to aviation? I need the extra years I'm going to get by pursuing graduate school in order to shape up. I'm 6'2" and fairly overweight. I have every intention of getting in the best shape possible before submitting an application for OCS in 2 years. Are the basic what I should be focused on (calisthenics, cardio, etc)?

4) Are your chances of flying helos, fighters, etc. just random or is there some sort of hierarchy list during training in which the top student pick their choice (assuming everything is available - I know a lot of it has to do with needs of the Navy/USMC)

I apologize beforehand if any of this is in the wrong place/ has been answered ad nauseam. I only ask because certain policies can change and a lot of the information I have been reading has been from threads 5 or 10 years old. Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Sonog]

Sounds like you need some time to lose that weight, start your Master's while you get in shape in case the application process doesn't work out. If you shed weight quickly and Naval aviation is truly a priority to you, you can drop your master's once you get accepted into OCS. I assure you, being a pilot in the Navy/Marine Corps will be worth every sunk cost penny you dropped towards your Master's degree. But if doesn't work out and you don't get accepted (not a sure deal) to OCS, you're working on a Master's degree and not sitting on your thumb.

 

[BadNewsBear93]

Sounds like great advice. I'm fortunate enough to receive the Hazlewood Act because of my father's service, so tuition isn't an issue. Also, I forgot to mention that the recruiter told me that if I served in the Navy Reserves, that may count towards a prior enlisted age waiver should I need it. However, I'm under the impression that the age waiver for prior enlisted is exclusively for active duty enlisted. Is that correct?

 

[Vicky_Marie926]

I'm new to this forum (although I've been lurking for a while), and I have a few questions regarding Naval Aviation and Navy/ Marine OCS in general. I apologize if this is in the incorrect spot.

1) Age limit: I know this has been beaten to death, and I have read a dozen or so threads regarding this info, but I emailed a recruiter and the information he/she (it was a cyber recruiter) gave me was confusing. So far I understand that you must be 27 by the time you commission in order to become a Naval Aviator in the US Navy. The recruiter said something along the lines of me having to be 28 by the time I complete the whole program in order to qualify. I've seen "27 by commission" dozens of times on here, so I'm only asking in case the policy has recently changed. To piggy back this, I understand that for the USMC, the age is 28 and for the Air Force it is 30. Is that correct?

2) I'm 23 years old with a Bachelor's degree in political science (3.6 GPA). I'm concerned about the age limit because I intend on pursuing my Master's degree in the near future and if all goes to plan, I should be graduating at 26 years old with 4-5 months before my 27th birthday. To be clear, if I need to leave graduate school in order to become a pilot or military officer in general, I am more than willing. Is going to graduate school a good idea? Is cutting it that close to the age limit an awful plan? The program would be in public administration/ public affairs, and I'd use those two years to receive my PPL as well.

3) Could anyone shed some light on the physical expectations as well as the height/weight standards specific to aviation? I need the extra years I'm going to get by pursuing graduate school in order to shape up. I'm 6'2" and fairly overweight. I have every intention of getting in the best shape possible before submitting an application for OCS in 2 years. Are the basic what I should be focused on (calisthenics, cardio, etc)?

4) Are your chances of flying helos, fighters, etc. just random or is there some sort of hierarchy list during training in which the top student pick their choice (assuming everything is available - I know a lot of it has to do with needs of the Navy/USMC)

I apologize beforehand if any of this is in the wrong place/ has been answered ad nauseam. I only ask because certain policies can change and a lot of the information I have been reading has been from threads 5 or 10 years old. Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

If your weight was not a concern of yours, would you be starting your application process right now? Have you gone to your local recruiting office to have your height and weight verified? That's honestly the best thing to do.

And as a Navy Officer, you will have an opportunity to complete your Masters while on shore duty.

 

[BadNewsBear93]

Absolutely. I'm definitely not within Navy standards as far as weight. I've been going strong on weight loss for a while and I suspect I should be where I need to be in 8 months to a year. That being said, I understand that it can take as long as a year or more from talking to a recruiter to leaving for OCS (assuming I'm accepted). I guess I figure why not go ahead and pursue a Master's and earn my PPL while I'm in the process of getting in the best shape possible. I may be Navy standard as far as weight in 6 months, but my goal is to be far, far superior fitness wise than the average. The primary concern with that plan is my age. I'll be 26 graduating with my Master's with 4 months before turning 27. Is it still 27 by commission for Navy, 28 for USMC?

I really appreciate the speedy responses so far!

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Absolutely. I'm definitely not within Navy standards as far as weight. I've been going strong on weight loss for a while and I suspect I should be where I need to be in 8 months to a year. That being said, I understand that it can take as long as a year or more from talking to a recruiter to leaving for OCS (assuming I'm accepted). I guess I figure why not go ahead and pursue a Master's and earn my PPL while I'm in the process of getting in the best shape possible. I may be Navy standard as far as weight in 6 months, but my goal is to be far, far superior fitness wise than the average. The primary concern with that plan is my age. I'll be 26 graduating with my Master's with 4 months before turning 27. Is it still 27 by commission for Navy, 28 for USMC?

I really appreciate the speedy responses so far!

The Pilot/NFO boards don't care if your have a PPL or flight time so you're wasting money getting one if that's the case. I would apply at your earliest convenience, you can always get your master's later. You can't always apply to become a Naval Aviator.

Get in touch with an OR, as in face to face and come up with a good plan.

 

[BadNewsBear93]

Is a 3.6 GPA in a liberal arts major competitive?

 

[BadNewsBear93]

One more question: say I decide to enlist in a year or so. How long would I be enlisted for before I could apply for OCS? Would they expect 4 years out of me before I could make that leap, or 2, or what?

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I'm new to this forum (although I've been lurking for a while), and I have a few questions regarding Naval Aviation and Navy/ Marine OCS in general. I apologize if this is in the incorrect spot.

1) Age limit: I know this has been beaten to death, and I have read a dozen or so threads regarding this info, but I emailed a recruiter and the information he/she (it was a cyber recruiter) gave me was confusing. So far I understand that you must be 27 by the time you commission in order to become a Naval Aviator in the US Navy. The recruiter said something along the lines of me having to be 28 by the time I complete the whole program in order to qualify. I've seen "27 by commission" dozens of times on here, so I'm only asking in case the policy has recently changed. To piggy back this, I understand that for the USMC, the age is 28 and for the Air Force it is 30. Is that correct?

2) I'm 23 years old with a Bachelor's degree in political science (3.6 GPA). I'm concerned about the age limit because I intend on pursuing my Master's degree in the near future and if all goes to plan, I should be graduating at 26 years old with 4-5 months before my 27th birthday. To be clear, if I need to leave graduate school in order to become a pilot or military officer in general, I am more than willing. Is going to graduate school a good idea? Is cutting it that close to the age limit an awful plan? The program would be in public administration/ public affairs, and I'd use those two years to receive my PPL as well.

3) Could anyone shed some light on the physical expectations as well as the height/weight standards specific to aviation? I need the extra years I'm going to get by pursuing graduate school in order to shape up. I'm 6'2" and fairly overweight. I have every intention of getting in the best shape possible before submitting an application for OCS in 2 years. Are the basic what I should be focused on (calisthenics, cardio, etc)?

4) Are your chances of flying helos, fighters, etc. just random or is there some sort of hierarchy list during training in which the top student pick their choice (assuming everything is available - I know a lot of it has to do with needs of the Navy/USMC)

I apologize beforehand if any of this is in the wrong place/ has been answered ad nauseam. I only ask because certain policies can change and a lot of the information I have been reading has been from threads 5 or 10 years old. Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

If you want to be an officer don't enlist, even in the reserves it will just give you more hoops to jump through.

second thing, see my first statement.

You can talk to an OR, he might give you some info but depending on how much weight you need to lose he probably won't spend much time with you, so goal number one is to lose weight get in shape, do it smart with diet and exercise, maybe talk to your family doctor to tell him your plans, do it not just to get into the USN but do it because you want to be healthier.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Is a 3.6 GPA in a liberal arts major competitive?

This question has been answered here before. Search.

One more question: say I decide to enlist in a year or so. How long would I be enlisted for before I could apply for OCS? Would they expect 4 years out of me before I could make that leap, or 2, or what?

Concur with @NavyOffRec don't enlist just because you want to be an officer.

 

[BadNewsBear93]

I appreciate the advice! I only ask about the GPA being competitive because many of the threads discussing it are 2+ years old and things change (I assume). However, by the time I'm ready to apply, it'll be a year down the line anyways.

 

[Vicky_Marie926]

I appreciate the advice! I only ask about the GPA being competitive because many of the threads discussing it are 2+ years old and things change (I assume). However, by the time I'm ready to apply, it'll be a year down the line anyways.

Your GPA is fine. What I always explain to anyone trying to join the Navy is the you need to be morally, mentally, and physically qualified.

So factors such as police involvement and drug use (morally), ASTB scores (mentally), and height/weight, medical conditions etc. (physically) are going to factor into your selection.

And I agree that if you have your degree, do not enlist with the expectation of being an officer down the line. It takes time to establish yourself to even get the endorsements and recommendations you would need from your chain-of-command.

Just make sure you fully understand the Navy's policy on BCA and have a recruiter explain it to you if necessary:
http://www.ocs.navy.mil/pdfs/Guide 4- Body Composition Assessment (BCA) 2016.pdf

Just because you may be overweight, it does not mean you do not qualify. You would need to have your BC measurements taken. But naturally, being under the max weight for your height is ideal.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

height/weight, medical conditions etc. (physically) are going to factor into your selection.

No they don't, if PQ you go to board, if NPQ you don't.

 

[DONOSAURU5REX]

If you want to be an officer don't enlist, even in the reserves it will just give you more hoops to jump through.

second thing, see my first statement.

You can talk to an OR, he might give you some info but depending on how much weight you need to lose he probably won't spend much time with you, so goal number one is to lose weight get in shape, do it smart with diet and exercise, maybe talk to your family doctor to tell him your plans, do it not just to get into the USN but do it because you want to be healthier.

This is very true. Enlisted makes the process far more difficult.

 

[dahlel]

One more question: say I decide to enlist in a year or so. How long would I be enlisted for before I could apply for OCS? Would they expect 4 years out of me before I could make that leap, or 2, or what?

I don't believe there is a strict time limit on as to how soon you can submit one but you need to consider that you are now obligated to serve in your rate for whatever length of time you signed on for. You still need to perform at A school C school and your first command. If you cant do your specific job well this will not look good on you and you chain of command will have a hard time getting behind you to support your request.

You're going to need time off work and/or a flexible LPO/Chief to let you schedule your interviews with current Officers from the field you're looking to get in as well as time off to get medical appt set up for the commissioning physical and they probably wont take you seriously until you get your quals and have proven your worth in the shop.

Bottom line here is that you need to prove yourself in your rate first before you really, really have a good shot at a quality package getting sent in.