Aerial Vehicle Operator (7371) Information

[Cashworth]

With the passing of the first cycle of the AVO selection board, and with a lot of feedback from N31 and additional clarification due to the lack of published information, this thread is going to be used as a way to bridge the gap until the OPNAVINST 1420.1C is posted to assist those seeking to apply to the program for the next application cycle!

 

[Cashworth]

More information regarding upcoming boards had not been released, however I have posed a question in the Quarterly "Ask the OCM" post, so they can address the question on 14 September @1000 CST.

 

[wink]

Do we know the average profile of successful AVO board candidates? I sometimes teach a high school level aviation course. One program is FAA UAV certification. Some of those guys have asked me about the Navy AVO program. Will be in the classroom next Thursday and Friday. Would like to offer good gouge.

 

[Griz882]

What a great program. I look forward to watching it develop.

 

[taxi1]

What is the notional syllabus?

 

[brhartlaub]

Any word on when the next board is?

 

[Cashworth]

Any word on when the next board is?

From what the OCMs have stated, it will be August of 2022, after this next cycle, the board will be convening on a Semiannual basis

 

[brhartlaub]

Thanks for sharing. I had read from others about a board in November, but had not heard anything "real" about it. Do you have a link to that post?

 

[Cashworth]

Thanks for sharing. I had read from others about a board in November, but had not heard anything "real" about it. Do you have a link to that post?

The only way to access the video where Capt. Wood and CWO5 Sandoval announce this is if you are a part of the US Navy LDO/CWO Community Managers Forum Facebook page, and from just searching for the link to attach the URL, the video is now unavailable. I posted a commend for the page administrator to fix it and hopefully I can post the link if this is corrected!

 

[Cashworth]

Do we know the average profile of successful AVO board candidates? I sometimes teach a high school level aviation course. One program is FAA UAV certification. Some of those guys have asked me about the Navy AVO program. Will be in the classroom next Thursday and Friday. Would like to offer good gouge.

Sorry for the delayed response, I was reaching out to the applicants that were selected and received some feedback from them. 2 have professional experience piloting drones in the Navy as past of the UAS program, the other 3 that replied do not. Only 1 "street to fleet" applicant was selected, the other 9 are active Navy. What set them apart from others was their ASVAB line scores and the favorable officer appraisals they received. Sorry I do not have any more information to help future applicants yet, but I hope to continue probing the community managers to give as much information as possible!

 

[Cashworth]

Just to follow up with the latest information that will be addressed throughout the lifespan of the program, the Organization Community Managers (OCMs) held a Q&A session on 14 September and addressed questions posed by members of the Facebook group. I was able to pose a question as to what lessons were learned from this first selection board for the AVO program, and what changes will be made for future application cycles. Listed below were some highlights:

• Approximately 95% of applicants did not meet the minimum requirements listed in PA-106A.
• Only age waivers were approved for the cycle due to the competitive nature of the program, ASVAB and Education waivers were denied en masse.
• PA-106A will be updated to reflect new changes regarding the program application to add verbiage to clarify the Education requirements. The ASTB will be required for future applications, but no guidance on the scores or required test portions has been released (OAR, FPFAR, or PFAR).
• Top Secret clearance will be required, so applicants must be prescreened. If active duty, start the process ahead of time to get ahead of the game.

One more information is released (PA-106A updates and OPNAV 1420.1 Revision C) I will update this group. All information was retrieved from Mr. Paul Celestine (N31) and Capt. Wood / CWO5 Sandoval from the LDO/CWO OCM corner.

 

[Deegy15]

Just FYI, for FY2023 selection.
Board shows next due date will be 24 Jun 22, and will be convene on 25 Jul 22

 

[Cashworth]

Just FYI, for FY2023 selection.
Board shows next due date will be 24 Jun 22, and will be convene on 25 Jul 22

Just saw the release, I have been waiting on this for 2 months! Thanks for the update!

 

[Triumph_MAC]

Sparking up an old thread here. From the sounds of it, ASVAB is the major kicker right now for AVO. Mr. Celestin sent me an email and stated for AVO, you need a minimum of 2 LOR's speaking to your character and ability to successfully complete the school and a written essay as to why you want to be an AVO. I plan to submit for the July AVO board as it is an awesome program. I will need an age waiver though.

 

[Flash]

Do we know the average profile of successful AVO board candidates? I sometimes teach a high school level aviation course. One program is FAA UAV certification. Some of those guys have asked me about the Navy AVO program. Will be in the classroom next Thursday and Friday. Would like to offer good gouge.

This should give you at least a start in answering that question, of the five new AVO WO1's with visible decorations and qual pins showing a definite preference for prior enlisted with a decent amount of service (at least 6-12 years from what I can see) and aviation experience, with 3 of 5 being aircrew.



Interesting to see the WO cap device that isn't in a history book, stumped my fellow militaria nerd here at work when I asked him if he knew what it was.