Can someone help break down the career of a Marine pilot?

[wonderb0iwl]

So marine pilots are in 8 years plus the years of training. What do they do?

I know navy goes 3 years sea, 3 years shore, 2 years dissociated. Is it the same for marines? How long do deployments last? Do they deploy on carriers like navy pilots? Do they go to special weapons schools too?

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

You might be able to find your answers either on here (AWs) or using a basic google search.

For future reference, if you do the homework and ask more detailed and researched questions… you might get a better return and interaction with the crowd.

 

[wonderb0iwl]

You might be able to find your answers either on here (AWs) or using a basic google search.

For future reference, if you do the homework and ask more detailed and researched questions… you might get a better return and interaction with the crowd.

I do indeed google everything to death before deciding to post. I do find stuff about FAC or threads from 20 years ago with dead links but its just not satisfying or up to date enough. Might as well just ask a marine OSO straight up.

 

[Renegade One]

Couldn't find an exact, up-to-date "Career Progression" graphic, but here's one that may be of interest:
Source link: https://www.mcrc.marines.mil/Portal...iation Brief.pdf?ver=q3z2dAQDcdL31yQ5Rhwi0g==

Additionally, here's an old post from AW member Hurricane12 in the forum "Marine Corps Pilot":

To give you some perspective on career timing:
-flight school and TBS (plus the FRS) will take 2.5-3.5 years for helos and 3.5-4 for jets. C-130s are closer to the helo side since they don't have a real FRS. Showing up to the fleet you will be a 1stLt or very junior Capt, but your rank is largely irrelevant.
-your first tour will be around 3 years (jets) to 4-5 years (helos). Leaving your first fleet squadron, you will be at around 8-ish years time in service and at some point soon coming up for Major.
-at that point you'll go to a B-Billet somewhere else in the Marine Corps. This could be an Air Officer (think slightly bigger picture FAC) tour, fly the president around at HMX-1, a flight school instructor, an exchange tour with the Army (or the Australins or Royal Marines), Boot Camp series commander, or a whole bunch of other things.
Generally there are a few "handpicked" billets like exchange tours or MAWTS IP or MARSOC Air Officer that are excellent for your career and go to water-walkers. For the rest of us schlubs, the farther you progress "backwards" to be an instructor the "worse" it is for your career. So instructing new students in your platform at the FRS is good, instructing new
jet pilots is okay, and teaching kids how a jet engine works at API is bad.

 

[wonderb0iwl]

Couldn't find an exact, up-to-date "Career Progression" graphic, but here's one that may be of interest:View attachment 35911
Source link: https://www.mcrc.marines.mil/Portals/95/E-O/Naval Programs/Aviation Information/Marine Corps Aviation Brief.pdf?ver=q3z2dAQDcdL31yQ5Rhwi0g==

Additionally, here's an old post from AW member Hurricane12 in the forum "Marine Corps Pilot":

To give you some perspective on career timing:
-flight school and TBS (plus the FRS) will take 2.5-3.5 years for helos and 3.5-4 for jets. C-130s are closer to the helo side since they don't have a real FRS. Showing up to the fleet you will be a 1stLt or very junior Capt, but your rank is largely irrelevant.
-your first tour will be around 3 years (jets) to 4-5 years (helos). Leaving your first fleet squadron, you will be at around 8-ish years time in service and at some point soon coming up for Major.
-at that point you'll go to a B-Billet somewhere else in the Marine Corps. This could be an Air Officer (think slightly bigger picture FAC) tour, fly the president around at HMX-1, a flight school instructor, an exchange tour with the Army (or the Australins or Royal Marines), Boot Camp series commander, or a whole bunch of other things.
Generally there are a few "handpicked" billets like exchange tours or MAWTS IP or MARSOC Air Officer that are excellent for your career and go to water-walkers. For the rest of us schlubs, the farther you progress "backwards" to be an instructor the "worse" it is for your career. So instructing new students in your platform at the FRS is good, instructing new
jet pilots is okay, and teaching kids how a jet engine works at API is bad.

Thank you for the breakdown, appreciate it!

 

[Swanee]

The career timing of Yut Yut pilots has been in flux for the past few years for most communities as they've been in transition to new airplanes.


Lots of pilots have been stuck in the fleet. B-Billets deploy a lot. YMMV.

 

[Griz882]

Under “B-Billet” above does FAC mean Full Access to Crayons?