Community Transitions

[Powerleverlock]

The NFO-Pilot transition program is a bit of a different animal and I can tell you from experience that you give up a lot of different things.
1)No bonus-may not be important to you now, but it's a lot of money
2)Community reputation-You will have to work twice as hard as most people in your new community in order to get a good name for yourself.
3)No competitive FITREP during your time in the training command. This will hurt you more when you go for your command board. This screen is extremely competitive and when you are competing against someone who has done everything right, it's hard to advance.
4)When all your friends are enjoying shore duty, taking leave, and buying a house, etc, you could possibly be moving every six months and playing the TRACOM game for awhile.
With the current force shaping going on in the Navy, I would expect to see O-5 becoming a harder rank to make. The #2 DH may not be a shoe-in for O-5 in a few years.
If you really want to be a pilot or transition to another community realize you give up a lot. Being a CO or DH may not be important now, but your priorities in life may change later. Also being a CO or DH gets you flying operationally longer, which is probably why you transitioned anyway.

 

[AirPirate]

The biggest factor is if you can manage to get the milestones accomplished and still get great FITREPS.

Might be a big factor, but what I have observed is that the political/cultural factors are what more closely define it rather than the technicalities of timing. If the new community adores you, they will find a way to make you go far. The haters are likely to populate the ranks of both the losing and gaining communities equally. Whether people want to admit it or not, there are plenty of jet haters who will welcome the helo transition to their community with a full broadside of backstabbery. Just the same, I've seen helo types welcome the downtrodden jet attrite with all the warmth of an Eastern Front misadventure. The most childish among us can easily gain enough traction to ruin a transition. Other transitions go off without a hitch; i.e. a crapshoot, and no two transitions are alike. Anyone (esp. from the bureau) who would generalize otherwise is undereducated and inexperienced. This is probably one of the best places to poll transition aviators because the stories favor the extremes -- so many impressive feats and disheartening tales to be statistically understandable.

If you really want to fly a different aircraft and consequences be-dammed, then by all means, apply for the transition.

True.

 

[MasterBates]

Air Pirate is right on.. There are so many places where things on the leaving or gaining community could have made my life better, or made it suck much worse with no more than a JO or DH getting pissy.

Transition if you want to. Go in with open eyes knowing that even if the timing works and if you do everything right, there are still many things beyond your control.

You pays your money and yous takes your chances.

I'd still do it in a heartbeat again. I've gotten to do more different stuff and fly more different aircraft (and I mean "fly more than a fam/demo flight) than probably 98% of Naval Aviators of my era. I've deployed on dirt dets, CVNs, CVs, CGs, and an FFG. I've been flying 50' over Iraq, and cruising over Afghanistan at 30k+ maintaining comm relay for troops in contact. I've also on Urban SAR, open ocean SAR, and personnel recovery.

Blowing shit up is about all I have not done.. An ANG F-16 slot might be fixing that. :icon_smil

 

[statesman]

I thought this article fit in well with our discussion of transitions / obstacles to promotion. The main point the author makes it that officers in the military (this focused on Army, but he is all inclusive in his assertions) are promoted by getting checks in the box, not stirring the pot, and keeping their heads down. The innovative officers leave early because of their frustration:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/01/why-our-best-officers-are-leaving/8346/2/

Seems like what he says also applies to the Navy and NAVAIR.

 

[Rg9]

Resurrecting a thread here... I've looked into the possibility of doing a VP-VFA transition for a bit. I'm within a year of ending my sea tour and may be getting verbals to a primary VT squadron. If my family's on board at that point, I'm considering dropping an application. It seems timing-wise that this would work well (FY05, so +7 at time of app). Would it be a VFA or Tailhook transition (would a 1310 transition compete for communities in Advanced)? Understand the commitment is 5 years - is that after the FRS or after Advanced?

MB - how are you doing an ANG F-16 transition? I actually looked into that awhile back as a post-Navy-be-closer-to-family option but didn't seem promising.

Agreed, here, as to NFO-Pilot transition, at least in MPRA due to the amount of both we have. I know of at least one guy applying and the command has been very supportive.

Sorry if I missed answers to these questions elsewhere in my searches... haven't been on Airwarriors for awhile.

 

[AirPirate]

My knowledge is dated, but circa 2001 was the last time I noticed transition guys being directly slotted for a jet community (VF, VAQ, VFA, etc.). After that, guys were sent to flight school to compete just like everyone else. Anyone know if it's still the same? The only exceptions being VAW and VP where I saw guys being fingered for those in particular from their losing communities.