FITREPS

[mid1510]

I was thinking about this last night, searched the forum and didn't find much.

When FITREPS are done, are FO's and Pilots evaluated separately? Is there a #1 FO and #1 Pilot in the rankings?

If not, how can the squadron have an accurate review of performance if being a FO and being a pilot are completely different jobs?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Recovering LSO]

1310s and 1320s of the same rank compete against one another. Most of the fitrep rankings come down to ground job performance and timing.

You're not the first person to ask this question - usually it doesn't come from an 1320 though

 

[MIDNJAC]

As a related sidebar, how important would you all say that a JO/nugget ground job is? Most of the advice I got checking out of the RAG was along the lines of "do enough work to keep it from piling up too high, but your real job is to become the tactician and start working towards TopGun/etc/etc"......would you agree? I suppose there might be some differences between VFA and others, but it was interesting because everyone before that (NROTC, tracom, VT's, etc) had always said "your ground job is the #1 priority".

 

[ea6bflyr]

I've known guys that get the FITREP ticket punch because they were a wizard at their ground job and were fleet average (or below) in the cockpit.

The point of the story is that your want to be the "go to" guy/gal. If the chain of command has to pick one guy/gal for the job, they think of you. BTW, you spend more time doing a non-flying job than your flying job. Take a look at your career path...

-ea6bflyr

 

[mid1510]

Understood. In your career (if you are/were in a community that has FO's/pilots in the same squadron) have you seen any bias towards one designator?

If it is based on ground job performance, how are you supposed to breakout in an "easy" ground job, as opposed to someone who was lucky enough to be a line divo?

Edit: that was directed at Recovering LSO but ea6bflyer I'd like to hear your experience as a Prowler guy

 

[Recovering LSO]

First you've got to understand the progression of a JO through his first tour. You show up and, as MIDN stated, are expected to spend the first 1/3 to 1/2 of your time becoming a good wingman/tactician/operator. You'll have a ground job (or in C/E/F/G squadrons) several ground jobs - but they won't (shouldn't) be so much as to interfere with your tactical growth. As you continue to get better, smarter, quicker, more proficient, and earn more quals you'll be given more challenging ground jobs. This will/should work because as you gain more experience in the jet you'll be able to dedicate more and more time towards other things like being a mx division officer, asst ops, perso, etc. You'll notice that i've not said anything about designators yet.

stop over thinking it. if you show up and do what you're supposed to do and listen to those that have gone before you, you'll probably do just fine.

for a long time in the VAQ community there was a joke about the "single anchor master race"... It has been my experience that this didn't have anything to do with fitreps, but everything to do with the poor work ethic and sense of entitlement that some single anchors dudes had - really never get over the fact that they didn't get VF/VFA out of TRACOM. That being said, the level of scrutiny and responsibility that is placed on the shoulders of a 1310 nugget within an airwing compared to a 1320 nugget in the same environment is vastly different. i chose the word "different" on purpose as to not imply better, worse, advantageous, whatever... just very different....

regardless of my opinions, do this: get winged. study your ass off at the RAG and show up to your first squadron as smart and well prepared as possible. check in and then shut up - no one will care what you think or have to say for several months. when you think you have something worth saying - don't, wait three more months. Learn the names of your Sailors - do this early. Do "good paperwork" - spell check stuff, take your time and don't make your DH rewrite everything you send up. Stay in the pubs and continue to hone your cockpit skills, and as was stated, become the guy who is the obvious choice when the front office is looking for someone to take on a random, non-standard and challenging science project.

 

[mid1510]

First you've got to understand the progression of a JO through his first tour. You show up and, as MIDN stated, are expected to spend the first 1/3 to 1/2 of your time becoming a good wingman/tactician/operator. You'll have a ground job (or in C/E/F/G squadrons) several ground jobs - but they won't (shouldn't) be so much as to interfere with your tactical growth. As you continue to get better, smarter, quicker, more proficient, and earn more quals you'll be given more challenging ground jobs. This will/should work because as you gain more experience in the jet you'll be able to dedicate more and more time towards other things like being a mx division officer, asst ops, perso, etc. You'll notice that i've not said anything about designators yet.

stop over thinking it. if you show up and do what you're supposed to do and listen to those that have gone before you, you'll probably do just fine.

for a long time in the VAQ community there was a joke about the "single anchor master race"... It has been my experience that this didn't have anything to do with fitreps, but everything to do with the poor work ethic and sense of entitlement that some single anchors dudes had - really never get over the fact that they didn't get VF/VFA out of TRACOM. That being said, the level of scrutiny and responsibility that is placed on the shoulders of a 1310 nugget within an airwing compared to a 1320 nugget in the same environment is vastly different. i chose the word "different" on purpose as to not imply better, worse, advantageous, whatever... just very different....

regardless of my opinions, do this: get winged. study your ass off at the RAG and show up to your first squadron as smart and well prepared as possible. check in and then shut up - no one will care what you think or have to say for several months. when you think you have something worth saying - don't, wait three more months. Learn the names of your Sailors - do this early. Do "good paperwork" - spell check stuff, take your time and don't make your DH rewrite everything you send up. Stay in the pubs and continue to hone your cockpit skills, and as was stated, become the guy who is the obvious choice when the front office is looking for someone to take on a random, non-standard and challenging science project.

great advice, thanks.

 

[jollygreen07]

lucky enough to be a line divo

Amen. I love this job.

 

[nittany03]

Do "good paperwork" - spell check stuff, take your time and don't make your DH rewrite everything you send up.

And before you send something back down the chain, put it away, come back to it later, reread it, and make sure you didn't miss anything. You will drive your people bugshit if they're on the third go-round fixing something you missed the first two times you saw it.

 

[flaps]

as werner von braun once said,

'this ain't rocket science."

it's all about attitude.. if you have a good attitude. (you know better than anyone else about that) and are smarter than a speed bump, you'll do fine.
up to 0-5, anyway.

 

[e6bflyer]

as werner von braun once said,

'this ain't rocket science."

it's all about attitude.. if you have a good attitude. (you know better than anyone else about that) and are smarter than a speed bump, you'll do fine.
up to 0-5, anyway.

Truer words have never been said.

 

[bert]

as werner von braun once said,


it's all about attitude.. if you have a good attitude. (you know better than anyone else about that) and are smarter than a speed bump, you'll do fine.
up to 0-5, anyway.

True, but you have to remember, part of that "good attitude" means going where the community wants you to go and doing what the community wants you to do. I genuinely give guys credit who are still willing to deploy as they get older, take crappy staff jobs, IA's, etc to stay on the career track. That gets a lot harder to do as time goes on.

 

[feddoc]

great advice, thanks.

Recovering LSO has some good words. To that I would add take care of your sailors when they are right and guide them when they are wrong.

 

[helolumpy]

Heard someone say that there are two ways to make Admiral in today's navy:
1) Be the smartest person in the room.
2) Be the biggest ass-hole in the room.

 

[PropStop]

Heard someone say that there are two ways to make Admiral in today's navy:
1) Be the smartest person in the room.
2) Be the biggest ass-hole in the room.

Yup, those are the two types I've run into.