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Former nuke advice wanted (Pilot)

GalticJohn

GalticJohn

MMN1(SS)
Good morning, all;

I was a sub nuke mechanic for 8.5 years before getting out this past May. Looking at trying for pilot as I finish my degree in Computer Science this December. I was curious if there are any other former nukes on here that went on to be pilots, and if they can compare the workload / lifestyle between the two.

Obviously, I'm not expecting the two to have many similarities. However, how different is the typical workload? Are there monthly exams? Do you miss certain aspects of being a nuke? (funny, I know)

Lastly, I apologize if there is a thread like this somewhere else - I have had difficulty finding a more appropriate place to ask these questions and
 
GalticJohn said:
Good morning, all;

I was a sub nuke mechanic for 8.5 years before getting out this past May. Looking at trying for pilot as I finish my degree in Computer Science this December. I was curious if there are any other former nukes on here that went on to be pilots, and if they can compare the workload / lifestyle between the two.

Obviously, I'm not expecting the two to have many similarities. However, how different is the typical workload? Are there monthly exams? Do you miss certain aspects of being a nuke? (funny, I know)

Lastly, I apologize if there is a thread like this somewhere else - I have had difficulty finding a more appropriate place to ask these questions and
Click to expand...

Didn’t you ask this similar - ish question a while back?

GalticJohn

Thread 'Concerns about becoming a Pilot'

TLDR; I'm worried about previous time-in-service constraints and potential disqualification due to cholesterol

Hello, All;

There are a few concerns I have about becoming a Navy pilot (1310). For the most part, these concerns surround my medical history and previous time-in-service.

Context:
ο MMN1 / E6 with 8.5 years total time served
ο BS in Computer Science I should have completed by Fall 2025 (crossing my fingers, GPA 3.60)
ο Father served 22 years in the Army as both enlisted and as a commissioned officer, Combat Engineer to Prime Power
ο Father found out he likely has a form...
 
I don't recall asking how the two compared, though I may have asked if there were any nukes that have gone on to become pilots. Maybe asking about program releases?

EDIT: didn't realize you pasted a previous post of mine. I would say that I am asking for something a bit different here – how do the programs compare versus my previous questions concerning medical issues and TIS restrictions.
 
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I’m not sure how qualified I am to answer, but I was a surface nuke and worked With aviators throughout my careers.

-surface nukes: not many liked the job, and retention was often based on bonuses (not all, I have friends who liked it)
-sub guys: seemed to have much better esprit de corps…but we’re still in like three section duty in port and all the other stuff.
-aviators seemed to have a better ability to put in hard hard work when you had to, but enjoyed their life much more than nukes.

If my kids were asking me advice on which of those three to choose, I’d recommend aviation.
 
GalticJohn said:
Good morning, all;

I was a sub nuke mechanic for 8.5 years before getting out this past May. Looking at trying for pilot as I finish my degree in Computer Science this December. I was curious if there are any other former nukes on here that went on to be pilots, and if they can compare the workload / lifestyle between the two.

Obviously, I'm not expecting the two to have many similarities. However, how different is the typical workload? Are there monthly exams? Do you miss certain aspects of being a nuke? (funny, I know)

Lastly, I apologize if there is a thread like this somewhere else - I have had difficulty finding a more appropriate place to ask these questions and
Click to expand...
I was a knuckle dragger, but it was 25 years ago.

I would say the acute workload is similar, particularly in the beginning as you’re learning and getting qualified in the aircraft. In both careers you’ll spend a lot of time getting good early on. You won’t have watches like engine room supervisor, etc, to stand. You will occasionally have SDO or something as a pilot, but it’s no where near as frequent as nuke watches.

You won’t have anything like three section duty while in port, or you don’t have to show up early to get the reactor up and running prior to getting underway. No monthly exams, but you do have annual check rides. I have heard some squadrons give occasional tactics exams but j personally never saw it.

You will spend hours in the vault staying up to date on latest intel, spend hours studying/prepping for flights. You’ll be busy.

But, trust me when I say being a pilot is way better than being a nuke.
 
insanebikerboy said:
I was a knuckle dragger, but it was 25 years ago.

I would say the acute workload is similar, particularly in the beginning as you’re learning and getting qualified in the aircraft. In both careers you’ll spend a lot of time getting good early on. You won’t have watches like engine room supervisor, etc, to stand. You will occasionally have SDO or something as a pilot, but it’s no where near as frequent as nuke watches.

You won’t have anything like three section duty while in port, or you don’t have to show up early to get the reactor up and running prior to getting underway. No monthly exams, but you do have annual check rides. I have heard some squadrons give occasional tactics exams but j personally never saw it.

You will spend hours in the vault staying up to date on latest intel, spend hours studying/prepping for flights. You’ll be busy.

But, trust me when I say being a pilot is way better than being a nuke.
Click to expand...
Thank you! This is a great response. I appreciate hearing about the vault because outside of actually flying, I have very little information on what I would be doing. I’m assuming the “vault” is an SCIA where I would study things analogous to the RPM?
 
GalticJohn said:
Thank you! This is a great response. I appreciate hearing about the vault because outside of actually flying, I have very little information on what I would be doing. I’m assuming the “vault” is an SCIA where I would study things analogous to the RPM?
Click to expand...
Yeah, exactly right. While you’ll spend a lot of time studying your airframe’s tactics, you’ll also study about the adversary.

Which, now that I think about it, the ORSE inspectors were kinda like the adversary. 😂
 
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