"Guaranteed" Pilot Slot?

[kingneptune117]

Hey all,

I heard a few years ago that you can be guaranteed a pilot slot before signing up for Navy OCS. Does this still hold true today?

If so, when does the flight medical occur? If the flight medical occurs while you're in OCS (assuming you were guaranteed a pilot slot) what happens if you don't pass the flight medical?

Thanks everyone!

 

[MGoBrew11]

To put it more nicely than some might:

These questions have been answered a million times on this forum. Read around and you'll figure it out. If you then have more specific questions ask away.

 

[HTR]

Hey all,

I heard a few years ago that you can be guaranteed a pilot slot before signing up for Navy OCS. Does this still hold true today?

If so, when does the flight medical occur? If the flight medical occurs while you're in OCS (assuming you were guaranteed a pilot slot) what happens if you don't pass the flight medical?

Thanks everyone!

Yes, you are told what you will be before you signm you have to go before a board and be selected. At meps you will have a physical. Then at ocs you will have another at the beginning.

 

[kingneptune117]

Yes, you are told what you will be before you signm you have to go before a board and be selected. At meps you will have a physical. Then at ocs you will have another at the beginning.

Right. I did some looking around and it is clear that I will know whether or not I am going down the pilot track before I actually sign. I was unable to find any information regarding what happens if you fail to pass the flight medical during OCS.

 

[croakerfish]

I was unable to find any information regarding what happens if you fail to pass the flight medical during OCS.

In most cases you will be offered redesignation. What they will offer you depends on what, if any slots are available. If you're lucky, and still medically qualified you can go NFO. In many cases it's go SWO or get lost.

 

[kingneptune117]

In most cases you will be offered redesignation. What they will offer you depends on what, if any slots are available. If you're lucky, and still medically qualified you can go NFO. In many cases it's go SWO or get lost.

Croakerfish,

Thank you for the response!

When you say "get lost", does that imply they actually give you the option to drop out of OCS all together, no strings attached?

 

[Spartan43]

When you say "get lost", does that imply they actually give you the option to drop out of OCS all together, no strings attached?

Yes. The common phrase is "SWO or go"

The worst part is that you may not even be told that you are DQ'd from aviation until a week or two before commissioning.

 

[kingneptune117]

Yes. The common phrase is "SWO or go"

The worst part is that you may not even be told that you are DQ'd from aviation until a week or two before commissioning.

I'm assuming this is because you may be waiting to hear if you received a waiver for your medical condition?

Speaking of waivers, is the Navy more strict on medical flight waivers than the USAF? Just out of curiosity.

 

[pilot_man]

I think you might be nuking this a bit. You don't get the pilot slot until after you've gone to MEPS and get a physical done, all pre-OCS. If they do their job correctly then that should be the end of your worries. You will have other flight physicals before commissioning but again, if everyone has done their job up to this point, there shouldn't be any new surprises. Of course there are random exceptions to the rule, but the for the most part you won't get booted from Aviation the week prior to commissioning.

 

[Renegade One]

Ah…"guarantees"…reminds me only of Craftsman Tools bought at Sears. Everything else seems to have a caveat...

 

[kingneptune117]

I am going to be a senior in college starting in August. Is this a good time to start putting an OCS package together? I am unsure when to actually submit the OCS package. I would like to do so before I graduate if possible, and I am pretty confident that people usually do this senior. The question I have is when during senior year?

 

[BackOrdered]

I am going to be a senior in college starting in August. Is this a good time to start putting an OCS package together? I am unsure when to actually submit the OCS package. I would like to do so before I graduate if possible, and I am pretty confident that people usually do this senior. The question I have is when during senior year?

I would establish comms with the OR now if you think you are competitive. If not, you have time between now and graduation to worry about your ASTB and GPA.

 

[kingneptune117]

I would establish comms with the OR now if you think you are competitive. If not, you have time between now and graduation to worry about your ASTB and GPA.

I appreciate the response, BackOrdered. Since this semester is about to be over I will probably get ahold of OR within the next week. Better sooner than later.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Study for and take the ASTB this summer while you have some time off. If you have any previous medical issues/history, start getting the documents to begin the MEPS process. It's never too early to get ahead of the game.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Ah…"guarantees"…reminds me only of Craftsman Tools bought at Sears. Everything else seems to have a caveat...

This is what I think of whenever I hear "guarantees"