Jet designation

[tingley]

Question:
Do you have to qualify for jets after primary to fly the carrier-prop aircrafts, such as the C-2 and the E-2's? I'm just wondering how variable one's designator is after advanced jet training.
-Sean

 

[kmac]

To answer the first question: yes. You need to have at least a 50 NSS to be able to select jets or E-2/C-2's. Of course, what it really comes down to is if there are any slots available in the week you select. I'm starting to think it's more of a lottery now than how well you do in Primary.

 

[Jeff]

Selection is all about luck KMAC. When I selected there was a huge
E-2/C-2 draft and they were actually waiving guys to go E2/C2 with 48 and above. I have no idea what selections are doing now, but you do your best and then pray it all works out in the end.

 

[Falcaner]

For those of you are curios as to what is being selected right now this is about what was selected this past week.
Jets- one slot
E2/C2 - Two Slots
Props - Three or four i think
Helos rest
There haven't been many jets slots lately but hopefully there will be more when I select.

 

[kmac]

What squadron was that for?

 

[Falcaner]

That was for all squadrons. I am in VT-27. We hand one E-2/C-2 and the rest were helos. I think they had about 14 people in all select between all the squadrons.

 

[Dave Shutter]

Kmac...when they do selections for a given week it will be for all graduates that week from both Corpus and Whiting. You can't just worry about competing with the Chuck Yeagers in your SQDN, but the guys across the street in the other SQDN's and the guys on the other side of the Gulf too. From the people I know in Primary, Jet selections have been almost non-existent lately and guys are fighting like roosters with razor blades taped to their feet for props. Apparently it sways back and forth so I've got my ear to ground for that week where there'll be a dozen jet selections or so, and then back to this. Timing.

 

[tingley]

Thanks for the info guys. Hopefully this timing luck thing will be more friendly than Vegas was to me last weekend.
-sean

 

[PilotCPB]

Hey Kmac,
Earlier on you mentioned that one would need a 50 NSS or better to get Jets or E2/C2s. What exactly is an NSS, how is it determined, how important is it, etc?
Chris

 

[Jeff]

NSS is your Navy Standard Score, it is the Navy's way of determining how well you did in training. Max NSS is 80 and like they said you need a 50 to put down Jets or E2/C2 on you selection sheet and I believe a 35 to graduate. In primary only flights after FAM 4 count towards your NSS (sims do not count, although I believe they are in the process of changing that) Also academics and API do not count towards your NSS in Primary. Again this is for primary. In Jets everything from sims to academics to flights count, but I am not sure how the other platforms work.

Each squadron puts studs in a bell curve to determine your NSS (Average NSS is a 50). This is based on the last 200 or 300 selects. Then CNATRA throws all the squadrons together in a bell curve again. This gives some type of deviation and then everyone in the squadron has points added to or taken away. When I was in VT-28 I saw us go from a 4 point deduction to a 2 point addition. Basically its some sort of black magic they do, but this is how stucon had explained it to me.

 

[kmac]

I think black magic (or FM) is the best way to describe how things work. Not only is your NSS important, but whether or not the skipper recommends you for a tactical community, if you're married or single, and other off-the-wall categories. It all boils down to how well you will likely do in a certain pipeline. The NSS plays a large, but not sole, part to this.

Now point of clarification please: does API/Academics count? I have heard both ways. I first thought that it does not, but on the forms for the NSS there are spots for API and the Primary academics.

 

[mattlowery]

i've heard PRT and API academics count about 1-4% of the total, so very insignificant. don't know if this is bad gouge or not. weather test Thursday!

Matt L.

 

[Jeff]

When I checked into Primary they told us that API and the PRT, despite popular belief was just a check in the box. When I selected out of primary I was given a composite of my NSS and it was soley based on flights. Basically I think they just tell you that these things count so you dont just try to slide by. If they do have any baring it is so small I wouldn't worry about it. The two biggest factors are FAMS and RIs, they were like 30% each.

 

[PilotCPB]

Just more NSS questions... Who exactly issues NSS scores? Does an IP just make notes or check boxes off during a flight? Also, I saw that the max is 80, and an SNA needs a 50 for jets or E2/C2. What kind of scores do most students end up with? Does anybody ever end up with an 80 or something close? Also, if 35 if the min for graduation, what pipeline would a student with that score most likely be assigned to?
Chris

 

[Jeff]

Basically 80 is the max, meaning thats the best anyone has done thus far. The week before I selected we had a Tomcat RIO (Retred) get an 83 NSS. Basically he maxed it and then had points added. As I said a 50 is basically the average guy going through the program. Above a 70 is not all that common but it happens. The week I selected, we actually had 3 guys with over a 70 in my squadron alone. As for the lower end, the guys coming out with 30s and low 40s are usually going helos.
Again NSS is how well you do and the better you do the better your chances of going where you want, but it is mostly luck between needs of the Navy and who else selected that week. My selection brief consisted of nine studs from my sqadron. Seven of the nine had over a 50 and 5 of them were over 60s. Luckily there were quite a few jet slots that week. On the flip side I have also seen weeks where number one only had a 45.

Dont sweat it, Do your best and pray it works out. In the end most everyone loves their community.