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OCS Just how important are flight hours in making you competitive for SNA?

The Air Force selects pilots based on a score called PCSM. The more flight hours you have, the higher your PCSM score is.

From what I've seen the Navy has no concrete metric which assigns a numerical value to flight hours. So just how valuable are flight hours for an SNA candidate? For instance:

  1. Is a candidate who scores a 6/6/6 on the ASTB with a PPL more competitive than someone who scored a 7/7/7 without flight hours?
  2. Will the board care about logged flight hours if you don't have a PPL or greater (PPL or bust)? Or are some hours better than none at all?
I'm trying to make myself more competitive for whenever the next board is but don't know whether to retake the ASTB or invest in flight hours (the OP tempo at my job prevents me from doing both). I got a 61 7/7/7 which I'm told is slightly above average but with increased competition for upcoming boards as a result of cancelations, it may not be enough to get me over the hump. Any help would be sincerely appreciated.
 
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FloridaDad

Well-Known Member
I love that this thread is so obviously spun from the conversation we just had in the NOV board thread haha. Thanks for starting it this is a topic I'd love to have some more insight on! Do you know how highly the USAF values them?
 
I love that this thread is so obviously spun from the conversation we just had in the NOV board thread haha. Thanks for starting it this is a topic I'd love to have some more insight on! Do you know how highly the USAF values them?

I had no idea, I should probably follow the November board. For the USAF it's a bracket system. For instance 5 hours adds 1 point, 10 hours adds 6 points, 20 hours adds 11 points, etc. It goes all the way up to 200 hours adding 101 points. While it's nice knowing how valuable your flight hours are, I'm told it also diminishes the worth of your test scores and puts those who can't afford flight hours at a significant disadvantage.
 

FloridaDad

Well-Known Member
I had no idea, I should probably follow the November board. For the USAF it's a bracket system. For instance 5 hours adds 1 point, 10 hours adds 6 points, 20 hours adds 11 points, etc. It goes all the way up to 200 hours adding 101 points. While it's nice knowing how valuable your flight hours are, I'm told it also diminishes the worth of your test scores and puts those who can't afford flight hours at a significant disadvantage.
Yay for being too poor to fly without joining the military! hahaha

You'll have to go back a few pages but it was just talked about briefly. No answers really just the same questions as here.
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
The Air Force selects pilots based on a score called PCSM. The more flight hours you have, the higher your PCSM score is.

From what I've seen the Navy has no concrete metric which assigns a numerical value to flight hours. So just how valuable are flight hours for an SNA candidate? For instance:

  1. Is a candidate who scores a 6/6/6 on the ASTB with a PPL more competitive than someone who scored a 7/7/7 without flight hours?
  2. Will the board care about logged flight hours if you don't have a PPL or greater (PPL or bust)? Or are some hours better than none at all?
I'm trying to make myself more competitive for whenever the next board is but don't know whether to retake the ASTB or invest in flight hours (the OP tempo at my job prevents me from doing both). I got a 61 7/7/7 which I'm told is slightly above average but with increased competition for upcoming boards as a result of cancelations, it may not be enough to get me over the hump. Any help would be sincerely appreciated.

I have seen many with PPL, CFI, multi engine, etc with 5's and 6's get N's while people with 8's and 9's and no flight experience get Y's.

7's a flip a coin.
 
I have seen many with PPL, CFI, multi engine, etc with 5's and 6's get N's while people with 8's and 9's and no flight experience get Y's.

7's a flip a coin.

Thanks for the reponse. It's funny you say that. In a way, getting 6s would have been preferable to me because retaking would be a no brainer. But getting Trip 7s, I have no idea what to do. And coin toss chances don't sit well with me.
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the reponse. It's funny you say that. In a way, getting 6s would have been preferable to me because retaking would be a no brainer. But getting Trip 7s, I have no idea what to do. And coin toss chances don't sit well with me.

I get it, but best to roll the dice and hope for the best than retake and go down a point.
 

FloridaDad

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the reponse. It's funny you say that. In a way, getting 6s would have been preferable to me because retaking would be a no brainer. But getting Trip 7s, I have no idea what to do. And coin toss chances don't sit well with me.
This is why I'm REALLY hoping for 8s minimum. Preferably 9's honestly. With my GPA 7s are a retake :/
 
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