I joined the Marines to be an officer and an aviator, but I also strongly desire to deploy and contribute to the wars that are currently ongoing. I don't see myself having that opportunity when I get to the fleet 3-4 years from now after flight school. Could something like this also potentially derail a flying career? A quick google search revealed that IA tours, early in Marine aviators' first fleet tours, jeopardized their efforts to gain proficiency in their airframe and quals.
Yes.
phrogdriver said:
If you're serious about this, do it before starting flight school, not right before your fleet squadron.
Short answer: This.
Like Phrogdriver said, it is not unheard of to do an IA prior to joining a fleet squadron. In fact, one fixed-wing MAG sent more than a few FRS-complete aviators on IAs prior to joining their squadrons. I cannot speak with any authority as to how they fared in the Fleet, but theirs is the exception - not the norm.
In general,
any time away from the cockpit early in your flying career can very quickly derail your flying career (though, to be honest, not necessarily your Marine Corps career). By the time you've finished flight school, you're no longer one of a "SWAG'd" number of applicants that the Corps is hoping can fill a billet a few years down the road - you're one of a very small number of new Aviators that are being counted on to fill vacancies in a MAG somewhere after the FRS...which means that you are expected to go to the FRS, get your initial quals, and get to your Fleet squadron. Depending on where you wind up going, there will only be a few of you in your peer group...and make no mistake about it, you're competing against each other for career opportunities.
Upon completion of the FRS, your Fleet clock is ticking. In other words, you have a limited time you are expected/permitted to be in the MAG before you pop up on the monitor's list for orders. During this time, if you want to continue with a career in Marine Aviation, you need to be fighting for MOS credibility. Read:
Every flight hour, airframe qual, and flight leadership designations you can get. The squadron has a finite number of flight hours available each year, which means that it can be selective about who it grooms for certain quals. If your peer group shows up to the squadron before you (because you're on an IA), they're going to get first dibs at those hours and quals. When it comes time to rotate out of the squadron, limited quals = a limited number of available billets in the aviation field. The guys with the quals are the ones who are going to be in demand for the career-enhancing aviation-related billets, and you'll take whatever is left. This often means that you'll go away from the Fleet/away from aviation for a certain time, which makes it much harder to get
back to the Fleet in a flying squadron. (Remember, while you're away counting boxes in a warehouse somewhere as a mid-to-senior Captain, your peers are on FAC tours, at career-enhancing schools, serving on forward-deployed staffs, etc. They're getting "relevant" FitReps, staying connected to the Fleet, etc. - and they'll be the first ones the Corps deems worthy of refreshing and sending back to a flying squadron to continue as a player in Marine Aviation. You, once again, will take whatever billets are left.) While the promotion board precepts generally instruct board members to look favorably on IAs, the reality is that in Aviation, IAs do not offset MOS credibility and flight quals when it comes time for the Corps to decide who it wants to retain come promotion time.
This does not mean that your days in the Corps are numbered if you fall behind in aviation - in fact, Aviators who don't max out their quals often go on to very successful careers in the Corps...just not always at the controls of aircraft.
The above, while not the 100% solution, is pretty much universal for junior Fleet pilots nowadays. The "fat" days of the mid-00s are quickly coming to a close, and there will be even fewer available flight hours, fewer seats in Fleet squadrons, etc. Like phrogdriver said, if you're dying for an IA, try to get it done before API. Give yourself a clean slate in Marine Aviation once you check in to API, because you're going to need every flight hour and qualification to be competitive and remain relevant in our upcoming Right-Sized Marine Corps.
