Navy Flight Officer

[weinerschizel]

I have many questions. Literally since being an infant I have wanted nothing more than to fly in the military. Now I am a graduate engineering graduate with a BS (shortly to have an MS degree). I am inches from signing a contract for Navy Flight Officer. However, I have many questions. I am desperate to get answers as I have a 60k$/ year coosh job wanting my response asap. I would greatly appreciate your help!

First of all, my recruiter seems to be a good guy. However, I want to double check everything he tells me. I have a heart condition, for which I had corrective surgery when I was 12 years old. Now I am in INCREADIBLE physical condition. The recruiter said he could get me a waver no problem. Does this sound in line? Are people with wavers still able to fly???

Next off, what does the Navy flight school entail?? What is the waiting period to get into it upon completion of OCS. Furthermore what is the washout rate for flight school? What becomes of those with such unfortunate fate as to not complete flight school?

What sort of aircraft to NFO's normally get? My dream is to fly in an F14. What kind of job security is there as an NFO... I hear many of the tasks they perform are being replaced by computers. Lastly, what sort of opportunity for advancement is there??

Is it worthwhile to have a engineering master's degree in the navy? I'm not sure if I should finish my degree then go to OCS... or just go to OCS now.

Any other miscellaneous information or further comments would be great too. Again I really appreciate the help.

 

[Geese]

What sort of aircraft to NFO's normally get? My dream is to fly in an F14. What kind of job security is there as an NFO... I hear many of the tasks they perform are being replaced by computers. Lastly, what sort of opportunity for advancement is there??

Is it worthwhile to have a engineering master's degree in the navy? I'm not sure if I should finish my degree then go to OCS... or just go to OCS now.

Any other miscellaneous information or further comments would be great too. Again I really appreciate the help.

It would help a bit if your dream-aircraft was one that wasn't being phased out of the fleet, I suggest the super-hornet

Finish your master's degree (if it doesn't hurt you age-wise), it is critical to becomming a senior officer.

 

[wusappenin]

how are you in need of a waiver, yet at the same time inches away from signing a contract? i needed the waiver first, and i had to wait several months to get it.

to answer your questions:
navy nfo flight school is 4 stages. api, primary, intermediate, and advanced. panel nav skips the intermediate and goes straight into advanced. the wait for flight school after ocs varies. usually several months.
washout in primary and intermediate is about 30%. a lot of people drop on request. from what i hear from the advanced guys is that they have a lot more attrition than dor's. most of those not making it through flight school end up separating.
aircraft = TACAIR: f-18f, ea/6b, e-2. panel nav: p-3, ep-3, e-6
job security will have to be answered by winged nfo's
if i were you, id finish the masters degree. if you've gone that far, keep going. i can only imagine it would be difficult, at the very least annoying, to continue with your masters again after a several year hiatus.
i gave up a good paying career to join the navy. i like it so far.
good luck

 

[weinerschizel]

Well... The first thing I did was hand over my medical papers for the recruiter and said, “Get me a waver. I know I will need it.” That was a few months ago. He called me the other day and said, “I want to send you to OCS this summer. I am in the process of getting the waver completed.” He seems to be a great guy. However, I just have a hard time completely trusting a recruiter. I had an air force application for NAV in and all sorts of promises and then got completely blown off. It would be so hard for me to accept being blown off again when a 60k$ a year job is riding on my shoulders.

Next off... if I really push it I can finish grad school in December. I will be 24 years old then. However, if I do that I am contemplating having my vision corrected and applying for pilot. How much more difficult is it to get into a fighter jet / high performance aircraft as a pilot, than as an NFO? Furthermore how much more is involved in the schooling selection process etc? In this respect I'm still teetering on the decision of NFO or pilot. I hear there is a possibility of switching to pilot once in if you go ahead with the eye procedure (I wear glasses). Is this rumor true?? If so what is involved??

I really appreciate the advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[IFT2O]

Attrition in Primary is actually between 15 and 19%. for tacair it is higher (reading your post, this seems to be what you want ). Panel Nav which is what I selected is like 1% attrition and the school is in San Antonio; Randolph AFB. In the P-3 you get to put your hands on the contols for firing missles, torps, and sonobouys, and if your lucky you might actually get to fire some sonobouys! HAHA. You also get the opportunity to lead a crew as a mission commander. I'm newly winged but have 2500 crew hours in the P-3 (so I know enough to be dangerous). I'd finish my masters though, it sounds like you're almost done.

 

[zippy]

It would be so hard for me to accept being blown off again when a 60k$ a year job is riding on my shoulders.

How much more difficult is it to get into a fighter jet / high performance aircraft as a pilot, than as an NFO?

The rumor they were kicking around NASC a couple of weeks ago was that for NFOs, 40% were getting Panel and 60% were going strike... The other night I met a FO that was complaining about how much he didn't want to go strike and thats what he got selected for.

On the flip side, the navy uses a lot of pilots for helicopters.(I read a breakdown of naval aviation several years ago that said something like 6 out of every 10 pilots flew helos... Not sure how accurate that info is.)

Job security in the military is typically pretty good (outside of the training pipelines)

As for FO v. McJob. You need to decide whats more important to you... that $60K/yr or serving your country...

The grad school and pilot/prk thing is something you need to decide on your own. Whats more important to you? Having a masters or not? Having a Masters in the navy won't hurt you as your career progresses. It may not help you much as a JO, but it won't hurt you later on. I think PRK involves another waiver but, I could be wrong... there are more threads on that topic around here somewhere.

 

[wusappenin]

in regards to the numbers, not necessarily accurate. some classes have a lot of panel nav slots, some dont. it's all about that numbers game. you cant predict it and it changes weekly, some would even say daily. the squadrons are pretty good about trying to get you what you want. it's just like the pilot side, "what percentage get jets?"

 

[weinerschizel]

What is NFO flight school like? Do they get any stick time? How demanding is the training. My family doesn't much support my choice to serve. They tell me there's all kinds of freaky stuff they do just to try and make me wash out once in. The other day my father told me they simulate water crashes and you have to get out of the submerged canopy before drounding. Then he said they won't bring you out until you've stopped breathing.... etc. And if you don't pass all of this then you can say good bye to flying. Is there any truth to this??

How long of a wait is there between completing OCS and attending NFO flight school? Somebody told me it's years?????

Furthermore, have you guys heard or seen anything about switching from NFO to pilot after being through NFO flight school? The recruiter told me about this. My first choice is to try NFO and do that if it is possible. However, if it's not likely I'm more inclined to try the prk and the apply for pilot. My first priority is to be in a fighter reguardless of pilot or NFO but I really want to be the one controlling the aircraft if possible.

Oh yeah... and if it's cool. What is it you guys do in the navy? Are you all pilots/NFO? If so what aircraft, and how do you like it?

Thanks again for the advice!!!

 

[Fezz CB]

What is NFO flight school like? Do they get any stick time? How demanding is the training. My family doesn't much support my choice to serve. They tell me there's all kinds of freaky stuff they do just to try and make me wash out once in. The other day my father told me they simulate water crashes and you have to get out of the submerged canopy before drounding. Then he said they won't bring you out until you've stopped breathing.... etc. And if you don't pass all of this then you can say good bye to flying. Is there any truth to this??

I think theres a difference between your dad's so-called "freaky stuff" and the survival training youll receive at API. Yea, they have simulated crashes like the helo dunk and the problem solver, etc. and that canopy sim, but I have NEVER heard of an exercise where they wait for you to stop breathing. Thats a pretty outrageous claim and plus, they have tons of ppl in the water making sure nothing happens to you. From what Ive heard and from buddies who just finished API, the instructors prepare you very well, regardless if you had this training before or not. So I wouldnt worry all too much about it. It almost seems like your dad is tryin to freak you out about the Navy. And if you explore more of the forum, youll find more people quit than being kicked out. The question you should ask yourself: HOW HARD ARE YOU WILLING TO WORK TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL OF BEING A NAVAL AVIATOR/NFO? Thats my 2 cents. Keep on keepin' on!

 

[Geese]

What is NFO flight school like? Do they get any stick time? How demanding is the training.

I'm sending out a package right now for commission as an NFO(so I'm not an NFO), but all of those questions are available on this site, just do some searches.

 

[bch]

/Pilot, not NFO, speaking

First off, a phrase you need to learn b4 you sign any contract. NEEDS OF THE NAVY. You need to be prepared to deal with that when/if it happens. What I mean, the navy may not need TacAir guys when/if you select. There is a VERY good chance you will not end up in a fighter, even more so if you try for pilot. If being in a fighter is all you care about, go to the air national guard. If you want to be a NAVAL OFFICER then a Naval Aviator then, if at all possible, a TacAir guy, then conitnue reading, otherwise I would say the navy is not for you.

As far as time to complete. If you do the PRK thing and get pilot... anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 yrs to get wings. FO's are a little quicker I think.

Water training. In api and then every 4(?) yrs after you have to refresh in the pool. Helo dunker, get blind foded, strapped into a "helo looking machine" and submerged and flipped upside down. You have to get yourself out. NO ONE IS GOING TO LET YOU DROWN. They do not force you to stay in until you pass out.

Last thing I think you should be aware of. that 60k keeps coming up... YOU WILL NOT GET RICH as a JO in the navy. If money is what you want, you might consider that 60k job.

If you have any more ?'s just keep asking, you can PM me if you want any more info on the pilot side of the house.... FYI right now it is a lot harder to get a pilot slot.

 

[jmac12]

I haven't been in the training pipeline for about a year, but I can answer a few of your questions. As for a summary of NFO flight school, look under the NFO link and you will find 2 pretty good posts about the strike path (EA-6B) and strike fighter path (F/A 18F). My wait was 2 months between end of ocs and start of api. I have heard it is longer for pilots than for nfo's, but don't really have any idea what it is now. As for switching from nfo to pilot, your best chance to do that is going to be after your first fleet tour, so after you've been in the navy for 6 years or so. two for flight school, 1 for the rag, and 3 in your first sea tour. I don't know what the break down is as far as nfo spots go in terms of getting panel nav or tac air but I know just like anything else in the navy, its all about timing. You may wind up in a class where they need a bunch of guys to go panel nav, or may wind up in a class where everyone goes tac air. no offense, butyour dad watches too many movies. you will do some underwater training, but it is very safe and really easy. like someone said, the f-14 is going away. the super hornet is an awsome platform, but I'm a little biased, so listen to what p-3 guys have to say too. I don't really know much about P-3s and panel nav in general, except that they get per diem, and they talk about it alot. As for the money, you get paid enough to live well if your smart about it, but you don't really do it for the money. you get to fly around in a $40 million dollar jet at 550 kts at 200ft off the ground going through the mountains. (for the p-3 it is considerably slower) its an awsome job. hope this helps a little.

 

[weinerschizel]

Well it's DEFINATLY not about the money. I have wanted nothing more my entire life than to serve flying in the military. However, I have have never been told it would work out for me. I had corrective heart surgery as a child. This never kept me from being in increadible shape. I bodybuild as well as having been a sucessful distance runner. I swim and bike as well. I'm increadibly active. I will do anything to make sure I get in. Have you guys ever heard of somebody in my situation making it in the Navy?

I just put an application together for the air force with all sorts of big promices and got blown off completely. I just hate to pass up all other oportunites if I'm going to get the shaft from the Navy.

I guess speaking of which... what is the pay like? I saw a scale that reported $24,000/ year. Is this in order?

Also I had hoped to do some studies on my own time once in. I hear there's a tuition reinbersement plan. Is this hard to do? Could I possibly finish my masters degree in the evenings while attending NFO flight school? I have something like 4 classes left.

Your help is really appreciated!

 

[zippy]

Base pay is about $28k a year as an O-1<2. when you hit O-2(at about 2yrs) it jumps something like $8k more. It jumps a good amount again when you hit O-3 (at about 4yrs)... Theres a 2005 military payscale floating around the internet somewhere. google it and take a look. The numbers I mentioned are just base pay. You get paid a housing and food allowance when you live off base and flight pay around the time you hit primary (all these numbers vary depending on if your single or have dependents, where you live, what your rank is and how many years of service you have).

Bottom line: the pay gets better after the first two years and isn't bad by the time your an O-3. You won't be rich by any means, but you'll become more comfortable as time goes on.

 

[tspell314]

Hey ultimately it is your decision...recruiters are supposed to be great guys thats how they get you to join. All these guys know what they are talking about, but do not rush into anything. Weigh your options and decide what you think is best. I've seen guys completly love the military and guys who completely hate it, so my advice is to get the big picture, then make your decision.