Hi all,
First time poster here, though i lurked around the site some during my prep for the ASTB back in September. Big thanks to all on this site for posting all the great information!
Sorry ahead of time for the lengthy explanation, but i have a difficult choice to make regarding shipping date for OCS. I applied to the October aviation boards and was privileged to get accepted for pilot. I am currently in the last phase of my finishing up my doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering. I will have finished all the academic and qualifying exam requirements in about a weeks time, and will need roughly 6-8months to finish the research contribution and construct/defend my thesis. Here is the catch, I am 26 and turn 27 in June. I am not a prior enlisted candidate.
When i first started talking to my recruiter back in August i had researched the program as much as i could and realized the cutoff for pilot to be commissioned was 27years old (and that age-waivers were 'not likely' for non-priors?). I also realized i would not be able to finish the PhD by my 27th birthday (or 3 months earlier giving time for me to commission). Flying is a passion of mine (got my PPL last year) and i have a strong, sincere desire to serve this country, so i decided to give it a shot. A few current Naval Aviators i talked to for advice suggested an age-waiver should be doable due to my circumstance of getting a PhD. I didnt want to waste the time of my recruiter or the Navy so i made sure i articulated from the beginning my situation. The topic of an age-waiver came up quiet frequently in spoken/email conversations with my recruiter and he said he was going to look into getting an age-waiver approved, including a formal request for the age waiver at the start of November.
Fast forward to the beginning of this week and i get an email saying the program manager can find no means for me to get an age-waiver since i am not a prior enlisted. They want me to ship out to OCS at the start of February to give me a cushion to commission by my 27th birthday, with no guarantees i can come back after OCS to finish up what i have left of my PhD (I realize pilot candidates can get busy real quick after OCS).
If i were some Masters student that had just started his PhD i would postpone it and go the OCS route. I am however much closer to the end of my program than I am to the middle. I need 6-8more months roughly (which would put me about 3months past my 27th birthday). Realistically speaking, a 5 year (orso) break accounting for flight training and fleet tour (or some other form of obligation if i happen to not make it behind the controls) will pretty much set me back to day 1 of my research and qualifying exam requirements for the degree.
So, sorry for this long post and thank you if you are still reading, is there any means i can get an age-waiver approved for this circumstance? Could i contact some folks higher up in the chain of command and present to them my situation? A buddy of mine from undergrad who is currently an LT and Naval Aviator suggested i contact the board itself? I know as pilot candidate i am a pilot before i am an engineer in the Navy's point of view, but the contributions i know i can offer to the Navy in the long run will be of much higher quality if i have the confidence and qualifications of having obtained my doctorate.
Again, sorry for the long post, but i would appreciate any advice/feedback!
Cheers
First time poster here, though i lurked around the site some during my prep for the ASTB back in September. Big thanks to all on this site for posting all the great information!
Sorry ahead of time for the lengthy explanation, but i have a difficult choice to make regarding shipping date for OCS. I applied to the October aviation boards and was privileged to get accepted for pilot. I am currently in the last phase of my finishing up my doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering. I will have finished all the academic and qualifying exam requirements in about a weeks time, and will need roughly 6-8months to finish the research contribution and construct/defend my thesis. Here is the catch, I am 26 and turn 27 in June. I am not a prior enlisted candidate.
When i first started talking to my recruiter back in August i had researched the program as much as i could and realized the cutoff for pilot to be commissioned was 27years old (and that age-waivers were 'not likely' for non-priors?). I also realized i would not be able to finish the PhD by my 27th birthday (or 3 months earlier giving time for me to commission). Flying is a passion of mine (got my PPL last year) and i have a strong, sincere desire to serve this country, so i decided to give it a shot. A few current Naval Aviators i talked to for advice suggested an age-waiver should be doable due to my circumstance of getting a PhD. I didnt want to waste the time of my recruiter or the Navy so i made sure i articulated from the beginning my situation. The topic of an age-waiver came up quiet frequently in spoken/email conversations with my recruiter and he said he was going to look into getting an age-waiver approved, including a formal request for the age waiver at the start of November.
Fast forward to the beginning of this week and i get an email saying the program manager can find no means for me to get an age-waiver since i am not a prior enlisted. They want me to ship out to OCS at the start of February to give me a cushion to commission by my 27th birthday, with no guarantees i can come back after OCS to finish up what i have left of my PhD (I realize pilot candidates can get busy real quick after OCS).
If i were some Masters student that had just started his PhD i would postpone it and go the OCS route. I am however much closer to the end of my program than I am to the middle. I need 6-8more months roughly (which would put me about 3months past my 27th birthday). Realistically speaking, a 5 year (orso) break accounting for flight training and fleet tour (or some other form of obligation if i happen to not make it behind the controls) will pretty much set me back to day 1 of my research and qualifying exam requirements for the degree.
So, sorry for this long post and thank you if you are still reading, is there any means i can get an age-waiver approved for this circumstance? Could i contact some folks higher up in the chain of command and present to them my situation? A buddy of mine from undergrad who is currently an LT and Naval Aviator suggested i contact the board itself? I know as pilot candidate i am a pilot before i am an engineer in the Navy's point of view, but the contributions i know i can offer to the Navy in the long run will be of much higher quality if i have the confidence and qualifications of having obtained my doctorate.
Again, sorry for the long post, but i would appreciate any advice/feedback!
Cheers
