NFO Question

[kevin]

grouch you really are a dumbass. you just proved my point...if you have a ppl you have a chance in the af, whereas you dont have to have it to go navy. since not everyone in the world has a ppl, and it's a significant part of your pcsm score, it puts you in a different class. plus having a technical major, not to mention an m.s., looks great to af selection boards (as well as navy). you'll notice i didnt say he was automatically going to be selected. personally i think the ppl thing is stupid, considering a decade ago the af discouraged it (they wanted to train you from "scratch"). and navy aviators certainly end up no worse (if not better) as drivers than af.

stacy: please feel free to post off topic. i just paved the way for you. let me know about your final word on nfo.

mimisoko: are you still going sna or what?

 

[wink]

Recruiting Command does not select based on the ordinary Govt FY. For CNRC the FY starts 1JUL. So, The FY04 slots open after 1JUL03 the FY05 slots 1JUL04, etc. Recruting will also work "out year" meaning they select in a current FY for a known vacancy in the following FY. They usually work the current year and the following year.

 

[stevew]

Wink: Does this mean that come 1JUL03 we may seem SNA spots opening up? for the FY04 year? Or hs pilot been officially closed for FY04?

-Steve

 

[mimisoko9]

Kevin-

Still going (or "hope to," rather) SNA (and SNFO), but need to sit things out until the post-PRK period is over. I read your posts about "old way" vs. "new way" of processing PRK'rs, but I don't think my recruiter sees it that way. Other than maybe gently broaching the subject, I probably won't ask him about it; I don't want him to think I'm telling him how to do his job. Besides, I don't think a few months is going to make a difference in my case. I had my 26th birthday on Friday; even under the best circumstances, given how backed up/competitive it is right now, I think I'd have a snowball's chance in hell of getting commissioned SNA before I'm 27. Still, I'm going for it.

By the way, please don't discourage Grouch. If not for exchanges like the one between you and him, this forum would have no entertainment value

. (Sorry, the "Mac from JAG" posts just don't cut it for me).

-Mimi

 

[grouch]

Look dingleberries, entertainment value is all I can provide or to be more correct, all I wish to provide. kevin, the AF didn't care one wit about my tech degree in aviation or my 300+ flight hours private with instrument. So I am not just blowing smoke. I am 29 however so I was facing the age limit when I applied two years ago.

Mimi, I do not, can not or will not be discouraged. I am here to provide comic relief not only to you and those who read, but to myself as well.

 

[Jold]

Sigh ...

 

[mimisoko9]

'Atta Boy, Grouch! Glad to hear it!

Wakani - sorry we seem to have run on a tangent as often is the case in the airwarriors romper-room. I cannot issue a qualified opinion like Wink and I'm sure there are plenty of people who would disagree with what I say, but a different perspective to give you some things to think about can't hurt.

On paper, you appear to be an outstanding applicant. Unfortunately there are a number of factors working against you (economy, airline industry, geopolitical events, etc.) that are beyond your control. However, the way I look at it, if SNA is what you really want, hold out for it. You're only 24. A lot could change in the next year and half. Did you ask the recruiter to define "near term?"

It's my impression that many applicants have been well-served in reapplying for the designator they really want. True, it'd be a gamble passing up SNFO since nothing is imminent, but if SNFO is a distant second to SNA, then is there really a whole lot of downside to holding out? Is it more a priority to go to OCS ASAP, or is it more of a priority to get the designator you really want? Sounds to me like you really had your heart set on SNA and you're disappointed in the change of plans, but I could be wrong and I don't know your circumstances/priorities.

I also don't know your off-paper attributes that a recruiter would also evaluate... say, for example, determination and persistance.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

 

[Jold]

Thanks. Appreciate the advice and sympathy.

As an old song goes: " ... guess i will collect my books and go on back to school .... " or " steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing pool .... "

Was trying to rationalize that NFO was a good alternative, but looks like not a good option.

Think i will go back to CalTech and Pile it Higher and Deeper (Phd....)

Thanks all.

 

[grouch]

Mimi, what Jag comment?

 

[wink]

We are in the CNRC FY03 period now. They have filed FY04, or nearly so. 1JUL03 should start the CNRC FY04 period and then you might see FY05 opennings because "in year" will then be 04 and "out year" will be 05. I don't remember reading if you are actually talking to a recruiter. Please do. He is in the best position to evaluate your competitive profile. I want to be sure you haven't written off NFO. NFO is a good option or alternative. If it isn't your first choice and a recruiter advises you can wait, then wait for pilot. If pilot doesn't work out, whenever that may be, then you should reconsider NFO. I didn't want to be a Medical Doctor, but that did't mean it wasn't a "good alternative". On the other hand, being an Air Farse pilot is NEVER a good alternative!!

 

[sailorgloom]

Originally posted by wakani
Thanks. Appreciate the advice and sympathy.
Think i will go back to CalTech and Pile it Higher and Deeper (Phd....)

Thanks all.

Just wait for the quotas to open up next year. No worries. You're only 24! In the meantime, you may want to consider the Reserves to get some time in uniform.

-SG

 

[mimisoko9]

Grouch-

No JAG "comment." Just a thread from a few weeks ago about how hot Major Mackenzie from JAG is, and whether or not marines that look like her really exist, and other pressing issues.

I see greater value in learning how to pull a stick your ass without hurting yourself

. I also cannot think of a higher compliment than to be addressed as a dingleberry.

 

[grouch]

There are some people here who do not like the word dingleberry, hence it's use. You know who you are! As I indicated before, I see no reason to remove said stick.

 

[Meridiani]

Wakani,

I'm going to take a rare moment here to be completely serious. Watch out ya'll...

In my first OCS application I applied for SNA and did not even list SNFO as one of my choices. I'm nearly 27, so in retrospect, this was a mistake for me. I had heard a lot of negative things about NFOs, and was foolish enough to believe them. I later learned more about the job of an NFO, and decided that it would be a fantastic opportunity for me, particularly because I was too old to reapply for SNA. I reapplied for SNFO, and was lucky enough to get recommended. But enough about me...

Are you the kind of person who will always wonder whether you could have made it as a pilot if you had only taken the risk of reapplying? I know I am, so fortunately for me, I don't have that choice. Sometimes life is simpler when you have fewer choices...but I digress. If I were in your shoes, I would turn down the NFO slot. Rather than getting a Ph.D., which in my opinion will not aid your application, I would enlist. I know that's not for everyone, but that is what I would do. It shows your dedication to the Navy, despite your decision to reject an NFO slot. You'll have an opportunity to prove yourself and your leadership abilities to your chain of command. You gain additional time to get into an SNA slot, because you'll be eligible for the active duty age waiver. So, if slots do continue to be closed off in the near term, you'll still have some breathing room on the age issue.

That's my $0.02, and it's probably worth even less than that.

Good luck with your decision, and keep us posted!


____________
Stacy
____________

 

[stevew]

Stacy, If you want pilot so badly you can also enlist and get the same prior active duty waiver. Also, I don't know if it's true or not but I heard that the navy has granted the age waivers even without prior active duty.

Just my $.02

Steve