• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

P-3 shore and disassociated options

Status
Not open for further replies.
McNamara

McNamara

Copilot, actually.
pilot
Since I read the very thorough gouge on the first sea tour provided by Zab and the Webmaster (thanks guys), I'm now curious as to the kinds of options future P-3 pilots like myself will have for the two follow-on tours (that's as far ahead as I'm thinking for now).

Shore tour: My wife and I love the Annapolis/DC/Baltimore area (that's where we met) so I want to do my shore tour at the Academy. My weapons class instructor was a P-3 pilot on his first shore tour, and in fact he was the first person I ever talked to who made me realize that P-3s CAN be a very cool platform. I'd love to do the same thing he did for my shore tour -- how difficult is it to be assigned to the boat school?

Disassociated sea tour: I'd kill to do a super J.O. tour in a VP squadron instead. Is it possible? Do I have to bribe my detailer? Or should I start thinking about which ship I'd be least disgusted with? :icon_tong

I'd also love to get a masters degree at some point, but only if I get some choice in the field. Must that be accomplished during the shore tour, or are there other ways?

Thanks for the help, and I've got to say I'm getting pretty excited about my first sea tour already.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, my first two choices for my duty station after the FRS are Hawaii and Maine. Any problems getting those?
 
zab1001

zab1001

Well-Known Member
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
"Shore tour: My wife and I love the Annapolis/DC/Baltimore area (that's where we met) so I want to do my shore tour at the Academy. My weapons class instructor was a P-3 pilot on his first shore tour, and in fact he was the first person I ever talked to who made me realize that P-3s CAN be a very cool platform. I'd love to do the same thing he did for my shore tour -- how difficult is it to be assigned to the boat school?"

Be a sh!t-hot, go-to guy in the squadron. Those billets are EXTREMELY competitive. Last guy i knew to do that was a P-3 Fo with a Masters in EE.

"Disassociated sea tour: I'd kill to do a super J.O. tour in a VP squadron instead. Is it possible? Do I have to bribe my detailer? Or should I start thinking about which ship I'd be least disgusted with?"

A "Super-JO" tour in VP is usually done after a first fleet tour, when you go to another squadron (usually opposite coast) for back-to-back flying sea tours. Very rare, as in, I know one guy that did it and the detailer was trying to keep the guy on track aviation career-wise since the dude was a prior Intel officer. Last year there was talk about it being an possibility in the future, but I wouldn't really count on it as an option. Now,do you mean AFTER your first shore tour? If you want a career in VP and a shot at Skipper, this is not the way to go. It pretty much NEVER happens anyway. PM me for more info on ways to do it if you aren't planning to be CO. If you want to stay in, and stay in the VP "track" plan on going to the boat and wearing a lot of khaki.

"I'd also love to get a masters degree at some point, but only if I get some choice in the field. Must that be accomplished during the shore tour, or are there other ways?"

First shore tour, Naval Post Grad School here in sunny, boring (but you're married) Monterey. Let your CO/XO know early that you are interested.

"Thanks for the help, and I've got to say I'm getting pretty excited about my first sea tour already."

Good. You should be, you're gonna have a blast.

"EDIT: Forgot to mention, my first two choices for my duty station after the FRS are Hawaii and Maine. Any problems getting those?"

Maine, maybe, Hawaii is usually pretty open. GO WEST COAST. GO WEST COAST. GO WEST COAST.
 
Flash

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Disassociated sea tour: I'd kill to do a super J.O. tour in a VP squadron instead. Is it possible? Do I have to bribe my detailer? Or should I start thinking about which ship I'd be least disgusted with?

Start looking at ships buddy. Like Zab said, that is they way you are going to get CO, especially with how competitive it is nowadays. There are a small handful of flying opportunities you can do but they are very limited and you will find out about them when you get to your fleet squadron. Of course, you can always go mercenary and fly for some South American country at the other end of the globe, but who in their right mind would do that? ;)

Shore tour: My wife and I love the Annapolis/DC/Baltimore area (that's where we met) so I want to do my shore tour at the Academy. My weapons class instructor was a P-3 pilot on his first shore tour, and in fact he was the first person I ever talked to who made me realize that P-3s CAN be a very cool platform. I'd love to do the same thing he did for my shore tour -- how difficult is it to be assigned to the boat school?

There are plenty of jobs for a JO back here in the DC area, some of them cool and some of them not so cool. The USNA deal is one of the better ones but there are a lot more, just ask around and you will find out. Give it a little time though after you get to your squadron, people might look at you funny if you walk in the door and start asking stuff like that. And you could always go on some aviation related website too :D .
 
zab1001

zab1001

Well-Known Member
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Flash said:
Start looking at ships buddy. Like Zab said, that is they way you are going to get CO, especially with how competitive it is nowadays. There are a small handful of flying opportunities you can do but they are very limited and you will find out about them when you get to your fleet squadron. Of course, you can always go mercenary and fly for some South American country at the other end of the globe, but who in their right mind would do that? ;)
Click to expand...


Do you realize how many drunken nights I have vowed to buy a T-44A from the Nav when they finally sell em, rip the cabin door off, sling a 60 in there with bungee cords, and disappear into some 3rd world, never to return?

Taking applications for co-pilot now! Send resumes!
 
Fly Navy

Fly Navy

...Great Job!
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
HAHHA always with the funny avatars.

Snoooooochie Booooochies
 
McNamara

McNamara

Copilot, actually.
pilot
Thanks guys, that's the info I was looking for.

To be frank, I want a CO billet as much as I want a hole in my head. In fact, I don't care about making O-4 either. My only goals are to be respected as a good pilot and remembered by my crew as a good leader. Not that I have anything against the Navy or career guys, it's just not my cup o' tea.

I'll keep Monterrey in mind for the shore tour - I guess it'll be my second priority after Annapolis. My wife used to surf in that area and there will be places for her to work, so I wouldn't mind living there at all. Do they let you choose your degree, though?

Zab, I'm gonna try to hook up a similar deal, maybe my own F4U or something. I'll fly escort for your AT-44A.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top