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Pilot/NFO Career Timeline

True.

In VAW and HSL NATOPS Officer is a ticket puncher (with AOPS, ASO and QAO) but in others, NATOPS is a "new guy" job.
 
Ralph said:
How difficult is it to get a second JO tour? How many second sea tours allow you to fly?
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During your shore tour, go to the FRS or the Weapons School and earn your Tactics Instructor qual then you might get a super JO (training officer) job.

-ea6bflyr ;)
 
Fre@kshow!! said:
Words
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How does doing a test pilot tour fit in to this career progression? And how does the transition to full-time test piloting as an AEDO function? I've done some research and it sounds interesting but the details are light as it's a small community.
 
Getting a second flying sea tour is pretty easy for a hard-charger, and usually happens as a disassociated tour. Anybody on CAG-staff will still be able to fly, and squadron Super-JO's (typically) are guys who were selected for WTI out of their first sea-tour, then went to the WTU/Fallon/FRS for 3yrs of shore duty, and are coming back to the fleet to be the Training Officer in a squadron. These guys are LT's and probably LCDR Selects. They will select for DH directly out of that tour as well. It's a big commitment in the E2 community to go WTI... you're going to spend A LOT of time at sea, and way more time on the road than your peers when the squadron does happen to be on the beach. It's one of the primary roads to command, but you spend a lot of time away from your family. If you don't mind mainlining the kool-aid full strength straight to the jugular, then WTI might be for you.

Guys will get picked up to Test Pilot at the very end of their JO tour, or very early at their first Shore Tour depending on when the boards are and when they actually got to the fleet. There are also several ways to become Test Pilots, and there is a selection board at Millington. You must submit a package, endorsed by your CO and probably CAG and the Admiral. The package goes to the board and you compete agains a couple hundred other guys. If selected, there are a couple different ways to actually become a tester... AFIT, Direct Entry, etc... and after you graduate from TPS, you owe your payback tour as a tester at one of the VX's. Some guys have time after their test tour to have a mini-tour doing something prior to DH screen... especially if they don't screen for DH on their first look.

Unknown about how the AEDO job works, but I was under the impression that guys who were pilots and became AEDO's don't fly anymore.
 
Fre@kshow!! said:
*Knowledges*

Unknown about how the AEDO job works, but I was under the impression that guys who were pilots and became AEDO's don't fly anymore.
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From what I've read, there are are a number of permanent test slots available, and when you're not flying, you're assisting in program management and development like any other AEDO. From what I could gather, it made it seem like all of these slots are for Department Heads and above, though. I would assume that the CO/XO of the VXs are AEDOs, but then again, what do I know. I just thought that the option to switch over to AEDO to make use of my engineering degree while still flying part-time sounded like a good deal.

EDIT: I found the answer for those still interested. Slide number 4 of this slide show: http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/officer/Detailing/aviation/aedo/Documents/AEDO%20Community%20Overview%20Brief%20-%20%2003%20MAR%2011.pdf

AEDO Career Progression:
http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/officer/Detailing/aviation/aedo/Documents/AEDO_CareerManagement.pdf
 
Great info, is your second shore duty going to be after ur 20 year mark? Is getting a flying staff position that difficult?
 
Your second shore tour is after your department head tour... typically called your Joint Tour. It's where DH's that have a career that makes them competitive for Command grab a highly competitive job in the Pentagon or somewhere to guarantee they screen. It is not a flying billet... in fact, after your DH tour, unless you screen for CO/XO, you are almost certainly done flying. There are some options out there, but very few... good news is that doing well as a DH, even if you don't screen for CO/XO, means you'll almost certainly make O5, which lets you put in more than 20yrs... you'll never make Captain, but if you're willing to do whatever job is available wherever it happens to be, you stand a good chance of being able to go all the way to 28yrs... unless you're a CDR right now with like 25 and are getting the boot due to cutbacks.
 
Fre@kshow!! said:
...
Guys will get picked up to Test Pilot at the very end of their JO tour, or very early at their first Shore Tour depending on when the boards are and when they actually got to the fleet. There are also several ways to become Test Pilots, and there is a selection board at Millington. You must submit a package, endorsed by your CO and probably CAG and the Admiral. The package goes to the board and you compete agains a couple hundred other guys. If selected, there are a couple different ways to actually become a tester... AFIT, Direct Entry, etc... and after you graduate from TPS, you owe your payback tour as a tester at one of the VX's. Some guys have time after their test tour to have a mini-tour doing something prior to DH screen... especially if they don't screen for DH on their first look.

Unknown about how the AEDO job works, but I was under the impression that guys who were pilots and became AEDO's don't fly anymore.
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TPS isn't nearly that competitive - tightest competition I saw on the board I worked was ~28 guys for 2-3 slots, with only 15 of them really qualified. CAG/admiral endorsements don't hurt but plenty of guys get picked up without it. A lot of guys have had to suck up an IA during their payback test tour, so that sucks.

I've been an AEDO for 6+ years and done nothing but fly. Don't get me wrong, you will dead end your career if you don't do time in a program office, but you can absolutely keep flying if you work for it.
 
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