Questions about getting into Naval Aviation

[kevkwondo08]

Hello. I'm a rising junior in high school, and I want to become some sort of aviator. I am involved with after-school activities, I do Tae Kwon Do for a sport (got my black belt), and I have no behavioral issues. I am doing well grade-wise (I should have a gpa greater than 4.0 by the time I graduate), and am in a science-intensive program. My only problem is that I require glasses. I also don't want to go to Annapolis or join the Air Force; I only want to do NROTC while at college. I was wondering how much this will hurt my chances of getting to be a naval aviator?

 

[UMichfly]

NROTC vice the Academy/Chair Force will not impact your chances of being a Naval Aviator at all (with the exception of the fact that the Air Force doesn't have any naval aviators:icon_wink ). The glasses shouldn't make a difference assuming that you take advantage of options available to you such as the soft contact lens waiver or the PRK waiver. For more on those, I'd suggest a search. I'm sure you'll hear that from everyone else soon.

 

[usnphoenix]

I have a few friends that went ROTC vice going to the academy and it didn't hurt them at all. It sounds like you are setting yourself up on the right track, so keep up the hard work!

 

[Chubby]

kevkwondo08 ... is that anything like RexKwonDo ...?

 

[ChunksJR]

If you do NROTC, you're probably going to get helos.












NO...not really. Proud NROTC grad from Georgia Tech in '01. Most of the aviator types that I knew got what they wanted. Keep up the good work.

 

[kevkwondo08]

Thanks all. I don't care what I get, just that I get to fly.

 

[Slammer2]

kev,

Are you familiar with the OCS route as well? If not look into it. I didnt know about it until I actually started to talk to recruiters. I thought that it was either academy or ROTC. Apologies if you already know!

 

[HeyJoe]

kevkwondo08 ... is that anything like RexKwonDo ...?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Welcome to the forum

kevkwondo08 - I do Tae Kwon Do for a sport (got my black belt), and I have no behavioral issues.

BTW - You'll get along here and in the fleet if you had a few behavioral issues...but don't worry, if you're too squeeky clean and with a GPA above 4.0, your new friends will be happy to provide you with some or help you develop some of your own....watch this movie....you're not Mitch, are you? (if so, this would be a great training flick to get ready for the fleet; at least for most respectable squadrons). Welcome aboard, hope you brought your sense of humor!

 

[Fly Navy]

I also don't want to go to Annapolis or join the Air Force; I only want to do NROTC while at college. I was wondering how much this will hurt my chances of getting to be a naval aviator?

NROTC guy here, flying Rhinos now. NROTC will not hurt anything, they get just as many pilot slots as the USNA. I personally think (and I'm biased) that NROTC is the best deal going... pay for all 4 years of college with a semi-normal college lifestyle, vice the USNA (not normal... at all). You said you were a junior? Keep your grades up, keep that extra-curricular activities going. Find the school you want to go to and see if they have a NROTC unit OR a cross-town agreement (my school didn't have an actual unit, I was cross-town to another school for NROTC... pain in the butt... but worth it).

 

[Fly Navy]

watch this movie

Val Kilmer's best movie.

 

[Harrier Dude]

Don't forget about the Marines. There are many options available, many of which are the same (NROTC/USNA) as well as PLC. You have plenty of time to think about it. For now, keep up your grades, stay out of trouble (major, like with the cops), and work hard. You'll figure it out. Good luck!

 

[NavyChaz]

Great Navy Officer Application Guide that might help

I just went through the process of applying to become a Naval Officer. Whew! What an ordeal! Depending on how helpful your recruiter and processors are it can take from 2 to 4 months... and if you make one mistake, watch out! Anyhow, someone recommended that I go to this site, www.navyguides.com and download their application guide ebook.

It probably has a lot of the specific answers you're looking for.

I think the price is about $19 (can't remember exactly) but I can say it's the best money I ever spent. It's got everything you need to do in order and goes step by step through the whole thing and even tells you what to watch out for - common mistakes. My recruiter was really happy with how organized I was and I didn't have to bug him with too many questions. My recruiter hadn't heard of it, but checked it out once I told him and thought it was helpful.

Just thought I'd pass that along to anyone else who might be going through "application hell" - Good luck! If you have questions about it, let me know and I'll answer you right back.

NavyChaz

 

[TheBubba]

I just went through the process of applying to become a Naval Officer. Whew! What an ordeal! Depending on how helpful your recruiter and processors are it can take from 2 to 4 months... and if you make one mistake, watch out! Anyhow, someone recommended that I go to this site, www.navyguides.com and download their application guide ebook.

It probably has a lot of the specific answers you're looking for.

I think the price is about $19 (can't remember exactly) but I can say it's the best money I ever spent. It's got everything you need to do in order and goes step by step through the whole thing and even tells you what to watch out for - common mistakes. My recruiter was really happy with how organized I was and I didn't have to bug him with too many questions. My recruiter hadn't heard of it, but checked it out once I told him and thought it was helpful.

Just thought I'd pass that along to anyone else who might be going through "application hell" - Good luck! If you have questions about it, let me know and I'll answer you right back.

NavyChaz

post X4... why?

 

[DanMa1156]

Hey man, good luck, sounds like you're on the right track. Apply for NROTC as early as you can, and get the paperwork in quickly.

Re: Bubba - troll? Maybe mods should take a look...