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Stupid Questions about Naval Aviation (Part 3)

Anecdotal side story… my buddy from my last squadron got picked up for a warfare transition (helos to jets) in his mid 30s, and at 17 years of service (prior E).

I couldn’t imagine going through flight school again at 17 years, especially if you have a spouse and kids 🤯
 
Meyerkord said:
Anecdotal side story… my buddy from my last squadron got picked up for a warfare transition (helos to jets) in his mid 30s, and at 17 years of service (prior E).

I couldn’t imagine going through flight school again at 17 years, especially if you have a spouse and kids 🤯
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Did the same thing on the USMC side. It kinda rocked. Corpus was way less fun than the first time around as a married 35 year old with a kid, but I was absolutely the most overpaid O-4 in the DON.
 
How many hours of flying should you have before showing up to flight school to do well? I watch Jake Zweig a lot, and a lot of people who land fighters already have a PPL and got instrument rating and have around 500 hours of flying
 
Randomranger900 said:
How many hours of flying should you have before showing up to flight school to do well? I watch Jake Zweig a lot, and a lot of people who land fighters already have a PPL and got instrument rating and have around 500 hours of flying
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Zero.

People have had personal flight time and license/s and fail out of flight school. Others with zero flight time and get through no issues.

You ought to start researching more on this forum...
 
Randomranger900 said:
How many hours of flying should you have before showing up to flight school to do well? I watch Jake Zweig a lot, and a lot of people who land fighters already have a PPL and got instrument rating and have around 500 hours of flying
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From my time as a flight instructor in CNATRA, it appeared that those with prior flight time had a significant advantage. Some of the computer based flight sims are definitely useful, and having some prior airsense with even rudimentary steps as taxiing around an airport and basic pattern work would be beneficial, an instrument rating is a step further. Best of luck.
 
Randomranger900 said:
How many hours of flying should you have before showing up to flight school to do well? I watch Jake Zweig a lot, and a lot of people who land fighters already have a PPL and got instrument rating and have around 500 hours of flying
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Or.. find an Air Force Reserve or USAF Air Guard unit flying a platform that you could see yourself in, apply with a bachelor's degree and Private Pilot Certificate . Assuming you are otherwise qualified and fit physically and emotionally you will likely find yourself with a solid military flying career opportunity. Pro tip, use online resources to identify units with critical pilot manning shortfall and a large amount of UPT slots. You would be promising a unit the next 8 years of your life and will need to reside locally. But a solid path that is well documented. Your investment in self funded flight training would pay off in this scenario.

Something to consider.
 
Brett327 said:
Are fighter guard units really hiring random dudes off the street with a PPL? That sounds like a long shot.
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Seems weird to us old AD guys, but it has certainly happened. We've sent several folks to the guard from my current employer. They get brought in and activated, then go through UPT like everybody else. The PPL is considered risk-reduction in an otherwise qualified candidate.
 
sevenhelmet said:
Seems weird to us old AD guys, but it has certainly happened. We've sent several folks to the guard from my current employer. They get brought in and activated, then go through UPT like everybody else. The PPL is considered risk-reduction in an otherwise qualified candidate.
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Aviation programs at Western Michigan University, Bowling Green State University and Ohio State have been pathways to OH and MI Air Guard fighter units (F-16 out of Toledo, A-10 out of Selfridge)
 
Brett327 said:
Are fighter guard units really hiring random dudes off the street with a PPL? That sounds like a long shot.
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If the Guard is anything like what it used to be it is almost an internal hire and/or 'who you know' for folks they sent to flight school. Almost every Guard guy/gal I went through flight school with was a prior E in the Guard, the few who didn't knew someone with enough influence (Dad was a Colonel in the Guard, Uncle was best buds with the State Senator, etc) to get their names enough attention to get hired.
 
Brett327 said:
Are fighter guard units really hiring random dudes off the street with a PPL? That sounds like a long shot.
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Short answer is yes.

Long answer is that they have to to keep their manning documents clean. A couple decades of only hiring the 5 or 6 year TSgt from within, or the Capt/Maj/LtCol coming off of AD has left a significant amount of ANG units in a hole where 50% of their Officers/Pilots are eligible for retirement today. That number approaches 75% for folks who are eligible to retire in the next 3 years. While Guard guys tend to stay longer than their AD counterparts, you can still see where things could go sideways for a unit quickly if everyone decides they're going to retire. When you transition an A-10 squadron to F-15s you have a lot of older guys say , " Missile timelines? BFM and Gs again?" I'm 44 years old and my back hurts just thinking about it. And I like my Sundays with my family and not spent in the vault. Suddenly the cool airplane and the gun club doesn't seem like such a great idea compared to the 787 gig at United.

We need those 23 year old 2ndLts with no prior time.
 
sevenhelmet said:
Seems weird to us old AD guys, but it has certainly happened. We've sent several folks to the guard from my current employer. They get brought in and activated, then go through UPT like everybody else. The PPL is considered risk-reduction in an otherwise qualified candidate.
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I don't doubt that it happens. I doubt whether that's the best COA to advise someone to take if they want to pursue military flying.
 
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