sTUPID qUESTIONS aBOUT ocs

[Fronch]

Also, totally off-topic, but how do you have an unofficial OCS date without a Fin Sel letter? Thought I knew what it meant to get a fin sel... guess not, haha. Thanks in advance.

I've been told by my OR that I'm "in the system" with that class date, and that we're just waiting for the letter to be signed. Based on what NOPO and others have said, I expect (hope?) that to happen in the next week or so.

 

[PenguinGal]

Navy2014, if you have SWO specific questions you might want to look into joining the SailorBob forum. It is the SWO version of AW and likely has either the information you need/want or the people who can answer any other questions. Obviously it is cool to keep hanging out around AW but the SWO gouge is more likely to be found at SB.

 

[navy2014]

Navy2014, if you have SWO specific questions you might want to look into joining the SailorBob forum. It is the SWO version of AW and likely has either the information you need/want or the people who can answer any other questions. Obviously it is cool to keep hanging out around AW but the SWO gouge is more likely to be found at SB.

Thanks. I will look into it...

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

Awesome! Thanks so much for the info again. And congrats on waiting for Primary! Definitely going to miss getting a laugh out of reading "laters on the menjay"

I'm actually already classed up in Primary, so "limbo" was probably a bit misleading. It took me like a month to get through the five flights in the aerobatics block (weather delays mostly). And yeah, I'm mixing it up a bit, I'm on an Archer kick lately, but everyone has Archer as their profile pic. This one isn't ideal either, since Bryan Cranston's character is an Air Force guy, but let's not split hairs.

According to him, he got a NLT date to report, but would have gotten charged leave if he didn't report right away, and as a fresh-off-the-apple-truck ENS, he didn't have much leave to spare. When he did report, he didn't have anything to do, basically just had to show up in the morning and got sent away every day until his class started.

To the first part, yeah you get 2.5 days of leave per month, so 3 months at OCS = just over a week of leave, unless you're BDCP or NUPOC, in which case you may have accrued some leave during college.
To the second part, that's a magical time known as A-Pool (for API), where you muster every weekday morning in khakis for like 15 minutes, and then the rest of the day is completely free. If you do some volunteer stuff, you can get phone musters too, which is even better. A-Pool is probably the best part of flight training, since you get paid for basically one hour of work total per week.

 

[LET73]

I don't quite understand. This guy was intel, right? So his training after OCS was in Dam Neck (or something)? You sound like you know what you're talking about more than I do, so I'm just missing something about what this means for SWOs after OCS, haha.

Well, regardless of what community you're in, you'll have some amount of time between the day you commission and the day your follow-on school starts, which means that you have to do something during that period. When I was going through, SWOs were the exception; they reported directly to their ships after OCS, but I don't think that's the case anymore. I sweet-talked the detailer into letting me OHARP for the few weeks between commissioning and reporting to Dam Neck for intel school. I think other people checked in early and hung out in Virginia Beach.

 

[LFCFan]

SWOs still go straight to their ships. They are technically TAD on their own ship (sounds weird, I know) until they go to BDOC for 8 weeks, in either VA Beach or San Diego depending on your coast. Once you are done with that school, you go to your ship and then your tour and clock for your SWO pin actually start. If you are going to Japan I think they stash you in San Diego until you finish BDOC or something like that.

 

[navy2014]

SWOs still go straight to their ships. They are technically TAD on their own ship (sounds weird, I know) until they go to BDOC for 8 weeks, in either VA Beach or San Diego depending on your coast. Once you are done with that school, you go to your ship and then your tour and clock for your SWO pin actually start. If you are going to Japan I think they stash you in San Diego until you finish BDOC or something like that.

Thanks.

 

[navy2014]

Navy2014, if you have SWO specific questions you might want to look into joining the SailorBob forum. It is the SWO version of AW and likely has either the information you need/want or the people who can answer any other questions. Obviously it is cool to keep hanging out around AW but the SWO gouge is more likely to be found at SB.

Looks like you have to be an Officer Candidate to join Sailor Bob without special permission... I can just read though. Thanks again.

 

[LFCFan]

Looks like you have to be an Officer Candidate to join Sailor Bob without special permission... I can just read though. Thanks again.

What a great way to get people interested in their community....

What's funny is that you aren't really supposed to be on sites like this and Sailor Bob while at OCS, so they might as well just say commissioned. Unless they consider someone sworn in before OCS to be an OC (which is probably the case), but by then it is a little late for basic research questions.

 

[PenguinGal]

What a great way to get people interested in their community....

From what I have experienced on SB it is less of a place to get people interested in the community than it is a place for those in the community to share information, ask questions, and b*tch as only SWOs can do. SB is not set up like AW with sub-forums dedicated to the application process; the information and discussions are definitely centered around those who are already in the community.

That said, I would imagine if you have your Pro-Rec that they would accept your request to join the site. I have seen other people join and post on SB who are still in the application process. Ask AW member Skyler Barger, he went on to SB before OCS for information.

 

[Larick]

I've had a SB acc before they upgraded to version 2.o and I was still in college at the time without a prorec. They don't mind. Just watch what you post.

 

[Garrett S.]

I'm actually already classed up in Primary, so "limbo" was probably a bit misleading. It took me like a month to get through the five flights in the aerobatics block (weather delays mostly). And yeah, I'm mixing it up a bit, I'm on an Archer kick lately, but everyone has Archer as their profile pic. This one isn't ideal either, since Bryan Cranston's character is an Air Force guy, but let's not split hairs.


To the first part, yeah you get 2.5 days of leave per month, so 3 months at OCS = just over a week of leave, unless you're BDCP or NUPOC, in which case you may have accrued some leave during college.
To the second part, that's a magical time known as A-Pool (for API), where you muster every weekday morning in khakis for like 15 minutes, and then the rest of the day is completely free. If you do some volunteer stuff, you can get phone musters too, which is even better. A-Pool is probably the best part of flight training, since you get paid for basically one hour of work total per week.

Don't expect much A-pool time if your SNFO, you will be fast tracked. The wait isn't long right now either, a few weeks at most. That will likely change here soon with the influx of Academy and ROTC grads.

 

[America]

Don't expect much A-pool time if your SNFO, you will be fast tracked. The wait isn't long right now either, a few weeks at most. That will likely change here soon with the influx of Academy and ROTC grads.

Thanks so much for the info, much appreciated. I have a few follow up questions which might be elementary, so I thank you in advance.

1. What is A-pool? Sounds like a waiting period?

2. If SNFO, where will I be fast tracked to and why the fast track?

Again, thanks so much in advance!

 

[reFLYluwasch]

1. What is A-pool? Sounds like a waiting period?

From NASC's website:
The mission of A-Pool is to provide instruction, schedule prerequisite requirements, and provide guidance to the prospective Naval Aviator/Flight Officer prior to classing up for Naval Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API).

2. If SNFO, where will I be fast tracked to and why the fast track?

I don't know if this info is outdated but I think it gives a pretty good overview.

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

What is A-pool? Sounds like a waiting period?

Yup, A-Pool is the time between checking into Pensacola and joining an API class. You go onto base every day to muster in khakis and hear any announcements they might have for you, and then the rest of the day is free. So basically 15 minutes of work per day, plus the commute.

Don't expect much A-pool time if your SNFO, you will be fast tracked. The wait isn't long right now either, a few weeks at most. That will likely change here soon with the influx of Academy and ROTC grads.

Does that include IFS? That was the big hold-up when we were going through. Validators (people who have a private pilot's license and are allowed to skip IFS) were pushed through immediately, but everyone else was waiting about a month just to start IFS.