Taking leave during primary?

[AllYourBass]

Hello all,

I am headed to OCS within the month and I have also asked my girlfriend to marry me! Lots of big changes in the coming months.

My fiancé and I are trying to get the wedding date nailed down and I am curious if we shouldn't hold off major decisions at least until I get out of OCS and the future is a bit more clear.

Any suggestions?

The date we are currently looking at would be right in the middle of primary training, so I was hoping someone could shed some insight on taking time off during primary. Is your training just put on hold? or are you literally falling further and further behind each day you take off?

Any insight on this situations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I got married during Advanced a few days before Christmas. We set this date banking on Christmas leave in the squadron. We were able to get married and go to Paris for a week. If you want to increase your odds of having a comfortable marriage timeframe and/or honeymoon, I'd say your best odds are during Christmas. There is no other chunk of nearly guaranteed leave in the training squadrons that I can think of.

EDIT: That said, my leave was approved less than a month out from the flights, so you can imagine what I paid for the tickets and how nervous we were.

 

[Pags]

I'll also endorse the court house marriage. Mrs Pags and I got hitched at the VaBeach courthouse 10 days before I left on my first cruise. I was then able to work with my squadron to make some time between cruises for the big family shindig and honeymoon. Anecdotally it seems that fleet squadrons are a bit more amenable to big leave blocks since they don't have the production pressures of the VT/HT/FRS.

 

[Kevin Farrell]

Hello all, sorry if this a thread jack, but I have a similar situation and question. I was selected as a SNFO in the September board and probably will be going to OCS in Jan-Feb, graduating April or May (knock on wood). My sister is getting married 01 Oct 2016. Based on your experience, where were you in your training pipeline 5-6 months after graduating, and what was the likelihood of being allowed leave for a Saturday wedding? I appreciate your input.

 

[ea6bflyr]

As a former VT OPSO, we would brief students that taking leave during training is not normally approved, BUT sometimes approved on a case-by-case basis. Bottom line, don't expect it, but request it and be reasonable with the request. Work with your squadron On-Wing/Personal Advisor for the request. Like others have said, taking a long weekend is usually no problem but you have to request the leave early.

 

[zippy]

Hello all, sorry if this a thread jack, but I have a similar situation and question. I was selected as a SNFO in the September board and probably will be going to OCS in Jan-Feb, graduating April or May (knock on wood). My sister is getting married 01 Oct 2016. Based on your experience, where were you in your training pipeline 5-6 months after graduating, and what was the likelihood of being allowed leave for a Saturday wedding? I appreciate your input.

Plan on flying one or two events before you leave Friday PM or Saturday AM, and be back and ready to go Sunday PM, for the Monday 0500 double pump.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Here's the trick...don't be the student who always needs something. If you have your shit in one sock and they've never heard anything but good-to-neutral about you (it's hard to stand out in a good way as a cone), then when you do need something special, it'll probably been approved.

If you're struggling and always asking for something or other, if you walk into flight management and the IPs say "what the fuck do you need now?" you're ice-skating uphill.

 

[Kevin Farrell]

Hello there gents, thanks for all your advice. I figured that going in, taking leave would be a privilege that was earned and worked up towards, not automatically given.

Thanks again!