The wait begins...

[cgrubb]

OCS application was sent off today with "pilot" as the #1 choice. Hopefully Santa has a t-34 in his sleigh for me this year.

Thanks to all those who took the time to answer questions. It is nice to get information from people other than recruiters. To all those applying: good luck. To all those flying: hope to be joining you.

Until later...

Chris G.

Memphis, TN

 

[Paul Burke]

I've been biting my nails since last week. My recruiter says that I should know something by this Friday. I hope I hear by then...My fingernails aren't that long

 

[PeacoatMan]

Hey guys,

I'm in the same boat ... mine went out last Monday with pilot as my 1st and only choice. If I don't get selected, I will reapply until they take me.

Good luck,
Joey

 

[Mahler]

Here's a tip for anyone applying. Put pilot as your ONLY choice. Yeah, they give you three or four choices, but there's a little loop hole that if you choose pilot and you get NPQ, then you have the choice of going into another community or just gettin out. If you put another choice, say SWO, and you get NPQ for flight, then they can make you go in as a SWO. Why is this? Because if you only put pilot, and you don't get it, you can argue that you are not being offered the job you specifically applied for. If you put other options on the application, then the Navy has the upper hand. I only put pilot down as with a lot of other guys from my school, so if your recruiter tells you you have to fill in all the choices, tell him otherwise. Remember, it doesn't matter what your recruiter says to you, all that matters is what is written down on paper.

James

 

[kmac]

What about BDCP? Those NPQ'd from flight status still owe the Navy however many years on their BDCP contract, right? The reason I ask this is because technically, once you sign your name to get in the program, you're active duty Navy. Since you sign up before you have a NOMI physical, you don't neccessarily know if you are medically qualified. Any comments?

 

[cgrubb]

Bart and Peacoat: good luck.

Mahler: I am a bit skeptical of this idea of only putting pilot on the application to somehow increase the chances of getting selelcted for pilot. My understanding is that if one is PQ, and if the Navy needs pilots (which certainly seems to be the case based on nearly everyone I have talked to), and if you have a comptetitive package, then there seems to be little reason why the Navy wouldn't select you for pilot. It seems plausible to argue that all other things being equal, the Navy might consider what other job options one indicates, but it seems unlikely that there are many entirely equal candidates.

Now, if flying is your only ambition and you would be wholly unsatisfied with any other option, then only putting pilot seems to make good sense. However, if your primary desire is to fly, but would be happy (albeit less so) to serve in another capacity, then one should indicate which positions might be appealing if flying is not an option.

Finally, if one doesn't get selected for their first choice, then, as Matt said, there is no obligation to sign anything. However, if one is NPQ by NOMI before API (and after OCS of course), then I imagine one would have to serve the remainder of their commitment in some other capacity. I don't know how much choice one has in this scenario, though. It seems plausible that the Navy would allow some choice, but in the end it might be the ubiquitous "needs of the Navy" that determines how one would serve the remainder of their commitment.

Chris G.

Memphis, TN

 

[Phiman]

I was under the impression that if you were accepted for pilot then got NPQed for, for example, eye sight that you could just transfer over to NFO since you are already "in the aviation program". Is that correct or is the recruiter just blowin smoke up my six?

 

[PeacoatMan]

This brings us to another question:

If you are selected for pilot, is there any way you can get a flight physical to verify you are good to go before you sign the dotted line? I haven't talked to my recruiter about this yet, because I haven't been accepted yet. Previously one received a flight physical at ACES, but that does not exist at the moment. So what are we BDCPers to do to know for a fact that we can go pilot?

Joey



Edited by - Peacoatman on 12/11/2001 22:57:13

 

[gunnerdd972]

I too wanted to get a full physical before OCS to see if I get the OK from NAMI.

GM2(SW) Hosehead

 

[Mahler]

Ok, let me clear a couple of things up.

First for Matt:
When you sign on that dotten line, you are doing so with ONLY a MEPS physical. You do not get your flight physical until you sign your life away and start OCS (or at ACES if you are lucky enough). So, you are accepted for flight pending a flight physical. They even made me sign a form stating I understood this. What I was talking about is in the event you fail this physical. This happened to a buddy of mine, and he was given a medical discharge because he put pilot as his only choice. If he had put another choice he might have been forced into another community because he was PQ for commission, but not for flight.

Cgrubb:
Putting pilot down does not increase your chances to get a pilot slot. What it does do is cover your butt if you do get a pilot slot, sign on the line and then get NPQ for flight. Then YOU have the choice as to what you want to do, not the Navy. If there's one thing I've learned in the past year and a half of being a BDCPer and attatched to a recruiting command is to always cover your butt. This is a sad but true fact of life - especially in the military. I understand if you have apprehensions (sp?) about putting only one choice down on your application. If it makes you feel any better, I only put pilot and my application came back two weeks to the day with no problems. Many other guys I know did the same. In fact, my last recruiter (I'm on my fourth now) actually encouraged us to just put pilot because of all this. He would rather see us discharge than become an officer stuck doing a job we hate. That just makes a bad situation all around. This tactic especially covers all of us in the BDCP, which most of the guys from my school are in.
You should take all of this with a grain of salt though. Remember, I'm just some guy writting on a faceless forum giving everyday gouge. You should talk to your recruiters about the matter. Good luck to ya... maybe I'll see you at OCS in May.


James

 

[Mahler]

I see what you're saying Matt. I accepted a contract under the BDCP in which you're commited from day one. I know its a little different when you just sign to go to OCS without taking money. But the money does kick a$$

Anyway, the whole point to my story is to make decisions for yourself and not let your recruiters do it for you. And, if you think whatever's in black and white is different than what your recruiter is telling you, don't be afraid to say something. I've had many disputes over the content of contracts with my recruiting command. On a couple of occasions I actually contacted a JAG officer to settle the matter. But in the end, I always came out on top because of what was down on paper. Ok, my "how to succeed in life" lecture is done for the day... hope someone got something out of it! I didn't mean to cause such a stir by giving a little advice... guess you get more than you bargain for sometimes...

James

 

[Phiman]

I'm still a little confused. I already had my flight physical which I passed with no problems except eyes, I'm right on the border, because I was going to do the Marines PLC program. So I'm pretty sure when I get to NAMI I should be fine unless my eyes slip. Now though I've decided to just go the NROTC path, in which case I have to put in my dream sheet in about a year, which will probably be 1. Pilot 2. NFO 3. Subs, so say for example I get pilot then get to NAMI and my eyes have gone a little and I can't pilot, will I just be thrown into something, or will I get transfered over to NFO since it was my second choice and I'm already in PCola?

 

[PeacoatMan]

Mahler,

Wow, you contacted a JAG ... I bet your recruiters loved you after that. lol. I agree with your "cover-your-ass" technique of recruiting.

My question: did you get a flight physical before you signed on for the BDCP? Or are you hoping you pass the physical while at OCS?

Joey

 

[Mahler]

Well, if they would just learn how to read a document then I wouldn't have had to contact JAG. Funny that after I told them I talked to a JAG officer they started to see things my way.


James




When I signed up for the BDCP, I only had a MEPS physical. That's why they made me sign a form saying that I could still be NPQ for flight. I was lucky enough to get sent to ACES this summer and passes my flight physical while I was there. The big question now is wether I can fly jets or not. Some bonehead tech measured my knee length as being .6 inches over the max without a remeasurement, and the flight physiologist was too lazy that day to actually sit me in a cockpit. Every pilot I talked to said I'd be fine though... and a tech at the sim bay sat me in a T-2C cockpit and said I fit just fine. Who knows, I'll probably retake my physical and I'll pass anthros with no prob.

As for the NROTC question... you don't have the luxury of putting only one choice down. You're goin in no matter what. I was selected for a two year NROTC scholarship, so I've been through that process too. The only reason I didn't accept it is because there is no NROTC at Embry-Riddle. Well, I just took my last final so I'm going to go celebrate with by good buddy Jim Bean and his friend Jack. Later....

 

[Dave Shutter]

My .02 cents on the flight physical and NPQ topic, having just went through it. You get your full NOMI physical on Tuesday of Poopie week. If you are going as a SWO or other surface/line or other community then you get the same physical you got at mepps. If you are going for pilot or some other community like dive then you will get a pertinent physical, same sheet with some extra blocks is all. For pilot you get the full blown eye test (dialation, scanner etc.) and the anthro video-chair doo-hickey. You'll find out that day if your NPQ or good to go, if you do get whammied you can also go through the waiver hoops and these days it seem anything can happen with that. The physical is good for a year so you don't have to worry about it until your well into flight school. If you NPQ and refuse to do anything except fly then DOR and go home. I've seen a couple people do it already.

BTW, your not obligated to anything until you actually receive your commission and that's at the end of week 13, you can DOR the day before that if you want too.

OC Shutter, USNR
OCS Class 11-02