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Were y’all happy as naval aviators?

mcneillaviation

mcneillaviation

Member
Title.
After all your training and after your wing pinning ceremony, were y’all happy? How long did y’all continue flying before retirement? What are some things you wish you did differently? Do you have any regrets about being an aviator? Thank you so much for your time and answering my questions.
 
J

Jstalz

Active Member
Thanks for asking this question. I'm currently in the process of putting my application together for SNA and its always been a dream of mine. The one thing that makes me nervous is the 8 year commitment, as I would be 32 at the end of the commitment, and I'm worried what kind of an impact the naval aviator lifestyle would have on my personal life, so I'd love to hear more about the lifestyle and personal side of things.
 
WannaFlyHigh

WannaFlyHigh

Well-Known Member
Jstalz said:
Thanks for asking this question. I'm currently in the process of putting my application together for SNA and its always been a dream of mine. The one thing that makes me nervous is the 8 year commitment, as I would be 32 at the end of the commitment, and I'm worried what kind of an impact the naval aviator lifestyle would have on my personal life, so I'd love to hear more about the lifestyle and personal side of things.
Click to expand...

Here you go my friend https://www.airwarriors.com/communi...-how-you-manage-work-and-personal-life.48266/
 
mcneillaviation

mcneillaviation

Member
Jstalz said:
Thanks for asking this question. I'm currently in the process of putting my application together for SNA and its always been a dream of mine. The one thing that makes me nervous is the 8 year commitment, as I would be 32 at the end of the commitment, and I'm worried what kind of an impact the naval aviator lifestyle would have on my personal life, so I'd love to hear more about the lifestyle and personal side of things.
Click to expand...

it’s kind of reassuring to hear others speak about some of the same anxieties about being a naval aviator. It’s been a dream of mine since I was about 8, it’s the only job I’ve ever really, truly gotten excited about. I believe I have the drive to achieve it too. I’m only 16, about to 17, but I’m doing everything I can to get in the cockpit. I’m taking up flight training next year too.
 
J

JustAGuy

Registered User
pilot
I have some free time at work so I'll bite.

Yes. I was very blessed to become an aviator, I actually selected a mine-sweeper out of Ingleside, TX until about 10 days prior to commissioning (Via ROTC) when my advisor told me there as a pilot slot open if I wanted it. Since that day I was happy to be anywhere in Naval Aviation as my life would have been drastically different had I actually gone SWO.

My timing post commissioning through getting my wings was seriously messed up for a bunch of reasons out of my control so I didn't get to my first fleet squadron until almost 4 and half years in the Navy. That being said, I was very fortunate that from my first flight in a T-34 to my last in a F/A-18, the longest I didn't fly was just 4 months between advanced and the rag. In the end I never had to take non-flying orders and stayed in a cockpit for just over 19 years since I didn't start API until almost 10 months after commissioning. That is by all means a rarity and something that I am very grateful for and that I knew when it was going to be my last trap, and last flight and was able to "go out" on my terms, complete with a formal written complaint (Unfounded) about my last flight to the Commodore which I really need to frame...

I will honestly say that I never had a bad tour. Each one had it's ups and downs, and things I really liked and really hated about each of them. With that I really don't have any regrets professionally and can't think of anything I would want to differently. I was able to go to a 2 seat squadron and become a FAC(A)/RMC which was still what I consider my "crowning" professional achievement.

As far as personal/work life split goes, definitely read the thread that WannaFly linked to. Cliff notes, I was single for the first half, didn't have a kid until within 6 years of retirement, and had that happened sooner in my career I am not sure I would have stayed to retirement.

I guess the only thing I guess I would like to have changed was when I met my wife but that again would have impacted my end decision to stay in or get out.
 
mcneillaviation

mcneillaviation

Member
JustAGuy said:
I have some free time at work so I'll bite.

Yes. I was very blessed to become an aviator, I actually selected a mine-sweeper out of Ingleside, TX until about 10 days prior to commissioning (Via ROTC) when my advisor told me there as a pilot slot open if I wanted it. Since that day I was happy to be anywhere in Naval Aviation as my life would have been drastically different had I actually gone SWO.

My timing post commissioning through getting my wings was seriously messed up for a bunch of reasons out of my control so I didn't get to my first fleet squadron until almost 4 and half years in the Navy. That being said, I was very fortunate that from my first flight in a T-34 to my last in a F/A-18, the longest I didn't fly was just 4 months between advanced and the rag. In the end I never had to take non-flying orders and stayed in a cockpit for just over 19 years since I didn't start API until almost 10 months after commissioning. That is by all means a rarity and something that I am very grateful for.

I will honestly say that I never had a bad tour. Each one had it's ups and downs, and things I really liked and really hated about each of them. With that I really don't have any regrets professionally and can't think of anything I would want to differently. I was able to go to a 2 seat squadron and become a FAC(A)/RMC which was still what I consider my "crowning" professional achievement.

As far as personal/work life split goes, definitely read the thread that WannaFly linked to. Cliff notes, I was single for the first half, didn't have a kid until within 6 years of retirement, and had that happened sooner in my career I am not sure I would have stayed to retirement.

I guess the only thing I guess I would like to have changed was when I met my wife but that again would have impacted my end decision to stay in or get out.
Click to expand...

thank you so much for the reply! Your career sounds fantastic and full of achievement, thank you again for sharing. I was reading WannaFly’s thread, it’s a great thread for some of these questions. Thank you again!
 
J

Jstalz

Active Member
JustAGuy said:
I have some free time at work so I'll bite.

Yes. I was very blessed to become an aviator, I actually selected a mine-sweeper out of Ingleside, TX until about 10 days prior to commissioning (Via ROTC) when my advisor told me there as a pilot slot open if I wanted it. Since that day I was happy to be anywhere in Naval Aviation as my life would have been drastically different had I actually gone SWO.

My timing post commissioning through getting my wings was seriously messed up for a bunch of reasons out of my control so I didn't get to my first fleet squadron until almost 4 and half years in the Navy. That being said, I was very fortunate that from my first flight in a T-34 to my last in a F/A-18, the longest I didn't fly was just 4 months between advanced and the rag. In the end I never had to take non-flying orders and stayed in a cockpit for just over 19 years since I didn't start API until almost 10 months after commissioning. That is by all means a rarity and something that I am very grateful for and that I knew when it was going to be my last trap, and last flight and was able to "go out" on my terms, complete with a formal written complaint (Unfounded) about my last flight to the Commodore which I really need to frame...

I will honestly say that I never had a bad tour. Each one had it's ups and downs, and things I really liked and really hated about each of them. With that I really don't have any regrets professionally and can't think of anything I would want to differently. I was able to go to a 2 seat squadron and become a FAC(A)/RMC which was still what I consider my "crowning" professional achievement.

As far as personal/work life split goes, definitely read the thread that WannaFly linked to. Cliff notes, I was single for the first half, didn't have a kid until within 6 years of retirement, and had that happened sooner in my career I am not sure I would have stayed to retirement.

I guess the only thing I guess I would like to have changed was when I met my wife but that again would have impacted my end decision to stay in or get out.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you hit the jackpot with being able to fly so consistently all the way up to retirement. What were those 10 months between commissioning and API like? It seems like a long time. Does the clock to gain your pension start after commissioning or after you get winged, like the service commitment?
 
J

JustAGuy

Registered User
pilot
Jstalz said:
Sounds like you hit the jackpot with being able to fly so consistently all the way up to retirement. What were those 10 months between commissioning and API like? It seems like a long time. Does the clock to gain your pension start after commissioning or after you get winged, like the service commitment?
Click to expand...

I was a December grad, stashed at school for 5 months (Not bad having even just ensign pay in a college town) and then when I got to Pensacola all the May Academy guys got pushed ahead of me since I showed up "after" them. Stashed at the rescue swimmer school which gave me a very healthy respect for them and started my desire to get the RMC qual I referenced above.

Clock for retirement starts at commissioning, but nothing as far as fixed wing commitment. With my timing my first "option" to get out of the Navy came at nearly the 12 and a half year mark which was in the heart of the depression while I was still single, hence the choice to stay in for another 8 years and retired at just under 20 and a half years.
 
J

Jstalz

Active Member
JustAGuy said:
I was a December grad, stashed at school for 5 months (Not bad having even just ensign pay in a college town) and then when I got to Pensacola all the May Academy guys got pushed ahead of me since I showed up "after" them. Stashed at the rescue swimmer school which gave me a very healthy respect for them and started my desire to get the RMC qual I referenced above.

Clock for retirement starts at commissioning, but nothing as far as fixed wing commitment. With my timing my first "option" to get out of the Navy came at nearly the 12 and a half year mark which was in the heart of the depression while I was still single, hence the choice to stay in for another 8 years and retired at just under 20 and a half years.
Click to expand...
good things come to those who wait
 
J

Jstalz

Active Member
I'm very disappointed that the January pilot/nfo board got cancelled and now I'll have to wait until May for my application to be considered, but maybe this waiting around is a good omen
 
mcneillaviation

mcneillaviation

Member
Jstalz said:
I'm very disappointed that the January pilot/nfo board got cancelled and now I'll have to wait until May for my application to be considered, but maybe this waiting around is a good omen
Click to expand...
I have a question, so for the NFO board, is that how people can be considered for a pilot slot? I checked it out and it kinda seems like it.
 
S

SE_53

Well-Known Member
mcneillaviation said:
I have a question, so for the NFO board, is that how people can be considered for a pilot slot? I checked it out and it kinda seems like it.
Click to expand...
Sort of, the SNA(Student Naval Aviator)/SNFO(Student Naval Flight Officer) board is where you can be selected for either position. SNA=pilot, SNFO=back seaters.
 
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