I think the SOP and website background information answers it pretty well, and here are the excerpts that either touch on it, or directly answer the reason for the "What are my chances" reaction:MAKE VAPES said:I've been here for a while, and have seen many frequenters get wings on their avatars... I've gotta ask....
Honestly, is the foundation of the distain for the QUESTION an issue of acute egalitarian pissypants-itis (people getting their nickers in a bunch at a percieved insult to their worthless or worthwhile contributions to Naval Aviation from a young buck who doesn't know any better)?
Or is it simply the IDEA that the QUESTION can't be answered definitivelly, previous results don't dictate future performance, and the question gets asked repeatedly?
There is after all, a statistical answer to the question.
http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/sh...-Warrior’s-Standard-Operating-Procedures-(SOP)
RULES FOR SUCCESS: (THREAD) (REFs: Message to Garcia and Taking care of monkeys)
The wings by users' names are not some made-up website award. They indicate that this individual has earned the right to wear the real thing. Keep this in mind when interacting with them.
- This is not Facebook or MySpace. You will, in some cases, be interacting with people who will be far senior to you if you have the privilege of serving in uniform. We strive to keep this a laid-back environment, but blatant disrespect to senior officers or enlisted will not fly. This is a public site, and what you post here can be seen by all who visit and can have real-world consequences regarding your application or future reputation. ADMIRALS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO LURK AND POST HERE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
- As an aspiring officer, you are going to be expected to display personal initiative. Your mother should not be running down your paperwork, and we are not going to waste our time answering simple questions which have been answered many times in one of the many threads created in the 9 years this site has been online. USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION. If you still have questions, then chime in and we would be happy to help.
- As an aspiring officer, you are expected to have a decent command of the English language. u r not txting ur buddy; if you haven't learned halfway decent grammar and syntax in 12 years of school, and whatever college experience you have, God help you.
Quite a bit of information keeps getting asked, over and over again. And the new user/poster may feel intimidated with the defacto response "use the search function". To forestall the flames that sometimes occur when it's the same question that has been asked weekly since the dinosaurs roamed, the various "Stupid Question/Mega-threads" were introduced to allow newbies or as it has turned out, anyone including Mods to ask burning questions that Mods feel should be captured in these "learning/reference" threads. The intent is to also provide protection from flames as the "Stupid question" threads are sanctuary from same by definition (ie there are no such things as a stupid question). Their popularity has spawned other Mega-threads.
BACKGROUND: We have found over the years that new posters to Naval Aviation are very curious and tend to create threads faster than a M16 in full auto and the temptation to ask the verboten "What are my chances?". That said, the practice of push back on certain questions is generally no different than what you'll experience in any Ready Room. In that fashion, AW serves a "Virtual Ready Room" or rock tumbler to smooth some of the rough edges on a newbie's quest to a cockpit.
COMMON QUESTIONS: The following are a few examples of questions that are no longer funny, and will generally result in you getting made fun of:
- “What percentage get jets (or insert aircraft of choice)?”
- "Can F16s land on a carrier?"
- "It's not all choker whites and dinings out"