11 of us reporting in July

[kray1395]

Hey everyone,

Myself and 10 other Ensigns will be reporting to Pensacola NLT July 2nd. We're all coming from a year at Wright-Patterson AFB. God, it will be good to be back with the Navy. Anyways, for those of you in either IFS, the A-pool, or API now, what can we expect when we check in? I understand that check in is only on Fridays. Well, at least that is what I have heard. I was wondering if we would be free the following Saturday and Sunday. Also, how soon does IFS start? And where are people doing it? I'm married, so do I still have to check in with housing before finding a place?? What are the chances of base housing? Thanks everyone.

Ken

 

[cesteele]

The first thing you need is the Welcome Aboard packet. There is a link somewhere on the API forum to the packet. You just check in whenever you get here at Building 633, which is where the Quarterdeck is. Once you get here, you need to go to the Navy Pride store at the Exchange and buy an "API" PT shirt. Right now we have liberty on the weekends, so you should be good to go, but you can double check with the Quarterdeck. If you show up on Friday, the next step would more than likely be to muster behind building 633 on Monday morning at 0730. Usually you would muster for PT, but since it is your first day, you should come in Khaki's and check in at the Flight Management Office because there will be a bunch of paperwork to fill out. The phone number to Flight Management is 850-452-3342 in case you have any questions.

As far as Housing goes, if you are an SNFO, then you are eligible to live on base. If you have a wife, you are eligible for a 2 bedroom, and if you have children it could be a 3+ bedroom. I live on base, and personally, I love it. I am staying in these Townhome's which were rebuilt in 1997, so they are pretty new. Some of the other Officer Housing is really old, like pre-1930's. You have to get on a wait list, which you can do once you show up. My recommendation is this, when it comes to the wait list. I think that they do not update those things, so when I got here about a month ago, I went in and spoke with Bill face to face. He is the guy that deals with Officer Housing. The wait list kept telling me that I was 6th, and when I went to see him I watched him cross off a bunch of people ahead of me who were on the list for almost a year prior. Basically, just go talk to the guy, be very nice, and make sure he knows your face. If you are an SNA a bachelor, and going to Whiting Field, right now you are REQUIRED to live in the BOQ at Whiting when you get there. My recommendation if that is your situation would be to either stay in the Q at Pensacola while you finish API or to get some roommates and stay on the beach until finish API and have to report to Primary.


Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.


Do you know Karl Orthner? I went to school with him and he is up in Dayton getting his Master's Degree.

Charlie

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." --Phil 4:13

 

[ben]

Just out of curiosity, what were y'all doing at an AFB?

 

[kray1395]

Thanks for the info. It's a little confusing about the on base housing. You mentioned that SNFO's are eligible to stay in base housing. And then you go on to say that if you are married you are eligible for 2 bedrooms, and 3 bedrooms if you have a child. Well, I am married and have a child, but I'm an SNA, and I'll be going to Whiting. So does that apply to me or what? As of right now, we were planning that I would have to live off base. We were going to look for a house around Ferry Pass. At least, that looked like a good location for both Whiting and Pensacola. I don't want to be too far from Pensacola so that my wife can still use all of their facilities without having to drive too far.

Yes, I know Karl Orthner very well. In fact my wife and I are very good friends with he and Christy. I am going to be in his wedding in July. Man, he sure loves State, and anything that has Carolina blue in it.

We have been attending the Air Force Institute of Technology as part of the AE-IGEP program. That stands for Aeronautical Engineering - Immediate Graduate Education Program. It lasts for 12 months at the end of which we will get our master's degree. Well, I hope I do, that's in question. This school is no joke. I'm coming from U. of Memphis and we didn't have this advanced of an education. I've learned everything I never wanted to know about how airplanes fly. I think it's going to make API tough because the instruction in API is dumbed down so that all of the Art majors can understand it. We'll probably fall asleep in class and be in trouble. :sleep_125 Anyways, that's what we've been doing up here and man, the Air Force is full of geeks man! They eat this crap up!

Thanks for all of your help, Ken

 

[cesteele]

Ken,
I'm not too sure on your situation. You can call into the Housing Office to check and see if you are eligible. I'm inclined to say no, since you are an SNA and your Orders have you going to Whiting for Primary. There are some other threads that talk about that. I have a buddy who is an SNA and married, but no children and he lives in some apartments about halfway between here and Whiting.


Good luck and call the Housing Office just to be sure. Just give them your info and they will be able to tell you.


Stay strong,
Charlie

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."---Phil 4:13

 

[Squid]

Yes, the best thing to do is call! I believe since you ALREADY HAVE follow-on orders, you will be PCS'd to NASWF, and you can either commute, or stay in the Q. I've heard that the ones with dependents and follow on orders aren't PCS'd to NASP. My suggestion, call PSD. They'd know, they deal with that stuff all the time. I will update the sticky thread when I get the chance.

 

[Squid]

oh, I completel forgot. This whole thing will be covered in Day 1 briefings. So, you can stay in the transient place for a day until you get the official word...

 

[Pags]

If the Dayton AIGEPs are anything like those of us that went to Monterey, y'all have PCS orders to the training wing of your choice. In which case, the navy will only move you to the place of your PCS orders. You're allowed a smaller TAD shipment or something. Also anyone who's single and going to whiting will probably have to live on base, so tell them not to sign long leases. The wait for IFS right now is about 1 month. Just report to NASC when your orders tell you to. They'll take everything from there. They tend to baby you a bit around here.

 

[kray1395]

Yeah I figured we would be babysat a little bit down there. It can't be anything like how the Air Force treats there junior officers here though. The Air Force seems to think that the magical age of maturity is 26. Until then you have to fill out a whole lot of paperwork and sit through safety briefs for just about anything you do. I swear the Navy had more trust and confidence in me as an E-1.

Currently, the news from Lt. Lanier at Millington is that those of us that are married will have orders to Whiting with, of course, the stop off through Pensacola. Somehow (and I'm still a little confused about this but it doesn't apply to me) the single Ensigns are also going to get PCS orders to Pensacola. It's nice for them because we all have accumulated a lot of stuff since we've been in Dayton. We all live off base in our own places. Then, within about two weeks from API graduation, they will receive follow on orders to either Whiting or Corpus. Those that choose to go to Whiting know that they will have to live in the BOQ after reporting for primary. I think they are swaying towards Corpus because they can live off base. That's what they're used to doing.

I just want a nice place. The more room the merrier. I have so much stuff and no place to put all of it here.

On another note, if anyone down there knows a number I can call to get scheduled for a motorcycle rider's course, I's appreciate it if you could pass that along to me. I can't get a DOD sticker for my motorcyle until I show a certificate that I've had the course. On or off base is fine with me. Thanks.

 

[Pags]

do you just need the number for the navy course?

I'd heard the AF was bad like that, I know a dude at Dayton that I went to undergrad with. Have you guys had any classes with Dr. Max Platzer? Maybe some sort of aerodynamic class?

PCS orders to Pcola is prettty damned sweet. At least if y'all have to go to whiting you get PCS orders so they'll store all your ****.

 

[kray1395]

yeah, that number will be fine. I'd like to go ahead and get scheduled since those classes can get booked up real fast.

 

[Pags]

The # for the pass and tags office is (850)-452-4153. I'm sure they can give you the info you need. It's the closest I could find in the online phone directory.