40 days and 40 nights of flight school

[BigIron]

I only based my post on what my XO told me directly when I asked him how my competitive FITREP would be affected being in my top job for all of around a month when the cycle finishes, and he told me basically what I posted above. That may not be your experience, but since he's the one who will be ranking me, I trust what he told me in this case.

Correct. I'm not telling you anything contrary to what he's telling you. While you might have been trying to summarize what your XO was telling you in a short sentence as it applies to your situation, in a macro sense there's more to the fitrep equation for those readers who may not know.

 

[insanebikerboy]

Agreed. So sure... your job title block is important, too. But the point was just that I made a simple post, was challenged and then told I was flat wrong. I didn't post it in a vacuum. When a former PERS 43 detailer tells me something about how FITREPS are viewed and how detailing takes place, I tend to believe them on merit. I've had numerous discussions with my OIC/DH/XO about my career and what I plan on doing. Based on those discussions, I have a pretty clear picture about where I am, where I want to go, and the likelihood of getting there, and the implications of the choices I make and my performance.

As for not being a high EP if you don't want RAG/WS... that's just not the case anymore. Even if you want VTs/HTs, from what I've seen over the last year or so is, if you aren't a #3EP.... you won't get a flying billet, even VT/HT. You may possibly get station SAR, but that's not guaranteed. The days of the "shitheads" going to flight school are over. You're lucky to get an IP billet anywhere. I've seen a number of #4 guys go to grad school/nonflying lately. So you may be able to tell me I'm wrong, but that's just not what I've personally SEEN in the recent past, and the proof is in the pudding. My XO knows what choices I've been thinking about, and just like anything else I've strived for, I have a reach, a realistic choice, and a fall-back non-flying plan. I think I'm on track for my future plans.

In this day and age I've seen #2 EP guys not get a flying billet too. It's tough right now.