CG Pilots are still Naval Aviators, so if thats what you really want... unless you more mean the mission/type of flying the Navy does specifically
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Army Warrant Officer seeking Inter-Service Transfer to Naval Aviation
- Thread starter KingAirGuy2017
- Start date
CG Pilots are still Naval Aviators, so if thats what you really want... unless you more mean the mission/type of flying the Navy does specifically
The OCM was in fact the right contact. My situation presented a lot of unknown that he couldn’t answer without further digging. He did point me to MILPERSMAN 1300.082 as a good baseline for an IST but really unsure how a Warrant would translate over.
I'm an IST from the enlisted Navy to Army WO with a crazy idea of trying to go back Navy after the Flying CWO program started mid-2000s. The "easier" route and one I've tried to push other WOs to is the USCG DCA program, few took the bait. Lately in the FW community, more RLOs are seeing the light and going Coast Guard FW (1x RC guy to 144, 1x C-12 to C-130). As with my USN xfer, I had to do all the leg work, but I had great command backing despite me switching to green, something I haven't seen lately in the Army. Did you check USNR? Good Luck!
I’m pretty sure I know both the guys that went DCA. They are enjoying it and say QOL is much better than in the Army. For me, I’m just not interested in the CG.
I see your profile says KA-300, have you done some ODIN rotations in the MARSS?
The feedback I got from the OCM was that since I am 31 I couldn’t go to flight school. Army flight school isn’t viewed as a similar program so it isn’t interchangeable as is the case with the Air Force.
I have heard the Reserves are able to put guys as old as 35 through flight school, does anyone have any info on that?
I have heard the Reserves are able to put guys as old as 35 through flight school, does anyone have any info on that?
Ugh.
So tell us what you want. This cat and mouse, "this is an option," "Nope," "this is an option," "Maybe..." makes it hard to help. If you want SOF, just say so. If you want gold wings, then OMFG, go DCA...it has it's issues, but sheesh, talk about mission accomplishment/satisfaction.
If you want fixed-wing time to add on to what you have and then make the jump to the airlines....meh. Good luck with the Navy. I'm not saying it's possible, but your training isn't compatible (right or wrong) with what the Navy "knows."
Gatordev,
Specifically what I want is a commission in the USN as an aviator. Preferably active duty but if that’s not a possibility then the Reserves would be ok. My end state is to end up in Navy Jets.
If I was chasing fixed wing flight time, I would stay exactly where I am at.
Judge Q
Judging You
I'm not in a position to give you much in the way of useful advice (ignore me as necessary) but for what it's worth I've never met a CG pilot who didn't like life at the end of the day, the job satisfaction seems pretty high in their world (hell there are higher ranking officers in other branches who accepted being knocked down to 02 to get into DCA)
Failing that even if you do find a way to get into the Navy, they still don't have to give you jets.
At Hawaiian, we have a Army Guard WO4 pilot (currently flying Guard C-26s) that applied 3 or 4 years ago for and was offered a Navy direct commission as an O1 with a 1310 designator to fly the USNR C-20 for VR-51 at Kaneohe Bay. He was 36-37 years old with about 15-16 years in the Army/Army Guard. The Navy was just going to give him Navy pilot wings and C-20 training. He ended up turning it down when the Guard unit was activated for 18 months and they said he could skip the activation if he stayed Army Guard and ran their home detachment. He also figured out the Wo4 or WO5 retirement check was bigger than the O3E retirement check.
I think this clears things up in this post. I have no dog in this fight, but I'd be hard pressed to think that they're going to be willing to let you go to flight school as a reservist and allow you to select (or even compete) for jets. I'm not trying to be rude, but you don't even really see them currently letting (many) USN AD guys who have gone through USN flight school doing many switches from RW to Jets right now despite the shortage they have. Just consider your path:
1. Earn a commission in the USN(R).
2. Convince the Navy to send you to flight school as a reservist (I can't imagine what pot of money this would come from).
3. Allow you to select jets and go to a reserve jet squadron (which, what little I know about are all at least 2nd and 3rd plus tour guys and reservists) despite having relevant experience as a helicopter pilot where they could at least conceivably give you a shortened (read: less expensive) syllabus, probably mostly consisting of the instrument stage.
Some of your perception may be service differences - the Army uses the Guard and the Reserves way different than the Navy does. We don't even have the equivalent to the Guard, and the Naval Reserves, from my perspective, kind of fall into 3 categories: 1. fill ins on active duty rotations; 2. stateside support squadrons / augments to active duty units; 3. and, compared to the Army, a much more limited number of them as full-up units that actively deploy / employ (I'm thinking like HSM-60, VR squadrons), whereas my limited experience with working with the Army in Kuwait was "oh yeah, we're a Guard unit" or "yeah, we're a bunch of Reservists that called up when our entire unit was called up," etc. There's just not a lot - or really any - opportunity for a guy straight out of flight school, regardless of what they end up flying in the Navy, to end up as a reserve pilot in today's Navy.
Agree, that post was helpful. So sounds like you want jets. That will require you to go through Primary and select them. If you can get a Navy commission via the active component (and I'm not smart on how ISTs are handled or how likely they are), then go to Primary, there's still no guarantee you'll select tailhook, although with your background, the syllabus will probably be much easier.
This isn't how the RC assesses people. Yes, there were some weirdo FTS dudes that got picked up in the early 2000's, but that was out of flight school, and it was a one-off program. Like DanMa is saying, the Navy handles the Reserves differently, and just because someone is a "Reservist," it can mean either SELRES or FTS. Both options assess by who is junior most QUALIFIED. There's no reason for the RC to pay for your flight school (which would be Schools ADT, BTW, DanMa if SELRES...although I've never heard of that happening).
However, you CAN apply to Reserve squadrons as a SELRES and then be commissioned and go through the RAG, then fly with that Reserve unit, but it won't be as active duty. I know a couple people who have done that. I suppose you could then apply to FTS from the squadron, but not sure if there's any contract verbiage that would prevent that.
I don't know how the application to FTS works from the Army. It's obviously happened in the past, specifically with -85 (and maybe others), but trying to apply to a RC jet squadron wouldn't be in the cards because of quals. VR might be an option with your background.
This isn't how the RC assesses people. Yes, there were some weirdo FTS dudes that got picked up in the early 2000's, but that was out of flight school, and it was a one-off program. Like DanMa is saying, the Navy handles the Reserves differently, and just because someone is a "Reservist," it can mean either SELRES or FTS. Both options assess by who is junior most QUALIFIED. There's no reason for the RC to pay for your flight school (which would be Schools ADT, BTW, DanMa if SELRES...although I've never heard of that happening).
However, you CAN apply to Reserve squadrons as a SELRES and then be commissioned and go through the RAG, then fly with that Reserve unit, but it won't be as active duty. I know a couple people who have done that. I suppose you could then apply to FTS from the squadron, but not sure if there's any contract verbiage that would prevent that.
I don't know how the application to FTS works from the Army. It's obviously happened in the past, specifically with -85 (and maybe others), but trying to apply to a RC jet squadron wouldn't be in the cards because of quals. VR might be an option with your background.
The problem is that the Navy doesn’t use its Reserve the same way the AF and Army use their Reserves and Guards. The NavRes is more of a support auxiliary for the Fleet - especially the flying Reserves - and the expectation is that when you come over its because you’re bringing immediate and directly applicable experience and quals. Given your background, getting a commission and going to VR as Selres or FTS is doable, and sounds like it’s been done at least once. I don’t see how you get to VFA/VFC from where you are.
As others have stated, there isn't a program to bring you in as a reservist in the Navy and send you to flight school like the ANG. As Gator and HAL have sated there are some fools who have been able to swing a commission and then fly for the reserves but they have had significant flight training/experience already. And I've certainly never heard of someone being able to swing a direct entry into a platform far outside their previous experience, like C-12's to F/A-18's.
You’re a MARSS guy? Good deal... I went through training with the the ODIN BAMO and spent some time with some of those folks down range a while back.
If by Navy Jets you mean tactical jets, not gonna happen the way the Navy reserves are currently structured. There’s no direct to USNR acession path and only once in the last 15 years did they even send active duty folk direct to the logistics fixed wing reserves (VR flying C-40, C-130 and Gulfstreams) when AD YGs were overmanned and that was a disaster from the communities prospective.
Your best bet to fly tactical jets is the ANG/AFR if you can find a unit to take you.
About a third of them just screened for command, so it couldn't have been that much of a disaster...