Average NSS score range for aircraft selection

[Odominable]

From someone that’s currently enlisted and has some time before leaving for OCS, what’s everyone’s opinion on getting flight experience prior to leaving for OCS when I currently do not have any. Like getting in a discovery flight and starting to work towards PPL. Would it have that big of an advantage, or do most people start primary at around the same level due to NIFE? (Other than those with higher aviation certs)

The prevailing opinion is that it doesn’t meaningfully help you, especially considering how expensive it is. By all means go on a discovery flight if you’d like to for its own sake, but don’t waste your money on anything beyond that.

 

[Mouselovr]

From someone that’s currently enlisted and has some time before leaving for OCS, what’s everyone’s opinion on getting flight experience prior to leaving for OCS when I currently do not have any. Like getting in a discovery flight and starting to work towards PPL. Would it have that big of an advantage, or do most people start primary at around the same level due to NIFE? (Other than those with higher aviation certs)

If you're a wanna-be jet stud, its worth the investment.
Most do flight school with no prior hours. Plenty of my peers with zero hours selected "competitive airframes", however, prior flight time is almost always a huge leg up when paired with good study habits.

Primary is structured such that the early flights count the most. If you already have an idea how to fly, you're going to do better than your peers learning from scratch.

Of my peers who were in the now sun-downed avenger program, in every case I saw, those with prior flight time solo-ed significantly earlier than their zero hours counterparts. Ie, prior flight time can lead to higher NSS

 

[Swanee]

If you're a wanna-be jet stud, its worth the investment.
Most do flight school with no prior hours. Plenty of my peers with zero hours selected "competitive airframes", however, prior flight time is almost always a huge leg up when paired with good study habits.

Primary is structured such that the early flights count the most. If you already have an idea how to fly, you're going to do better than your peers learning from scratch.

Of my peers who were in the now sun-downed avenger program, in every case I saw, those with prior flight time solo-ed significantly earlier than their zero hours counterparts. Ie, prior flight time can lead to higher NSS

I had 2 (furlowed, it was 2009) airline pilots in my class that failed out.


Prior time might help. It might hurt.

Plenty of zero time folks select and are successful in jets.

Don't fly on the civilian side unless you can afford it and you want you do it for fun.

 

[Odominable]

If you're a wanna-be jet stud, its worth the investment.
Most do flight school with no prior hours. Plenty of my peers with zero hours selected "competitive airframes", however, prior flight time is almost always a huge leg up when paired with good study habits

Please be careful with pushing stuff like this when you’re discussing a potentially 10k+ investment - lots of people lurk these boards looking for advice like this. A PPL isn’t going to make or break someone in the T-6. A dude who got their ticket in a 152 at an uncontrolled field is not getting a meaningful leg up against his/her peers in a 1000+hp complex hotrod.

IR? Complex/HP? If they have it, sure, I’d buy that, but spending a big chunk of change on a PPL solely to prep for the T-6 isn’t worth it. Not to mention that in this example you’d be the better part of a year out of the cockpit between OCS/NIFE etc so whatever skills PPL training imparted will be long gone before the T-6’s parking brake is released for the first time.

 

[Uncle Fester]

If you're a wanna-be jet stud, its worth the investment.
Most do flight school with no prior hours. Plenty of my peers with zero hours selected "competitive airframes", however, prior flight time is almost always a huge leg up when paired with good study habits.

Primary is structured such that the early flights count the most. If you already have an idea how to fly, you're going to do better than your peers learning from scratch.

Of my peers who were in the now sun-downed avenger program, in every case I saw, those with prior flight time solo-ed significantly earlier than their zero hours counterparts. Ie, prior flight time can lead to higher NSS

I do not agree with this assertion at all.

On my instructor tour, I saw just as many high-private and -commercial time studs come to grief in the program as those who’d never flown before in their lives. More to the point, CNATRA looked into this in depth and found there’s a point of diminishing returns when it comes to prior flight time. Beyond a certain point the stud spends most of their time unlearning old habits (or trying and failing).

*Some* flight time is helpful, and it can potentially get you through the first phase of training quicker. But the idea that spending thousands - potentially tens of thousands - of bucks on private ratings gives you a “huge leg up” is not borne out by the evidence and urging it on anyone as a guaranteed return on investment is, frankly, just bad gouge. Attitude and work ethic matter a hell of a lot more.

 

[Python]

Prior flight time + instrument rating + good attitude is an advantage. There’s no doubt about it.

That doesnt mean go out and buy it because it’s very expensive.

 

[sevenhelmet]

Prior flight time + instrument rating + good attitude is an advantage. There’s no doubt about it.

That doesnt mean go out and buy it because it’s very expensive.

The best take.

Got my PPL my senior year, mainly as insurance- I wanted to be sure I liked flying enough and had sufficient aptitude to pursue it as a career.

I went through primary in T-34s, and found the skills I learned as a PPL helped me pick a few things up slightly faster. The instrument flying skills I had been working on helped even more. Most studs “broke out” in terms of NSS during instrument phase- fams/forms were more about how your onwing graded you.

Prior flight experience generally didn’t hurt, except in the case of a couple of “I know everything” airline types who were convinced that their shit didn’t stink. They found out otherwise. Other guys with prior professional flying and a good attitude did just fine. Stay humble.

Get .civ flight experience if and only if you want it for its own sake- don’t seek it out in order to score better in Primary. Attitude and discipline pay off the most.