Average NSS score range for aircraft selection

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Thank you that’s the answer I was looking for. I know the Navy has a shortage of pilots all around, but are there some pipelines they’re trying to fill more than others?

You’re associating accessions with retention. Naval aviation does not have an accession shortage, ie those coming from OCS, USNA, ROTC, etc. They have a retention problem and trying to keep those past their 8-year minimum service obligation.

 

[kookylukey]

Thank you for your explanation @FinkUFreaky . That all makes sense, especially the part about giving your all in the course=better performance.

I am trying to phrase these 2 questions without sounding completely stupid. So here goes nothing:

1.) With the E-2 not being highly sought after by students (*if I picked that part up correctly, if I did not, absolutely no offense intended*), is it like the E-6 in which if a student displays a high level of interest in flying the aircraft that Navy leadership will try to help get them selected for E-2s if said student has the minimum scores required?

2.) How would a student go about stating their preferences without sounding like a self-entitled jerk? I.E. if a student would want to put jets, E-2s, P-8 for example, and were to say "I really want to fly the E-2 if I can't get jets" or whatever aircraft if they don't get their first preferences, how would they go about stating their preferences without sounding like "me before team"?

I'll caveat all of what I said above by saying honestly if I am chosen to fly in the military, I just want my wings, specific airframe definitely comes second (if not significantly lower) on the level of importance in the grand scheme of things.

1. You'd have to be the CO's son or something to get preferential treatment like that. There isn't really one platform that is not "sought" after because you put 3 things down on your sheet. e.g. if you're a jet hardo you're putting jets, E2s and P8s on your sheet, if you want anything fixed wing you're putting P8/E2/Jets/E6. So even if you display some love for one platform, if someone else selecting that week has it on their sheet and has a higher NSS it's going to them. Everyone tries to game it and you can't.
2. Jet hardos have existed before and will continue to exist after you just say what you want. Whatever your personality is it will come off that way anyway.

However if I were you I'd focus on getting into OCS first before worrying about your NSS lmao

 

[miss1ng]

Thank you for your explanation @FinkUFreaky . That all makes sense, especially the part about giving your all in the course=better performance.

I am trying to phrase these 2 questions without sounding completely stupid. So here goes nothing:

1.) With the E-2 not being highly sought after by students (*if I picked that part up correctly, if I did not, absolutely no offense intended*), is it like the E-6 in which if a student displays a high level of interest in flying the aircraft that Navy leadership will try to help get them selected for E-2s if said student has the minimum scores required?

2.) How would a student go about stating their preferences without sounding like a self-entitled jerk? I.E. if a student would want to put jets, E-2s, P-8 for example, and were to say "I really want to fly the E-2 if I can't get jets" or whatever aircraft if they don't get their first preferences, how would they go about stating their preferences without sounding like "me before team"?

I'll caveat all of what I said above by saying honestly if I am chosen to fly in the military, I just want my wings, specific airframe definitely comes second (if not significantly lower) on the level of importance in the grand scheme of things.

There is a preference sheet (sometimes called your "dream sheet") that you fill out when you complete Primary. You put down your top 3 platforms and rank them from 1-3. At the bottom of your dream sheet you can write a short paragraph explaining why you want/deserve a certain community. When I selected, a 50 NSS was the minimum to even put down a tailhook community (Jets/E2).

In terms of selection, the whole process is a mystery to most, but it tends to be very mechanical - highest NSS gets his choice (if there's a slot), and the rest get whatever is leftover based on highest NSS and preference. In terms of IPs helping, no. The only time I've ever seen someone influence a selection was when someone scored an 80 NSS (the highest possible NSS) and not get what he wanted - he wanted Maritime but they jet drafted him. The CO/XO spoke with the commodore and had a maritime slot open up for him. The CO even prefaced that that was the first time he's ever seen something like that happen.

 

[croakerfish]

It’s not as simple as higher NSS and availability equating to getting your preference. There’s a thing called “quality spread,” which means that we balance the average NSS going to every community, so the popular options don’t get all the “top” performers.

 

[MIDNJAC]

The oldest advice is the best: do the best that you can in training. There are no guarantees of anything, but that is the one thing you can control. And try to avoid comparing yourself to others in the process.

 

[Crowbar808]

The rumor is 65+ is auto select jets
Not sure what percentage that is, I would guess top 10%
Subject to any number of things that could go wrong

 

[croakerfish]

The rumor is 65+ is auto select jets
Not sure what percentage that is, I would guess top 10%
Subject to any number of things that could go wrong

I was class advisor to a stud (in HTs) who had a 68 and got his third choice. There is no auto-select anything.

 

[IKE]

I was class advisor to a stud (in HTs) who had a 68 and got his third choice. There is no auto-select anything.

Back in my day... I recall that certain key events or skills played into one's ability to select jets. If you really sucked at PA or FORM, the IPs could comment on that, and no amount of acing FAMs, instruments, academics, etc. would help.

But... That could've just been bad gouge from other students.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

The rumor is 65+ is auto select jets
Not sure what percentage that is, I would guess top 10%
Subject to any number of things that could go wrong

Omg stop with rumors and scaring everyone here.

 

[Python]

The rumor is 65+ is auto select jets
Not sure what percentage that is, I would guess top 10%
Subject to any number of things that could go wrong

For what it’s worth, 65 is the 94th percentile.

But no there isn’t an auto select policy.

 

[Gatordev]

The rumor is 65+ is auto select jets
Not sure what percentage that is, I would guess top 10%
Subject to any number of things that could go wrong

As others have said, that is incorrect. Your chances of getting jets with a 65+ is EXTREMELY high, but not automatic. However, if you're number one in your class that week, everyone will go out of their way to give you your first pick.

BUT...people misunderstand that #1 is out of the entire selection group (both TRAWINGs...it used to be 3 TRAWINGs when I selected) and not just #1 out of your squadron or even Wing. So even with a small group size that week, you're still competing with 4 other squadrons' studs.

Back in my day... I recall that certain key events or skills played into one's ability to select jets. If you really sucked at PA or FORM, the IPs could comment on that, and no amount of acing FAMs, instruments, academics, etc. would help.

But... That could've just been bad gouge from other students.

That's not bad gouge. When I was an IP, the CO was a hardcore (Fighter) Attack Guy and when doing TACFORM, he would end up doing 20 iterations of the more dynamic portion of the card with each student just to wring them out and thereby assess their fitness for jets based on that one event. The other IPs knew what he was doing and would work to head that off come selection time if they knew the stud was strong otherwise, but that CO would make specific comments on the grade sheet for later when selection time came.

From what I saw, he was an outlier, but if someone struggled through PAs and Forms in general, it was noticed. Usually the studs would self-cull themselves when they filled out their dream sheet, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

 

[miss1ng]

It’s not as simple as higher NSS and availability equating to getting your preference. There’s a thing called “quality spread,” which means that we balance the average NSS going to every community, so the popular options don’t get all the “top” performers.

I've only ever once seen a quality spread pick (very low NSS getting an in-demand community), and even in that case, no one can guarantee that the pick was based on quality spread rather than availability.

Likewise, I've never seen high NSS studs receive a low-demand community that wouldn't have just been attributed to no slots left for the communities they wanted.

All of this is just a guess at the end of the day, but from my experiences, the "highest NSS gets what's available" has never NOT been applicable.

 

[wink]

Omg stop with rumors and scaring everyone here.

Meh. Asking allows the AW brain trust to shoot down bad gouge and further educate. Other wannabes have the same questions in mind, or will in the future. Now the answers are as close as the search function.

 

[croakerfish]

I've only ever once seen a quality spread pick (very low NSS getting an in-demand community), and even in that case, no one can guarantee that the pick was based on quality spread rather than availability.

Likewise, I've never seen high NSS studs receive a low-demand community that wouldn't have just been attributed to no slots left for the communities they wanted.

All of this is just a guess at the end of the day, but from my experiences, the "highest NSS gets what's available" has never NOT been applicable.

Speaking as a former flight school STUCON officer who generated placement COAs, I’ve seen all of that. For the Marines, the top student in each class is guaranteed #1 pick by instruction. The Navy makes no such guarantee.

 

[Python]

Speaking as a former flight school STUCON officer who generated placement COAs, I’ve seen all of that. For the Marines, the top student in each class is guaranteed #1 pick by instruction. The Navy makes no such guarantee.

The Navy has no such guarantee in writing, but often (not always) accommodated in practice.