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Chances of a lateral transfer
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If you're uber motivated, I've heard guys knock it out in little under a year. But like ea6bflyr said, ship/CO are big factors. If you can get underway early on, you'll be able to get a lot of those quals done vice just being in port the whole time. Don't go in though with the attitude that you'll be going aviation in a year. Not only will you anger your peers, but your work will reflect your attitude and you need to be shit hot to transfer over. Also, you may not get it so then you'll be on the ship for the rest of your tour.
In all honesty, minimal.
Getting your pin early, assuming you are pretty good, is also a matter of timing. Arrive right before deployment and you will probably knock it out quick. Get there right after a deployment, and 18 months is more likely. Even worse if your ship is broke.
And yes, some COs are more lenient, and some commands put less/more emphasis on qualifying JOs.
Once qual'd however, the SWO community has to be willing to let you go from your year group...every year group gets X number the community is willing to let go. It's been single digits for most year groups in the 1st/2nd year group...read into that as you will.
It's easier to transfer after your first four years are up, because that is when enough JOs should have signed up for the DH blood money.
Getting your pin early, assuming you are pretty good, is also a matter of timing. Arrive right before deployment and you will probably knock it out quick. Get there right after a deployment, and 18 months is more likely. Even worse if your ship is broke.
And yes, some COs are more lenient, and some commands put less/more emphasis on qualifying JOs.
Once qual'd however, the SWO community has to be willing to let you go from your year group...every year group gets X number the community is willing to let go. It's been single digits for most year groups in the 1st/2nd year group...read into that as you will.
It's easier to transfer after your first four years are up, because that is when enough JOs should have signed up for the DH blood money.
BTDT. Yes, you have to get your SWO pin before anyone will even talk to you for re-des.
As of 2000, you had 18 months from checking aboard to earning your pin. Otherwise, you were a DNQ and the captain had to send a letter to BuPers saying either there was a legit reason (ship in extended overhaul, etc) or there wasn't and you just suck too bad to be a Shoe.
Most guys got it in something between 14-18 mos. Most of what you need in the way of signoffs require you to actually do something or at least observe it - conn the ship to anchoring, conn during flight ops, conn for man-overboards, watch the helo bounce from the tower, etc. Plus you need to get qual'ed as Boat-O, CIC Watch Officer, Engineering Watch Officer (different from EOOW), OOD pierside and OOD underway.
So some of how fast you qual depends on the captain, some on the boat doing the things you need to get signed off. Once you get your pin, your odds of getting picked up for a lat xfer depend on the gaining community's needs.
I lucked out in that my timing was right to get my pin quick (13 mos) and that there happened to be a derth of NFOs.
NOTE: I did all this back in the day of SWOS, then ship. No idea how the timing works nowadays. YMMV.
As of 2000, you had 18 months from checking aboard to earning your pin. Otherwise, you were a DNQ and the captain had to send a letter to BuPers saying either there was a legit reason (ship in extended overhaul, etc) or there wasn't and you just suck too bad to be a Shoe.
Most guys got it in something between 14-18 mos. Most of what you need in the way of signoffs require you to actually do something or at least observe it - conn the ship to anchoring, conn during flight ops, conn for man-overboards, watch the helo bounce from the tower, etc. Plus you need to get qual'ed as Boat-O, CIC Watch Officer, Engineering Watch Officer (different from EOOW), OOD pierside and OOD underway.
So some of how fast you qual depends on the captain, some on the boat doing the things you need to get signed off. Once you get your pin, your odds of getting picked up for a lat xfer depend on the gaining community's needs.
I lucked out in that my timing was right to get my pin quick (13 mos) and that there happened to be a derth of NFOs.
NOTE: I did all this back in the day of SWOS, then ship. No idea how the timing works nowadays. YMMV.
wrecklessfool
just slackin...
Just to clarify for the OP: Nozeman's friend must have been a SWO for something like 3.5 years before doing a lateral xfer to SNA. Just in case the OP was unfamiliar with the advancement from O-1 to O-3
