FAC Tour: The good and the bad

[JTS11]

HMX-1 is required to be staffed at 100%, per the Commandant's staffing priorities. That's not going to change. USMC will never give up that mission until they're told to.

If only 1 out 15 IPs made O-4, I would guess they were intentionally tanking by not doing PME, submitting a pic, etc. That sounds like an extremely low selection rate though.

Not sure what MMOA can do to address the massive cultural issues to be honest. They're simply like the MO trying to get up aircraft to meet the flight schedule.

 

[Hercz40]

HMX-1 is required to be staffed at 100%, per the Commandant's staffing priorities. That's not going to change. USMC will never give up that mission until they're told to.

If only 1 out 15 IPs made O-4, I would guess they were intentionally tanking by not doing PME, submitting a pic, etc. That sounds like an extremely low selection rate though.

Not sure what MMOA can do to address the massive cultural issues to be honest. They're simply like the MO trying to get up aircraft to meet the flight schedule.

The Marines for some reason can't grasp that there is a cultural issue that is causing the pilot shortage. This subcommittee hearing was a few years ago and it's pretty telling how the services we're looking at the pilot shortage.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?426158-1/military-officials-explain-reasons-pilot-shortage

Marine Corps: We don't have shortages, we have readiness issues. Where's the coffee?
Navy: We are short on pilots because our readiness sucks and pilots don't fly as much as they want to
Air Force: We did scientific studies that say it's not all about the money, we want a good quality of life too (~27:00 min mark)
Army: All our pilots are old and will retire soon, please help

The most telling part about the attitude the higher-ups have about pilots in the Marine Corps comes around the 25:29 mark, when the General gestures that we need to offer a bonus to "grab em by the balls." Sure, just trap people, that's a great plan.

 

[Hotdogs]

HMX-1 is required to be staffed at 100%, per the Commandant's staffing priorities. That's not going to change. USMC will never give up that mission until they're told to.

If only 1 out 15 IPs made O-4, I would guess they were intentionally tanking by not doing PME, submitting a pic, etc. That sounds like an extremely low selection rate though.

Not sure what MMOA can do to address the massive cultural issues to be honest. They're simply like the MO trying to get up aircraft to meet the flight schedule.

I get some of this is out of the control of MMOA, but that selection rate speaks more to just the economy. Ideally people would want to stay in the service even in the midst of an economic boom. Regardless if people were tanking promotions - It’s an indicator. Hopefully some of the initiatives by the CMC to address the industrial manpower management model to an Information age HR model will help in the next decade.

 

[SpankenStein]

Guys are FAILING out of the FITU/HITU?

 

[Gatordev]

Guys are FAILING out of the FITU/HITU?

It's not anything new and has happened for years. When you send 500 hour pilots with no AC time, there can be (but not always) a skill deficit.

 

[Jim123]

In the HITU it was pretty rare. We could usually work with a guy to get them up to speed. Having gone through the HITU and the T-6 FITU, I think it was a lot more work on the part of the IUT to get up to speed on the T-6. There are only a few specific places when flying a helicopter with a student that things can unravel dangerously fast, and flying a T-6 with a student there are also just a few specific places, but IMHO flying the T-6 as a new IP was overall more taxing than the parallel experience in a TH-57.

 

[Hercz40]

In the HITU it was pretty rare. We could usually work with a guy to get them up to speed. Having gone through the HITU and the T-6 FITU, I think it was a lot more work on the part of the IUT to get up to speed on the T-6. There are only a few specific places when flying a helicopter with a student that things can unravel dangerously fast, and flying a T-6 with a student there are also just a few specific places, but IMHO flying the T-6 as a new IP was overall more taxing than the parallel experience in a TH-57.

Thanks for the insight, definitely great information. Anyone have any insight on how this compares to T-44s in Corpus in VT-31/35?

 

[SpankenStein]

Follow up,

Does us being FACs make us less likely, or perhaps less preferable to send to a MATSG? I realize were gunna be out the cockpit for a bit, but will we be good if we have descent past hours (ie 850hrs, 300 AC CMDR)?

 

[HSMPBR]

Follow up,

Does us being FACs make us less likely, or perhaps less preferable to send to a MATSG? I realize were gunna be out the cockpit for a bit, but will we be good if we have descent past hours (ie 850hrs, 300 AC CMDR)?

Reading this board:

 

[SpankenStein]

Sticks and Stones, dude.

 

[Gatordev]

In the HITU it was pretty rare. We could usually work with a guy to get them up to speed. Having gone through the HITU and the T-6 FITU, I think it was a lot more work on the part of the IUT to get up to speed on the T-6. There are only a few specific places when flying a helicopter with a student that things can unravel dangerously fast, and flying a T-6 with a student there are also just a few specific places, but IMHO flying the T-6 as a new IP was overall more taxing than the parallel experience in a TH-57.

The main issue I saw in the T-34 FITU was managing to fly single-pilot while also being able to recite FTI procedures AND then also work deconflictions. I saw two guys have issues while I was there. One was a no-AC time C-130 guy that didn't make it, the other was a 7 hour AC time HSL guy that took some extra training but completed.

It wasn't like flight school, where there's boards and pink sheets, just lots of remediation until finally it was decided that no progress is being made.

 

[Odominable]

I get some of this is out of the control of MMOA, but that selection rate speaks more to just the economy. Ideally people would want to stay in the service even in the midst of an economic boom. Regardless if people were tanking promotions - It’s an indicator. Hopefully some of the initiatives by the CMC to address the industrial manpower management model to an Information age HR model will help in the next decade.

I think it will get worse before it's better, unfortunately. I think MATSG is, to an extent, being seen a little less of as a career killer, but that perception amongst fleet pilots is still there. 100% of skid pilots I knew who went to PCola/CC, including some NSIs, were planning on 2P'ing out of there and on to greener pastures.

 

[Roger_Waveoff]

Follow up,

Does us being FACs make us less likely, or perhaps less preferable to send to a MATSG? I realize were gunna be out the cockpit for a bit, but will we be good if we have descent past hours (ie 850hrs, 300 AC CMDR)?

I realize you probably don't need this answer anymore, but in case there are others browsing who do:

No less likely than anyone else. In some circumstances, potentially more likely. One guy from my squadron managed to score a pretty great deal: 29 Palms FAC tour with a UDP deployment, followed by guaranteed flight school IP on the back end. That was a hotfill he jumped on, so don't expect that to be the norm.

In general, FAC is more of a pause in your junior flying time and not a break off the golden path. Whether or not you get sent to a MATSG is far more dependent on where you are with your fleet T/M/S T&R designations than whether or not you did a FAC tour.

There are generally exceptions, but what I've seen over the past few years WRT flight school IP assignment:

• WTI? Helllllll no. Need you and your screaming eagle patch for MATSS, MAWTS-1, and HMX-1.
• Division Leader/NSI? Maybe, but far more likely you get FRS instructor or VMX-1.
• Section Leader/LAT-I/TERF-I/WTO? Probably as close to the sweet spot as you can get.
• Aircraft Commander/FCP/BIP? Not ideal, but when the TRAWINGs are hurting for IPs they'd rather take you than the NSIs and above.