• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

Growler "Golden Path"

J

JWL

Member
cfam said:
First off, welcome, and good luck with getting selected!

Regarding your question, your idea of the career path is generally correct.

As a Growler EWO, after winging you’ll first go to VAQ-129 (the RAG or FRS) for your initial training in the jet (expect it to last around 10 months or so). After 129, you’ll go to your first fleet squadron, which could be expeditionary (land-based during deployment) or an air wing squadron (carrier based during deployment). A typical first fleet tour lasts three years.

Your next stop will be your first shore tour, which also typically lasts around three years.
The typical (and most career-enhancing) first shore tour jobs include: instructing at VAQ-129, going to the weapons school course for three months (aka HAVOC, the VAQ community’s version of TOPGUN) with follow-on orders to instruct at Fallon or back up at Whidbey, becoming a flight school instructor (most likely at VT-86 in Pensacola), or going to test pilot school (TPS), with follow-on orders to a test squadron. There are certainly other options available, but they’ll have varying impacts on your career progression.

Following your shore tour, you’ll most likely head to a disassociated sea tour. Assuming you’re still “on-track” at this point, you’ll most likely head to an air wing staff to be their staff EWO (which is a flying job). If you went the weapons school route, then you would go back to a squadron as their training officer, responsible for tactical standardization and tactical qualifications. Depending on your timing, there may also be the option to go to a fleet squadron as a “super JO (junior officer)”, which would essentially be a shorter second fleet tour.

Your next tour would be your Department Head (DH) tour in a squadron (between two-three years), where you would fly but also have the added responsibility of running a department such as maintenance or operations. Think of this as a step up in responsibility/workload from your first fleet tour, where you likely had responsibility for a division of maintenance personnel in addition to your flying job.

After your DH tour, you’ll likely go to a staff job (non-flying orders) for around two years. Assuming you’ve performed to a high level to this point, you’ll be selected for squadron command around this time.

Your staff tour will then be followed by a three year long squadron command tour, where you’ll spend half the time as the squadron executive officer (XO) and the other half as the commanding officer (CO).

That’s a really quick look at the VAQ pipeline until command. Obviously I didn’t include non-standard jobs. There may also be opportunities to attend grad school or the naval war college along the way depending on your specific timing.

The first time you would be eligible to transition to the reserves would be following your six year post-wings commitment. If you want to keep flying as a reservist, then your only options are to be picked up for orders at VAQ-209 (the sole Growler reserve squadron) or as a reserve instructor at VAQ-129.

More to follow on your other questions.
Click to expand...
Great info. How does this track compare to an Air Force flying career, as far as you know? Thanks.
 
Cowgirl

Cowgirl

Member
cfam said:
First off, welcome, and good luck with getting selected!

Regarding your question, your idea of the career path is generally correct.

As a Growler EWO, after winging you’ll first go to VAQ-129 (the RAG or FRS) for your initial training in the jet (expect it to last around 10 months or so). After 129, you’ll go to your first fleet squadron, which could be expeditionary (land-based during deployment) or an air wing squadron (carrier based during deployment). A typical first fleet tour lasts three years.

Your next stop will be your first shore tour, which also typically lasts around three years.
The typical (and most career-enhancing) first shore tour jobs include: instructing at VAQ-129, going to the weapons school course for three months (aka HAVOC, the VAQ community’s version of TOPGUN) with follow-on orders to instruct at Fallon or back up at Whidbey, becoming a flight school instructor (most likely at VT-86 in Pensacola), or going to test pilot school (TPS), with follow-on orders to a test squadron. There are certainly other options available, but they’ll have varying impacts on your career progression.

Following your shore tour, you’ll most likely head to a disassociated sea tour. Assuming you’re still “on-track” at this point, you’ll most likely head to an air wing staff to be their staff EWO (which is a flying job). If you went the weapons school route, then you would go back to a squadron as their training officer, responsible for tactical standardization and tactical qualifications. Depending on your timing, there may also be the option to go to a fleet squadron as a “super JO (junior officer)”, which would essentially be a shorter second fleet tour.

Your next tour would be your Department Head (DH) tour in a squadron (between two-three years), where you would fly but also have the added responsibility of running a department such as maintenance or operations. Think of this as a step up in responsibility/workload from your first fleet tour, where you likely had responsibility for a division of maintenance personnel in addition to your flying job.

After your DH tour, you’ll likely go to a staff job (non-flying orders) for around two years. Assuming you’ve performed to a high level to this point, you’ll be selected for squadron command around this time.

Your staff tour will then be followed by a three year long squadron command tour, where you’ll spend half the time as the squadron executive officer (XO) and the other half as the commanding officer (CO).

That’s a really quick look at the VAQ pipeline until command. Obviously I didn’t include non-standard jobs. There may also be opportunities to attend grad school or the naval war college along the way depending on your specific timing.

The first time you would be eligible to transition to the reserves would be following your six year post-wings commitment. If you want to keep flying as a reservist, then your only options are to be picked up for orders at VAQ-209 (the sole Growler reserve squadron) or as a reserve instructor at VAQ-129.

More to follow on your other questions.
Click to expand...

I am a 1/C NROTC MIDN Who is just selected for NFO. In your opinion, how hard is it to be selected as a EWO. I wanted to fly growlers, but pilot didn’t work out for me. As a second option, I want to fight the growler. How hard of a line is it to walk in flight school to get selected for the growler?
 
Cowgirl

Cowgirl

Member
MIDNJAC said:
It is indeed a delicate line you must walk. Need to do well, but also be a master of the dark arts. There is actually a dungeons and dragons competition at the conclusion of VT-86 to determine who proceeds to the G
Click to expand...

Approximately what percentage of NFOs select for Strike out of Primary?

Excited to have been selected for Naval Aviation, but I thought I was more competitive for SNA. Guess I was wrong.

Related to that, I haven’t been finding much on the possibilities of switching from SNFO -> SNA or later on from NFO -> NA. Obviously it is a little/no shot of happening, but I am the kind of person that will exhaust every last option before I call it quits. Does anyone have any information that may be helpful to me as to what my options are? I’m not trying to be a tool BTW I just am trying to be a sponge. If I can’t switch I will love my designator and work hard.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
ea6bflyr

ea6bflyr

Working Class Bum
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Cowgirl said:
Thank you.
Click to expand...
That’s the standard answer…he was being funny.

Serious answer is that it depends on the needs of the Navy and it varies week by week and month by month. Through the NFO syllabus, you have multiple selections:
32970
so, with all that said, write down “Strike-Fighter” on your dream sheet and do your best in flight training. Good luck.
 
Hair Warrior

Hair Warrior

Well-Known Member
Contributor
ea6bflyr said:
That’s the standard answer…he was being funny.

Serious answer is that it depends on the needs of the Navy and it varies week by week and month by month. Through the NFO syllabus, you have multiple selections:
View attachment 32970
so, with all that said, write down “Strike-Fighter” on your dream sheet and do your best in flight training. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Where do helo selections split off?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top