• 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

how long is A-pool?

How long did you wait in A-pool?

  • Under one month

    Votes: 5 9.6%

  • One month to 6 weeks

    Votes: 4 7.7%

  • Six weeks to 2 months

    Votes: 8 15.4%

  • Two months to 10 weeks

    Votes: 1 1.9%

  • Ten weeks to 3 months

    Votes: 5 9.6%

  • Longer than 3 months

    Votes: 29 55.8%
  • Total voters
    52
Status
Not open for further replies.
ben

ben

not missing sand
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Guys and gals:

I recently asked my girl to marry me and we're trying to get things planned for a ceremony this coming summer. I'm supposed to get out of OCS on April the 29th. Could those of you who have been through the wait please let me know about how long it took you to class up for API? We're thinking that the time in A-pool is the best opportunity to have a ceremony before I start up flight school and schedules get unpredictable. I do not have to go through IFS. Hopefully my OCS grad date won't change and I'll be able to check in for A-Pool before all the ROTC and Adademy guys get there. I would think that being slightly ahead of all those people would get me started sooner.

In your replies please include your commissioning source (ROTC, OCS, Annapolis), when you were commissioned, and whether you went through IFS or not. Also, please indicate whether you are Navy or Marine.

There is another active thread on this topic but it was resurrected from a couple of years ago. I'm looking for as current of information as possible. I realize that things change all the time and there is not a 100% way to make a good prediction. I'm just trying to get an idea of what other people experienced. Also, if any of you have advice on timing a wedding, please feel free to elaborate.
 
R

Red2

E-2 NFO. WTI. DH.
None
Ok, I'm a bad example because I'm in ISO. But, I know alot of guys who didn't do ISO and came down around the same time as me (June 2004) and are still in A-pool. I have never heard of anyone classing up in less than 3 months that wasn't a Marine. Not having to do IFS is good, that shaves about a month of your time. The ATS director talked to our BOLTC class today and this is what he told us: The major problem right now is that there are pools at the Primary and Advanced stages. Guys are finishing API or Primary and then wait 1-2 months. The Navy wants that to stop. They want people waiting in A-pool instead of C-pool. Because of that, the size of API classes has been shrinking. The ATS director said that he hasn't even classed up a Navy pilot in two weeks.

The other problem is ISO. When we signed up, we were given guaranteed start dates (mine is 14 JAN). However, hurricane Ivan was not foreseen nor were the primary/advanced pools and this new decision to hold people in A-pool longer to eliminate those pools. So people who did not do ISO will not be classing up until Feb/March after all the ISO people (there are 80 of us) are classed up.

In my BOLTC class, we have alot of guys recently out of OCS (October graduation). They were told they won't be classing up until March/April.

So to answer your question, count on 3-4 months of A-pool time. BUT, by the time you get here, everything might be cleared up and you may only have a 1 month wait. That's the problem with A-pool, it can change from month to month.

I'm ROTC, btw.
 
Fly Navy

Fly Navy

...Great Job!
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Red2 said:
Guys are finishing API or Primary and then wait 1-2 months.
Click to expand...

Haha, make that 6 months if you go jets. Shoot, I know some helo guys that are gonna wait about 4 months. Everything is backed up like a fat guy's toilet.

By the way Ben, CONGRATS!
 
M

Mcaf

Registered User
Like REd2 said there is a back up and the Nav is trying to figure out the best way to deal with it. The"word" changes weekly (at least Thursday to Thursday for me). Last week it was "no pilot slots" for the next 6 WEEKS!! which was met with a loud groan. Then today it was "Ok, we're gonna push some pilots through and have a post API pool". So basically you have to prepare for anything because once you've read this post its already outdated. :icon_wink
 
Fly Navy

Fly Navy

...Great Job!
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Mcaf said:
o basically you have to prepare for anything because once you've read this post its already outdated. :icon_wink
Click to expand...

That couldn't be closer to the truth.
 
petescheu

petescheu

Registered User
That, and don't ever believe any rumor you hear until it actually happens to you.
I spent 210 days in Pensacola, 42 of which were for A-Pool, 2 for D-Jets, and the rest were Grand Theft Auto Vice City and the beach. Seeing the results from the poll it looks like I'm not even close to being alone. You'd think personell would get it figured out after so many years... one of the great mysteries of the Navy is being in CNET.
 
Fly Navy

Fly Navy

...Great Job!
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Most powerful Navy in history... can't manage people correctly. Makes you scratch your head.
 
jg5343

jg5343

FLY NAVY...Divers need the work
pilot
Do you still get a break in wait time if you volunteer to go Air Force?
 
ben

ben

not missing sand
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Thanks for the info guys... Is it easy to take leave during API? What about needing a specific date (for a wedding)?


Fly Navy - I had 666 posts when my girlfriend had 777. Isn't that weird? I noticed that earlier today. :D
 
R

Red2

E-2 NFO. WTI. DH.
None
Ben, it would be easier if you could do your wedding while in A-pool. With things so backed up, they are not going to grant leave and roll people during API once you class up.

IceWoman, SNFOs are classing up faster than SNAs so, I'm guessing (and this is only a guess as it could change tomorrow), 2-3 months. Do you have orders already? I've heard of ROTC and Academy guys that graduated Spring '04 that are still stashed at their unit/Annapolis.

BTW, the ATS director actually plugged airwarriors at the brief today!! One of the guys asked what he should do to prepare for API and the director said to check out airwarriors.com
 
M

Mcaf

Registered User
jg5343 said:
Do you still get a break in wait time if you volunteer to go Air Force?
Click to expand...


Right now you can but that may not apply in April (when ben will be here). The Navy is classing up all FY03 (grad school attendees) and FY04 (NROTC, USNA grads and OCS grads prior to OCT). So right now if I were to vol for Vance I could probably class up next week. It was even announced that the OCS grads from Nov who volunteered for Vance cannot class up early because they first have to push 03 and 04 through. I know there are more 04 people coming down in March or later so they all will be classed before any FY05 people. Of, course this is all subject to change.
 
WannaBEaP3gal

WannaBEaP3gal

Registered User
No orders yet, commissioning is in 22 days, have no idea when I'll get them. We have lots of guys from May'04 still here, some who will be here til May'05. I'm trying to do IFS, SNFOs can do it now, it's a shortened version of the SNAs IFS though. Oh well, I guess I'll have to get used to this whole "waiting" thing...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top