• 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 much does prior flight training help?

kwiksak

kwiksak

Burn and turn
I go to a University which offers a degree in professional pilot. We have to take aerodynamics and all that good stuff. I have 250+ hours. I have my private, instrument, multi-engine, commercial and tail wheel. I was just wondering how much it actually helps throughout the process? How many of you guys/gals actually went in with "actual" flight experience, not just a quick ground school before OCS?

Thanks!
 
sevenhelmet

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
Wow, I'm surprised nobody saw this before me since I'm hardly ever on here.

Re: Prior Flight training... It might help. Having a PPL will allow you to "skip" IFS, since you theoretically already know how to fly a light civil aircraft, so you can get in the pipeline a little quicker. Instrument flying experience can help you break out in Primary, as it counts for about 50% of your overall average (or it did 6 years ago, I don't know how much that's changed.) That said, I have known the occasional guy with 1000s of hours who had trouble going "back" to being a student in the cockpit. Stay humble and be eager to learn the Navy way of doing business, and you should be OK.

I went in with a private license and about 100 hours and did fine. If it's platform selection you're worried about, that can have as much to do with timing as it does with your ability. Don't get discouraged by that though, most guys like what they end up flying.
 
BusyBee604

BusyBee604

St. Francis/Hugh Hefner Combo!
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
kwiksak said:
I have 250+ hours. I have my private, instrument, multi-engine, commercial and tail wheel. I was just wondering how much it actually helps throughout the process?
Click to expand...
This is a common question which has been beaten to death here on AW, a search on this subject should answer any and all questions.

A short, sure answer is that it shouldn't hurt you, but is not a major factor in giving you a significant "edge" over the competition. You will be required to learn & fly 'THE NAVY WAY', which is procedurally different than in the GA world. Sometimes, primary FIs have to spend extra time helping SNAs break ingrained GA habits/procedures, & relearn to Navy standards. This occasionally contributes to somewhat lower flight grades. On the other hand, those with instrument experience/quals, will usually grade above average in the Inst. stages of all flight training.

In the big picture, over tne century of Naval Aviation, probably 95+% of SNAs with no prior flight experience, have been 'winged', and gone on to perform admirably in the fleet (as have priors), as nuggets, then experienced HTA & RW aviators.:)
BzB
 
NavAir42

NavAir42

I'm not dead yet....
pilot
BusyBee speaks the truth. I'm a current primary flight instructor, so here's my take. Will previous flight time help? Yes. Where the guys with prior flight time get themselves into trouble is their attitude. A few come in with the attitude that they're already aviators because of their civilian flight time and that a lot of the teaching we do is beneath them. Civilian flight time isn't comparable to military flight time so don't think your 250 hours in the civilian world is anything like flying with the fleet, or even flight training.

All that said, if you keep in mind that you can use your civilian flight experience as jump off point toward learning to fly the Navy way, you're going to do better, on average, than a student who only has done IFS. Keep a good attitude and you'll probably enjoy flight school a lot more than you would otherwise.
 
HAL Pilot

HAL Pilot

Well-Known Member
None
Contributor
As a major airline captain and retired NFO, sorry you wasted your money getting a professional pilot degree. You could have gotten the same licenses/flight experience for a hell of a lot less at a FBO, the degree will not get you any preferential status with getting accepted to Navy flight training or major airline hiring, and the degree is worthless when trying to find a job during your airline furlough.

Not what you asked or wanted to hear but I hate these scams that take tens of thousands of dollars from naive young people while promising something they can't deliever.
 
C420sailor

C420sailor

Former Rhino Bro
pilot
Guys with prior time seemed to be ahead of the curve in Primary, but everyone else caught up by early-mid Advanced. Flying practice approaches in a 172 and dive bombing in a division of T-45s...two completely different skillsets.

I know a few guys with extensive prior flight time who washed out in the TRACOM/FRS. In other words, prior flight time is no guarantee of success.
 
Renegade One

Renegade One

Well-Known Member
None
kwiksak said:
How many of you guys/gals actually went in with "actual" flight experience, not just a quick ground school before OCS?
Click to expand...
Can't speak at all to the reality of today, but, in my day, the system was designed to train people with ZERO actual flight experience and no ground school. I can certainly see that some prior exposure/comfort with the very basics can be a plus, but I don't think your degree in "Professional Pilot" is going to matter a bit.

Years later, it may actually not serve you well, depending entirely on what you may want to do in "the life after next", of course. I'm with HAL Pilot on this one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top