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Initial squadrons
- Thread starter Chubby
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In Maritime (VP) you submit a dream sheet just prior to getting winged, also if you want VP or VQ (or at least you DID back when I was winged). That's what they announce at your ceremony.
It wasnt written in stone or anything though. About 75% of the way through the RAG our class had to sit down and confirm it, plus choose squadrons (I went to the one where I knew the most people). One guy's wife was gonna leave him if he went to Hawaii, so he got a guy who changed his mind to swap. Basically they threw us in a room, told us how many slots there were at each site, and locked the door. There weren't any major problems, everyone got what they wanted.
I don't know about Japan assignments, closest we had to that was Hawaii, and usually anything far isn't really sought after.
It wasnt written in stone or anything though. About 75% of the way through the RAG our class had to sit down and confirm it, plus choose squadrons (I went to the one where I knew the most people). One guy's wife was gonna leave him if he went to Hawaii, so he got a guy who changed his mind to swap. Basically they threw us in a room, told us how many slots there were at each site, and locked the door. There weren't any major problems, everyone got what they wanted.
I don't know about Japan assignments, closest we had to that was Hawaii, and usually anything far isn't really sought after.
26Retro
Recovering COD pilot
From my experience (E2/C2), you prepare a dream sheet as you start the FRS. Shortly thereafter, your class will be told how many spots exist in various locations. When I chose, they left us alone in a classroom and we tried to settle it on our own as a class. In cases where classes couldn't sort it out amongst themselves (and it could get pretty ugly at times) they reverted back to advanced grades in order to assign who picked first, second, etc. We did it the first week of the FRS (since that was the point at which you had to pick E2 or C-2 in order to continue ground school) I imagine that each community may handle it differently though.
If you are interested in one of the Japan squadrons, there typically aren't too many guys/gals jumping at the chance so you may not have too much competition for that slot (if one is available). One additional caveat...If you end up Jet or E2/C2 and want to go to Japan, you will need to meet a slightly higher Carrier Qualification standard during FRS CQ. Japan is considered permanently forward deployed and replacement pilots headed there (or meeting any other squadron that is deployed) have higher CQ GPA and boarding rate requirements during FRS CQ and will complete more traps than CONUS-bound RPs. I don't say this to confuse or scare you, but just keep in mind that there is more to the selection process in that specific case than the standard "desires vs needs of the Navy" issue. There have been pilots who thought they had their Japan slot all locked up and then didn't do well enough at the boat; and likewise those who thought they were staying CONUS, only to find out that they were getting additional traps in order to meet an overseas billet requirement.
Most communities look at an overseas (particularly Japan) tour as a plus in your career, and from my experience they tend to get hooked-up when obtaining followon orders for taking the "hard-fill" billet.
If you are interested in one of the Japan squadrons, there typically aren't too many guys/gals jumping at the chance so you may not have too much competition for that slot (if one is available). One additional caveat...If you end up Jet or E2/C2 and want to go to Japan, you will need to meet a slightly higher Carrier Qualification standard during FRS CQ. Japan is considered permanently forward deployed and replacement pilots headed there (or meeting any other squadron that is deployed) have higher CQ GPA and boarding rate requirements during FRS CQ and will complete more traps than CONUS-bound RPs. I don't say this to confuse or scare you, but just keep in mind that there is more to the selection process in that specific case than the standard "desires vs needs of the Navy" issue. There have been pilots who thought they had their Japan slot all locked up and then didn't do well enough at the boat; and likewise those who thought they were staying CONUS, only to find out that they were getting additional traps in order to meet an overseas billet requirement.
Most communities look at an overseas (particularly Japan) tour as a plus in your career, and from my experience they tend to get hooked-up when obtaining followon orders for taking the "hard-fill" billet.
26Retro
Recovering COD pilot
The higher standards apply to a forward deployed or "imminently deploying" squadron. A typical nugget pilot reporting to a carrier-based squadron will usually have the opportunity to complete some if not all of his airwing's workup cycle, which consists of several 3-4 week at sea periods. Prior to each of these at sea periods he/she will get multiple FCLP (Field Carrier Landing Practice) flights and then goes out to the boat to CQ again and gets multiple traps in a relatively controlled environment (just offshore, in a more "forgiving" operational tempo and within range of a divert field). By the time they find themselves on deployment, the extra experience and practice should give them a certain level of performance behind the ship.
A pilot meeting an imminently deploying squadron will not have the opportunity for much, if any, of this additional experience before finding him/herself at sea for an extended period of time. For forward deployed squadrons (ie. Japan) the availability of FCLP opportunities is usually less than a CONUS squadron and the airwing (which is kept at a higher sustained level of readiness) typically deploys on much more frequent and often short notice (but usually less lenghty) deployments. If I remember correctly, a RP reporting to a forward or imminently deploying squadron must have a FRS CQ GPA in the top 50% of the last 100 replacement pilots and a boarding rate of at least 75%.
A pilot meeting an imminently deploying squadron will not have the opportunity for much, if any, of this additional experience before finding him/herself at sea for an extended period of time. For forward deployed squadrons (ie. Japan) the availability of FCLP opportunities is usually less than a CONUS squadron and the airwing (which is kept at a higher sustained level of readiness) typically deploys on much more frequent and often short notice (but usually less lenghty) deployments. If I remember correctly, a RP reporting to a forward or imminently deploying squadron must have a FRS CQ GPA in the top 50% of the last 100 replacement pilots and a boarding rate of at least 75%.
Are we able to submit a new dream sheet to VP-30 STUCON?zab1001 said:
Since we no longer find out where our initial squadron will be at the winging, how quickly do you find out now? Can anybody currently at the P-3 FRS confirm if the "75% of the way through" is still valid? I have a friend there now who said you find out soon after checking in but I would like to get more opinions on that.
why?
As far as I can tell, he did the right thing. He did a search on the question he had instead of starting a new thread, and he had a follow up question pertaining to the thread he found.
As far as I can tell, he did the right thing. He did a search on the question he had instead of starting a new thread, and he had a follow up question pertaining to the thread he found.
As far as helos, u submitt a dream sheet prior to winging, sometimes it is real easy to get out of CONUS other times it is real difficult. Just depends on how many slots and how man people want it. Also, if you are the best student it can be harder to get overseas as there are no sims, so everything has to be done in the ac
For Prowlers your only options are Whidbey and Atsugi, so they might have one or two Japan slots to fill out of every couple three classes. Most of the time, there are people who want to go, but there are a few who get old to go, like it or not. Other than that, there's the boat vs expeditionary squadrons, but in the end, the stud doesn't have much say.
Brett
Brett
Chubby said:
Needs of the Navy. That was the way it used to be -- I doubt if it is too much different today.
We selected/were selected for fleet squadrons late in our RAG training. Usually, one could count on going to a squadron that was on dry land while doing a 6-10 month turn-around. As such, I was promised a squadron where most of my RAG buddies were going --- but unfortunately I did well enough in the program and at the ship where they decided to give me a week's notice to "get my affairs in order" and sent me packin' to Cubi to meet the ship and squadron in the "real" world. Much crying and wimpering on my part .....
makana said:
You'll submit your (another) dream sheet to VP-30 when you class up. Change it if you want. You'll find out ~2 weeks later (while you're still in ground school) what the answer is.
The reason why you have to have good grades when you are forward deployed is because you basically do not have a work up period...Oh, and by the way, being forward deployed isn't looked at as much of a hard-fill anymore because everyone is deploying out the you know what. All I know is, you want to go to Japan, be my guest. You can have it.
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