Insight on Redesignation to Naval Aviator

[Jester013]

I need some insight from the the community. Unfortunately I have not come across too many aviators to ask in person.

I graduated and commission a little less than a year ago now. I took a reserve commission in the Strategic Sealift Program in the IRR. I have been sailing with Military Sealift Command as a deck officer since. After about a year, I have been starting to find my job a little mundane. When it comes down to it all I do is follow a line on the chart, and conning the vessel is starting to loose its enjoyability, and I really don't get to conn that much in the places I would enjoy it. Realistically I really only get satisfaction from my job maybe a few days a month. After I promote soon it becomes essentially a paperwork and operations job. However, it pays very well and it lets me travel and take a couple months entirely to myself every year.

I would to do something more challenging and more competitive of an atmosphere. I don't mind taking the cut in pay if it is a job that I know I will be enjoying for years on in. My biggest fear is that I am going to walk away from stable and promising career and interesting lifestyle, and that flying is going to become boring for me too. If anyone can offer some experiences as how they have enjoyed their careers flying for the Navy, it would be appreciated. I really want to fly, but did it get mundane for anyone?

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I need some insight from the the community. Unfortunately I have not come across too many aviators to ask in person.

I graduated and commission a little less than a year ago now. I took a reserve commission in the Strategic Sealift Program in the IRR. I have been sailing with Military Sealift Command as a deck officer since. After about a year, I have been starting to find my job a little mundane. When it comes down to it all I do is follow a line on the chart, and conning the vessel is starting to loose its enjoyability, and I really don't get to conn that much in the places I would enjoy it. Realistically I really only get satisfaction from my job maybe a few days a month. After I promote soon it becomes essentially a paperwork and operations job. However, it pays very well and it lets me travel and take a couple months entirely to myself every year.

I would to do something more challenging and more competitive of an atmosphere. I don't mind taking the cut in pay if it is a job that I know I will be enjoying for years on in. My biggest fear is that I am going to walk away from stable and promising career and interesting lifestyle, and that flying is going to become boring for me too. If anyone can offer some experiences as how they have enjoyed their careers flying for the Navy, it would be appreciated. I really want to fly, but did it get mundane for anyone?

Do a search for "inter service transfer" or "IST" you will see who is down the path you want to go and they can give you some direction.

 

[P3 F0]

I'm guessing that the majority of aviators find the job very rewarding, while at the same time, 99% find parts of the job very mundane and boring. I've seen and heard of plenty of guys leave the service, but it's for other kinds of reasons--I have yet to hear "I'm bored."

 

[Jester013]

Thanks gents, I appreciate the input. If "I'm bored" is a rare phrase in the community, its already surpassing my job (weeks of extreme boredom followed by a couple minutes of "We're going to jail," or my personal favorite "The chief mate has the conn? We're all going to die.")

 

[Fallonflyr]

If you are ever really bored while flying, you are most likely moments away from screwing the pooch.

 

[BusyBee604]

I had 17 years, 4K+ hours of aviating in 14 types of Navy aircraft... I've at times been clueless, efficient scared, awestruck, smooth, rough, jubilant, accurate, disappointed, amused & lucky.. to name a few, but never BORED!

When in flight and in control, I have always kept in mind (at least subconsciously), that flying is always a battle between lift, and gravity which is very strong and unrelenting. Not really any room for boredom. Maintaining SA as the pilot in control leaves no room for boredom!
BzB