IS THERE STILL TIME???

[Hartman]

According to my recruiter, carrier flight decks are paved with gold and every day is a holiday during deployment. OK, I really want to burn kerosene and I can accept whatever parts of the job suck, but I need some honest truths here. Do I still have time to become an SNA? Here's my dilemma if you care to read:

I'm 25 now (26 in September), and I think I meet all of the requirements to fly. My recruiter has everything...I've passed the test (qualified for aviator), and submitted transcripts, medical records, security questionnaires...the works. I had PRK in January and my doc says that I’m golden. However, my recruiter doesn't seem to know the details behind the 90-day rule (I was -2.00 in each eye before surgery). He said he's going to send my med. recs. to MEPS, but also said that it could take months to schedule me in depending on how busy they are. Is he feeding me BS?

What’s the next step after my physical…just submit the package? Assuming I can get my physical and package submitted to Tenn. in the next few months, can I still get off to OCS in time? The cut-off is age 27, right? Does that mean I have to be younger than 27 or younger than 28? How far along in my training do I need to be at that age…OCS, API, or what?

A few people have indicated that pilot slots are tight for 2003. Where do you guys get this information? Others have been accepted, but have to wait 10 months before going to OCS. Not good! Is it possible that the jockeys in Tenn. will be willing to take me but won’t be able to award me with a pilot slot before I miss the age cut-off?

Thanks for reading.

 

[meb6385]

Hartman:
I don't really know about all the info about pilot slots and OCS, I'm playing the waiting game myself with my pack up in Tenn right now. But I do know that once I had gotten my medical records sent to MEPS it was less than a week before I was cleared to go for my physical, and it was up to my schedule as to when I could go, they basically asked when I could go, and the next available day, I was scheduled and went to MEPS. I went to MEPS in Houston, and it didn't seem like they were backed up at all, so I don't know where your recruiter came up with the idea of having to wait months to go, sounds strange to me.

 

[ghost_ttu]

Waiting to go to MEPS is crap, those guys process enlisted guys everyday to ship off. What I have been told is that 04 slots will be available 01 May 2003 and if you were to receive one of those slots then you could be looking at going to OCS next Summer. The only rule is that you have to receive your commission before your 27th b-day.

 

[ghost_ttu]

Yes, that is what I was told. The slots being given currently (all 30 of them remaining) are for FY2003. I was told that slots for FY2004 will become available 01 May 2003.

 

[patbrown08]

The age requirement is based on your commisioning age. You must be commissioned before your 27th birthday. That age is waiverable if you have prior service time. You can find a lot of the information, actually almost everything about the package and the process if you go directly to the opnavinst. you can find it on the bupers.navy.mil webpage. It is not the easiest site to navigate, but you are looking for instructions. opnav's. and then the officer application instruction. I think it is 1420, but I can't remember off of the top of my head. I will look for more specifics if you have trouble finding it.
Pat

 

[JTP]

Ghost...who is your recruiter? I talked to my recruiter today here in ATL and she said that they were still taking pilots. She could, or maybe be wrong but I'd like to know who he is and how he knows all this.

YEAH COME ON!!

 

[ghost_ttu]

My recruiter is here in Dallas. He is one of 3 recruiters that are also aviators. He has told me not to give up, he has never had anyone completely denied. Yes currently I am denied, but he told me that he feels very confident that I'll get in when there are more slots. I do not know how many slots are available now. As of last week it was 30 slots. So they are being very selective. And again I was told that the next batch will open 01 May 2003. (that part sounds fishy to me though)

 

[kraused]

Ghost...If you don't mind me asking, why were you denied? My application packet is in the selection board right now so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for one of those 30 spots.

 

[ghost_ttu]

I have a 2.5 GPA. They simply said that my gpa is not competitive enough for those 30 slots. They have more than 30 packets on hand at the moment and they are literally going through and looking for the best 30. Which I agree is fair. There will be time for me later. The only other guys that I HOPE they will consider over a strong candidate and this is just me being soft, is a guy that is nearing the age limit. But that is just my opinion, I'm sure they are looking for the best candidates.