Looking for Advice

[Flying_Poke]

Hello all.

I'm a 24 year old graduate student set to graduate with my M.S. Mechanical Engineering in December. I've always wanted to be a Naval Aviator but my eyes are not good enough (20/250 with astigmatism). I know that is good enough to be an NFO but would prefer to be a pilot. I'm currently a private pilot with 150 hours.

Anyways, on to the advice part. I have a good job offer on the table with good insurance benefits. This would allow me to have PRK, build up some more flight hours, and save up some money for a year before applying and going to OCS. My question is, is this a good idea? How hard would it be for me to get a waver and be accepted?

Thanks for your help.

 

[fc2spyguy]

My advice, if you want it, cough up the ~$3k it costs for PRK. This will give you the maximum allowable time to go through the process. Keep in mind, you have less than two years at this point.

 

[mtsupilot09]

spyguy gives good advice. Get the PRK, but hurry man. You're already 24 and you don't have much longer before you won't be able to apply. Here's the deal with the civilian flying too. I'm in your same boat, I have my PPL with about 70 hours at this point. The Navy does like to see flight time, however it's not a golden ticket to getting in. Nothing is. They look at the whole person, grades, physical stamina, extracurriculars, etc. Best of luck, my friend, welcome to the site. You will find a wealth of information on here and there are many many others who can provide better info than I can. There are officer recruiters, pilots in the fleet, pilots in primary/advanced, etc. Again, welcome, and good luck!