theredfox52
New Member
Does anyone know of the recruiting status of NFO contracts in the Corps? I know all ground and pilot OCC slots are frozen, but I know in the past the Corps was always in need of NFOs.
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Marine NFO
- Thread starter theredfox52
- Start date
theredfox52
New Member
I stand corrected; not always.
Reason I say that, at least from the standpoint of looking forward career-wise, is that the Marine NFO platforms are going away pretty soon. There are a couple of good threads on here that discuss that in detail. Search function will get you there.
Brett
Brett
theredfox52
New Member
Good gouge; thank you. Do either of you know what the status is on Marine air contracts for OCC this coming October or January of next year? A point in the right direction would be appreciated because I can't seem to find any info for OCC contracts for 2012. All I know is that there are only reserve slots and a couple of female slots this summer.
I’m going to be a negative nancy for a moment so please bear with me…
-A Marine Corps F/A-18D squadron is going away by the end of this CY leaving four D squadrons in the Corps.
-By the end of this decade, there will be no more D squadrons left in the Corps.
-By the end of this decade, there will be no more Prowler squadrons left in the Marine Corps.
Timing is everything in Naval Aviation...I don't think the timing is good for dudes to want Marine NFO. Why work so f’n hard to get a job knowing damn well you will be jobless in less than 6-8 years (or sooner)?
Hell, aside from KC-130J's, the timing really isn't that good for Marine fixed wing pilots either. The Corps is hell bent on making the F-35 happen...at the expense of its Harriers & Hornets. Politics & the bean-counters…I get it. (The F-35...it'll be a sweet plane, eventually...4-5 years from now timing will be good). We are dinosaurs, pan-handling our way to meet our monthly/quarterly/yearly flight hour goals. Squadrons have a lot of “shadows on the ramp” if they aren’t deployed or working up for one. That translates to a lot of dudes not flying. And to top it all off, the word on the street is there will be no (as in zero, nothing) bonus for Harrier and Hornet dudes this year. We’ll see (not that I care, I got mine 3 years ago).
With all that being said…and it makes me spit up a little in my mouth to say this… currently (again it’s all about timing), the Navy is the place to go for tactical fixed wing aviation. For WSO’s, they are flying F’s and G’s … brand new stinkin’ jets with all the gucci stuff that comes with it. The Corps on the other hand…our Hornets/Prowlers/Harriers are like Clark Griswold’s Wagon Queen Family Truckster ... all we need to do is spray paint “Honky Lips” on them.
Me, I’m marking time…3 years until 20.The writing is on the wall for me. Shit’s changed a lot over the last decade. If I was a dude in college now wanting to fly (either pilot or NFO) fixed wing tactical aircraft, I’d look at the Navy first. WSO’s definitely have a home for a long while in the Navy. Marine Corps, not so much.
S/F
-A Marine Corps F/A-18D squadron is going away by the end of this CY leaving four D squadrons in the Corps.
-By the end of this decade, there will be no more D squadrons left in the Corps.
-By the end of this decade, there will be no more Prowler squadrons left in the Marine Corps.
Timing is everything in Naval Aviation...I don't think the timing is good for dudes to want Marine NFO. Why work so f’n hard to get a job knowing damn well you will be jobless in less than 6-8 years (or sooner)?
Hell, aside from KC-130J's, the timing really isn't that good for Marine fixed wing pilots either. The Corps is hell bent on making the F-35 happen...at the expense of its Harriers & Hornets. Politics & the bean-counters…I get it. (The F-35...it'll be a sweet plane, eventually...4-5 years from now timing will be good). We are dinosaurs, pan-handling our way to meet our monthly/quarterly/yearly flight hour goals. Squadrons have a lot of “shadows on the ramp” if they aren’t deployed or working up for one. That translates to a lot of dudes not flying. And to top it all off, the word on the street is there will be no (as in zero, nothing) bonus for Harrier and Hornet dudes this year. We’ll see (not that I care, I got mine 3 years ago).
With all that being said…and it makes me spit up a little in my mouth to say this… currently (again it’s all about timing), the Navy is the place to go for tactical fixed wing aviation. For WSO’s, they are flying F’s and G’s … brand new stinkin’ jets with all the gucci stuff that comes with it. The Corps on the other hand…our Hornets/Prowlers/Harriers are like Clark Griswold’s Wagon Queen Family Truckster ... all we need to do is spray paint “Honky Lips” on them.
Me, I’m marking time…3 years until 20.The writing is on the wall for me. Shit’s changed a lot over the last decade. If I was a dude in college now wanting to fly (either pilot or NFO) fixed wing tactical aircraft, I’d look at the Navy first. WSO’s definitely have a home for a long while in the Navy. Marine Corps, not so much.
S/F
Interesting. 4 years ago it was the Corps who looked like we were in a decent spot for tac air. Sure the Navy had the supers but we were going to get the F-35 pretty soon. The Air Force wasn't even an option, those guys are all flying broken toys as much as anyone else. 4 years later I'm in jet advanced listening to horror stories. Maybe it will be because I wasn't around for the days when we were fat on jets and hours to fly them but I don't think it will be as bad. Hopefully I'm right, but maybe I'm wrong.
The worst of the horror stories go away in the FRS. You get to see the opposite side of the "It's almost all about timing" coin.
There also no Rhino guys around to smugly add their 2 cents about how their jets still smell new. Good for them.
Doing more with less is a part of our culture, but what people don't understand is that it's an incredibly difficult paradigm.
There also no Rhino guys around to smugly add their 2 cents about how their jets still smell new. Good for them.
Doing more with less is a part of our culture, but what people don't understand is that it's an incredibly difficult paradigm.
Which is something prospective aviators should consider when deciding on which service to rush. I'll let the Marines speak for themselves, but I'd imagine that the novelty of "doing more with less because we're Marines and it's part of our heritage" wears off pretty fast when you're out there trying to operate with old gear and hand-me-downs.
Brett
Exactly, especially when you know so much money is being dumped on nonsense TAD trips, FRO's, landscaping, and well anything a star wants. I'm all about being thrifty, but it has to make sense
theredfox52
New Member
Since so many are weighing in on the issue, here is my story:
25 years old
Texas A&M Marine Engineer, Class of '11
2.4 GPA (2.94 combined with community college GPA)
Applied and got a USMC combined PLC air contract for 2010 with a ASTB of 6/6/7, but lost it because I failed my last PFT
When I was getting close to graduating last summer, I tried to see a Navy officer recruiter, but he said my GPA was too low, and the Navy wasn't taking any applications. Even if they were he said they wouldn't even look at it until October of this year.
After I graduated last summer, I moved back to Fort Worth to save on rent money, and the DFW Marine OSO had a few contracts for winter OCC. I started training my ass off for that 280 - 300 PFT, but after a few months, due to the Pentagon budget cuts, all those air slots were gone except for one which was given to another applicant.
I recently applied for a pilot slot with the (gasp) Air Force, but was not accepted.
So here I am back to square one. The day I found out I wasn't accepted a buddy who also applied to the AF and got a Navigator slot told me to apply for the Navy. I told him what the officer recruiter in Houston told me last summer, but my buddy said that was complete bullshit because he applied last year with an even lower GPA. So I went straight to the Navy recruiter's office in Dallas, and they want me to apply and retake the ASTB.
Look. I was just curious about the Marine NFO situation. The reality is that I want to be a Naval Aviator. That is mydream. No, it is my goal. I especially wanted to be a Marine. I know I screwed up the opportunity back in 2010, and I have to live with that regret everyday. My physical abilities aren't the issue. When I came back from school I jumped from a 200 PFT to a 250 PFT in 2 months until I got the bad news. If the Corps isn't in the cards for me, then I'm okay with that. If the Navy would give me a shot to earn the Wings of Gold, I would be very honored. It would be a great honor to sail around and see the world with the greatest Navy. I already have a maritime background, so I know the lingo and how ships operate from an engineering stand point because that was my major.
I'm meeting up with my buddy (the AF Navigator Candidate) later on today to get the study guides he used for the ASTB and to ask him about the whole Navy officer application process.
If any of you have any words of advice and wisdom to share regarding my situation, please SHARE. I have read what some of you have posted regarding the Corps, and I am learning a lot and appreciate the gouge.
25 years old
Texas A&M Marine Engineer, Class of '11
2.4 GPA (2.94 combined with community college GPA)
Applied and got a USMC combined PLC air contract for 2010 with a ASTB of 6/6/7, but lost it because I failed my last PFT
When I was getting close to graduating last summer, I tried to see a Navy officer recruiter, but he said my GPA was too low, and the Navy wasn't taking any applications. Even if they were he said they wouldn't even look at it until October of this year.
After I graduated last summer, I moved back to Fort Worth to save on rent money, and the DFW Marine OSO had a few contracts for winter OCC. I started training my ass off for that 280 - 300 PFT, but after a few months, due to the Pentagon budget cuts, all those air slots were gone except for one which was given to another applicant.
I recently applied for a pilot slot with the (gasp) Air Force, but was not accepted.
So here I am back to square one. The day I found out I wasn't accepted a buddy who also applied to the AF and got a Navigator slot told me to apply for the Navy. I told him what the officer recruiter in Houston told me last summer, but my buddy said that was complete bullshit because he applied last year with an even lower GPA. So I went straight to the Navy recruiter's office in Dallas, and they want me to apply and retake the ASTB.
Look. I was just curious about the Marine NFO situation. The reality is that I want to be a Naval Aviator. That is my
I'm meeting up with my buddy (the AF Navigator Candidate) later on today to get the study guides he used for the ASTB and to ask him about the whole Navy officer application process.
If any of you have any words of advice and wisdom to share regarding my situation, please SHARE. I have read what some of you have posted regarding the Corps, and I am learning a lot and appreciate the gouge.
Or bicycles....
It's frustrating to read this and realize how ass backwards our budgets are. I went through -101 as a student, and heard all the horror stories about flight hours and such from my Marine IP's. Then I got to my fleet sqdn, basically immediately post deployment, and I quite literally have flown at least once a day since the day after I checked in. We honestly don't have enough pilots to fly the flight hours we need to fly, so this isn't just me the FNG, it is every pilot who is available to fly. I'm grateful to have such a good deal going, but it bums me out that we are crushing our Marine brothers in terms of readiness. Granted some of that difference is single seat ready room vs family model, but it clearly is more than that since I heard the same from my non-CVN S/S USMC friends.
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
I will be blunt, your chances of getting a spot with the USN are slim to none and slim is halfway out the door, 6 months ago I would have said zero chance the change being how the GPA on the application is interpreted, when the new application came out they said the GPA on page one was to be the GPA of the last degree earned, not combined with CC or subsequent classes taken after earning the last degree, that would sink you since the PA for USN aviation programs is 2.5 minimum, now they are up in the air and we are waiting on a decision, if no actual decision is made it will be left up to the program manager, but they told us before do not send up kits with low GPA's of course everyone ignores that, as a consequence there is talk of not forwarding applications that do not meet the average from the last board. The board from January had numbers that were way skewed, and not in line with any board in the past several years, they did pick up people with low GPA's but they also had high ASTB scores.
Are you going for Pilot as well? NFO goal in the USN is about 1/4 of the pilot goal, what is picked at the April board is going to depend how many of the NFO selections from January sign, many of the those selected NFO were also selected Pilot so medical is a factor as well.