NFO to Pilot

[theduke]

Its to the point where I would even consider dropping my air contract for ground should the opportunity arise at TBS

not unless you wanna be a ground supply officer or an adjutant. they have a new policy of "we won't make you keep your air contract, but we'll screw air contracts as hard as possible and with minimal lubrication should they decide they don't wanna fly."

i looked into doing this, and decided to keep my NFO slot. NFO wasn't and isn't what i want, but i can deal with it. ground supply or adjutant would be a HORRIBLE, MISERABLE, HELL ON EARTH 5 DAYS PER WEEK experience for me.

there was even a guy in my company who dropped his SNA slot to try for an infantry slot. i think he was #1 in his platoon or close to it, and a physical animal to boot. probably would've been a general or something one day. now he's a ground supply officer...wouldn't surprise me if he just does 4 and out.

***it's not specifically adj or boxkicker...what happens is that you don't get to compete for MOS like everyone else, and you get handed the leftovers (which in my company was either adj or ground supply)

 

[A4sForever]

To all who have read this far. I never intended my posts to ridicule or be disrespectful to any person or community. Please accept my apologies if they appeared that way.

Hey, no problem-o here .... and welcome aboard .... and get used to the "cheering" section @ AirWarriors.com ..... lots of good guys here , a few idiots .... so what else is new ??? And NEVER apologize for something that you didn't do wrong ---

Cheers ... AW style.

 

[Schnugg]

In 1996 methinks, after a Tomcat crashed in Tennessee killing the pilot, RIO, and a few folks on the ground... ADM Boorda put an end to NFO-to-pilot transitions. Classic Navy knee-jerk reaction "Jee, the pilot was a former RIO? Well that does it! No more of that business!! That'll show everyone we've made a decisive reaction..."

The NFOs who had already been picked up for transitions at were allowed to complete them, but could only fly multi-piloted aircraft...

That pilot was in my fleet squadron as an NFO with me. Then I was his RAG instructor on a couple of hops when he went through thr FRS.

There were some problems with the selection process at that time that precipitated that mishap and became evdient after the Tennesee crash that made Boorda make that decision.

As said, lot more to that story. Somewhere over a cold beer.

r/
G

 

[Schnugg]

, but lets keep the personal attacks(I doubt you're even in the Navy, etc.) out of the forum.

Game on...

 

[eddie]

Yeah, that varies from week to week apparently. Our air contract drops got MOSs that were in their top 5.

Yeah, I met a guy who HAD to take an Air Contract to get into the Corps, but had wanted Ground. He was able to make the transition and get his top choice: Infantry.

 

[theduke]

^ and ^^

when was all this? i went to TBS in Nov '04, and we were the first company to have this new policy in effect.

i personally think it's ****ed up...you had OSOs telling people "hey, just take this pilot/nfo contract to get in, because there aren't any more ground slots, then you can drop it at TBS and get what you want.

i mean, the rationale is that it's a case of "USMC-U Signed the Mother****in' Contract", and there is a case to be made there, but when you have Captains pitching this advice to civilians about how it works in the Marine Corps, you can't really hold it against them when they do as they're instructed. Well, you can, and they do, but i don't think it's right. I think they should've put the word of the new policy down to the OSOs, but not start enforcing it until the crop of Lieutenants coming through weren't subjected to that bad advice from their OSOs.

I got sorta screwed by a similar situation, so I'll admit that I'm a little sympathetic to their plight, and it doesn't really make any difference what I think, anyway. Uncle Sam does what he wants, which is not always what makes sense.

 

[redmariner97]

Hello, I just got picked up as an NFO in the BDCP program and I'm pumped just to have this chance at becoming an naval officer. My first choice was SNA and my recruiter was telling me that NFOs can transfer to become NAs after a tour or some length of time and have a better chance of getting into pilot training than other people who are waiting. Is this true/common/possible? Any thoughts about this and/or being an NFO would be well appreciated.

Check out this site for more info on the program. Follow the links on the right.

http://www.npc.navy.mil/Officer/Aviation/NFOtoPilot.htm

 

[bobcat2006]

Wow, I'm glad to see how much people are talking about this. E6286, like you I've had reservations about "giving up" in a sense on becoming a pilot, I've even thought about getting private flight lessons and applying (i'm regretting admitting this more and more with each keystroke) totheairforce.

That's not to say that the men and women who serve in the air force are not worthy of every ounce of respect that they well deserve, but I guess it's kind of like your hometown sports team or your alma matter in a way, nothing seems quite seems to measure up. As a one time Sea Cadet (kind of like the navy version of eagle scouts for those who are unfamiliar) I can not picture myself in a USAF unifrom, holding a funky letter opener of a ceremonial sword. What I really want is to be an Officer in the Navy, as for you I'm sure the feeling is similar towards the USMC.

I want to be at sea and I want to be in the air and I want to be an officer. These are the things that I remember if I start feeling down about being an NFO. Hey and if I'm as good as I think I am upon reaching API maybe I can control the plane.

Oh that reminds me, I just wanted to confirm that NFOs learn how to fly. That seems to be the sense that I get, that they go through flight training along with the SNAs?

For the NFOs out there what is the best thing about being an NFO? I crave more antecdotes, stories, anything.

 

[Brett327]

I just wanted to confirm that NFOs learn how to fly. That seems to be the sense that I get, that they go through flight training along with the SNAs?

Uhh, no. You get a token amount of time at the controls while you do your initial 8 (?) FAMs. The SNA and SNFO tracks split after API and have very little to do with eachother. Disabuse yourself of the notion that NFOs are ever at the controls in the real world. That's not your job. Depending on what platform you end up in, you could be a big part of the actual aviating where you act as a co-pilot without controls (F-18/EA-6B), or you could be completely insulated from it like in P-3s. If you're like me, you'll realize that there is a whole lot more to flying a combat aircraft than moving the stick and throttles and concentrate on the big picture and mission. There are a TON of threads on here about this very thing. Time to get busy reading those. Standing by for amplification/clarification when you're through.

Brett

 

[lance]

... I'm being precise. He said "it is a MUCH better life as a pilot." It's not. It's the same life.

Now, if he had said, "I liked being an pilot more than being an NFO," that would simply be his opinion.

(BTW, I'm also an ATP/CFI)

NOT SURE BUT I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHICH IS MORE VAGUE "MUCH" or "MORE". whats with all the nawing of teeth.

 

[IHTFP]

ALCON-

Thanks for supplying an answer that I just hopped on the internet to find. Here at USNA we just found out our warfare communities. I am a proud future SNFO, but I was searching to find out whether the API SNFO-SNA pilot still existed.

As a point of reference, there were five NFO to Pilot lateral transfers this year. For the whole Fleet. All were LTs, but strangely enough, four of them had M last names. As a McC, I was excited to find this out.

Kind of on a similar vein, for Powerleverlock, do you think that flight school a second time was easier, since you already had so much experience as a NFO? PM me if you think this thread's already been hijacked enough, btw, or if you just want to avoid a mini-flame war.

And something that a friend and I were arguing over a couple days ago...do you actually get to wear both warfare pins? Yes, I realize how dorky that question is.

Thanks, all

 

[Brett327]

And something that a friend and I were arguing over a couple days ago...do you actually get to wear both warfare pins? Yes, I realize how dorky that question is.

No.

Brett

 

[IHTFP]

No.

Oh well. Another trinket for the "I Love Me" wall?

 

[wink]

No.

Brett

Really! I call Bum Gouge on that one. (I am so excited, Brett caught dispensing Bum Gouge ) I have seen it many times. SWO- NFO/Pilot, NFO-Pilot, Dolphins-Flight Surgeon. In fact, the current CO of the NRD I support wears both SWO pin (earned while ships company on a disassociated tour) and his NFO wings. I knew two guys that were former Army Aviators that wore their Army wings and Naval Aviator wings. You wear the current one in its proper place and the former one on the pocket flap, if I recall.

 

[Fezz CB]

Really! I call Bum Gouge on that one. (I am so excited, Brett caught dispensing Bum Gouge ) I have seen it many times. SWO- NFO/Pilot, NFO-Pilot, Dolphins-Flight Surgeon. In fact, the current CO of the NRD I support wears both SWO pin (earned while ships company on a disassociated tour) and his NFO wings. I knew two guys that were former Army Aviators that wore their Army wings and Naval Aviator wings. You wear the current one in its proper place and the former one on the pocket flap, if I recall.

Agreed. When I was in Japan for my 2/C middy cruise, we met an O-5 SWO/NFO wearing both pins. Our eyes nearly popped out.