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Question About Getting Flying Time

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narfmasta

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Okay my OSO tells me that at TBS BEFORE I go to flight training I will earn my "license" (I'm assuming PPL but that's why I'm here asking you guys) and that if I already have a PPL they won't give me any flight time because it will save them money. My dad and grandpa both want me to get hours because the guys who do best in flight school usually (i'm sure there are exceptions) have prior flight experience. Basically my question is do any of you know what my OSO is talking about? Will I be flying in TBS? If I will be flying at TBS, is there a cutoff or maximum amount of hours I can have before they don't let me learn to fly with the Marines prior to flight school? I want to have as many hours as possible and as much experience as possible without eliminating myself from getting my "license" with the Marine Corps if in fact they do pay for me to get my PPL prior to being sent to the first phase of flight training.

Thank you for any help in advance.
 
Steve Wilkins

Steve Wilkins

Teaching pigs to dance, one pig at a time.
None
Super Moderator
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narfmasta said:
My dad and grandpa both want me to get hours because the guys who do best in flight school usually (i'm sure there are exceptions) have prior flight experience. Basically my question is do any of you know what my OSO is talking about?
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The question here is not if we know what your OSO is talking about. It's whether your dad and grandfather know what THEY are talking about. While I'm sure they are smart men, I'm guessing in this particular instance they do not. No offense. It is what it is. Bottom line. Don't worry about the license. If you want to take lessons before you go to TBS or arrive in Pcola because it sounds like fun....great. But don't do it with the perception that it will somehow give you an edge in flight school. It just doesn't work that way there.

narfmasta said:
Thank you for any help in advance.
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No problem.
 
N

narfmasta

New Member
Steve Wilkins said:
The question here is not if we know what your OSO is talking about. It's whether your dad and grandfather know what THEY are talking about. While I'm sure they are smart men, I'm guessing in this particular instance they do not. No offense. It is what it is. Bottom line. Don't worry about the license. If you want to take lessons before you go to TBS or arrive in Pcola because it sounds like fun....great. But don't do it with the perception that it will somehow give you an edge in flight school. It just doesn't work that way there.

No problem.
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I'm not here to start a huge flame war so don't take this the wrong way but I'm pretty sure that they (at least my dad) have a good idea of what they're talking about. Recently a former Marine F-18 pilot told my uncle to tell me to get as much flying time as possible as well. A former Marine F-4 pilot who flies with my dad seems to think this is a good idea as well... This is simply information I've heard and now I am asking you guys for advice on whether or not flight time as a civilian will void getting flight time at TBS. And no one answered my original question of whether or not I will be flying at TBS. Again, sorry for all of the questions and thanks in advance.
 
Steve Wilkins

Steve Wilkins

Teaching pigs to dance, one pig at a time.
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Super Moderator
Contributor
narfmasta said:
I'm not here to start a huge flame war so don't take this the wrong way but I'm pretty sure that they (at least my dad) have a good idea of what they're talking about. Recently a former Marine F-18 pilot told my uncle to tell me to get as much flying time as possible as well. A former Marine F-4 pilot who flies with my dad seems to think this is a good idea as well... This is simply information I've heard and now I am asking you guys for advice on whether or not flight time as a civilian will void getting flight time at TBS. And no one answered my original question of whether or not I will be flying at TBS. Again, sorry for all of the questions and thanks in advance.
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If you have too many hours as a civilian, the Marine Corps is not going to provide you with more civilian flight training.
 
N

narfmasta

New Member
Steve Wilkins said:
If you have too many hours as a civilian, the Marine Corps is not going to provide you with more civilian flight training.
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Thank you. So I am assuming they will provide me with civilian flight training prior to military flight training now correct? Do you know exactly how many hours would disqualify me?
 
Steve Wilkins

Steve Wilkins

Teaching pigs to dance, one pig at a time.
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Super Moderator
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B

Banjo33

AV-8 Type
pilot
In short, the Marine Corps will pay for 25 hours of civilian flight training at some point prior to you starting flight school. It's debatable (and has been several times) as to whether (and how much) it'll help you. For more info, run a search for IFS and FIP.

That's why the vaguery (is that a word?) so far.
 
invertedflyer

invertedflyer

500 ft. from said obstacle
To touch on what others have said narf, you're really not going to hold much of an advantage if you train civilian first vice IFS. Unless you're going up in something that has a stick and bubble canopy, or perhaps an aerobatic aircraft, you'll be on the level with everyone else. If you just love flying, and want to do it, then do it...

vaguery... heh.... I like it! ;)
 
othromas

othromas

AEDO livin’ the dream
pilot
I know a few folks who had some previous flight time and there was only one that I know of who got any real benefit out of it, but he worked his tail off to put himself in a position to get what he wanted: he was both an IFR and aerobatics civilian instructor who had more time than most of his Primary instructors. And regardless of all of that he studied harder than anyone I've ever heard of.

Unless you get a couple hundred instrument hours, it's really not going to help you that much, and it can actually hurt you a lot if you're not the kind of person who can relearn something and do it a different way, because it will be different later on.

I will say that any time you can get (just for fun) can be a big confidence booster, which is part of what IFS can be from the student's perspective. Aviation is very different than anything you've probably ever done and so just getting the feel of things will help you start appreciating how challenging it will be later. IFS will be enough to get your feet wet and it's no money out of pocket, so if you're worry about this now, might as well just do IFS and save yourself the hassle.
 
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narfmasta

New Member
Gatordev

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
he was both an IFR and aerobatics civilian instructor who had more time than most of his Primary instructors.
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Really? Not saying it's not true, but I'm guessing a lot of that time came as an instructor on the civilian side. If so, how was he not suicidal? Seriously, I'm curious how many hours he had (roughly).
 
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