questions about air contract

[super hornet]

I was looking over the marine air contract last night and I found a few things I had questions on. It says that after you graduate from TBS and if there are no flight spots available in flight school then you will be assigned to another duty until a spot opens up and that time will not count for your contract if it is less than 9 months. I was wondering what the average wait was for a spot to open up. Also if anyone on here has had to wait then for how long and what kind of job were you doing while waiting to go to flight school? Any other information about that you could tell me would help a lot. Also the commitment for helicopters and multi engines is 6 years and jets is 8 years but is that from when you get your bars or when you get your wings?

 

[Whalebite]

When you get your wings, at least the contract I signed. I don’t know about your other question specifically, that contract was longer than the bible. However, so far Marines go we don’t often get stash jobs. There are random various jobs you get tasked out on but they usually don’t last too long volunteers are asked for then you get voluntold. Currently you can sign up for MCMAP and EWS. The wait length depends on a lot of factors, mostly gremlins. Right the wait is more than 6 mos, when/if you get here you could pick up immediately or wait, there is no way to tell, but there’s usually a wait.

 

[jamnww]

all air contract time periods start from when you get your wings.

the current wait for API / flight school is approx 6-7 months but depends largely on when you get there. Most of the current backup is a result of two huge TBS company graduations that went off about two weeks apart. If you just signed then it should be cleared out by the time you get down here.

Generally speaking they try to get people started who have been waiting the longest, however the Whiting Field / Corpus Christi / Vance issue is also a factor.

If you have more questions let me know.

 

[bigfish]

There is a whole crazy system of how and when Marines start training down here. I think it has to do with the continuim transfunctioner or something. Not too many people that I know of did another real job between TBS and flight school. I did a little bit of permisve temporary active duty (PTAD) but I was scheduled to come down one week after hurricane Ivan. At that time they had no idea what to do with all of us because there was nowhere for us to go down here.

Marines don't usually get stash jobs (little BS menial jobs assigned to us by our Navy brethren) until we get stuck in the helo pool which I am finding out the hard way as we type.

 

[jamnww]

There is a whole crazy system of how and when Marines start training down here. I think it has to do with the continuim transfunctioner or something. Not too many people that I know of did another real job between TBS and flight school. I did a little bit of permisve temporary active duty (PTAD) but I was scheduled to come down one week after hurricane Ivan. At that time they had no idea what to do with all of us because there was nowhere for us to go down here.

Marines don't usually get stash jobs (little BS menial jobs assigned to us by our Navy brethren) until we get stuck in the helo pool which I am finding out the hard way as we type.

Well unfortunately that has changed a little since your time then, they are trying to assign more stash jobs (I know about a dozen off hand) and are sending people to AMO schooling to kill time. That could just be because there were two big air contract companies back to back and they are still sorting it out.

 

[Brett327]

...and are sending people to AMO schooling to kill time.

FYI, anyone with that opportunity should jump on it. This will put you head and shoulders ahead of your peers in your first fleet squadron.

Brett

 

[skidkid]

FYI, anyone with that opportunity should jump on it. This will put you head and shoulders ahead of your peers in your first fleet squadron.

Brett

Very true BUUUUUUT, if you get the NAMI whammy then you have an MOS that might not be what you want. I agree it is a good course and I wish I had done it but didnt for that very reason.

 

[ItsTurboTime]

could someone clarify AMO = ...

 

[DocT]

https://www.cnet.navy.mil/nascweb/amo/amo.htm
For those who also had to look up AMO school like I did.

Skid, how would NAMI whammy somebody who has already been through all the physicals and has been cleared hot? I thought everyone had dealt with NAMI long before they would be stashed in P-cola or sent to a school like AMO while waiting for API. Thanks, Doc

 

[eddie]

could someone clarify AMO = ...

Aviation Maintainance Officer

 

[jamnww]

https://www.cnet.navy.mil/nascweb/amo/amo.htm
For those who also had to look up AMO school like I did.

Skid, how would NAMI whammy somebody who has already been through all the physicals and has been cleared hot? I thought everyone had dealt with NAMI long before they would be stashed in P-cola or sent to a school like AMO while waiting for API. Thanks, Doc

You will get a NAMI physical right before picking up...it is not unheard of for it to a) cause long delays in your flight training or b) disqualify you.

Two cases I know of because it happened to buddies.
1) cleared all the way till he got to NAMI, then they measured him and told him he wouldn't fit into any airframe, later worked out that he could get into helos but just barely.
2) cleared till he got to NAMI, then kept getting the run around because he was "waiting for a waiver to come back", talked with MATSG with no results and finally 3 months later found out that his paperwork was waiting to be copied and was on a desk waiting. Got cleared up in another week of nagging.

Lastly I know a few people who were whammied, though not the specifics...

 

[East]

are sending people to AMO schooling to kill time. .

Now I am feeling appreciated!....to kill time. I spent an entire career to achieve my goal as AMO! :cry_125:

 

[E5B]

Having AMO school under your belt would almost (just a guess) ensure you a job down stairs vice up stairs (shudder).

 

[KBayDog]

Hey Buffalo Bill,

Mind telling us orange-and-white fellas what the different "upstairs" and "downstairs" jobs are?

 

[jamnww]

Now I am feeling appreciated!....to kill time. I spent an entire career to achieve my goal as AMO! :cry_125:

Not exactly what I meant...
if you are going into AMO, or want the second MOS, then doing AMO schooling would be great...I was instead referring to the fact that they are aviators / students and not all of them wanted to do it and they were sent to it so that they were "kept busy"...

No disrespect at all to the AMO guys...learning to appreciate them more everyday...