OCS Seeking opinions: Decline AF OTS commission for Navy OCS?

[HAL Pilot]

I don't mean to sound like a dick, but if you're considering declining your opportunity to commission with the Air Force because you can't fly, then it sounds like you care more about being a pilot and less about being an officer. If you do decide to go this route and apply for the Navy, the board is probably going to see it the same way. Unless you can come up with a better reason for declining that spot than "I want to be a pilot", you should think twice about it.

This post is pure Horse Shit. Many join the military for a specific reason.

He wants to be a military pilot. To be a military pilot, he needs to be an officer (or Warrant Officer for Army). He needs to accept being an officer (and being the best officer possible) as part of being a military pilot. Wanting to be an officer does not have to take precedence over wanting to be a military pilot.

Many apply with the intention of being a pilot or nothing. Sure they put down other choices, mostly because their recruiters convince them too. But many also turn down those other choices when they don't get picked up for pilot.

You're a SWO. I'm sure you have to believe what you posted to justify your miserable existance. (BTW, I have a SWO pin too.)

I also laugh when the Marines make this same Marine first, pilot second claim when people ask about applying for a pilot slot. I know many Marine pilots and NFOs that would not have joined the Marines if they hadn't selected pilot or NFO.

 

[swerdna]

Did you even read what I wrote? Or just start on the typical SWO-bashing rant?

FYI I have not had a miserable experience, I love my job and am proud of what I do and frankly I couldn't care less whether or not you have a SWO pin, or any other pin for that matter.

You want to be a pilot? Go to flight school on your own. You want to join the military? Be prepared to serve as an officer first. Period. That's really all there is to it.

 

[Recovering LSO]

I don't mean to sound like a dick.

but....

You want to be a pilot? Go to flight school on your own.

 

[swerdna]

but....

I guess I should specify...I didn't mean to sound like a dick in the first post.

I think everyone understands that people join the military for specific reasons, whether it's to be a pilot, a SWO, serve in the infantry, etc - nothing new there. OP was selected for a commission and was asking for opinions, mine was simply that while sure, he wants to be a military pilot, but if he turns down a commission in one branch to apply for another one just so he can be a pilot, the board will probably look unfavorably at that and he risks losing his chance to fly with the military.

Anyone who applies for a commission and says something like, "I just want to be a military pilot, and an officer second" is setting themselves up for failure.

 

[HAL Pilot]

OP was selected for a commission and was asking for opinions, mine was ....

Yours was self-righteous bullshit.

How do you know what a board will think? I knew many aviators who sat on boards who would find it a plus that he wants to fly enough to attempt a different service.

His motivation to join is to be a pilot. Being an officer is part of that. I would give him the benifit of the doubt that he understands he has to be the best officer possible to have a successful career as a military pilot.

Saying it's more important to want to be an officer no matter what designator or service than to want to be a military pilot first is pure opinionated self-righteous bullshit.

And since an extremely large portion of SWOs end up there as a fallback after not selecting or failing out of another pipeline, I'd say it's also typical SWO self-justification bullshit.

Ever wonder why SWOs take so much shit from the rest of the Navy? Maybe you should think about it...

 

[swerdna]

Yours was self-righteous bullshit.

How do you know what a board will think? I knew many aviators who sat on boards who would find it a plus that he wants to fly enough to attempt a different service.

His motivation to join is to be a pilot. Being an officer is part of that. I would give him the benifit of the doubt that he understands he has to be the best officer possible to have a successful career as a military pilot.

Saying it's more important to want to be an officer no matter what designator or service than to want to be a military pilot first is pure opinionated self-righteous bullshit.

And since an extremely large portion of SWOs end up there as a fallback after not selecting or failing out of another pipeline, I'd say it's also typical SWO self-justification bullshit.

Ever wonder why SWOs take so much shit from the rest of the Navy? Maybe you should think about it...

Wow. Real mature - your years of wisdom and experience are really showing through here.

I pity anyone who takes advice from you.

 

[HAL Pilot]

That's telling me....

 

[Josh Berto]

Ok so here it is.
I was selected way back in Nov 2014 for AF OTS as a CSO. Unfortunately I got dq'd for my vision (waiver declined, it was on the border of being of being waiverable). They then offered me an RPA (drones) slot, this all happened within the last couple months.

Long story short, time is getting closer for me to report to OTS and I'm having second thoughts...

My dream is to be in the air, and although I'll do a little bit of flying initially for RPA in training, I'll obviously spend the rest of my time on the ground. Although it is possible to apply to UPT and change over to manned, it's pretty difficult.

I'm considering applying to Navy/Marine OCS for aviation, here are the caveats:
I'm turning 25 at the end of July and I need Lasik/PRK (so 6 month wait period before I could see a flight doc).
My record is clean except for a public intox ticket from 2013 that I had dismissed in court, although I know I would still need to disclose it.

I believe I could be a solid package together, I just don't know if I'm getting too old for it to be possible. Is it 26 that is the cutoff age for entering pilot training? That's what I've read and if that is indeed the case, not sure I'd have enough time to; get lasik, put a package together, attend ocs, start pilot training by my 26th birthday.

I really appreciate any thoughts.

Ha. This was great. Thanks for the study break entertainment. Advice: If you want to fly, the market for pilots is extraordinary at the moment in the private sector. A lot of money and time to train and acquire that 1500 though. Follow your heart but be realistic; doors are likely to open up when you're already in the system. Snatch that drone slot, get some LASIK, and as my teammates would always say: "dude, don't be a bitch." Fight for that manned slot and show them why you're the stud who deserves to fly whatever it is you want to fly. Worst case scenario, you utilize every resource and improve other aspects of your life. Just know though, we're 25/26, retirement at airlines is 65 (FAA). Carpe Diem.

 

[Chachi]

This post is pure Horse Shit. Many join the military for a specific reason.

He wants to be a military pilot. To be a military pilot, he needs to be an officer (or Warrant Officer for Army). He needs to accept being an officer (and being the best officer possible) as part of being a military pilot. Wanting to be an officer does not have to take precedence over wanting to be a military pilot.

Many apply with the intention of being a pilot or nothing. Sure they put down other choices, mostly because their recruiters convince them too. But many also turn down those other choices when they don't get picked up for pilot.

You're a SWO. I'm sure you have to believe what you posted to justify your miserable existance. (BTW, I have a SWO pin too.)

I also laugh when the Marines make this same Marine first, pilot second claim when people ask about applying for a pilot slot. I know many Marine pilots and NFOs that would not have joined the Marines if they hadn't selected pilot or NFO.

I couldn't agree more with you.

After graduating from college I worked in the private sector for 2 years as a financial auditor in Europe and I hated it. I quit my job and returned to the US with the intention of becoming a military pilot. I put in an application for AF OTS but didn't get picked up. At that point I started working concurrently on applications for Navy and Marine Corpus OCS and resubmitting my package for AF OTS. On my Navy package I had to mention that I applied to OTS and that I was unemployed at the time. I also put Pilot, and only pilot, as my only option on the package even though my recruiter and NRD Commanding Officer recommended otherwise... Meanwhile, I kept pushing hard for my AF OTS package until my Navy recruiter gave me the good news of getting picked up for Navy OCS with a Pilot slot. I am now doing what I love and always wanted to do.

Words of wisdom from Alan Watts:

 

[swerdna]

I couldn't agree more with you.

After graduating from college I worked in the private sector for 2 years as a financial auditor in Europe and I hated it. I quit my job and returned to the US with the intention of becoming a military pilot. I put in an application for AF OTS but didn't get picked up. At that point I started working concurrently on applications for Navy and Marine Corpus OCS and resubmitting my package for AF OTS. On my Navy package I had to mention that I applied to OTS and that I was unemployed at the time. I also put Pilot, and only pilot, as my only option on the package even though my recruiter and NRD Commanding Officer recommended otherwise... Meanwhile, I kept pushing hard for my AF OTS package until my Navy recruiter gave me the good news of getting picked up for Navy OCS with a Pilot slot. I am now doing what I love and always wanted to do.

Words of wisdom from Alan Watts:

Your situation is way different than OP's, so let me be a little more clear here...

If you want to fly for the military and that's why you're joining...then more power to you. Go for it. But the worst thing you could do as an applicant is to say that the only thing you care about is being a military pilot and that being an officer comes second. That's basically a guaranteed way to not get selected for any officer program.

 

[Ralph]

Don't fly drones. There's about 50 pages on baseops on how bad it sucks. Don't do that to yourself.

 

[Gatordev]

Don't fly drones. There's about 50 pages on baseops on how bad it sucks. Don't do that to yourself.

I think some of us here are hoping that one day you'll enlighten us with your background and experience. Because most of your advice seems to be based off of what you read on the internet and the majority of the time, is way off the mark.

 

[Ralph]

I just like to help enlighten people who might not be aware of other forums. With all the bad publicity in the news and the super thread on Baseops he would be crazy. Out of all the forums I have seen not one person recommends the AF except Huggy

 

[Hopeful Hoya]

Just saying, coming on here and sh*ting on service of any type will probably not go over well, especially since you appear to be a non-prior civilian.