September 2014 IDC Board

[DDE1990]

What is the disconnect here? How can aviation results be consistently released within 1-2 weeks after a board, but IDC takes literally MONTHS?

 

[ratherbesurfing]

Uncle Sam's OPSEC.......................................

 

[psulaw0929]

What is the disconnect here? How can aviation results be consistently released within 1-2 weeks after a board, but IDC takes literally MONTHS?

If you look at the board schedule, aviation boards are rolling boards. They need aviation candidates so they will take them when they can get them. On the notes section of the board schedule, for the aviation proboard, it says, "kits will be reviewed no more than 120 days after receipt if not sooner." It sounds like they pick aviation candidates faster because they have to.

 

[Rickblaine22]

Uncle Sam's OPSEC.......................................

HA!

 

[ratherbesurfing]

HA!

Just had the Girl Scout whacked, I needed a laugh.

 

[PensacolaBayou]

What is the disconnect here? How can aviation results be consistently released within 1-2 weeks after a board, but IDC takes literally MONTHS?

I seem to remember somebody asking something similar on this thread or the SWO one. Since the pilots can wash out during training, they need more of them to make up for the possible losses. Since IDC guys either have prior training in the field or have the background education to assist in their work, there are less IDC washouts. Or so I would think. AD guys can speak to this particular issue better than I can.

 

[DDE1990]

If you look at the board schedule, aviation boards are rolling boards. They need aviation candidates so they will take them when they can get them. On the notes section of the board schedule, for the aviation proboard, it says, "kits will be reviewed no more than 120 days after receipt if not sooner." It sounds like they pick aviation candidates faster because they have to.

It's my understanding though that when the board convenes, they know how many slots they need to fill. Even if the INTEL community is on a more stringent timeline, the basic process the different boards go through should be the same (i.e., quotas are established, board date is set, packages come in until the cut off, packages are reviewed, selections are made, results are released). Everything in that timeline seems to operate on the same basic principle for each community, except for the fact that it takes the INTEL community 4-5 times longer to release their results.

 

[psulaw0929]

It's my understanding though that when the board convenes, they know how many slots they need to fill. Even if the INTEL community is on a more stringent timeline, the basic process the different boards go through should be the same (i.e., quotas are established, board date is set, packages come in until the cut off, packages are reviewed, selections are made, results are released). Everything in that timeline seems to operate on the same basic principle for each community, except for the fact that it takes the INTEL community 4-5 times longer to release their results.

Well, perhaps the evaluation process is less stringent because they need aviation candidates so badly. Beggars can't be choosers. That is by no means meant to reflect on the quality of aviation candidates. For IDC candidates, you have a bunch of inherently analytical board members (presumably) and give them 450 candidates (of which many are highly qualified) to fill 45 seats, I can see how that might take a while. I've read speculation on other threads that aviation boards concentrate on ASTB scores where IDC is pretty true to the "whole person concept." But I completely agree that waiting months for results is a little ridiculous. My guess is that there are other factors at play here. I could be wrong, but I really don't think that it has taken the board this long for the actual review and selection portion of the board. What do I know though. I'm still waiting to see if I can even get my medical waiver so that I can submit the application I spent months preparing LOL.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

It's my understanding though that when the board convenes, they know how many slots they need to fill. Even if the INTEL community is on a more stringent timeline, the basic process the different boards go through should be the same (i.e., quotas are established, board date is set, packages come in until the cut off, packages are reviewed, selections are made, results are released). Everything in that timeline seems to operate on the same basic principle for each community, except for the fact that it takes the INTEL community 4-5 times longer to release their results.

They should, but more than one times information affecting quotas has come out after a board had started, so it changed things, saw this happen with CEC at one board, not fun.

 

[Rickblaine22]

That's funny considering my experience in Air Force ROTC in college was that everyone was competing for very few pilot slots. Even then, it wasn't even a given you'd be a FIGHTER pilot.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I think we are all on the same page and heard the same thing. I called the help desk and they verified what we already posted in the thread. "We are waiting on some boards within the IDC to turn in the results. We can't release any results until all results are in. Just keep on checking BOL. They will show up there as soon as we release the results." The guy also said he wants the results to come out just as much as we do due to the fact that they want all the phone calls and emails that ask about the our board to stop. And of course he had no clue when they would come out but he was hoping for this week or next (like all of us are).

The way they phrased it leads me to believe they are verifying quotas, so it sounds as if something changed, maybe they are trying to prevent what has happened before where they didn't verify when a change happened so people ended up waiting a few years to go to OCS.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

That's funny considering my experience in Air Force ROTC in college was that everyone was competing for very few pilot slots. Even then, it wasn't even a given you'd be a FIGHTER pilot.

USAF gets their Pilots a bit different than the USN, many times at career fairs the USAF officer recruiters would say how many spots they have for pilots at OTS depends on what the USAFA and AFROTC don't fill.

 

[psulaw0929]

If they want more aviation candidates, why don't they just expedite the release of Top Gun 2 (http://www.people.com/article/top-gun-sequel-planned-tom-cruise-returns).

. . . highway to the danger zone . . .

 

[Rickblaine22]

"Top Gun" as a pilot recruiting film is about as accurate as using "Battleship" to tell how real Navy works.

 

[psulaw0929]

USAF gets their Pilots a bit different than the USN, many times at career fairs the USAF officer recruiters would say how many spots they have for pilots at OTS depends on what the USAFA and AFROTC don't fill.

I read an article that said the air force is really in need of aviation candidates. Because of budget cuts, experienced aviators are getting out in droves and the Air Force is offering bonuses to keep them in to the sum of something like $120K for four years. Most of them are getting out to pursue becoming commercial pilots where they can get more air time and make more money. The age limit for AF pilots is 35 I believe.