to a deployment or to a fleet squadron? It'd probably take somewhere between 2.5-4yr to get to a fleet squadron. From there it will depend on where in the deployment cycle your squadron is. I deployed 6wks after checking in to my fleet squadron but i'm not sure you could do that anymore unless you were sent to a squadron at sea, which used to be rare.
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Stupid Questions about Naval Aviation (Part 3)
- Thread starter Top_Gun_1_0_1
- Start date
I'd say that's somewhat common now, at least in my community. We had 2 or 3 folks fly out to meet us on deployment, fresh from the FRS.
Here's my timeline as a helo pilot:
-May-Nov 2010 - Stashed at USNA waiting for flight school
-March 2011 - Completed API
-October 2011 - Completed Primary
-July 2012 - Completed Helicopter Advanced
-April 2013 - Completed MH-60S FRS
-May 2013 - Got on USS Aircraft Carrier for an air-wing pre HARP/FARP CQ det for 2 weeks
-Rest of time until Summer 2014 - Workups. I was actually feet dry in the sate of CA for a total of 49 days in all of 2014.
Summer 2014 - Summer 2015 - Deployed on USS Aircraft carrier.
So, from commissioning? Just over 4 years in my case. To the "fleet?" Just under 3. With that said - I asked to go to Flight School late since I knew there were delays down in Pensacola at the time and I figured an extra summer in Annapolis wasn't the worst thing in the world. I enjoyed my job there too, and provided me with one of the most relevant things on my current resume to civilian employment.
Caesium
Blue is my favorite color
Not that it's particularly relevant to me (I'm going to OCS) but what was your USNA stash job? Something to do with admissions?
Yeah, precisely. And, while that part may not be relevant to you, the rest of the timeline from API onward is.
My gap was pretty large. I commissioned in 2005 and did a year at grad school immediately afterwards. Combined with my deployment boat (the Enterprise) having mechanical issues, I ended up not deploying until Jan 2011, so a little over 5.5 years from comissioning to deployment.
Since then though, my deploy/home time rotation is solidly at 50% away from home station / 50% home.
For a completely irrelevant "throwback" timeline:
Commissioned: Nov 71
Winged (NFO): May 72
Reported to F-4 FRS: June 72
Reported to fleet squadron: Dec 72
Deployed: Mar 73
But it was a different time.
Commissioned: Nov 71
Winged (NFO): May 72
Reported to F-4 FRS: June 72
Reported to fleet squadron: Dec 72
Deployed: Mar 73
But it was a different time.
And in the mid 80s:
Commissioned: Late APR 85
Winged: JUN 86
Reported to FRS: JUL 86
Report to fleet: MAR 87
Deployed: MAR 88
No waiting. No pools..until I got to my fleet squadron.
That's what happens when you stand up a new airframe and they aren't delivered yet. As well as building ships for that airframe that aren't commissioned yet. I was plank owner in the squadron and the first ship I deployed on. We worked out of the small hangar across from McDonalds at Mayport until they finished the new hangars. Sadly, the ship is decommissioned now and the squadron has a new name. I think the squadron may have moved to NAS Jax too.
Commissioned: Late APR 85
Winged: JUN 86
Reported to FRS: JUL 86
Report to fleet: MAR 87
Deployed: MAR 88
No waiting. No pools..until I got to my fleet squadron.
That's what happens when you stand up a new airframe and they aren't delivered yet. As well as building ships for that airframe that aren't commissioned yet. I was plank owner in the squadron and the first ship I deployed on. We worked out of the small hangar across from McDonalds at Mayport until they finished the new hangars. Sadly, the ship is decommissioned now and the squadron has a new name. I think the squadron may have moved to NAS Jax too.
Finally, the dark corners of your past revealed
Everything makes sense now . . . .
Finally, the dark corners of your past revealed
As far as I know I took the only path one didn't have to go through a RAG at the time, I am proud to have deployed as an Ensign! After my second trip through flight school I eventually did have to go through a RAG.
-May 2008 - Commission
-Sept 2008-API Class-Up
-Jan 2009 - Started Primary
-July 2009 - Completed Primary
-July 2009 - Started VT-86
-Feb 2010 - Winged
-August 2010 - Started VAQ-129 Prowler Syllabus
-May 2011 - Graduated VAQ-129
-April 2013 - 1st Deployment on USS Boat
-Dec 2013 - End of Deployment
-Sept 2014 - PCS to VAQ-129 for Transition/Instructor Tour
Huh, I thought sending LVL I Nuggets to the boat was something that they tried to avoid. Or was your case because your Squadron was "special?"
When I deployed for the first time there was no LVL-X requirement to deploy because the warfare quals were very new to HSC (which had only just become HSC. My orders from HTs said "welcome to HC-6!") so I could deploy 6wks after check in. 18 months later when I cruised as a HAC all of our nuggets had to be LVL-2 to deploy so all the nuggets were at the Squadron for ~6mo going through the SWTP machine.
Sending nuggets to the boat shortly after checkin to the squadron is very common for HSC(CVW), especially for those short CQ dets. Great way to learn the boat ropes in a low(ish) stress environment, get some Fundamental ACTC cards done, and build hours. We'd send brand new HACs as well, to build HAC time for FCP.