Aviation at the Academy?

g_warren2022

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Sep 2, 2016
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Hi all, I was wondering if there are ways to increase your chances (while at the Academy) of flying after you graduate. I know to be physically fit and have good grades, but are there flying programs for midshipmen? What level of influence will that give you when being looked at to fly? Also, would an aerospace engineering major help? Thank you!
 
Major doesn't really impact service selection for the most part. Most part means for things like guaranteed options of Meterology, engineering duty officer certain degrees are needed. Also some of the new info warfare areas also look at degrees. For aviation the key is to do well academically, physically and professionally. All these things help to build your class rank. Higher class rank generally means better chance at something like pilot.

One thing that can helps Mids is doing powered flight for summer training. You can search on this forum and also google it (they have a small write up about it on the USNA page). Essentially it's a 4 week training of ground school with eventual goal to solo during the summer. It's very fast paced and demanding and can weed some out. Doing well there can definitely help your chances. Doing poor there can doom your chances more than anything.
 
I got the impression that there are a high percentage of Mids that get Aviation , is that a misconception on my part?
 
I got the impression that there are a high percentage of Mids that get Aviation , is that a misconception on my part?

It isn't. The needs for aviation is pretty high:

244 Navy Pilot slots available in September when we entered our preferences. 228 midshipmen put Navy Pilot as their first choice. Final number was 241.

90 USMC Pilot slots available, 95 midshipmen put USMC Pilot as their first choice. Final number was 95.
 
Aviation is with a decent ranking is very attainable. Low rank it can be done, but more tend to end up with NFO at the very bottom.
 
Aerospace engineering is one of the most difficult majors at the academy. There is a small boost to Aviation Order of Merit, but it is definitely not worth it to deal with such a difficult major solely for that purpose.

The two greatest roadblocks to aviation are medical and the ASTB. Some people don't have the vision, the reach, sitting height, or whatever. Some people struggle on the spatial recognition and performance sections of the ASTB. Injuries sustained at the Academy have also kept folks from selecting aviation.

You can study for the ASTB, and you definitely should not underestimate it. Not much can be done about medical if it's not something PRK can fix.

There's a push to make powered flight a requirement for aviation selection like Leatherneck is for Marines. It's not quite there, but pilot hopefuls are strongly encouraged to take powered flight. And while your grades and standing may be excellent, the nuke community comes in once in a while and wants to hold a Service Assignment Review Board; the aviation community is more likely to fight for the people who have done powered flight and 1/C aviation cruise and proved themselves worth fighting for with demonstrated potential and commitment to the community.

If you want NFO, they were putting SWO selects through SARBs to go NFO last year and have been for the past three years. Needs of the Navy may be in your favor there.
 
Here are the 2016 USNA service selections. Pilot is one of the largest communities, and the largest is you combine Navy and Marine pilots.
Service assignments for the Class of 2016:

Surface Warfare: 249

Submarines: 137

SEAL: 38

Explosive Ordnance Disposal: 15

Navy pilot: 241

Navy NFO: 79

Medical: 15

Supply: 10

Civil Engineer Corps: 5

Intelligence: 19

Information Warfare: 7

Information Professional: 2

Oceanography: 1

Marine Corps ground: 170

Marine Corps pilot: 95

Marine Corps NFO: 4
 
Don't be an Aerospace Enginneeing major unless you want to be an Aerospace Engineer...

Plenty of my classmates who selected NA/NFO (both ISN & USMC) were History, English, PoliSci, & Econ.

Had TBS company mates forced into NA/NFO upon MOS assignment based upon a passing AQT/FAR from when we were midshipman, even though they had previously Service selected USMC Ground.

Needs of the service will always trump individual choice.

We did Service Selection by class rank, not sure how it's done now.
 
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