It's Billet night again!

USCGA 97 said:
Article from the New London Day https://www.theday.com/article/20190307/NWS09/190309530 stated that there were 243 billets and that 87% went to ships and 4 went to cyber. That leaves about 27 that went to either Sector billets or directly to flight school. Anyone know the breakdown of the sector / flight school numbers? Just curious. Also, the article said 44% got their 1st choice. Seems kind of low. USNA mentions how a higher % gets 1st pick. I wonder if mids are just more realistic in their selections whereas cadets truly put in "dream sheets."
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20 cadets received flight school billets last night (including my 1/c!). I think at CGA the cadets list their "pie in the sky" billet, followed by their realistic choices. If you talk to the cadets, most will say they got their first choice because it was the top realistic one on their dream sheet. Congratulations to the Class of 2019!
 
alaska66 said:
USCGA 97 said:
Article from the New London Day https://www.theday.com/article/20190307/NWS09/190309530 stated that there were 243 billets and that 87% went to ships and 4 went to cyber. That leaves about 27 that went to either Sector billets or directly to flight school. Anyone know the breakdown of the sector / flight school numbers? Just curious. Also, the article said 44% got their 1st choice. Seems kind of low. USNA mentions how a higher % gets 1st pick. I wonder if mids are just more realistic in their selections whereas cadets truly put in "dream sheets."
Click to expand...

20 cadets received flight school billets last night (including my 1/c!). I think at CGA the cadets list their "pie in the sky" billet, followed by their realistic choices. If you talk to the cadets, most will say they got their first choice because it was the top realistic one on their dream sheet. Congratulations to the Class of 2019!
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Congrats to your cadet! Agree with your pie in the sky comment.
 
alaska66 said:
20 cadets received flight school billets last night (including my 1/c!). I think at CGA the cadets list their "pie in the sky" billet, followed by their realistic choices. If you talk to the cadets, most will say they got their first choice because it was the top realistic one on their dream sheet. Congratulations to the Class of 2019!
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Congrat's ... My 1/c got flight school also. I never heard him mention wanting flight school until last October.
 
For those whose kids went into flight school (congrats!), do you mind sharing how high in the class, generally, a flight school cadet would have needed to be? Top 20, as *all* the top students want flight school? Or perhaps top 50 because quite a few don't? My high schooler is interested in flight school. Also, do cadets choose rotor vs. fixed wing, or do they just get what they get?
 
mamabear2023 said:
For those whose kids went into flight school (congrats!), do you mind sharing how high in the class, generally, a flight school cadet would have needed to be? Top 20, as *all* the top students want flight school? Or perhaps top 50 because quite a few don't? My high schooler is interested in flight school. Also, do cadets choose rotor vs. fixed wing, or do they just get what they get?
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My DS is an EE major, in the top 1/3 of the class. I know there were cadets above and below him in class rank that were chosen, so I'm guessing that the interview was the deciding factor. Remember, all these men and women are extremely high achievers, everyone in that 1/c class is a all-star. Additionally they are making a 12 or 13 year commitment, for a 21 y/o, that's more than half their lived life, so there are cadets that do not have an interest in the aviation route.

Here's what I know about the process, since my Cadet tells me very little. There were 80+ cadets that applied for flight school, and there are 250 in the class of 2019. In Sept/Oct they take the ASTB and the complete the application for flight school. The test scores and essay's are reviewed, and from there they decided who would go to the next phase which was the interview. From the interviews, they choose a "short list", and those cadets were told to take the flight physical. The cadets on that Short List are then ranked, and depending on how many open billets there are, will determine how many short listed cadets go.

I do know if you want to fly Coast Guard, you probably will. I know ensigns that are entering flight school with my cadet from the previous 2 graduating classes .

PM me if you want my personal perspectives.
 
LurkingQuietly said:
I know ensigns that are entering flight school with my cadet from the previous 2 graduating classes .
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Hello @LurkingQuietly, thanks for the good info. Do you know how hard it is to get into flight school after being at sea for a few years? For instance, if a graduate gets placed on a cutter but really wanted flight school, how difficult is it to later go on to pilot school?
 
MuniMan24 said:
Hello @LurkingQuietly, thanks for the good info. Do you know how hard it is to get into flight school after being at sea for a few years? For instance, if a graduate gets placed on a cutter but really wanted flight school, how difficult is it to later go on to pilot school?
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I'm a parent, so I'm not qualified to answer that question.
 
MuniMan24 said:
LurkingQuietly said:
I know ensigns that are entering flight school with my cadet from the previous 2 graduating classes .
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Hello @LurkingQuietly, thanks for the good info. Do you know how hard it is to get into flight school after being at sea for a few years? For instance, if a graduate gets placed on a cutter but really wanted flight school, how difficult is it to later go on to pilot school?
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Like any other follow on assignment, it depends on how well they did in the first job. That being said, the majority of the aviators in the CG went to cutters first, then to flight school. Several of my former students went to flight school after a cutter tour. Also, the type of cutter an ensign gets is not an indicator of what kind of follow on job they could get. I have another former student who went from buoy tender to assistant navigator on a Navy destroyer, to command of a 110' and command a Great Lakes icebreaker.

As far as probability of getting accepted...impossible to forecast. Everything depends on future personnel requirements. Only thing said ensign can do is do their assigned job well, keep applying, and keep the fingers crossed.
 
LurkingQuietly said:
I do know if you want to fly Coast Guard, you probably will. I know ensigns that are entering flight school with my cadet from the previous 2 graduating classes .
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Unfortunately there is no magic formula as to who gets chosen for flight as first billet out of academy, but as indicated above, you will fly (if qualified) if you want to. Not the case at the other academies.

DS likes pilots that have some time afloat before flight school.
 
LurkingQuietly said:
Would love to hear why.
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In the CG you are not allowed more than two consecutive flight tours (I believe same in Navy). The third tour is a non-flight tour. I have a Navy (rotary) pilot friend currently in a non-flight tour. In his opinion you have limited leadership experience when you are only in charge of a flight crew. The non-flight tour is supposed to make you a more well rounded officer with better leadership experience.

DS finds pilots that already have this afloat experience climb into the cockpit already with a 'more well rounded' experience in leadership, but this in his opinion.

Disclaimer - these are the opinions only.
 
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Excellent info RJB...Now I see that it is almost good to get the cutter experience early to fully develop as a well rounded USCG officer. Thanks.
 
rjb said:
In the CG you are not allowed more than two consecutive flight tours (I believe same in Navy). The third tour is a non-flight tour. I have a Navy (rotary) pilot friend currently in a non-flight tour. In his opinion you have limited leadership experience when you are only in charge of a flight crew. The non-flight tour is supposed to make you a more well rounded officer with better leadership experience.

DS finds pilots that already have this afloat experience climb into the cockpit already with a 'more well rounded' experience in leadership, but this in his opinion.

Disclaimer - these are the opinions only.
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Just guessing he keeps a lot of his opinions to himself.

From what I told, CG Pilots on their first tour have plenty of collateral duties since air station are small...and.... things need to get done. Second tour they're working towards their instructor pilot credentials, and even more visible collateral duties, or maybe you've been accepted to the Aviation engineering program in which case you will be the ropes from the Stations Engineering officer.
Third tour you get higher role , something like an assistant Operations officer, Admin Officer (XO), Comptroller or assistant engineer if you went that route. I believe all these roles still fly, but not as much. You could also be headed to grad school, anyways you're looking to pin on an O-4. Do O-5 and O-6's fly....I bet they do, probably not on Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Sort of know, because my #1 son is in aviation also.
 
USCGA 97 said:
MtJo said:
I watched as well. Now I have to read up on what the job descriptions are. All the cadets appeared to be genuinely happy with their billets. Probably not all received their first choice but happy with their assignments, none the less.
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Article from the New London Day https://www.theday.com/article/20190307/NWS09/190309530 stated that there were 243 billets and that 87% went to ships and 4 went to cyber. That leaves about 27 that went to either Sector billets or directly to flight school. Anyone know the breakdown of the sector / flight school numbers? Just curious. Also, the article said 44% got their 1st choice. Seems kind of low. USNA mentions how a higher % gets 1st pick. I wonder if mids are just more realistic in their selections whereas cadets truly put in "dream sheets."
Click to expand...
Mids are putting in for much more broad categories: Subs, SWO, Aviation, and USMC make up the bulk of it. I believe that's the statistic USNA lists. Cadets are putting down specific ships. There are tens if not hundreds of choices, so the "first choice" statistic is bound to be lower.
 
ekb1398 said:
Mids are putting in for much more broad categories: Subs, SWO, Aviation, and USMC make up the bulk of it. I believe that's the statistic USNA lists. Cadets are putting down specific ships. There are tens if not hundreds of choices, so the "first choice" statistic is bound to be lower.
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Great point. I bet if they broke it down by hull color or possibly even geographic location, the stats would be higher.
 
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