Waiver for ASTB Score?

2020Vision

2020Vision

Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2016
Messages
101
My son is class of 2020, and his third try at the ASTB yielded scores of 6-5-6. The current pilot minimum is 5-6-6, I believe. Has anyone ever heard of mids applying for some sort of waiver to be allowed to service select Navy pilot if their ASTB scores don’t quite hit the mark?
 
2020Vision said:
My son is class of 2020, and his third try at the ASTB yielded scores of 6-5-6. The current pilot minimum is 5-6-6, I believe. Has anyone ever heard of mids applying for some sort of waiver to be allowed to service select Navy pilot if their ASTB scores don’t quite hit the mark?
Click to expand...

From my experience, I believe the Marine Corps will waive one point for your ASTB score. For Navy, I think what you get is what you have, no waiver. For Aviator, I believe you need AQR 5, PFAR 6. The last number does not matter for pilot, only NFO. If I were your son, I would talk to his leadership about it and see what he can do. From my experience and what I have heard, if you have exhausted all three times of testing then you will have to wait until the ASTB changes format which may or may not happen. It looks like he is qualified for NFO so he can look into that.
 
Anguswarrior112 said:
2020Vision said:
My son is class of 2020, and his third try at the ASTB yielded scores of 6-5-6. The current pilot minimum is 5-6-6, I believe. Has anyone ever heard of mids applying for some sort of waiver to be allowed to service select Navy pilot if their ASTB scores don’t quite hit the mark?
Click to expand...

From my experience, I believe the Marine Corps will waive one point for your ASTB score. For Navy, I think what you get is what you have, no waiver. For Aviator, I believe you need AQR 5, PFAR 6. The last number does not matter for pilot, only NFO. If I were your son, I would talk to his leadership about it and see what he can do. From my experience and what I have heard, if you have exhausted all three times of testing then you will have to wait until the ASTB changes format which may or may not happen. It looks like he is qualified for NFO so he can look into that.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Anguswarrior112. My son has said he would definitely take an NFO assignment. He was just hoping to get pilot. He said he plans to talk with leadership since his score was so close -- and actually would have earned him a pilot slot prior to 2019. So, based on your reply, that sounds like at least a reasonable effort on his part.
 
Last edited:
I've never tried to follow the nuances of the ASTB, but concur with the advice that son talk with his chain of command. Whether waiverable or not is usually a yes/no question.
 
I had a friend who was originally going to be an NFO, but the Marine Corps offered to waive her PFAR since it was within one point of passing. She took that opportunity, and is now in flight school. It should be noted that at the time (2018) the Marines only had something like 50% of their pilot slots filled so they were essentially taking anybody with a pulse that wanted a pilot slot. I think the ability for your son to get a waiver will largely depend on what the accessions picture looks like. If Navy Air feels good about their numbers for '20, then I would think that they would be unlikely to waive the ASTB requirement with so many other qualified candidates.

I'm in NFO flight school right now and I'm really excited about my future. I had a rather unique situation with my eyes that I won't go into that lead me down the NFO route, but as of yet I have no regrets. I would say that if he feels like he can go be an NFO and not harbor resentment about not being a pilot then I would definitely recommend doing so.
 
BDHuff09 said:
I had a friend who was originally going to be an NFO, but the Marine Corps offered to waive her PFAR since it was within one point of passing. She took that opportunity, and is now in flight school. It should be noted that at the time (2018) the Marines only had something like 50% of their pilot slots filled so they were essentially taking anybody with a pulse that wanted a pilot slot. I think the ability for your son to get a waiver will largely depend on what the accessions picture looks like. If Navy Air feels good about their numbers for '20, then I would think that they would be unlikely to waive the ASTB requirement with so many other qualified candidates.

I'm in NFO flight school right now and I'm really excited about my future. I had a rather unique situation with my eyes that I won't go into that lead me down the NFO route, but as of yet I have no regrets. I would say that if he feels like he can go be an NFO and not harbor resentment about not being a pilot then I would definitely recommend doing so.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. I've heard of the scenario you said your friend experienced. Word on the street is that a similar situation will exist this year for Marine pilot, based on service selection interest surveys to this point. The same surveys also point to a shortage of mids requesting Navy pilot, and rumor has it there will be a pilot draft. So, as you say, that may be a factor in my son's favor.

As for my son being happy as an NFO, I know he'd still be excited with the assignment - no resentment, because he doesn't operate that way. And, as you well know, NFO is an awesome opportunity! Congratulations and best wishes to you, as you finish your training.
 
2020Vision said:
The same surveys also point to a shortage of mids requesting Navy pilot, and rumor has it there will be a pilot draft
Click to expand...

Has there ever been a "pilot draft" ? I can't imagine any scenario where someone who really doesn't want to be a pilot will succeed in flight school or the fleet.
 
Not sure it would be much different than making it thru the nuke pipeline after being force-selected for subs. 'Put forth an honest effort or get hit with a massive bill' is a pretty serious motivator.
 
hokiesfan said:
Not sure it would be much different than making it thru the nuke pipeline after being force-selected for subs. 'Put forth an honest effort or get hit with a massive bill' is a pretty serious motivator.
Click to expand...

True, I might be oversimplifying the training a submarine officer goes through (I know Nuke school is tough), but I suspect that just about any USNA grad with decent academic aptitude could be an effective submarine officer if they put their mind to it . However, landing a jet on a carrier at night takes a certain amount of physical skill and confidence that can't be taught. Staying alive is actually a stronger motivator than getting hit with a massive bill, but some people simply don't have the aptitude or mindset to be a good aviator.
 
Update: My son has found out that there is no waiver for Navy pilot, but there is a one-point waiver for Marine pilot, which would put him within the Marine pilot ASTB requirements. He has reached out to the Marine aviation mentor to see if that is an option for him. He has surpassed the physical requirements to go Marines, but hasn't done Leatherneck, which he has also been told can be waived.

His first choice would still be Navy flight officer, but he's considering making Marine aviation his second choice.

Now my question at this point is: how does Naval aviation compare to Marine aviation? Can anyone address the communities from the standpoint of culture, aircraft platforms, deployments, etc?
 
Last edited:
I took the ASTB back in 2013. So unless the minumim passing scores have been bumped up since then, 4,5,5 is the minimum qualifier for both Pilot and NFO.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top