Rated Slots out of USMMA

[Giantatom]

Hi, I just received an appointment in my portal today for USMMA. I applied there in addition to USAFA and USNA, which I am still waiting to hear back from. I wanted to ask whether or not USMMA is a good way to commission as a pilot into any branch, especially the Air Force or Navy. I want to get a good idea of which SA I would want to attend should I get other appointments as well. If it affects anything, I have a handful of hours from my local flight school but no PPL as of yet. Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[NavyHopefulMom2027]

Hi, I just received an appointment in my portal today for USMMA. I applied there in addition to USAFA and USNA, which I am still waiting to hear back from. I wanted to ask whether or not USMMA is a good way to commission as a pilot into any branch, especially the Air Force or Navy. I want to get a good idea of which SA I would want to attend should I get other appointments as well. If it affects anything, I have a handful of hours from my local flight school but no PPL as of yet. Any insight would be appreciated.

I'm not an expert by any means, but when my son attended a visit at USMMA the admission's officer giving the briefing told my son that it is "almost guaranteed" to get a pilot slot out of USMMA. They have an allotment that is often not even filled. So if you meet all of the criteria and nothing out of the ordinary changes with military needs than it is likely easier or as easy to get a pilot slot from USMMA as it is USNA or USAFA. Again, this is just one statement from one admissions officer, so if that is the primary factor for your decision, I would definitely reach out to admissions directly and confirm for yourself.

Congratulations on your appointment!

 

[Hockey10]

Class of 2017: 2/2 Air Force pilot slots. 9/9 Naval pilot slots. 10/11 have their wings

 

[Karenof2]

Class of 2017: 2/2 Air Force pilot slots. 9/9 Naval pilot slots. 10/11 have their wings

Are you saying only 11 people from class of 2017 wanted to be pilots and all of them got it? Or that is the only amount of slots open and some didn't get it?

 

[JohnPAKP65]

It should also be remembered that for the 224 graduates of Class of 2022, 74 entered active duty in the military; five graduates were commissioned into the Army, 58 were commissioned into the Navy, nine were commissioned into the Air Force, 10 were commissioned into the Marine Corps, and 12 were commissioned into the Coast Guard.

 

[SurferGirl]

58 plus 5 plus 9 plus 10 plus 12 equals 94 total. Did Class is 22 commission 74 or 94?

 

[cmakin]

Are you saying only 11 people from class of 2017 wanted to be pilots and all of them got it? Or that is the only amount of slots open and some didn't get it?

Well, it IS the Merchant Marine Academy.

 

[JohnPAKP65]

58 plus 5 plus 9 plus 10 plus 12 equals 94 total. Did Class is 22 commission 74 or 94?

The wording is strange in the actual content from the Academy website. In particular, take note that "74 are entering active duty in the military". So I can't say with certainty, but some of the people may have accepted commissions but are not headed to active duty. In my day, even if you went into the Merchant Marine, you had to agree to accept if offered a Navy Commission. That did not preclude you from sailing on your license. The exact wording is below, although I've added the bold for emphasis.

"Of the 224 midshipmen who graduated on Saturday, 74 are entering active duty in the military; five graduates were commissioned into the Army, 58 were commissioned into the Navy, nine were commissioned into the Air Force, 10 were commissioned into the Marine Corps, and 12 were commissioned into the Coast Guard."

 

[kpmom2013]

There are no guarantees, but you are very likely to get a pilot slot at USMMA. My DS was offered both Navy and Marine Corps spots. Several classmates went AF and Coast Guard as well. You can do a flight internship as part of your sea year second sailing which my DS did at NAS Key West. I would recommend that you have at least some interest in the maritime world if you plan to attend USMMA. The curriculum is heavily weighted to a seagoing career and your time there could be miserable if you are pining for airplanes and having to learn about shipping. DS has been a board ships as a Navy pilot where he had classmates driving the ship which I think is pretty cool. Good luck with your decision.

 

[JohnPAKP65]

Those who desire to be pilots should also be aware of the extended service commitments. See 10 U.S. Code § 653 - Minimum service requirement for certain flight crew positions.

 

[KPEngineer]

I had a neighbor's son who was interested in being a Naval Aviator and he was putting pretty much all of his eggs in the Annapolis basket. I told him his best chance was to move to North Dakota and apply to Kings Point.

I think the only people I have heard not getting their preference of Active Duty choices was people applying for the various special warfare pipelines. The Academy reps do a good job of preparing the applicants to get accepted into their branch/job of choice. Honestly, if being a pilot is what matters most and service branch/airframe are secondary, then KP is your best choice due to the multitude of options. You can literally get any service and any airframe whereas if you go USAFA you are limited to only AF airframes. Additionally, I am willing to guess that getting a pilot slot is more competitive within your class at USAFA than at KP.

That being said, realize that the number of slots available changes annually and is based on the needs of that given service that given year. The number of available slots this year may be higher or lower than what is available four years from now.

 

[cg66]

If you know you want to go active duty, usually the DOD academy makes the most sense though there's a lot to consider. The main KP advantages are you don't have to go active duty if you change your mind, and can apply to different services. My knowledge is dated but a few things to research:
- DOD academies pay their cadets the 4 years (you can find the pay formula online). KP only pays when you are at sea on a commecial ship (not assigned to any military units).
- DOD has more majors to choose from, and more resources (KP is very shipping industry centric, and a smaller school).
- The 4 years at DOD academy can count toward military retirement pension once you hit 20; KP time won't count.
- KP is well known & respected in maritime & military circles, lesser known in general public vs DOD schools. (Though any service academy looks great)
- On billeting...don't be shy, ask many questions upfront, preferably from the naval science dept head or the active duty rep for that service at KP, or recent grads who went thru the process. Don't rely on 2nd & 3rd-hand information. Billet data can & does change. Get statistics on the # applied, # accepted, what was their GPA, class rank, major... Can you apply to multiple services? Can you apply to multiple programs in the same service (Navy flight and EOD) or do you have to pick one?
- If not selected for your preference, can you re-apply later and how. Sometimes you can enter different programs one or multiple years after commissioning. All the schools are great, they just have some differences.

 

[Usnavy2019]

- The 4 years at DOD academy can count toward military retirement pension once you hit 20; KP time won't count.

Service Academy time for retirement purposes only counts for FERS (civil service) if you utilize buy back. Military retirement time only factors in YCS.

So, someone who commissions out of KP will get the same pension if they retire at the same grade and TIS as someone from the DOD/DHS Academies.

 

[Capt MJ]

Service Academy time for retirement purposes only counts for FERS (civil service) if you utilize buy back. Military retirement time only factors in YCS.

So, someone who commissions out of KP will get the same pension if they retire at the same grade and TIS as someone from the DOD/DHS Academies.

Agree with all, especially the fact DoD SA time does not count toward military retirement, but can count toward federal civil service retirement - with one small quibble, those who were AD enlisted prior to attending a DoD SA, and I am fairly sure USCGA and USMMA, can count enlisted AD time toward military retirement. At commissioning into AD, some will earn O-1 pay at the over 2 years of service rate, rather than the under.

 

[cmakin]

If you know you want to go active duty, usually the DOD academy makes the most sense though there's a lot to consider. The main KP advantages are you don't have to go active duty if you change your mind, and can apply to different services. My knowledge is dated but a few things to research:
- DOD academies pay their cadets the 4 years (you can find the pay formula online). KP only pays when you are at sea on a commecial ship (not assigned to any military units).

Wait, what? Oh, man. I didn't make much as a cadet during Sea Year, but at least I made something. Do those kids that get assigned to a state schoolship not get paid?

 

[luqui03]

Agree with all, especially the fact DoD SA time does not count toward military retirement, but can count toward federal civil service retirement - with one small quibble, those who were AD enlisted prior to attending a DoD SA, and I am fairly sure USCGA and USMMA, can count enlisted AD time toward military retirement. At commissioning into AD, some will earn O-1 pay at the over 2 years of service rate, rather than the under.

That is what they were told at the Prep School, that the year at Prep counts towards retirement. Anyhow, these kids are not thinking about retirement now haha

 

[RowingMom]

Wait, what? Oh, man. I didn't make much as a cadet during Sea Year, but at least I made something. Do those kids that get assigned to a state schoolship not get paid?

Last year my DS assigned to multiple training vessels (T/V) and did not receive any pay. This included another school’s ship.

This year on MSC was paid and will be receiving it too on commercial ship he recently joined. Going forward the mids really shouldn’t be on the T/Vs.

 

[cmakin]

Last year my DS assigned to multiple training vessels (T/V) and did not receive any pay. This included another school’s ship.

This year on MSC was paid and will be receiving it too on commercial ship he recently joined. Going forward the mids really shouldn’t be on the T/Vs.

Ouch, and I totally agree. Sadly, though, options are limited.

 

[vortexkp99]

The only tip I have for you if you go aviation is pick a heavy cargo plane. It has a bathroom onboard. That is unless you like to pee or poop in your flightsuit or use a piddlepack.

 

[vortexkp99]

Here is an example of what I mean, by the piddle pack and why you dont go fighter.

Air Force tests in-flight bladder relief system for female pilots

The new system was desgined specifically with female pilots in mind.

www.airforcetimes.com