What is the probability of getting a pilot slot at the USNA?

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Boeingaircraft787

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Hello, good day. I cannot current decide if I want to join the Air Force or Navy. I have heard that it is rare to be refused a pilot slot at the USAFA (Assuming you have good grades, medical clearance, etc.). However, I feel more interested and attracted to joining the Navy. So at the USNA, in terms of receiving a pilot slot, is it similar to the USAFA where it is easier to get a slot? Thanks for reading and replying.
 
You should spend a great deal of time researching the missions, culture and career paths of AF and Navy (and Maribe air too). USAFA and USNA are 4-year waystations, not “the” goal, and your focus should be on what seems the best fit for you for the years of active duty obligation that follow.

You must also research non-pilot career paths at both SAs. If you are not selected for pilot or have something come up during a pre-comm physical there, you have to know there is some other career path you would be fine pivoting to. It does happen. We had a USNA sponsor mid, gung-ho for naval aviation, had a dream all mapped out for jets, test pilot, astronaut. In his 2/c year (junior), he was diagnosed with a condition for which the required medication DQ’ed him from Navy and Marine air. He went subs.

The Navy does most of its work in the water, under the water, over the water, away from home and often out of sight of land for long periods of time. That is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Reverse engineer this. Figure out what service, what career paths, then the commissioning portal becomes much clearer.
 
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Capt MJ said:
You should spend a great deal of time researching the missions, culture and career paths of AF and Navy. USAFA and USNA are 4-year waystations, not “the” goal, and your focus should be on what seems the best fit for you for the years of active duty obligation that follow.

You must also research non-pilot career paths at both SAs. If you are not selected for pilot or have something come up during a pre-comm physical there, you have to know there is some other career path you would be fine pivoting to. It does happen. We had a USNA sponsor mid, gung-ho for naval aviation, had a dream all mapped out for jets, test pilot, astronaut. In his 2/c year (junior), he was diagnosed with a condition for which the required medication DQ’ed him from Navy air. He went subs.

The Navy does most of its work in the wayer, under the water, over the water, away from home and often out of sight of land for long periods of time. That is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Reverse engineer this. Figure out what service, what career paths, then the commissioning portal becomes much clearer.
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All very true and I too urge you to spend time to understand the career paths of USN, USMC and USAF officers.
That said, to answer the question directly on the Navy side, I will say that SOME number of folks who are qualified and want to fly end up with other assignments due to the needs of the Navy but the vast majority of USNA Grads who QUALIFY FOR and REQUEST aviation as their first choice do get sent to flight school.
 
That is a bit of a loaded question. A lot of it depends on the demand for aviation slots (both from Big Navy and from the Brigade). Some years it is isn't as competitive and other years not a lot of people are getting it. Rest assured, on average, ~40% of the class goes into aviation (split up between Navy Pilot, Naval Flight Officer, and Marine Pilot). Like with anything in the military, good performance across the board, letting people know you're interested (i.e. talking to officers who are pilots/NFOs about your desires), and good timing all make it harder for someone to tell you no.

Pilot spots are usually a bit easier to come by in the USAF since that is what their branch is all out. There is no air power without pilots. The Navy relies on a heterogenous approach to accomplish its missions. Ships and subs are at the heart of the service, but Naval Aviation is also a primary means of projecting sea power. This requires officers of different interests and skills. So while there are less spots statistically at USNA, there are other communities that the Navy/Marines needs filled and there are officers waiting to fill them. Long story short, there are less spots at USNA overall, but there are also less people wanting to be pilots at Navy.

@Capt MJ hit the nail on the head. I honestly didn't apply to USAFA. I only applied to the three sea-going academies (Navy, CG, and Merchant Marine). My calculus was that I wanted to be in a branch that had jobs I was interested in outside if going aviation didn't work out. Being on the high seas is a unique experience that few truly get to experience. Cruise ships don't really capture what being at sea is about. The sea is truly awesome in its beauty and power simultaneously.

I also really like the naval aviation culture. It encourages pilots to be creative and autonomous. If the regs don't specifically prohibit an action and you can provide a good reason for what you did in a pinch, you are fine. I also like that it places responsibility at lower levels. You could be an O-3 and sign for a plane and the Navy (and taxpayers) trust you to go out, accomplish missions, and bring the crew and airplane back home. Not too many other careers allow someone in their mid to late 20s have that responsibilities.

Lastly, I like that I am in a specialized community that fits into the Navy puzzle. Not everyone can do what we do. We are our own community with our own customs, traditions, and way of doing things. However, there is mutual respect between the different Navy warfare communities. We all need each other. Just take an aircraft carrier for example. Pilots/NFOs can't get to the fight without Nuke SWOs running the reactors.
 
Usnavy2019 said:
That is a bit of a loaded question. A lot of it depends on the demand for aviation slots (both from Big Navy and from the Brigade). Some years it is isn't as competitive and other years not a lot of people are getting it. Rest assured, on average, ~40% of the class goes into aviation (split up between Navy Pilot, Naval Flight Officer, and
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Be careful here, I know that things may look this way from within the Hall but the actual number of slots that the Navy allows for USNA accessions to Naval Aviation is not terribly different on a year to year basis and that is going back for almost 50 years if not longer. It is true that some folks who request Aviation as their first choice do not get it and that number can vary up and down over the years but the vast majority of folks who want aviation can still reasonably expect to get it.
 
Usnavy2019 said:
I also really like the naval aviation culture. It encourages pilots to be creative and autonomous. If the regs don't specifically prohibit an action and you can provide a good reason for what you did in a pinch, you are fine.
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A certain Capt. Pete Mitchell (I can never remember his call sign) leveraged this cultural aspect to achieve a long and illustrious naval aviation career. Though some would say that it also prevented him from achieving flag rank despite his many years of service. 😂🤣😂

In all seriousness, @Usnavy2019 offers great and balanced perspective. And as said earlier, pick the branch as much as the job. You never know how things will unfold.
 
Capt MJ said:
You should spend a great deal of time researching the missions, culture and career paths of AF and Navy (and Maribe air too). USAFA and USNA are 4-year waystations, not “the” goal, and your focus should be on what seems the best fit for you for the years of active duty obligation that follow.

You must also research non-pilot career paths at both SAs. If you are not selected for pilot or have something come up during a pre-comm physical there, you have to know there is some other career path you would be fine pivoting to. It does happen. We had a USNA sponsor mid, gung-ho for naval aviation, had a dream all mapped out for jets, test pilot, astronaut. In his 2/c year (junior), he was diagnosed with a condition for which the required medication DQ’ed him from Navy and Marine air. He went subs.

The Navy does most of its work in the water, under the water, over the water, away from home and often out of sight of land for long periods of time. That is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Reverse engineer this. Figure out what service, what career paths, then the commissioning portal becomes much clearer.
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Thank you sir. Well said.
 
Usnavy2019 said:
Pro tip, don't call a ma'am a sir. ;)
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I suggested to my incoming Plebe that he start addressing people as "ma'am" and "sir" so he got used to it because under I Day stress I'm sure it is easy to screw that up and get yelled at more. Actually when we met after Oath he said his favorite of his 5 basic responses was "Ma'am, no excuse, Ma'am". He said they can't counter argue and usually leave!
 
Huursoldaat said:
I suggested to my incoming Plebe that he start addressing people as "ma'am" and "sir" so he got used to it because under I Day stress I'm sure it is easy to screw that up and get yelled at more. Actually when we met after Oath he said his favorite of his 5 basic responses was "Ma'am, no excuse, Ma'am". He said they can't counter argue and usually leave!
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And then it gets even more complicated since you're not supposed to Sir/Ma'am Senior Enlisted. It is hard initially since you are conditioned to say it and Navy SELs have uniforms that closely resemble officer uniforms. Marine SELs are bit easier since their rank insignia on their collar (in cammies) is subdued instead of shiny and they wear their rank on their sleeve vice the collar/shoulder for service/dress uniforms.
 
Yes speaking of uniforms...I was having trouble telling who was what when we were there for IDay. I don't know the MID shoulder boards vs commissioned officers, both in their white uniforms. Then there were Marines around, I can tell them by the red stripe but don't know how to tell rank. Then some were in just khaki uniforms. I actually see a lot of the khaki uniforms in the videos being posted to Facebook. Are they SEL? Fortunately I wasn't required to know that stuff to enjoy the day. I'll do some research and see what I can figure out.
 
Huursoldaat said:
Yes speaking of uniforms...I was having trouble telling who was what when we were there for IDay. I don't know the MID shoulder boards vs commissioned officers, both in their white uniforms. Then there were Marines around, I can tell them by the red stripe but don't know how to tell rank. Then some were in just khaki uniforms. I actually see a lot of the khaki uniforms in the videos being posted to Facebook. Are they SEL? Fortunately I wasn't required to know that stuff to enjoy the day. I'll do some research and see what I can figure out.
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One's rank is not a linear appointment system for MIDN ENS-CAPT. You get that rank based on one's billet. 1/C who don't have a leadership role are known just as MIDN 1/C, but are usually referred to as MIR (Midshipman in Ranks).

Two easiest ways you can tell: MIDN shoulder boards have small stars and stripes. Officers have large stars and thicker stripes. MIDN also have a fouled anchor as their cap device. Officers have the crossed anchors, eagle, and federal shield.

Everyone is in whites (or Marine equivalent) for I-Day. Typical UOD for the detailers, Company Officers (USN), and SELs (USN) are khakis. Kind of hard to know who you are looking at unless you know the rank on their collar.
 
And are the chances of getting a slot higher at the Annapolis or ROTC? I know that they both get about an equal number of slots, but is one of the two less competitive, hence a higher chance of a slot?
 
It’s “harder” to get a pilot slot out of ROTC. At the academy all you really have to do is pass the ASTB, get a decent GPA, and talk to senior aviators on the yard. In ROTC you have to put up some competitive numbers to get aviation in both GPA and the ASTB.
 
Boeingaircraft787 said:
So at the USNA, in terms of receiving a pilot slot, is it similar to the USAFA where it is easier to get a slot?
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I will repeat what my BGO told me over 40 years ago -- the biggest advantage of USNA over USAFA is the number and quality of alternatives if you don't get Aviation, At Navy, you can go Ships, Subs, SpecOps, and Marine Corps, while at USAFA you are stuck with some non-flying staff position, If your goal is Operational Command, there are many more opportunities.

Huursoldaat said:
Actually when we met after Oath he said his favorite of his 5 basic responses was "Ma'am, no excuse, Ma'am". He said they can't counter argue and usually leave!
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I can guarantee you that during the time I was writing this note, some rattled Plebe has made the mistake of saying "No Sir" to a female Detailer...it happens all the time.

"No Excuse Sir/Madam " (and its fleet counterpart "I f##k 'd up Sir/Maam") is one of the worlds greatest responses in both military and civilian world. It completely disarms the questioner, and all they can do is agree with you.
 
I will caveat ROTC and say that MO NROTC as well as PLC can offer guaranteed air contracts upon passing the ASTB and a flight physical (and holding said medical qualification).

You have to want to be a Marine first though (TBS, CFT, MCMAP, etc.). A fair amount of aviators become FACs after their initial tour.
 
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