LT Guppy
05-21-2014, 07:00 PM
by Hassino - information current 05/2014
NACCS is certainly tough by normal Navy standards... it is a candidacy school designed to weed out the mentally and physically weak... but it's not BUDS or Dive Prep or EOD school. The biggest thing that gets candidates is the Water Survival evolutions... second biggest is candidates showing up way too out-of-shape and injuring themselves during PT. It's nothing insane though; nobody's died going through NACCS... at least for more than a few minutes... they revived him successfully, lol.
Here's what I went through during Hell Week:
Thursday was "Shock & Awe" day - we did 2 stress-sets, followed by a 3mi formation run, followed by a 3rd stress-set... all the while there were about 15 instructors ranging from PO2s to Marine SSgts and Senior Chiefs screaming at you and telling you you're a piece of shit, that you should just DOR (Drop On Request), that they're not gonna let you graduate anyway, etc. They're just trying to weed out the weak ones, and it worked on 2 candidates. This is also the day they make their judgments on whether or not they want to see you graduate in 3 weeks... if they don't like you, you'll become their Pvt. Pyle and they'll do what they can to make sure you don't make it to graduation. The key is to show determination... watch the instructor leading the PT and, when one walks past you, look at them and sound off loud and proud... they seemed to swarm the ones who were quiet, struggling, or afraid to make eye-contact.
Friday was a 5mi formation run at about an 8min/mi pace... we noticed the attitude from our instructors went from demeaning, to motivating now that "shock & awe" was over. Then, after lunch, we went to the pool and did our WS-3 and WS-4, which was 2min tread/5min float in swimsuit, then again in flightsuit and boots. After that we did a 15min endurance swim in flightsuit and boots.
Monday we went down to the seawall and did the equivalent of 3 stress-sets, with 200m sprints between... then the WS-5 after lunch, which was 2min tread/6min float in flightsuit, boots, gloves, and vest. After that we did a 20min endurance swim in flightsuit and boots.
Tuesday we went to the Aircrew track and did 3 stress-sets, with 2 laps in-between which were timed... then the WS-6 after lunch, which was 2min tread/7min float in flightsuit, boots, gloves, vest, and helmet. After that we did a 25min endurance swim in flightsuit and boots.
Wednesday we did another 2 stress-sets, followed by a slightly slower 4mi formation run... then the WS-7 after lunch, which was jumping off the tower in flightsuit and boots, and swimming submerged for ~25m without any part of your body breaking the surface. Then we did some synchronized swimming where they taught us how to flail our arms and swim through burning surface oil/debris.
Thursday we watched a few episodes of "The Pacific" with the graduating class, while everyone shock & awed the new class outside... then the WS-8 after lunch, which was a 100m swim in flightsuit, boots, gloves, vest, and helmet... followed by demonstration of the 4 ways to use your clothes as a flotation device.
Friday wrapped-up Hell Week with the 1mi confidence swim in the morning, followed by liberty at 1100... easy day. Most annoying part of the mile swim was fighting boredom, and getting kicked by other people in your lane.
The easiest way to get through Hell Week is to only do it once! Remember that when you're struggling on your Water Survival evolutions and want to grab the wall.
^ This was the day-to-day breakdown for Hell Week, which is where 95% of candidates got rolled out of class or dropped. For the remaining two weeks of class, check out this video - Aircrew Candidate School (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAzCiAEsRg0&feature=youtu.be)
Liberty here kicks ass! We have far more priveledge than at A School...
Phase I: No civvies or electronics (Only authorized items are cell phone, clock radio, and electric razor)... on-base only during weekdays... liberty expires @2200 Mon-Sun... cannot operate POVs (Privately Owned Vehicles)... liberty buddy is NOT required. Lasts 14 days... to phase up to II, you'll need to attend classes that are taught every Mon-Wed, get 3 room inspections and a sea bag inspection, get watch qual'd, and get inspected in each of your uniforms. In addition to normal backlog/class musters, Phase I musters at 0500, 1600, 1700, and 2200 (Fri/Sat).
Phase II: Civvies and electronics are authorized... off-base liberty Mon-Sun... liberty expires at 2200 Sun-Thur/2400 Fri-Sat... can own and operate POVs (We have our own parking lot next to the barracks)... liberty buddy is NOT required. Lasts 21 days... to phase up to III, you just need to be Phase II for 21 days and not get a lot of Counseling Chits. Phase II and III doesn't muster outside of normal backlog/class musters.
Phase III: Civvies and electronics are authorized... off-base liberty Mon-Sun... liberty expires at 2200 Sun-Thur... on the weekends, you can sign out as soon as liberty goes down Fri (Usually 1130-1200), and don't have to be back until 2200 Sun... can own and operate POVs ... liberty buddy is NOT required. Phase II and III doesn't muster outside of normal backlog/class musters.
You'll notice none of the phases require you to sign out with a liberty buddy here at NACCS? That's a big privilege we get that everyone else over on the A School side does not get... NATTC requires liberty buddies even in Phase III! Our Phase III here also carries over when you change commands and report to A School... I'll still have my Phase III Thursday when I check in at NATTC.
^ Here's the liberty policy while at NACCS
So... what is Aircrew?
The Naval Aircrew Program is a 6yr Advanced Technical Field that is ultimately broken down into 5 series ratings - AWF, AWV, AWO, AWS, and AWR. Aircrew is also broken into two categories - AIRC "Dry" (AKA fixed-wing and MH-53E crewmen), and AIRR "Wet" (AKA Rescue Swimmers and H-60 crewmen). Wet is considered Naval Special Warfare, and candidates have to challenge for a AIRR contract. Dry Aircrew goes through RTC in a normal division... Wet Aircrew goes through RTC in an 800 division.
AIRC can get assigned AWF, AWV, AWO, and AWS... AIRR can get AWS and AWR.
Airframes
AIRC:
http://anupkumarchaturvedi.com/00001_154.jpg
P-3C Orion (AWO, AWF, AWV)
http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/11/70/06/2589082/3/628x471.jpg
P-8A Poseidon (AWO)
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/6/7/9/1833976.jpg
EP-3E Aries II (AWF, AWV)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2764/4152040770_e051e2a5af.jpg
E-6B Mercury (AWF, AWV)
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/c2-greyhound/images/4-c2-greyhound.jpg
C-2 Greyhound (AWF)
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/clipper/images/c40clipper_8.jpg
C-40A Clipper (AWF FTS, AWF SELRES)
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/mh-53e-wasp-dr5.jpg
MH-53E Sea Dragon (AWS "Dry")
AIRR:
http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/an-mh-60s-knighthawk-helicopter-stocktrek-images.jpg
MH-60S Knighthawk (AWS "Wet")
http://www.naval.com.br/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/MH-60R-Seahawks-2.jpg
MH-60R Seahawk (Replacing SH-60B/SH-60F) (AWR)
----------
So, what are the jobs in Aircrew?
AWF (Mechanical): For active duty, these are mostly flight engineers on P-3C Orions, EP-3E Aries IIs, and E-6B Murcurys... as well as crew chiefs and load masters on C-2 Greyhounds. For FTS Reserves, you're a flight attendant on the C-40A Clipper (I'm not even joking... the training pipeline for FTS includes 4 weeks of training with American and Delta Airlines). Training pipeline for AWF is generally RTC, NACCS, AE "A School", SERE, and FRAC... generally 14 months of training.
AWV (Avionics): In-Flight Technician on the P-3C, Electronic Warfare Operator on the EP-3E, and Reel Operators on the E-6B... you maintain the various systems on the aircraft and handle the internally-loaded sonobuoys on the P-3C. Training pipeline for AWV is RTC, NACCS, AT "A School", SERE, and FRAC... generally 12 months of training.
AWO (Operator): Work a number of systems on the P-3C and P-8A to locate and identify surface and subsurface targets... in other words - sub-hunters. AWO is further divided into Acoustic (SS1/2) and Non-Acoustic/EWO (SS3)... SS1/2's analyze acoustic data from sonobuoys to detect, localize, and track submarines, while SS3's handle radar, ESM, and a variety of electronic support equipment to detect and track surface contacts and analyze the threats they pose. Training pipeline for AWO is RTC, NACCS, AW(A1) "A School" (This is one of the hardest Aircrew schools because all study material is classified and cannot be removed from the classroom), SERE, and FRAC... generally 14 months of training.
AWS ("Dry" Helo): Crew on the MH-53E Sea Dragon conducting mine-sweeping operations and humanitarian relief. Training pipeline for AWS is RTC, NACCS, AWS "A School", SERE, and FRAC... generally 8 months of training.
AWS ("Wet" Helo): Crew on the MH-60S Knighthawk conducting VERTREP and SAR functions... secondary role as an Aviation Rescue Swimmer. Training pipeline for AWS "Wet" is RTC, NACCS, RSS, AWS "A School", SERE, and FRAC... generally 12 months of training.
AWR (Tactical Helo): Basically... you're an AWO on an MH-60R Seahawk. You handle SS1/2 and SS3 "lite" duties, as well as the basic mechanical functions of being a helo crewman. Occasionally serve as an Aviation Rescue Swimmer. Training pipeline for AWR is RTC, NACCS, RSS, AW(A1) "A School", SERE, and FRAC... generally 14 months of training.
^ This is an overview of what platforms and ratings there are for Aircrew
Beyond that, let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer. If you can, try to ask them in this thread (http://www.navydep.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4163) so future Aircrew Candidates can benefit from the information.
NACCS is certainly tough by normal Navy standards... it is a candidacy school designed to weed out the mentally and physically weak... but it's not BUDS or Dive Prep or EOD school. The biggest thing that gets candidates is the Water Survival evolutions... second biggest is candidates showing up way too out-of-shape and injuring themselves during PT. It's nothing insane though; nobody's died going through NACCS... at least for more than a few minutes... they revived him successfully, lol.
Here's what I went through during Hell Week:
Thursday was "Shock & Awe" day - we did 2 stress-sets, followed by a 3mi formation run, followed by a 3rd stress-set... all the while there were about 15 instructors ranging from PO2s to Marine SSgts and Senior Chiefs screaming at you and telling you you're a piece of shit, that you should just DOR (Drop On Request), that they're not gonna let you graduate anyway, etc. They're just trying to weed out the weak ones, and it worked on 2 candidates. This is also the day they make their judgments on whether or not they want to see you graduate in 3 weeks... if they don't like you, you'll become their Pvt. Pyle and they'll do what they can to make sure you don't make it to graduation. The key is to show determination... watch the instructor leading the PT and, when one walks past you, look at them and sound off loud and proud... they seemed to swarm the ones who were quiet, struggling, or afraid to make eye-contact.
Friday was a 5mi formation run at about an 8min/mi pace... we noticed the attitude from our instructors went from demeaning, to motivating now that "shock & awe" was over. Then, after lunch, we went to the pool and did our WS-3 and WS-4, which was 2min tread/5min float in swimsuit, then again in flightsuit and boots. After that we did a 15min endurance swim in flightsuit and boots.
Monday we went down to the seawall and did the equivalent of 3 stress-sets, with 200m sprints between... then the WS-5 after lunch, which was 2min tread/6min float in flightsuit, boots, gloves, and vest. After that we did a 20min endurance swim in flightsuit and boots.
Tuesday we went to the Aircrew track and did 3 stress-sets, with 2 laps in-between which were timed... then the WS-6 after lunch, which was 2min tread/7min float in flightsuit, boots, gloves, vest, and helmet. After that we did a 25min endurance swim in flightsuit and boots.
Wednesday we did another 2 stress-sets, followed by a slightly slower 4mi formation run... then the WS-7 after lunch, which was jumping off the tower in flightsuit and boots, and swimming submerged for ~25m without any part of your body breaking the surface. Then we did some synchronized swimming where they taught us how to flail our arms and swim through burning surface oil/debris.
Thursday we watched a few episodes of "The Pacific" with the graduating class, while everyone shock & awed the new class outside... then the WS-8 after lunch, which was a 100m swim in flightsuit, boots, gloves, vest, and helmet... followed by demonstration of the 4 ways to use your clothes as a flotation device.
Friday wrapped-up Hell Week with the 1mi confidence swim in the morning, followed by liberty at 1100... easy day. Most annoying part of the mile swim was fighting boredom, and getting kicked by other people in your lane.
The easiest way to get through Hell Week is to only do it once! Remember that when you're struggling on your Water Survival evolutions and want to grab the wall.
^ This was the day-to-day breakdown for Hell Week, which is where 95% of candidates got rolled out of class or dropped. For the remaining two weeks of class, check out this video - Aircrew Candidate School (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAzCiAEsRg0&feature=youtu.be)
Liberty here kicks ass! We have far more priveledge than at A School...
Phase I: No civvies or electronics (Only authorized items are cell phone, clock radio, and electric razor)... on-base only during weekdays... liberty expires @2200 Mon-Sun... cannot operate POVs (Privately Owned Vehicles)... liberty buddy is NOT required. Lasts 14 days... to phase up to II, you'll need to attend classes that are taught every Mon-Wed, get 3 room inspections and a sea bag inspection, get watch qual'd, and get inspected in each of your uniforms. In addition to normal backlog/class musters, Phase I musters at 0500, 1600, 1700, and 2200 (Fri/Sat).
Phase II: Civvies and electronics are authorized... off-base liberty Mon-Sun... liberty expires at 2200 Sun-Thur/2400 Fri-Sat... can own and operate POVs (We have our own parking lot next to the barracks)... liberty buddy is NOT required. Lasts 21 days... to phase up to III, you just need to be Phase II for 21 days and not get a lot of Counseling Chits. Phase II and III doesn't muster outside of normal backlog/class musters.
Phase III: Civvies and electronics are authorized... off-base liberty Mon-Sun... liberty expires at 2200 Sun-Thur... on the weekends, you can sign out as soon as liberty goes down Fri (Usually 1130-1200), and don't have to be back until 2200 Sun... can own and operate POVs ... liberty buddy is NOT required. Phase II and III doesn't muster outside of normal backlog/class musters.
You'll notice none of the phases require you to sign out with a liberty buddy here at NACCS? That's a big privilege we get that everyone else over on the A School side does not get... NATTC requires liberty buddies even in Phase III! Our Phase III here also carries over when you change commands and report to A School... I'll still have my Phase III Thursday when I check in at NATTC.
^ Here's the liberty policy while at NACCS
So... what is Aircrew?
The Naval Aircrew Program is a 6yr Advanced Technical Field that is ultimately broken down into 5 series ratings - AWF, AWV, AWO, AWS, and AWR. Aircrew is also broken into two categories - AIRC "Dry" (AKA fixed-wing and MH-53E crewmen), and AIRR "Wet" (AKA Rescue Swimmers and H-60 crewmen). Wet is considered Naval Special Warfare, and candidates have to challenge for a AIRR contract. Dry Aircrew goes through RTC in a normal division... Wet Aircrew goes through RTC in an 800 division.
AIRC can get assigned AWF, AWV, AWO, and AWS... AIRR can get AWS and AWR.
Airframes
AIRC:
http://anupkumarchaturvedi.com/00001_154.jpg
P-3C Orion (AWO, AWF, AWV)
http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/11/70/06/2589082/3/628x471.jpg
P-8A Poseidon (AWO)
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/6/7/9/1833976.jpg
EP-3E Aries II (AWF, AWV)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2764/4152040770_e051e2a5af.jpg
E-6B Mercury (AWF, AWV)
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/c2-greyhound/images/4-c2-greyhound.jpg
C-2 Greyhound (AWF)
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/clipper/images/c40clipper_8.jpg
C-40A Clipper (AWF FTS, AWF SELRES)
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/mh-53e-wasp-dr5.jpg
MH-53E Sea Dragon (AWS "Dry")
AIRR:
http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/an-mh-60s-knighthawk-helicopter-stocktrek-images.jpg
MH-60S Knighthawk (AWS "Wet")
http://www.naval.com.br/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/MH-60R-Seahawks-2.jpg
MH-60R Seahawk (Replacing SH-60B/SH-60F) (AWR)
----------
So, what are the jobs in Aircrew?
AWF (Mechanical): For active duty, these are mostly flight engineers on P-3C Orions, EP-3E Aries IIs, and E-6B Murcurys... as well as crew chiefs and load masters on C-2 Greyhounds. For FTS Reserves, you're a flight attendant on the C-40A Clipper (I'm not even joking... the training pipeline for FTS includes 4 weeks of training with American and Delta Airlines). Training pipeline for AWF is generally RTC, NACCS, AE "A School", SERE, and FRAC... generally 14 months of training.
AWV (Avionics): In-Flight Technician on the P-3C, Electronic Warfare Operator on the EP-3E, and Reel Operators on the E-6B... you maintain the various systems on the aircraft and handle the internally-loaded sonobuoys on the P-3C. Training pipeline for AWV is RTC, NACCS, AT "A School", SERE, and FRAC... generally 12 months of training.
AWO (Operator): Work a number of systems on the P-3C and P-8A to locate and identify surface and subsurface targets... in other words - sub-hunters. AWO is further divided into Acoustic (SS1/2) and Non-Acoustic/EWO (SS3)... SS1/2's analyze acoustic data from sonobuoys to detect, localize, and track submarines, while SS3's handle radar, ESM, and a variety of electronic support equipment to detect and track surface contacts and analyze the threats they pose. Training pipeline for AWO is RTC, NACCS, AW(A1) "A School" (This is one of the hardest Aircrew schools because all study material is classified and cannot be removed from the classroom), SERE, and FRAC... generally 14 months of training.
AWS ("Dry" Helo): Crew on the MH-53E Sea Dragon conducting mine-sweeping operations and humanitarian relief. Training pipeline for AWS is RTC, NACCS, AWS "A School", SERE, and FRAC... generally 8 months of training.
AWS ("Wet" Helo): Crew on the MH-60S Knighthawk conducting VERTREP and SAR functions... secondary role as an Aviation Rescue Swimmer. Training pipeline for AWS "Wet" is RTC, NACCS, RSS, AWS "A School", SERE, and FRAC... generally 12 months of training.
AWR (Tactical Helo): Basically... you're an AWO on an MH-60R Seahawk. You handle SS1/2 and SS3 "lite" duties, as well as the basic mechanical functions of being a helo crewman. Occasionally serve as an Aviation Rescue Swimmer. Training pipeline for AWR is RTC, NACCS, RSS, AW(A1) "A School", SERE, and FRAC... generally 14 months of training.
^ This is an overview of what platforms and ratings there are for Aircrew
Beyond that, let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer. If you can, try to ask them in this thread (http://www.navydep.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4163) so future Aircrew Candidates can benefit from the information.