Ask a Naval Aircrewman
 

I get a lot of questions via PM from AIRC and AIRR DEPpers, as well as prospective Aircrewmen and people just curious what the ratings are all about... the only problem with PM responses though, are that nobody else can benefit from the info. So I figured it might be useful to dedicate this thread for questions anyone wants answered. If you have a question, ask away! If you're wondering something more personal, feel free to still PM me.

Do you ever interact with AE's or AT's? I'm an AV and will be either an AT or AE

All the time... both here in A School and out in the squadron. AWF students go through the AE schoolhouse, while AWV students go through the AT schoolhouse. Out in the squadron, AEs and ATs handle the repair and upkeep of our aircraft while it's on the tarmac, and hand control over to the AWF and AWV before we go out.

Are you a real life Naval Aircrewman?!
 

What's it like being such a badass?! How can I become a badass Aircrewman like you?! <3 ;P

Shaddup and study your auxiliaries, Hintz! :drunksailor:

Hey what sub rating for Aircrewman do you think is the best? I've been looking at all of them and I can't really tell.

That's largely gonna be based on who you ask and what your personal preference is. I'm an AWO, and I'm glad I got that rating over V, F, or S... but that's largely my own preference. O's are hunters... we're the ones effectively running the mission on the P-3 or P-8; the TACCO may be the one to say where to drop the buoy or where to point the aircraft, but he's gonna make that call based off what the SS1/2 tells him. We hunt subs, operate cameras, monitor radar, and have a lot more Special Programs options than V's or F's do.

A question about AWR/AWS HELO
 

So I'm heading up to MEPS at the end of this month to be reaped so that I can finalize my physical. I was reading something that stated that there is a 245 pound weight limit for the AW rating. Mainly because that is the weight limit for the airplane in ejection seats. So my question is since this subcategory is for helicopters and not planes, wild this still have a MAX weight to qualify.

With the S-3 Viking retired from service, there aren't actually any aircraft we crew on that are ejection seat equipped. Regardless, there are still weight considerations when flying, especially on helos which have limited lifting capability compared to fixed-wing, so I could see the 245lb restriction standing.

Alright, and thank you for the info. Do you think they would allow me to DEP into the AW program providing I lose the weight prior to entering A school?

What's your current height/weight? As long as you can meet the weight/BMI standards for the Navy and the job is available, you should be able to sign for it. You need to be aware, however, that Aircrew is a very physically and mentally demanding job... you're going to be required to attend and complete a 4-week Candidate School between RTC and A School that will push you physically and mentally to ensure you have what's required to be a Naval Aircrewman. Everything they do at NACCS is 100% perfection and by-the-regs... so if you ship to RTC right around your max BMI, you're almost certainly going to fail the tape test at NACCS. We're also held to a higher PT standard both at NACCS, and at A School... even at 28 years old, I'm required to complete my 1.5mi run 2min under what the Navy requires.

Additionally, if you show up out of shape, you're gonna be thrown into such an extreme PT routine that your body may literally not be able to handle the exertion, regardless of how determined you are. I saw a lot of candidates develop shin splints, stress fractures, prepatellar bursitis, twisted ankles, etc. from PT and end up dropped because they went Light Limited Duty and couldn't PT. One candidate f'd up his hip so bad on a run while I was there that he was not only dropped, but is being offered a medical disability retirement from the Navy after less than a year in service!

None of this is meant to frighten or discourage anyone from the job... I just want to make sure any prospective applicants are well aware of what they're getting into and can come prepared.

I actually appreciate your honesty and believe me, you have not sent me running in the other direction. From what you have told me I actually have a deeper passion to pursue this rate, because not only do I want this because I have a very strong interest in aviation, but I am also the type of person who runs toward a challenge instead of running away.

As for my height/weight I am 6'7''/284lbs. I have currently have a tape of 23.5% BF and falling. I go back to MEPS on 7/29 for a re-tape. (which me failing my tape test during my initial visit who a whole different story in itself)

Questions
 

Hey man when or how do you volunteer for aircrew? I'm enlisted as an AV in dep. Is this the time to do it? I heard I'll be in a P8a or P3c if I go through everything and I will be required to expand my contract for 6 years which is not much of a problem.

I've enlisted as an AW in dep and looking to go AWO when I go through Naccs and A school. I was wondering what my options for duty stations might be after i get through the schooling pipeline. Couldn't really find any info on that anywhere besides where Naccs and A school is.

Unfortunately, you cannot volunteer for Aircrew as an AE/AT anymore... that ended Oct. 1st 2008 when all Aircrew duties were consolidated into the AW rating. If you want to be Aircrew, you'll need to have your recruiter submit a DAR to switch your rating from AV to either AIRC (Fixed-wing/MH-53E) or AIRR (Rescue Swimmer). Your other option will be to enlist AV, and then try to cross-rate once you hit PO2 (You can try after 2 years, but nobody is coming back here below PO2 currently).

AWOs are currently going P-3C and P-8A... you can still be on a helo if you go AWS... that'll put you on the MH-53E Sea Dragon.

Currently, it's NAS Whidbey Island, WA... NAS Jacksonville, FL... and MCAS Kaneohe Bay, HI for P-3C Orions... and NAS Jacksonville for P-8A Poseidons. At the moment, the only operational P-8 squadron is VP-5 out of JAX, with VP-45 beginning acquisition soon. MCAS Kaneohe Bay is also being shut down (For the Navy), so all P-3 squadrons are being moved to Whidbey.

One more question, how's the travel for an aircrewman? I mean I know you fly all over the place, but do you get to sightsee and whatnot?

If you end up AWO, AWV, or AWF on a P-3 or P-8, you're going to travel a lot and learn to carpe per diem, lol. We don't deploy on ships and sleep in racks... we go to foreign air bases, always on per diem, and stay in hotels. Sometimes a mission might take you to South America for a short period, or a longer deployment could put you in Italy, Australia, Japan, S. Korea, Bahrain, etc. Some of the best per diem locations will net you over $100/day in addition to flight pay, and your base pay + whatever allowances you have for family, etc. My instructor is an AWO2 SS1, and on his last 3 month deployment to Sigonella, Italy, he flew his wife out twice and met her in Rome for a weekend... and he still came back with a lot of $$ in his bank account. We don't do a lot of tertiary BS... we don't stand watches, we don't field day/clean the hangers, and we don't work too much overtime because we're required to get 8hrs of sleep a night when on a flight schedule. As an AWO especially, you're gonna pre-mission brief... fly... debrief... work out... and then probably sight-see or sleep if deployed; depends on where you are, what type of missions you're flying, and how long you've been there.

P-3s also break... sometimes at convenient times. You may land in Ireland on your way to a NATO deployment in the Netherlands and your engine breaks; guess who spends almost a week pub-crawling in Dublin while they fly out a new engine and a crew to replace it? The pilots, TACCO, and Aircrew!

Haha wow that's so awesome. I can't wait, 20130909! Thanks!

Interested in the Rating
 

What would you recommend someone who is trying to go into the AIRR rating?

PT, swim, swim, PT, and then PT some more... lol! The PST requirements should be an easy workout for you; you not only need to pass one almost every day at RSS, but your eligibility for when you class up is based on PST scores. You also need to be very comfortable in the pool... both for NACCS and for RSS.


This video gives you a little example of what to expect...

Aviation Rescue Swimmer School

What are the rules for NAC on having cars during training

No motorcycles anymore... cars are authorized once you hit Phase II after about 14 days. You'll have your own parking lot next to the sea wall.

When you have weekend liberty how far can you go from pensacola? My HOR is 330 miles from there

Don't quote me on this, but I believe it was 350 miles? There are three radius's: 1st is no chit or permission needed to go... 2nd requires an Out-of-Bounds Chit... 3rd requires you to take leave. 330mi isn't out the liberty radius... but you may need to get a chit.

You could always just go as long as you have reliable transportation, don't speed or do something to get in trouble, and come back on-time... but if it's out of the 1st radius and you get in trouble, you will get to see what A-PACT is like.

Weight question
 

Haasino, Did you ever find out if someone can DEP in Over the 245 pound mark as long as they had it off by the time they graduate bootcamp for AWR

I'm pretty sure we have a few rescue swimmers who are over 245 right now... they're machines! Your SpecWar advisor will probably know more about that, but as long as you're making your PST scores in DEP and pass the Navy weight/BCI standards, you shouldn't have a problem going Rescue Swimmer. Keep in mind, however that your chances of AWR vs. AWS are completely unpredictable and will be determined by manning needs at the end of RSS.

Thank you for the response

Im an AD and talked to an officer who said I could do rescue swimming as like a part time gig. How exactly does volunteering for aircrew work out. I didn't exactly want to give up my AD rate to contract as aircrew and miss out on any opportunities but I do want to do air rescue swimmer. any and all information is helpful.

You can no longer volunteer for Aircrew as an AD... that ended on October 1st, 2008. You must now be contracted with AIRC (Fixed-wing/MH-53) or AIRR (MH-60/Rescue Swimmer) in your contract from MEPS, to ultimately receive a rating of AWO, AWR, AWV, AWF, or AWS.

You can possibly volunteer for surface Rescue Swimmer duties, which would be a part-time tertiary duty while on a ship... but Aviation Rescue Swimmer is a skill held by full-time flyers in either the Naval Aircrewman (Tactical Helicopter) or Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) ratings.

As a rescue swimmer what do you do when your not on a mission saving a life?

As an Aviation Rescue Swimmer, your primary duty is serving as a crewman on either an MH-60R or MH-60S helicopter, depending on rate... Romeo crewmen conduct Anti-Submarine Warfare, Counter-Narcotics and Counter-Piracy Operations, Search & Rescue, and limited Naval Special Warfare support operations... Sierra crewmen conduct Vertical Replenishment, Search & Rescue, and limited Naval Special Warfare support operations. Unless assigned to a SAR or CSAR squadron, most AWR's and AWS' spend 99.5% of their careers acting as helo crewmen... with that rare .5% spent doing actual rescues.

Surface Rescue Swimmers retain their normal rates and are called upon in the event someone goes overboard and needs to be rescued... it's an on-call duty similar to VBSS, Snoopy Teams, etc. You will spend your days as an AD... doing normal duties assigned as an AD... and will act as a rescue swimmer if needed. For Surface Rescue Swimmers, I'm not sure if it's a drop-of-the-hat duty, or if you are one of several assigned to occasional "shifts", similar to ASF duties on a shore command.

Sounds like I'll go the surface rescue swimmer route to begin with....how would I go about that. Is that something I start in boot or after I go to A school?

Most ships already have their rescue swimmers in place. I've never seen anyone else other than the ships crew be a rescue swimmer. They are a part of the boat crew. But I've only been on small boys. This maybe different for larger decks.

Yeah, I couldn't tell you what the process is for going surface swimmer... other than that the school you'd have to go through is here at NAS Jacksonville.

Surface wise it's just a week or so course. I know every base has one. You have to be a really really good swimmer.

There's only two Rescue Swimmer Schools that I'm aware of... the 5-week Aviation RSS in Pensacola, and the 4-week Surface RSS here in Jacksonville. Sure you're not thinking of the Water Survival training centers that are located on multiple bases?

If you are talking about rescue swimmers that are ship personnel then that is it, unless they've changed the course recently. They are on ships for man overboard and all small boat ops.

As of September, it as still just a week.

That's weird... there is definitely a 4-week RSS here in Jax, and it's not for Aviation Rescue Swimmers. Now I'm curious how many types of Surface Swimmers there are...

Here's an article from last year when the pool reopened following storm damage:

^ So it looks like there is a second school in San Diego... probably one for West Coast and one for East Coast.