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.
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Do you ever interact with AE's or AT's? I'm an AV and will be either an AT or AE
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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
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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.
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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.
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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? |
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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. |
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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.
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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.
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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. Quote:
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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?
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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!
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Interested in the Rating
What would you recommend someone who is trying to go into the AIRR rating?
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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
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When you have weekend liberty how far can you go from pensacola? My HOR is 330 miles from there
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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
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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.
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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. |
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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. |
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Here's an article from last year when the pool reopened following storm damage:
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I've never really looked into it, just know that one of our SAR swimmers went to a school for about a week to either certify or recertify before we could get underway this summer.
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Thanks so much for answering all of these questions. It's very helpful! I wanted to ask if you know what the pipeline looks like for a reservist (non-FTS). Are the same jobs and platforms available? Does it depend on where you drill?
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The pipeline for Reserve Aircrew is the same as the others up through A School... you'll go to RTC, then Candidate School, and then AWF A School... the only difference is that you can only get the AWF rating, and you will be waiting longer to class up for Candidate School than the Active Duty people (I don't know why... priority just goes AIRC, AIRR, Marines, Reserve). Your platform is also going to be limited... non-FTS all goes on the C-40 Clipper as flight attendants... and a very rare few can get orders to VP-62 in Jacksonville as P-3C Orion Flight Engineers... I believe there is a reserve squadron up in Whidbey Island, WA as well, but don't quote me on that. It's also going to depend very heavily on where you drill... my roommate in A School was an AWF Reservist... he was in Pensacola for over a year, then graduated and went home to Indiana. It's going on 6 months later now, and he doesn't do any Aircrew duties, nor has he gone to follow-on schools... he just does computer-based training on his drill weekends. He also didn't have a career already lined up and was talked into Reserve Aircrew by his recruiter, so he's having a lot of issues right now. It's possible that you might have more options though... there's a very real likelihood that, by the time you leave Pensacola, AWF might no longer exist and you'll leave an AE... AWF and AWV currently sit at 3% advancement to E-5, and 0% advancement to E-6... this is due to the disestablishment of the P-3 Flight Engineer and In-Flight Technician billets as the Orion is slowly replaced by the P-8A Poseidon. This is causing major issues for the F's and V's in the EP-3E and E-6B squadrons because, while the P-3 AWF's and AWV's are being given the option of cross-rating to AWO, the EP-3E and E-6B AWF's and AWV's are stuck with no advancement. To address this, there is a proposal to disestablish the AW[x] series ratings and go back to what it used to be prior to 2008... with the Aviation Warfare Systems Operators like me being the true AW's, and the Flight Engineers, In-Flight Technicians, and helo crewmen volunteering from the AE, AT, AM, AD, and other aviation mech, tron, and airframer ratings. This would allow them to remain Aircrew, while advancing at the % of their surface aviation ratings... it would also give regular AE/AT/AD/AM/etc. sailors the opportunity to volunteer for Aircrew duties after completing A School, should the need arise. I realize most of what I just said might sound like Greek to you... so I'll simplify it with this: as long as you have a stable career and live near a Naval Air Station, Reserve Aircrew will be a fine opportunity. But if you don't already have a career, or you don't live near a NAS, you are likely to spend a long time away from family, only to come home and not use any of your training. If you fall into the latter category, I'd personally recommend either pursuing Active Duty Aircrew prior to shipping, or research other Reserve ratings that are useful at your local drill center. That's just my $.02 as an Active Duty AWO who has seen what my Reserve AWF classmates are going home to... |
Okay, thanks for all the information.
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Aloha future nuggets
Hello a little about myself I am a former VP 30 instructor with both P3 and P8 experience so if you guys have any questions feel free to ask.
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Non-FTS Reservists
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This just made me feel skeptical about my job selection. I'm going SELRES Aircrewman and will be stationed in Newport, RI, where I know there is no air field. It sounds like I'm going to be one of those guys who end up training on a computer during drill weekend. Basic isn't until September, should I fill out a DAR request form ASAP or is there hope? Any advice would help. |
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