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Old 05-23-2013, 06:34 PM   #1
Haasino
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Exclamation 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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Old 05-24-2013, 06:20 AM   #2
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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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Old 05-24-2013, 10:07 AM   #3
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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
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.
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Old 07-11-2013, 03:24 PM   #4
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Default 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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Old 07-11-2013, 04:06 PM   #5
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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!
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Old 07-11-2013, 07:17 PM   #6
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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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Old 07-12-2013, 11:07 AM   #7
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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.
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.
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Old 07-14-2013, 09:34 PM   #8
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Default 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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Old 07-18-2013, 08:04 AM   #9
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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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Old 07-18-2013, 10:02 AM   #10
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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.
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.

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Originally Posted by Future A Dubbz View Post
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.
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.
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Old 07-23-2013, 06:40 PM   #11
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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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Old 07-23-2013, 07:26 PM   #12
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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?
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!
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Old 07-24-2013, 09:06 AM   #13
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Haha wow that's so awesome. I can't wait, 20130909! Thanks!
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Old 12-10-2014, 11:31 PM   #14
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Question

[QUOTE=Haasino;34014]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).

I just DEPd in as an AV today and after reading your posts AW seems like something I really want to do. My recruiter told me I had the option to volunteer for Aircrew duties but clearly he was wrong. How likely are my chances of getting my recruiter to submit a DAR (btw what is a DAR?) and actually being able to switch over to AIRC, AIRR or AW? Also I'm a female and plan on getting my college transcripts in before I graduate bootcamp in June and enlisting as an E-3 if that helps or makes any difference at all.
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Old 12-11-2014, 03:24 AM   #15
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Forgive me for cutting in as this is largely Hassino's thread. As the Navy retires the Aircraft they work on, the AWF and AWV rates are cutting billets to the point that there is consideration of going back to the system where those billets currently filled by Fs and Vs are filled by ATs and AEs who have gone through NACCS. So there is that to consider but if you are more interested in the AWO experience, I'll do my best to answer your questions.

A DAR is a dep action request, they're chits submitted by your recruiter into their chain of command to change the terms of your contact. For you to get an AIRR or AIRC contract via DAR a person with one of those contracts has to drop out of dep. The likelihood is really impossible to tell.
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Old 12-12-2014, 07:02 PM   #16
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^ BloodyPheonix pretty much covered it.

The discussion of going back to the pre-2008 rating system is mentioned in this article: Advisory Board Formed to Assess Future of AW Rate. It took them 3 years to make the decision to consolidate the ratings last time... so I'm not expecting a quick answer. Maybe by the time the AWF and AWV billets are completely gone, they'll have reached a decision, lol.
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Old 03-26-2014, 06:24 PM   #17
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Hey, thanks for all you do on these forums. Your knowledge helps tons for a lot of people including myself. I was just wondering, what did you do to prepare for your ASVAB in order to qualify for Aircrew rate?
Also, how did you train for the physical demands (especially the swimming aspects) required in NACCS and RSS?
Did you already have a swimming background prior to enlisting? Thanks.
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Old 03-27-2014, 09:46 AM   #18
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Hey, thanks for all you do on these forums. Your knowledge helps tons for a lot of people including myself. I was just wondering, what did you do to prepare for your ASVAB in order to qualify for Aircrew rate?
Also, how did you train for the physical demands (especially the swimming aspects) required in NACCS and RSS?
Did you already have a swimming background prior to enlisting? Thanks.
In order to prepare for the ASVAB and see what areas I needed improvement in, I used the full-length Practice ASVAB that is available on the Military.com website... from that, I was able to see that my vocab and reading/writing proficiency was max, but my arithmetic and electronics knowledge was lacking. Using that knowledge, I bought a Kaplan ASVAB study guide that taught each subject and allowed me to focus only on the areas I needed improvement on. I was able to score a 96 AFQT and qualify for every rating through my line scores.

As far as the physical demands, I just made sure to work out at least 3-5 times a week in the months leading up to RTC, and made sure I could pass my PFA well above the Good category, since that's the requirement for Aircrew. Make sure you can do proper-form pushups and situps, and that you can run at least 3 miles at a sub 10min/mi pace without injury, and you should be fine... the more in-shape you are, the better, but they will push you and improve you at NACCS... you just can't show up at the regular Navy standards or you will get injured. Most of the candidates who were dropped were due to injuries like shin splints, stress fractures, or broken bones due to improper running form.

When it comes to swimming, you don't have to be a competition swimmer to get through Water Survival training at NACCS... but you absolutely have to be comfortable in the water. I never did lap swims... but I've spent my entire life in and near the ocean. I used to play in the waves in Malibu as a child and let the waves drag me underwater and toss me around... I was SCUBA certified at 12, which was the youngest legal age back in the '90s... and I just generally felt comfortable being underwater and having water in my nose, eyes, etc. NACCS can and will teach you how to do the proper survival swim strokes, provided you have a basic understanding of American Crawl, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Sidestroke... they cannot teach you how to remain calm and slow your heart-rate when you transition from treading to floating and you have a flightsuit, boots, Airsave vest, gloves, and a flight helmet dragging you down. A lot of candidates freaked out because they weren't comfortable sinking and didn't realize the buoyancy of your body will hold you near the surface. A few candidates from my class even got rolled out of class because they were afraid to jump off the 15ft platform into the pool! I spend an entire afternoon jumping off the platform at USS Indianapolis pool at RTC just because it was fun as hell!

Now, RSS is another beast entirely that I can't really give much details on because I'm a fixed-wing guy... but I know you will be expected to do 2,000m swims with up to 25m underwater at times. NACCS is all about teaching you to survive indefinitely in the ocean with no flotation device... RSS is actual swimming.
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Old 03-27-2014, 02:54 PM   #19
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Thanks for the information! I'll make sure to practice, and also look more into RSS.
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Old 05-03-2014, 01:27 PM   #20
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As a air rescue swimmer (AIRR) what civilian jobs are available based on the skills you learn?
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Old 05-03-2014, 01:36 PM   #21
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If you fail the Flight Physical, are you able to reclassify into another rating or are you sent undesignated?
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Old 10-07-2014, 02:44 PM   #22
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Default Leaving soon for aircrew.

I am leaving in six days for Naval Aircrew, but I just flew for the first time and honestly I did not like it. I still want to leave on my date for basic. I am under a full time support naval aircrew contract. What are my options as far as unvolunteering from aircrew and rerating? What route do I take to do this once I'm in? Do I need to wait til after basic to rerate? And will I lose my FTS status and go back part time by doing so? Any advice is appreciate. Thanks!
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Old 10-07-2014, 04:22 PM   #23
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I am leaving in six days for Naval Aircrew, but I just flew for the first time and honestly I did not like it. I still want to leave on my date for basic. I am under a full time support naval aircrew contract. What are my options as far as unvolunteering from aircrew and rerating? What route do I take to do this once I'm in? Do I need to wait til after basic to rerate? And will I lose my FTS status and go back part time by doing so? Any advice is appreciate. Thanks!
Being a Navy Flyer is completely voluntary, and you can DOR (Drop on Request) at any time in your career. It usually means you'll go PACT/Undesignated... I don't know how it will work as FTS.

For the love of God, drop now if you don't like flying! This is a very challenging pipeline that's going to push you beyond your limits... your wasting your time, and everyone else's, if you wait til NACCS to DOR. You're also going to be thrown into hold until the Navy can figure out what to do with you... expect a long wait if you're Reserve and DOR.

Best thing to do is just don't sign the forms volunteering to fly when you go back to MEPS... let them sort things out while you can still be at home... rather than scrubbing toilets and pulling weeds in Pensacola in a hold status.
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Old 10-07-2014, 04:46 PM   #24
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That's exactly as I was feeling, I thought flying was something I would like and it's absolutely not. Have you ever heard of any one dropping flight status or rerating at basic? I'd really like to leave on my original ship date regardless, but I don't want to screw myself or others in the process. Is that possible at basic, or is that just an absurd question?
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Old 10-07-2014, 05:00 PM   #25
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That's exactly as I was feeling, I thought flying was something I would like and it's absolutely not. Have you ever heard of any one dropping flight status or rerating at basic? I'd really like to leave on my original ship date regardless, but I don't want to screw myself or others in the process. Is that possible at basic, or is that just an absurd question?
They're not going to drop or re-rate you at RTC unless you are medically disqualified from flying (Something you have no control over)... the reason being is that RTC is designed to pump you out 8 weeks after you arrive; they don't have the time or facilities to hold you while you voluntarily wait for a new rate. If you try to DOR, they're gonna tall you to talk to the folks when you arrive at NACCS... and NACCS is just gonna put you on hold cleaning toilets until they can figure out what to do with you (Assuming they can't just send you across the street undesignated).

Trust me, dude... you'd rather delay your ship date and re-rate prior to leaving than sit on hold while the Navy drags its feet to find a purpose for you.
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Old 10-07-2014, 05:31 PM   #26
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I appreciate all your help man, means a lot! Thank you!
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Old 11-05-2014, 03:38 PM   #27
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Default Is it Possible?

Is it possible to volunteer for aircrew after A school, (that's how it used to be done, right?) or do you have to go into boot camp AW?

For example, can a guy graduate boot camp, go through AE school(s), then get on an aircrew?

Thanks!
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Old 11-05-2014, 06:30 PM   #28
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hey first i want to start by saying thank you for all the info, it's really appreciated. So my question is how would u compare aircrew life to that of another rate? Also between the different aircrew rates which is the funniest per say? I'm currently 25 and have a pretty good job, however i want chance and adventure and feel aircrew is the best route for wat i seek. If u know of any other rate aside from spec ops that also provides this please feel free to give u're opinion... once again thank you!
You're welcome, glad to help!

Aircrew is an easy life. The Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance community... which is most likely where you're going to be going if you go AIRC... has an especially easy life. I work from 8am to 3pm M-F, with a 1.5-2hr break around 11 for lunch. That's our general schedule... sometimes the day is shorter, sometimes it's longer... it depends on if we've got training, an intel brief, a simulator, or a flight. About once a month, we get a 3-day or 4-day weekend... but about once a month there's also a flight on the weekend. If you fly, you don't come to work until your flight, and you don't work for at least 13 hours after landing... if you fly late enough, you don't come in at all the next day. Navy says at least 8 hours, but every Wing and Squadron is different. When you go on deployment or detachment (It's like a mini-deployment of just 1-3 crews), you go to a foreign airbase and either stay in some sort of base housing (Which is rare on foreign bases), or you stay in a hotel on or near base. The only exceptions currently are Bahrain and Djibouti, where you live in CLU's... basically, air-conditioned shipping containers. On deployment, you also generally do things as a crew... socializing with the officers on your crew isn't prohibited like it would be in most other communities... the reason behind this is that we are supposed to be a single, cohesive crew; we work as a unit, and we play as a unit. The saying is, "The difference between the O-6 in the pilot seat, and the E-4 in back, is 1/10th of a second. That's how much longer the E-4 is going to live if we hit a mountain nose-first."

As far as which Aircrew billet is the most fun? That depends entirely on personal preference. I love my job... it's like playing the most intense real-time strategy video game you can imagine, if it was written by Tom Clancy. MPRA has it's fingers in every major military event you can imagine, and we do some stuff that is truly fascinating to me. I am, however, one of the last children of the Cold War... I watched the Wall come down, I grew up playing RTS video games, and I absolutely love Tom Clancy novels. Threat briefs on current world affairs interest me, as does studying the most updated threats coming out of Russia, the PRC, and Iran. There are others I work with who are bored to tears by that type of thing, could give two-s**ts about Russia putting 3 new classes of submarine into their fleet, and actively avoid flying whenever possible. It's all about personal preference... some guys wanna fly in helos and shoot machine guns; other guys wanna sit sideways in the back of patrol and reconnaissance aircraft and hunt submarines and ISIS. Neither one is right nor wrong if they enjoy their job...

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Originally Posted by jbair1 View Post
Is it possible to volunteer for aircrew after A school, (that's how it used to be done, right?) or do you have to go into boot camp AW?

For example, can a guy graduate boot camp, go through AE school(s), then get on an aircrew?

Thanks!
Unfortunately, no... the only non-AW rates that can volunteer for Aircrew duties are HM, CT, CS, and MC (The latter two rates are exceptionally rare). There's discussion about going back to the pre-2008 system where AWO/AWR are the only real AW rates, and everyone else volunteers from other ratings like AE... but it's just talk right now.
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Old 11-05-2014, 08:28 PM   #29
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I was just reading your reply about the life of a aircrewman, and ofcourse I am wondering if you know if much is different for an FTS aircrewman? Or if our life is a little bit more boring than that? Thanks !
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Old 11-05-2014, 09:25 PM   #30
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I was just reading your reply about the life of a aircrewman, and ofcourse I am wondering if you know if much is different for an FTS aircrewman? Or if our life is a little bit more boring than that? Thanks !
Assuming you go the likely route of C-130's or C-40's, your living conditions are going to be much the same... but you're job is going to be less academic, and more mechanical. My understanding from my FTS buddy is that you spend a lot of time kind of overseeing the mechs and QA'ing their work. You'll also have flights and dets just like everyone else.
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Old 11-06-2014, 06:36 AM   #31
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wow man that sounds exactly wat I'm looking for. Thanks a bunch for all the info, i go to MEPS next Friday and pray aircrew is available. Quick side question. If AIRC isn't available but AIRR is, would u say they compare or are they to different beast? ?
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Old 11-06-2014, 09:05 AM   #32
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Unfortunately, no... the only non-AW rates that can volunteer for Aircrew duties are HM, CT, CS, and MC (The latter two rates are exceptionally rare). There's discussion about going back to the pre-2008 system where AWO/AWR are the only real AW rates, and everyone else volunteers from other ratings like AE... but it's just talk right now.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, that's what I thought but some of the Navy publications still say you can volunteer for flight crew. I figured the publications haven't been updated, but just wanted clarification.

I appreciate your help.
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Old 11-06-2014, 10:25 AM   #33
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wow man that sounds exactly wat I'm looking for. Thanks a bunch for all the info, i go to MEPS next Friday and pray aircrew is available. Quick side question. If AIRC isn't available but AIRR is, would u say they compare or are they to different beast? ?
AIRR is helo Rescue Swimmer... it's a Naval SPecial Warfare program and requires you to complete a PST, go through RTC in an 800 Division, and pass Rescue Swimmer School... it's got all the physical demands that would be expected of a NSW program.

AIRC is fixed-wing Aircrew... predominantly Sensor Operators these days... as well as limited billets for Flight Engineers, Loadmasters, In-Flight Technicians, and MH-53E Sea Dragon helo crewmen. AIRC Candidates don't have to complete a PST to sign their contract, they go through RTC in a regular division, and they don't undergo the same level of physical demand RSS Candidates do.

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Thanks, that's what I thought but some of the Navy publications still say you can volunteer for flight crew. I figured the publications haven't been updated, but just wanted clarification.

I appreciate your help.
Yeah... unfortunately the government doesn't like to update it's own paperwork sometimes...
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Old 11-06-2014, 11:05 AM   #34
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Ok. Thanks again it truly means a lot, especially to someone with little navy knowledge. By any change do you know the current need for aircrew? Also what are u're thoughts on not joining if the job u want isn't available?

Last edited by bolo; 11-06-2014 at 11:26 AM. Reason: add info
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Old 03-31-2015, 11:51 PM   #35
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Hi, so I decided I would get a little college in before going into the Navy, and Aircrew sounds perfect for me. Been trying to find out anything and everything about it. My questions would be:

1. Is there a height restriction for Aircrew? I stand at a towering 6'6", and know that I already can't be a pilot, but is there a similar thing for Aircrew? I know the general limit for the Navy is 6'8".

2. I heard that the deployments for Aircrew are not the same as your average sailor. What is so different?

3. Lastly, some people have said that the flight physical has grounded a lot of guys, I'm in pretty good shape but am not sure about the difference between a flight physical and a regular one. What are some of the disqualifying factors, or things that require a waiver?

Thanks so much for your time!
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Old 04-01-2015, 04:02 AM   #36
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Where all does AWS get stationed?
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Old 04-03-2015, 11:52 AM   #37
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During the 2nd class swim test do we use goggles?
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Old 04-03-2015, 12:58 PM   #38
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No goggles during the second (or third) class swim. They do tell you to swim with your eyes open.
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Old 04-03-2015, 02:57 PM   #39
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Sorry about the delayed response... I've been converting jet fuel into exhaust for Democracy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Edge View Post
Hi, so I decided I would get a little college in before going into the Navy, and Aircrew sounds perfect for me. Been trying to find out anything and everything about it. My questions would be:

1. Is there a height restriction for Aircrew? I stand at a towering 6'6", and know that I already can't be a pilot, but is there a similar thing for Aircrew? I know the general limit for the Navy is 6'8".

2. I heard that the deployments for Aircrew are not the same as your average sailor. What is so different?

3. Lastly, some people have said that the flight physical has grounded a lot of guys, I'm in pretty good shape but am not sure about the difference between a flight physical and a regular one. What are some of the disqualifying factors, or things that require a waiver?

Thanks so much for your time!
1.) I've never seen anything written dictating a height requirement for Aircrew... there used to be a 245lb limit for ejection seats, but we haven't flown in those types of aircraft since the S-3 was retired from sub-hunting.

2.) Deployment will vary depending on if you're fixed-wing Aircrew, or H-60 Aircrew. For -60 guys, the deployment will be with a carrier or small boy and will pretty much be the same since you're essentially riding along with the ship. For fixed-wing AW's, you're going to be land-based and will deploy for 6-7 months to a foreign air base of some sort... Patrol & Reconnaissance squadrons are typically splitting their crews between two sites right now, with numerous single-crew detachments to nearby areas. Basically, we do Air Force deployments while still being able to claim ourselves as Navy.

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Where all does AWS get stationed?
MH-53E AWS' are only in Norfolk... MH-60S AWS' are primarily in Norfolk and San Diego, with one HSC squadron in Japan, and a dedicated SAR squadron in Nevada and Washington. Unless you have an AIRR contract, your only option for AWS will be the -53.

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During the 2nd class swim test do we use goggles?
Not for the 2nd Class... the only time you can wear goggles is during the 1 mile swim at the end of NACCS.
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Old 04-03-2015, 03:13 PM   #40
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My eyes are pretty bad so would I just use glasses in the pool? Only other option is contacts with goggles or prescription goggles. Going without anything isn't rrally an option for me since my eye sight is so bad. And, since I'm curious, what aircrew jobs get stationed in San diego?
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Old 11-13-2015, 09:47 PM   #41
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My Husband is on his 4th day of bootcamp.
He went in as a AW
From what I understand he will choose his specific job at ACC school.
Can you explain what ACC school is?
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Old 11-14-2015, 12:05 AM   #42
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My Husband is on his 4th day of bootcamp.
He went in as a AW
From what I understand he will choose his specific job at ACC school.
Can you explain what ACC school is?
Welcome!

Naval Aircrew Candidate School (NACCS) is a 3-week training course consisting of physical training, water survival, and flight physiology courses. I could go into detail about it, but this thread, and this video will cover more than enough information for you...

Prior to the last week of NACCS (After Hell Week), he will be able to list his preference of AWO, AWV, or AWF in order from 1-3; the instructors will then determine what rates are needed at the moment, and assign as necessary. With the current transition and reshaping of Naval aviation, he's most likely to get AWO... though AWF and AWV do still come out.

From NACCS, he'll go on to his respective "A" School, where he'll choose his sub-billet and aircraft type before continuing on to his Fleet Replacement Squadron and SERE before reporting to his initial command. In total, he'll probably be in training commands for ~2 years, and you'll be able to live with him at his FRS when he reports there in ~8-12 months.
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Old 11-14-2015, 06:32 AM   #43
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Welcome!

Naval Aircrew Candidate School (NACCS) is a 3-week training course consisting of physical training, water survival, and flight physiology courses. I could go into detail about it, but this thread, and this video will cover more than enough information for you...

Prior to the last week of NACCS (After Hell Week), he will be able to list his preference of AWO, AWV, or AWF in order from 1-3; the instructors will then determine what rates are needed at the moment, and assign as necessary. With the current transition and reshaping of Naval aviation, he's most likely to get AWO... though AWF and AWV do still come out.

From NACCS, he'll go on to his respective "A" School, where he'll choose his sub-billet and aircraft type before continuing on to his Fleet Replacement Squadron and SERE before reporting to his initial command. In total, he'll probably be in training commands for ~2 years, and you'll be able to live with him at his FRS when he reports there in ~8-12 months.
Thank yo sooo much for your in depth answer! Im new to this so Im unfamiliar with the Navy terminology.
What do you mean when you say they will need to check ratings when he goes to pick his job?
So more than likely he will be assigned a job rather than choosing one?
I thought Hell week was in RTC bootcamp?
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Old 11-14-2015, 07:36 AM   #44
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Thank yo sooo much for your in depth answer! Im new to this so Im unfamiliar with the Navy terminology.
What do you mean when you say they will need to check ratings when he goes to pick his job?
So more than likely he will be assigned a job rather than choosing one?
I thought Hell week was in RTC bootcamp?
They have to check and see what Aircrew ratings are in demand for the week that your husband's class is graduating... one week might be entirely AWO; the next week entirely AWV and AWF, etc... And you are correct... he will essentially be assigned a job. When I gave my list, it was AWV, AWO, and AWF... my classmate put AWO, AWV, and AWF... I got AWO, and she got AWV. In retrospect, I'm glad... but just goes to show they kinda assign at random even when the options are available.

Everyone likes to have a "Hell Week"... RTC Hell Week is Disneyland compared to NACCS... which is Disneyland compared to Rescue Swimmer School... which is Disneyland compared to BUDS, lol.
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Old 11-14-2015, 09:40 AM   #45
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Haas,

What can I expect for Hell Week at NACCS? I report in next week, I'll have that week long indoc, and then into class I go.

Thoughts?

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Old 11-15-2015, 09:16 AM   #46
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They have to check and see what Aircrew ratings are in demand for the week that your husband's class is graduating... one week might be entirely AWO; the next week entirely AWV and AWF, etc... And you are correct... he will essentially be assigned a job. When I gave my list, it was AWV, AWO, and AWF... my classmate put AWO, AWV, and AWF... I got AWO, and she got AWV. In retrospect, I'm glad... but just goes to show they kinda assign at random even when the options are available.

Everyone likes to have a "Hell Week"... RTC Hell Week is Disneyland compared to NACCS... which is Disneyland compared to Rescue Swimmer School... which is Disneyland compared to BUDS, lol.
So thats your Job your an AWO? Can you ever be reassigned your job throughout your tour?
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Old 02-24-2016, 03:55 PM   #47
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Do I have to qualify while I'm in the DEP program in order to go to AWRSS?
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Old 02-24-2016, 11:26 PM   #48
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Do I have to qualify while I'm in the DEP program in order to go to AWRSS?
Qualify medically you mean? Oooorrrrr?
(I'm also Aircrew, just as a CT)

/r
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Old 02-24-2016, 11:38 PM   #49
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Do I have to qualify while I'm in the DEP program in order to go to AWRSS?
If you're talking about getting an AIRR contract (Rescue Swimmer) then yes you should be required to past a PST (spec war PT test) before being awarded that contract.

AWR is considered part of the Spec War/Challenge programs. Talk with your recruiter about it and they can give you the in's and out's. Usually there is a Spec War motivator in your area that can help with the PT and administer the test.

/r
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Old 02-25-2016, 12:46 AM   #50
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