Coast Guard info

[Guest remster]

Once IN the USCG system you can get whatever you want.

Logic says that a Herk pilot should go Herks. Do not put logic and Guard in same sentence!

They will put you where YOU want to go. This seems crazy to other services where your a** fills a billet and you better not whine on the way there.

That being said, Falcon slots are OVERmanned in most places in 09/10.

Well, in truth, all planes are overmanned from the CASA cut.

But when the hiring starts again just know you can go to helos, falcons or whatever. And they typically will not force you do go somewhere or do something you don't want if it can be avoided.

The Hu-25 falcon is supposed to switch over to the CASAs but who knows how many years it will have to go for. Its a 7hr mission max and not a very stressful mission. Most bases are in sweet locations.

You get to pick your assignments if possible. In the Coast Guard it seems, family is first and members are 2nd, the unit is 3rd.

[Guest bdmski]

Well I just found out I didn't pick up a rated slot through ROTC, but I'm not giving up just yet. My plan is to shoot for Maintenance Officer (fill out my for 53 next week), and apply for a rated slot once on active duty. Does anyone know if it is possible to apply and compete for Coast Guard pilot slots while in the Air Force as well? If anyone can give me more info on this or point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it! Thanks

Brian

[theat6bisasham]

Well I just found out I didn't pick up a rated slot through ROTC, but I'm not giving up just yet. My plan is to shoot for Maintenance Officer (fill out my for 53 next week), and apply for a rated slot once on active duty. Does anyone know if it is possible to apply and compete for Coast Guard pilot slots while in the Air Force as well? If anyone can give me more info on this or point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it! Thanks

Brian

Coasties attend flight school with the navy. I had some in my class at pensacola/ whiting. No, there is no way to "apply" for flight training in a service you are not part of except when applying under a commisionsing program such as OTS..but even then it's not really that straightforward.

You're screwed.

[magnetfreezer]

Coasties attend flight school with the navy. I had some in my class at pensacola/ whiting. No, there is no way to "apply" for flight training in a service you are not part of except when applying under a commisionsing program such as OTS..but even then it's not really that straightforward.

You're screwed.

Not impossible - there was a Navy pilot student at Pensacola who was a former AF personnel officer. The crossflow agreements generally involve coordination between BUPERS (navy AFPC), AFPC, or whatever the Army/CG equivalents are (blue to green, etc) as appropriate for whatever 2 services are involved. To bdmski, check www.airwarriors.com - the folks on there are mostly Navy/MC/CG aviators and there is a lot more info about that kind of stuff.

[go_cubbies22]

Well I just found out I didn't pick up a rated slot through ROTC, but I'm not giving up just yet. My plan is to shoot for Maintenance Officer (fill out my for 53 next week), and apply for a rated slot once on active duty. Does anyone know if it is possible to apply and compete for Coast Guard pilot slots while in the Air Force as well? If anyone can give me more info on this or point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it! Thanks

Brian

One option if you really want to fly for the Coasties is the Blue 21 program. Guaranteed flight training after OCS. Only catch is that your school has to have a 25% minority population to qualify for the program.

USCG Blue 21 Program

[Guest bdmski]

Is completion of a military flight school a requirement to apply for their pilot slots?

[go_cubbies22]

Is completion of a military flight school a requirement to apply for their pilot slots?

The Direct Commission program is the only one that requires you to be prior rated. You can apply for flight school through their OCS and Blue 21 programs without being rated.

[PSYCH]

I recently heard that the Coast Guard had a program in which they would accept qualified aviators and transition them into Coast Guard helicopter pilots. However, I couldn't find anything on the big wide web or on here about a similar program. Does anyone know if anything like this exists?

[M2]

PSYCH, I couldn't find anything specific either; but this gives a little overview of the job.

I'd contact your local USCG officer recruiter and see what they say, but without much info being on the 'Net, I wouldn't hold out much hope for it being a major program!

Cheers! M2

[nunya]

I know the program exists, but I don't know the specifics of FW -> RW. If you do change teams, they bust you down to O-2. A few guys here have done it. It's very tempting as I think I'd really enjoy the CG mission, except for the rank/pay downgrade.

https://www.gocoastgu...ission-programs

The Coast Guard aviation services are provided by approximately 800 aviators and an enlisted workforce of approximately 2500. Our aircrews fly various types of the Coast Guard's inventory of 200+ aircraft dispersed among our 26 Air Stations.

Qualifications and Application Procedures:

• Be a United States citizen
• Be between the ages of 21 and 34 (applicants must have reached their 21st birthday but not their 35th birthday as of 30 September of the fiscal year in which the panel convenes)
• Must access into the Coast Guard by 30 September of the fiscal year in which the panel convenes
• Meet prescribed physical standards
• Not be on active duty in the military (except USCG) at the time of commissioning; or submit a letter of resignation from your current service with your application
• Have less than 10 years of non-Coast Guard active duty military service
• Must be a graduate of a U.S. military flight training program
• Have full-time military or civilian flight experience within two years of the published application deadline
• Have a Baccalaureate Degree or have completed 30 semester hours (45 quarter hours) at an accredited college or university
• Have served a minimum of two years as either a Warrant Officer in the Army or a Commissioned Officer in any of the Armed Forces
• Rotary-wing applicants must present evidence of being a military rotary-wing designated aviator with a minimum of 500 rotary wing flight hours (not including flight training hours). Fixed-wing applicants must possess evidence of being a military fixed-wing designated aviator with a minimum of 500 hours in a fixed-wing aircraft. Waivers are not authorized for minimum flight hours requirement
• Present current Class I flight physical (with results of chest x-ray and Coast Guard anthropometric standards)
• Interested applicants should contact a recruiter immediately to allow ample time for eligibility screening and application preparation

[Tank]

Does anybody know if you are able to transfer to the USCG once your UPT comittment is complete?

I am just asking b/c I am looking into every option for the future and I think flying helos or C-130's while also living in places like the Florida, Cali, North or South Carolina, etc. would be nice also.

[nunya]

Yes. But they drop you back down to O-2. You can go earlier if the AF lets you out. I haven't seen guys switch communities - C-130 guys stayed in 130s and helo guys stayed in helos.

[Tank]

So, if you leave the USAF as a O-3 or O-4, they drop you down to an O-2 right away and have to work your way back up to your previous rank?

Also, what about if you are not a C-130 or helo guy in the USAF?

[nunya]

Yep. Even if you're an O-4, you're back to O-2 and have to wait 2 years for O-3.

I don't know what experience they'll accept from airframes they don't fly.

edit: The requirements just say "fixed wing" but that's their minimums - not what actually gets you accepted.

Edited April 23, 2012 by nunya

[BFM this]

Yes. But they drop you back down to O-2.

Ok, I give up.

Where's the downside?

[Guest mudkow60]

Maybe with the C-27 deal, we may need lots of fixed wing pilots again. When I got into the CG in 2006, they were letting helo guys transfer to the fixed wing side of the house, in advance of the upcoming CASA fleet-up (which didn't happen as expected). You have to be a helo pilot to transfer into the CG to fly helos... but it doesn't matter what you flew.... just that you have the hours in helos.

As per the move back to O-2, I made way more after the demotion due to the HUGE BAH increase from FL to San Francisco. And, you can stay in the cockpit for your entire career if you want to. My 2 cents...

[bdc311]

Bump. Has anyone recently transitioned AD AF to the CG via DCA? I'm curious how the airlines using rotary transition programs is affecting the CG. I'd imagine their candidate pool is being dried up from Army guys going airlines.