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Coast Guard Aviation

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Falconjet

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2002
Posts
1,586
I've been getting a lot of questions from members of the forum and thought that perhaps some other folks out there looking for flying jobs or Uncle Sam funded flight training might want to consider the CG.

If you are a graduate of a military flight training program you could get a direct commission as an O-2 (good and bad with that) and go straight into the cockpit of a CG aircraft after an abbreviated OCS and then a CG aircraft transition course. Being an O-2 kind of sucks if you were an O-3 or O-4, but you will still make the higher flight pay and the junior guys get to fly more typically anyway. In the past they gave guys dates of rank comenserate with their prior rank but they then weren't competitive at their first CG promotion board. Anyway, it all counts toward 20 and if you happen to be an Army warrant it you would also go in as an O-2 (hard to say that that would be a promotion, depends on your perspective).

If you are a college grad (or an enlisted member of the service without a degree) you could apply to Officer Candidate School, finish that and then apply for flight training. CG pilots go through Navy flight training and are designated Naval Aviators and then designated Coast Guard aviators after their CG aircraft transition.

Odds are very good of getting accepted to flight training out of OCS, particularly with an aeronautical degree and a pilot's license, but not guaranteed. If not accepted right away, you just keep plugging. The CG is pretty lenient with waivers for vision, age and other physical issues because they don't always get enough people to apply for flight training.

The primary mission of the CG is Search and Rescue (SAR) and since it is now in the Dept of Homeland Security (from the Dept of Transportation) they may even start to get respectable funding for a change for its other missions of Maritime Law Enforcement, Marine Environmental Protection, Port Security (really big after 9/11), and others. The mission is there every day, you don't have to get activated to do what you've been trained to do, and it can be a very rewarding career.

(That is NOT a slam on the AF, USN, USMC or USA. Thank God and God Bless those that serve and are about to go into harm's way.)

Some numbers: C-130s: about 35, Falcons: 17, H-65 Dolphin helos: about 94, H-60 Jayhawk helos: about 40 maybe. The number favor rotary wing, but lots of pilots transfer over to fixed wing after a couple of tours in helos.

Duty stations: Mostly in CONUS, except Kodiak and Sitka, AK, Barber's Point, HI, and Borinquen, Puerto Rico. Mostly 4 year tours, short deployments, if any, and 1 in 4 or 5 overnight duty for SAR. Some military BS to put up with, but true with all services.

C130 units: Barbers, Kodiak, Sacremento, Elizabeth City NC, Clearwater FL

Falcons: Cape Cod MA, Mobile AL, Miami FL and Corpus Christi TX.

Helos: Almost everywhere. Great Lakes, Barbers, Sitka, Kodiak, Borinquen, Miami, Atlantic City, Cape Cod, San Diego. Lots of choices.

Anyway, it is just another option to consider, and not a bad way to have Uncle Sam pay for your flight training, earn a decent wage, and serve your country at the same time.

Semper Paratus
 
500 hour requirement

Cougar: No I didn't realize that the DCA applicants had to have 500 hours. There ae some age requirments and service time limits that I was not aware of. That is an excellent link and I should have put something like that in my original thread. Thanks for pointing that out.

There is no time requirement for Officer Candidate School (OCS)applicants, but they then have to go to flight school. Those are two separate programs. If you are not already a military aviator but have a degree than you just need to talk to a recruiter about applying to OCS.
 
Falconjet,


Thanks very much for the info on the CG. I have always found info about the CG elusive. I have one year left before I finish my B.S. degree in aviation and am strongly considering the CG. Do you know anything about vision waivers in the CG and if PRK is waiverable by them? (Still haven't had any surgery yet). My vision is 20/180 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20. Also, I was wondering what the Falcon is used for by the Coast Guard and how the C-130's are used. Is it for SAR like the R/W or are they used for transport? Thanks again for the info. Steve
 
CG Vision requirements

Steve: I've been out of the loop for a while on the physical requirements, but I do know that the CG has waived vision requirments for a LONG time. Nothing pissed off the Navy and Marine flight school studs more than seeing some goofy CG guy showing up for a brief with glasses on. That was in 84 and the Navy didn't waive 20-20, but the CG did. I didn't need glasses but is was fun to watch my classmates get a rise out of it. PRK I honestly don't know about, but before you can get into OCS you will have to take an entrance physical. I would recommend that you get a flight physical at that time as well. That way you will know before you commit whether you are qualified medically for flight training. Again, the only possible downside to going to OCS is not getting a pilot slot and having to serve 5 years as a general service officer. Not the end of the world but probably not what most future pilots would consider a plus. The odds of getting flight school out of OCS are pretty good, especially with an aeronautical degree and a pilot's license.

Falcon's are used for Medium Range Patrol and are multi-mission platforms. They have a drop hatch installed for delivering de-watering pumps to sinking vessels, liferafts to people in the water (PIW) or a utility can with anything from box lunches to parts to a radio. They often are sent out in advance of a helo to locate a target and act as on scene commander to coordinate the rescue and provide the exact location of the victim so the helo doesn't waste gas searching. They also direct surface assets to assist as well. Routine patrols include drug, migrant, fisheries and pollution tasking, and sometimes all at once. Search and Rescue is the primary mission. Every now and then the Falcon is used for transport, but it is so heavy with the regular equipment and crew that there isn't much room for pax.

C-130s are Long Range Patrol and Logistics platforms. They do everything the Falcon does, but for longer (and slower) sorties. They ALSO do International Ice Patrol out of Halifax Canada, and haul the CG Strike Teams all over the world. The Strike Teams respond to oil spills all over the place and have a bunch of equipment so you need the lift of the C-130 for most of their missions. Again, SAR is the primary mission.
 
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OCS

Falconjet

I have a question if you would?

Before contacting a recruiter do you know what you need to do to be excepted into OCS? Is it the same process as say the AF. I have taken my AFOQT tst and did well on all parts except the math section. Do you know if the process for the CG is the same? Different?

I have (2) degress and almost 1000 hours fixed wing time. At 26 I would like to fly some sort of Military a/c...good way to serve your country and see the world.
 
OCS

Sean: I must admit I am not sure. I'm unfamiliar with the AF's testing for OCS, but I think with the degrees you'd have no problem getting into CG OCS. You may have to take an aviation aptitude test in order to apply for flight training, but that should be no problem either. You can PM me if you'd like the name and number of a fairly recent OCS grad who could give you some insight as well. I'm not up to speed on all the latest requirements and didn't go to OCS, so I don't want to spread any more incorrect info. I was in for 20 years and mush has changed since I went through, but its an option I think more folks should consider. FJ
 
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Is the commitment 8 years once finished with UPT? Not that I would mind, don't see any real growth in the airlines for a long time.
Another factor, seems like with my age...the waiver for years spent on active duty would be a bonus.
What are the chances of knowing if one would be selected for pilot training prior to shipping off for OCS?
Of all the branches, seems like the Coast Guard is the way to go...that is if family life is a key factor.

Thanks,
C-130 hopeful
 
Odds

Bae: I'm assuming your question is about OCS. The obligated service for OCS grads for OCS runs concurrently with their obligated service for flight training (I THINK! It used to, it could have changed.) You'd have to get the exact details from the recruiter (I know that its hard to put your trust and future in a recruiter's hands, but they do have the latest details and requirements).

I think the active duty years requirement you are referring to is for the Direct Commission Aviator (DCA) program. There is no min requirment for active duty to get into OCS, just a degree. There is both a min and max active duty requirement for the DCA program. DCAs are already designated military aviators and transition directly into CG aircraft after an abbreviated OCS-type class.

OCS grads must apply to a flight training selection board during OCS or after grad. There are no designated flight slots in CG OCS, unlike other services. So there is no guarantee you will get flight training. Again, however, with a license and some hours (particularly with your ratings and time) your chances are VERY good of getting flight training. Aviation in the CG is not as poplular as you might think, and they often don't have enough qualified applicants at each board to make the selection process really that competitive. I don't think I ever met a CG officer who was physically qualified and applied to flight school and didn't get in. The only thing I would do is make sure that you get a CG flight physical in conjunction with the OCS entrance physical to ensure that you are physically qualified for flight training before you go in, as that is the most likely thing that would prevent most folks from getting into flight training.

I hope that answered your questions. If not keep firing them out there and I'll try to provide any info I can.

Ungh

FJ
 

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