Coast Guard Aviation

[Falconjet]

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

 

[cougar6903]

I went to the CG website and the requirments they have are different then what you mentioned. The link I went to was

http://www.gocoastguard.com/dc/dcaqualapp.htm

Is that information correct? It says that you have to have proof of being a military pilot and 500 hours.

 

[Falconjet]

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.

 

[Steve]

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

 

[Falconjet]

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.

 

[Sean]

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.

 

[Falconjet]

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

 

[Guardflyr29]

Ungh!

Ungh!

 

[BAe3100FO]

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

 

[Falconjet]

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

 

[BAe3100FO]

FJ,
Thanks for the response, it did indeed answer some questions.
Next step is to meet with a recruiter-hopefully I'll get 'straight answers'.
As far as quality of life, are there frequent call-outs for extended periods of time? I really don't know much more than what you've already stated about the C.G. Mission. I was Air Force and once finished with training...the job was essentially a 10hour day, then go home. Training for a mission that would require us to deploy over seas, which we eventually did.
I don't have any problems with serving our country and being an officer, but my true goal is to fly. And I fear that I might be disappointed if not selected for pilot training. Due to my age, I probably have one shot and don't want to blow it.

Thanks for the info,

 

[Guardflyr29]

OCS / Flt School Obligation

My obligation for OCS and flight school are consecutive, not concurrent (3 and 6 years respectively).

War Eagle!

 

[Falconjet]

Current OCS info

There you go GuardFlyr29, get some of that info out there so I don't keep on giving out bad gouge! More up to date info on OCS and the DCA program might be helpful. Most of my info has been wrong so far! Just trying to encourage folks to explore the option of CG aviation. You are the man, and say hello to all the boys now that you've found me out!

Ungh.

FJ

 

[Steve]

FalconJet,

Would you mind sharing how long you were in the CG and how many hours a year you averaged while there? What kind of Qual's did you enter with? If you would have wanted to switch over to the C-130's would you have been able to?

 

[Guardflyr29]

OCS /Flt School

Someone PMd me about what to expect OCS and Flight School. I thought that was a good question, and knew my answer would be a bit lengthy, so I figured I'd put it on the board so others could see it.
CG OCS is the longest of the services, 17 fun filled weeks in New London, Cn, colocated with the CG Academy (yes, there is a CG Academy, but I'll leave that topic to Falcon Jet!). Anyway, the first week of OCS is very boot camp like in nature, lots of yelling, running, push ups, etc. The instructors are commisioned CG officers, there's about 8 of them. Typical day the first week is something like this,
0515: Wake up, 5 minutes to shave, brush teeth, make bed, dress.
0520: Get yelled at, get yelled at some more, push ups, wall sits, get yelled at, sit ups, recite any one of 50 sayings, any of the instructors biographys, or time of sunrise or sunset, from memory while doing more push ups
0630: Formation for breakfast, march to chow hall. Stare straight ahead, no looking at your food while eating, have 8 instructors watch you while you eat looking for any reason to yell at you. When you upset them, you stand with your nose against the wall for 5 minutes or so, no kidding.
The rest of the morning is spent learning to march, perform manual of arms (rifle), and maybe a class or two.
12ish: Lunch, same drill as breakfast.
More marching in the afternoon, learning how to perform the drill down sequence. Push up and yelling thrown in every few minutes.
1700ish: Dinner, same games as above. Also, no one sits down until everyone has gone through the food line, so it pays to be toward the end of the line, otherwise plan on holding your tray at attention for 15 minutes.
Evening class after dinner.
1900ish: Clean up the barracks (bathrooms, gear lockers)
2145: Shower time
2215: Lights out.
After the first week, you can look at your food, and no more push ups, but they start issuing demerits. Too many demerits and you won't get liberty later in the program. You have to walk down the exact middle of the hallways and must look straight ahead all the time. If you see an officer in the hallway, you have to do what's called "bracing up", basically press yourself against the wall and yell "Good evening Sir" or whatever.
As the weeks go on, they'll expect the class to "gel", and as the class gets better at doing things, they'll reward you by not requiring some of these silly games. Screw up, and the reinstate them. Eventually you'll be able to talk at the food table, have sodas during classes, and be able to stray from the middle of the hallway. Around week five, they'll start granting weekend liberty to those who earn it. But bet on no one having few enough demerits to do so until about week 7.
After INDOC week, you'll have morning and afternoon classes. Classes consist of topics like CG history, ranks, administration, and tons of nautical courses. The primary objective of OCS is to produce officers ready to stand watch on a ship at sea. Whether you want to be a pilot or not, you'll have to learn celestial navigation, manuevering board, and the dreaded Deck Watch Officer course. You'll also learn how to plot the position of a ship, lay out a track line, and correct the ship's course for current. You get to spend about 2 weeks underway on a Coast Guard Cutter somewhere in the country, and practice all this good stuff. I went to a cutter out of Miami Beach, others went out to Seattle or Boston.
After week nine, the instructors lighten up a bit, and you get lots more liberty. Every minuter of your day is regimented, and they always give you less time than you need to do stuff. You'll also hold leadership positions within the class, and have to answer to the instructors when things go wrong (and they always do). You'll have uniform inspection or rifle inspection every morning, and barracks inspection once a week. The rifle inspection is very regimented and formal, a source of stress for most. Also, there's tons of swimming and running, if your not good at either, it's in your best interest to prepare before going, ie get in shape. Flight school has just as much swimming, so if you don't like the water, you may want to consider another career.
Every Friday your company will compete against the other company in "drill down" competition. You march around in front of the instructors and do a routine with your rifle or sword as a company. Every 2 weeks a new student is chosen to lead the company through this routine.
Graduation week is very laid back. You can stay off base if you want (hotel room), and only show up when you have a class. Family usually starts trickling in for graduation. You'll have a formal dinner dance, and then the big event the following day. It's a real drag following the same routine day in day out for 17 weeks. By week three you'll feel like you've been there a year. The 0515 wake up calls were the hardest for me, because even though lights out is 2215 (10:15), I would work on my uniform for next day's inspection until about 2300 (don't get caught doing this; stuffing a towel in the door crack is a great way to keep the light from a pen light from spilling into the hall!). Then I set my watch for 0500 to get a 15 min head start on shaving, again, don't get caught, so it was only 6 hours of sleep. After a few weeks, you will be sleep deprived. It's not easy staying awake in class, especially if it's warm.
You'll be given the opportunity to take the flight school exam and submit a flight school package should you pass the test. This will include a physical (the same one you'll get 3 more times once you get to flight school). That's your only interaction w/ CG aviation. You'll then find out where you're going around week 12. Some will go to ships, a couple to Headquarters, many will go to Marine Safety Offices, and a few will go to flight school (if anyone even qualifies).
Flight school is a whole different animal. You get your life back, but you spend the whole time studying, so you might as well be in OCS. I had many restless nights during flight school stressing about checkrides, and every day is like a checkride, so you get the idea. I started to type about flight school, then remembered a great web site. This guy's journal is incredible, and will walk you through flight school day by day and do a much better job that I could in this post. He leaves no stone unturned. http://members.aol.com/DaveUF96/Journal.htm

 

[80drvr]

FalconJet,

Would you mind sharing how long you were in the CG and how many hours a year you averaged while there? What kind of Qual's did you enter with? If you would have wanted to switch over to the C-130's would you have been able to?

I flew HU-25's on active duty and averaged about 480 hours a year. Some months were high and others low....depends on deployments, collateral duties, schools, etc....

You can transition airframes if your desires and the needs of the service intersect. However, most guys don't want to start over again as a copilot in a new airframe after there first tour. The best thing to do is get the airframe of your choice out of flight school.

 

[Falconjet]

Numbers

Steve: I was in the CG from 1982 - 2002. Things have changed a lot since my heyday but I can give you some numbers to ponder. I was on a ship for 20 months until Mar 84, and started flight training on April Fool's Day of 84 (joke's been on me ever since!) and it took me 14 months to get through. My first CG operational Falcon tour was at Cape Cod and there I averaged about 425 hours per year. High year: 517, low 340. Like 80drvr said, the months vary tremendously depending on numerous factors. My highest month was 79 hours. CG logs flight hours like the other services, from T/O to landing, not block to block, so some carriers allow a conversion factor when applying.

My next tour was as an instructor in the Falcon at the Aviation Training Center in Mobile. There I only averaged 250 hours in the jet per year (5 year tour) and another 200 a year in the back of the simulator (doesn't count for anything). So I gave up some flight time for the opportunity to be a Stan/Eval IP.

Then I got hosed and had to do a staff tour in Wash DC at our headquarters. This was in 1994 and with budget cuts and the scaling back of the Falcon fleet I was one of many Falcon drivers who found out what the "needs of the service" really meant. I was hoping to get another operational tour but we went from 42 Falcons to 17 during that time frame and I was "selected" for a desk job. 4 years of averaging 0.0 hours per year. Some (actually only about 3 billets per airframe) staff jobs include part time flying of about 50 hours per year, but mine wasn't one of them.

My final tour (98-02) was another operational tour and I averaged 375 hours that tour. High year: 510, Low: 330. Each year due to budget constraints our number of flight hours was reduced. Different units often get different amounts of funding (programed flight hours) and so a lot depends on the unit and the aircraft. Also, some guys like to fly alot and volunteer for extra duty/trips, etc, and tend to fly more. I was one of those who never said no to the scheduler and thus was the stick hog for the first 3 years of my last tour. As I started to wind down and get busy with the job search my flight hours tapered off and the young bucks caught me.

Could I have flown C-130s? Not sure. I was offered helos after 4 years as a Falcon IP and asked to extend a year instead (that didn't work out, as I got the staff job anyway a year later). I was never "offered" a C130 transition. Most of the crossover comes from helo bubbas who desparately want to be fixed wing drivers after having sucked seat cushions up certain orifices during horrific night time rescues in really snotty weather. (They badmouth fixed wing their whole career until they get their transition!). There is a formal program for helo drivers to apply for a transition board. Other aircraft swaps typically occur when someone gets orders to a unit (as they get more senior) that has a different aircraft, or the fleet numbers change and one community needs more pilots.

These numbers are OLD, and things change constantly in the CG, so your mileage will certainly vary. Could be more, could be less! Either way, its all in 20! Ungh.

 

[Beantown]

Test

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

great info!