Coast Guard

[sardaddy]

"What is the current obligation if you get a pilot slot."

I think, I will repeat that, I think it is seven years after the completion of flight school. So if you went to OCS, then directly to flight school, then finished your commitment, you would have almost nine years under your belt.

"Also how hard is it to get a certain location?"

That depends on a lot of things. Such as what aircraft you fly, where the location is, and what the CG needs at the time.

For example, if you want to go to Kodiak Alaska and you are an HH-65 aircraft commander you can pack your bags tomorrow as they need pilots up there and it is not a desired location.

If you are an HU-25 pilot and want to go to Cape Cod, stand in line with everyone else.

If you don't fly an airframe that is at the location you want to go to, you won't go. The CG pretty much keeps you in one airframe until late in your career when you may or may have to change airframes.

"And do you guys enjoy flying in the CG?"

This is by far the best flying position I have ever had. The flying is excellent, and rewarding in great locations, we have great people, and we get to interact with a lot of different agencies as well as civilians on a regular basis. I will probably be doing this until they kick me out.

"When is the HU-25 suppose to be replaced?"

If you figure that out please tell me. We seem to go back and forth on that. I certainly don't know at my level.

 

[psysicx]

So how senior is San Diego or LA?And how long to upgrade to the left seat?

 

[rjl2001]

Hey, nice to see some other Coasties on here. Unfortuneatly I can not add anything about the flying side as I was denied due to depth perception. Definately don't listen to the 8 hours a week or whatever. I'm enlisted as an MST and stationed at Security Response Team One. The hours are very long and the job is pretty demanding physically as well. But, they're right on the quality of life issue. I think the CG is right up there with the AF in the quality of life department. Even though the CG is a cutter oriented service, the AirDels seem to have it really nice.
Most of the pilots I talk to are prior service Army or Navy, and I've never heard of a CG pilot going to another branch. So that should say something. If you aren't real competitive at OCS for flight school I think it is pretty difficult to get directly, especially if you aren't one of the in-house guys trying to do it. But, like someone else said, I've never heard of an Officer not getting flight school eventually, even if they were on a big boat for a couple years first.

As far as the mission I think the CG has a great mission. We do SAR, Law Enforcement, Migrant Interdiction, Aids to Navigation, Pollution Response, and even fly for the International Ice Patrol. Plus now with all the homeland security missions it is getting pretty cool. We are the only agency authorized to use Airborne Use of Force as of now. And as popular as HITRON has been I wouldn't be suprised if that grows down the road. Not sure when the lease on the MH-68s is up though.

Sorry for the long post, but I never get to talk about CG aviation. It's been all boat stuff since I got in, and it drives me crazy sometimes.
Semper Paratus!

 

[sardaddy]

psysicx,

"So how senior is San Diego or LA?"

Not sure what you mean by how senior but if you mean how hard is it to get there, a couple of things come into play.

San Diego is an HH-60 pure unit so if you don't fly them it is not going to happen. Additionnally, it is a highly sought airstation so pilots coming back from an Alaskan tour usually take them first then whatever is left is up for grabs.

LA is an HH-65 pure unit so again you have to be in that airframe. The desireabilty is about mid range. Most people I know who have wanted to go there have gotten to.

Also remember this is still the military so even if you get where you want you will be moving within four years to a new location.

And how long to upgrade to the left seat?

In helicopters we upgrade to the right seat. But for just about any airframe making aircraft commander is usually about a two to three year process. However, you can fly in either seat with a Copilot or First Pilot designation as well as long as the Aircraft commander is up to it. Additionally some airstations have certain training in place before you can sit anywhere but the copilot side.



RJL2001,

Were you down here in Mobile for the initial train up of the SRT? If you were, I'm the LT that was running the ranges out at Camp Shelby.

 

[psysicx]

What are the deployments like in the 65?And do most people stay in for 20 years?Are promotions like every other service.

 

[sardaddy]

"What are the deployments like in the 65?"

Just like all of my comments seem to have started, it depends.

HH-65 crews deploy aboard ships anywhere from two weeks to six months. Although half of the six month deployments went away just recently. We deploy on 210', 270', 378' cutters as well as 400' ice breakers. The rule of thumb is the larger the ship the more comfortable it is but also the longer you will be gone.

On board ship you get three meals a day and always have a matress to sleep on. It sure beats living in the desert in a tent. Usually.

I have been on two month deployments that were great and two week deployments that sucked! The interaction of the ships crew with the aircrew, the mission, and even port calls all make deployments what they are.

Long, vague answer to a short question. Sorry.

"do most people stay in for 20 years?"

Yes, most pilots try to stay in at least twenty years. Most enjoy the job so much they try to stay the full thirty. But of course some do get out for whatever reason.

"Are promotions like every other service"

Pretty much. They run nearly the same timeline and percentages of promotion to the next rank.

 

[aeronautic1]

psyslick

Ahh, just go ahead and join up. Maybe you'll be lucky and get the Boutwell. She took a 68 degree Alaskan roll and came back up!!

I was on Mellon in '75 (S/V Sorcery SAR) in 60' seas, took water in the stacks, cracked the superstructure at the OST lab, tore all the NBC washdown gear off, twisted the array antenna on top of the 5" mount into a pretzel and blew a bullnose cover onto the flying bridge. Pulled both props out of the water a bunch of times. Had to switch from the Fairbanks Morris (main diesels) to the Pratt FT4A MGTs (marine gas turbines/707 engines) 'cause the diesels where red lining (750 rpm) riding down the back of those massive waves.

Once stove the tailwheel of an HH52 right up into the fuselage when the boat took a bad pitch. Had to crane it of in Kodiak. Three flight ops a day. 3 month deployments to Ak in the winter to babysit the opilio fleet. Hard work!! Hard play in lousy liberty ports (Adak Island/ Douche Harbor, give me a break!!) after three weeks of barfing. But then some good ones too (Seward, Juneau, Victoria BC). And a chance to become a Golden Dragon. Yum!! Is Solly's still open in Kodiak? The Garden Bar? A Girl behind every tree in the Aleutians.

The Big White Ones are a great boat for crew comfort considering the navy equivelent (it's a Perry class hull minus 100'). It's not all Caribbean drug enforcement or BayWatch on South Beach, pollywog. The Coast Guard is many things, but boring it ain't!!

And finally, heck yeah I am Lightship veteran!! That's another story.

 

[AviatrixMorgan]

I don't know if I should start another thread since I have a question or not so I figured I'd tack it on here first.

My boyfriend is in the process of getting into the CG OCS (hopefully for the June class....he first applied for the Jan class and was alternate #17, which from what we understand is great for your first try).

Anyways, I've heard different things on prior flight time before entering. He's obviously trying for a pilot slot. Graduated from ERAU with an Aero Sci degree and is now a CFI. Some people have said the military doesn't like to give pilot slots to people who have time as civilians. I was wondering if this is true and any other input would be great.

Thanks in advance!

 

[rjl2001]

Having flight time and ratings before OCS won't hurt at all for trying to get a pilot slot. Every service encourages people seeking pilot slots to have that flying experience. It just makes them that much more competitive against the rest of the applicants. I would imagine having a technical degree from ERAU as well as the hours, would look very good for him. That being said, some of the other people that have posted in this thread definately know more about the topic than I do.

Well good luck!

 

[Gabe]

Wow, I wish I had access to this info 13 years ago when I tried to join the CG. I learned more here in 10 minutes than I ever knew about aviation in the CG. I was dealt alot of misinformation from the recruiter who just tried to get me to sign without a guarantee. This left a very bad taste in my mouth about the military ever since. I wish I knew a little flight training and only 32 credits (once in) could have got me into OCS, I would have explored that. I always thought the CG was a good way to fly, just never had anyone to show me what options / alternatives were available.

 

[80drvr]

I don't know if I should start another thread since I have a question or not so I figured I'd tack it on here first.

My boyfriend is in the process of getting into the CG OCS (hopefully for the June class....he first applied for the Jan class and was alternate #17, which from what we understand is great for your first try).

Anyways, I've heard different things on prior flight time before entering. He's obviously trying for a pilot slot. Graduated from ERAU with an Aero Sci degree and is now a CFI. Some people have said the military doesn't like to give pilot slots to people who have time as civilians. I was wondering if this is true and any other input would be great.

Thanks in advance!

Prior civilian flight time is only a negative if it's accompanied by an "attitude". Most folks benefit from having it, bought I've had a few that thought they already knew it all and they quickly developed a bad rep with the instructors.

 

[AviatrixMorgan]

Prior civilian flight time is only a negative if it's accompanied by an "attitude". Most folks benefit from having it, bought I've had a few that thought they already knew it all and they quickly developed a bad rep with the instructors.

Thanks...I'll pass that along to him. I had just heard before it was frowned upon since you often learn little habbits and do things a certain way and they military likes to train you from scratch basically.

 

[Falconjet]

Morgan: The prior flight time and attitute that 80drvr is referring to is (I hope I'm not speaking out of place for 80) is for students in flight training. Having prior flight experience is a definite plus for those who are applying to attend flight training in the CG. Its not a lock, but it is certainly a plus. Once your boyfriend gets to OCS and assuming his PERFORMANCE and attitude are good, he will stand a very good chance of getting a flight training slot sometime after graduation. There are no guaranteed slots and the competition is getting tougher (from what I hear), but the prior flight experience will definitely not hurt his chances at getting a slot, it will help him.

One thing that was drummed into me from the very beginning of my career was that your performance at your current and past jobs (as reflected in your OERs) is the key to getting whatever assignment, training or duty you are applying for. Now I'm not sure that the OER is the best way to document one's performance, but that is a whole other topic. So one must buckle down and perform their best at whatever assignment they get until they are able to apply for the job or training that they really want. You have to play the game sometimes. I think that is what 80drvr was referring to and if so he is right on the money in my opinion.

When I was on the ship right out of the Academy I had to work hard for my bosses (shipdrivers, who abhor pilots) and project the image that I wanted to be the best ship driver they had ever seen. I never mentioned flight school until I reached the one year mark and was eligible to apply, and then I turned in my application. The command was disappointed because they thought that I should have stayed afloat, but because I had performed well during that year they gave me a favorable recommendation, as much as that may have pained them. Had I continually talked about flight training and not performed my current duties adequately (perhaps only barely?) they would never have given me a good endorsement and I would likely have never been accepted to flight school.

Just some food for thought.

Good luck to your boyfriend, I hope he gets into the next class.

FJ

 

[USCG-Kodiak]

I've been flying C130s for the past 7 years for the Coast Guard; H60s and H3s for the 14 years before that. It's a great career move, if you can get flight school. It's all timing; right place at the right time. If you don't get flight school right out of OCS (they usually have at least a couple of slots - best to have your private license to be competative), they will send you to a desk job for a couple years. Then you can apply for flt school; they usually hold 2 boards a year. It may take a few times of applying, but if you are persistent, you'll get in eventually. If you are thinking of going military, the CG is the way to go. I'm stationed in Kodiak, Alaska and am getting 500+ hrs a year. The flying here is the greatest. Most CG duty stations are in really good locations (I've been stationed in Florida, Hawaii, Oregon; always by the ocean). As you get more senior, you can branch out from aviation; go to grad school on the CG's dime (getting paid while in school); lots of opportunities. 21 years and no complaints here!

 

[AviatrixMorgan]

best to have your private license to be competative

Hey thats great b/c he has private, instrument, multi, commerical, and CFI!

Kodiak is one of our top spots for his "dream sheet" too!

 

[USCG-Kodiak]

Hey thats great b/c he has private, instrument, multi, commerical, and CFI!

Kodiak is one of our top spots for his "dream sheet" too!

He should be quite competative for a flt shool slot then. Best of luck to you. Let me know if you have any questions about the CG, Kodiak, etc.

 

[Falconjet]

A point about Alaska. The CG won't typically send a first tour aviator to Alaska, unless they have flown for another service (a Direct Commision Aviator (DCA) or interservice transfer) before coming over to the CG. Otherwise, expect a first tour INCONUS followed most likely by a tour in AK, PR, or the ship helo branch at ATC Mobile for the second tour. Brand new military aviators won't likely go to AK for their first tour because the flying there is probably the most demanding in the CG and you wan't more experienced pilots there.

USCG-K: Say hi to MB your XO for me. Any news that you can share about the helo that went down a few months ago? I haven't heard much info since the accident.

FJ

 

[AviatrixMorgan]

Thanks for all the info! Just trying to learn as much as I can to get an idea of what we're heading into!

 

[sardaddy]

I have to add a caviat to Kodiak. If you fly HH-65s you will not go to Kodiak on your first tour. You must be an aircraft commander. However, if you fly H-60s you have just as likely of a chance going there as you do anywhere else. I also believe the same holds true for C-130s up there but I don't know that one for sure but I am sure someone on here does.

The point is, there are just so many variables that you cannot even start to imagine where you will be stationed and how your career will turn out. It is just a wild ride, hang on and enjoy it. I know pilots that have never left the continental US, and I know pilots who have only been in the continental US for four years of their entire career.

To give you an overview on where you may be stationed overseas in a career. Some of these listed are considered undesireable tours and for those Coasties who have been out for a while Polar OPS is not on there for a reason. With the exception of Kodiak's Alaskan Patrol (ALPAT) which is only for HH-65s you could be stationed at any of these locations at any point in your career including your first one depending on what airframe you fly. Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska, HITRON (Jacksonville, FL), and some exchange tours with other countries are all possibilities throughout ones career.

No matter what stations your are eventually stationed at, they are all what you make of them and even the worst duty station is in a tourist location. People pay to come visit the places we live and we get a birds eye view of some of the most beautiful places in this country.

So good luck in getting in and good luck in the future.



Falconjet, when you wrote ship helo branch, did you mean Polar Operations? Ship helo only has four pilot slots and isn't a likely second tour.

 

[Falconjet]

sardaddy: Yes, you are correct, I meant Polar Ops. Ship Helo is the instructors who certify the ship crews for helo ops and they are all at least second tour pilots I think.

Thanks for the clarification and additional info.

I don't know of any first tour CG pilots who went to Kodiak or Sitka, helo or Hercs, but there's a lot of things that I don't know!

FJ