Questions about the Coast Guard

[CGPILOT]

psysicx,
Career progression is begins at flight school followed by tour at Air Stations. A staff tour (usallly after 2nd Air Station tour) and grad degree are a good mix to make O-5(Commander). Deployments are anywhere from two weeks to two months deployed on a CG Ship. These are also only for HH-65 and MH-68 crews. H-60s do not deploy to ship but do deploy TAD.

 

[psysicx]

Is one helo harder to get over another? Also are certain duty stations not available like Alaska since your new? And is it possible to transition to FW or do you stay put the whole time?

 

[CGPILOT]

I don't know if one helo is harder to get but we have twice as many H-65s as H-60s so that kind of creates a 2 to 1 demand. Alaska and HITRON(MH-68s) are not open to new flight school grads. You can transition to FW but they are few and far between,

 

[zab1001]

...For the Navy & MC they have the NAVCAD (Naval Aviation Cadet program)

NAVCAD has been over and done with for the Navy and MC since the late 90s. A 4 year degree is no longer optional.

 

[SIG600]

NAVCAD has been over and done with for the Navy and MC since the late 90s. A 4 year degree is no longer optional.

There is the USMC Meritorious Commisioning Program... you gotta be a superstar though (I've known 2.)

 

[psysicx]

So do you go from your first air station to another or do you go to an IP job like the other branches? Also what kind of desk jobs are available and who gets to fly the Gulfstream?

 

[Falconjet]

It just depends.

FJ

 

[CGPILOT]

psysicx, IP is a collateral job at air station. You can also get transfered to ATC Mobile, AL where we have our aircraft qual courses and be an IP also. By desk jobs do you mean collateral assignments at air stations or a non flying billets somewhere? The Gulfstream jobs are assigned to mostly former Falcon pilots.

 

[psysicx]

I mean staff jobs.

 

[sardaddy]

psysix,

Good questions, Lets see if I can't throw my two cents into the fray. The questions you are asking are airframe and timing dependent. I will go with the H-65 as there are more of them and it is what I know.

Generally, the Coast Guard has unit IPs and it has what are known as ATC (Aviation training center) IPs. ATC IPs conduct all training to new pilots and evaluates all Coast Guard units every year by visiting the air stations and conducting checkrides. Each pilot also goes to ATC for a week to train and get check rides. There are not a whole lot of ATC IPs. About 19 right now. So it isn't something most pilots will do in their careers. But becoming unit IP is relatively common and many are set down that path sometime during their second tour. They are still unit pilots, they just conduct unit training.


As far as staff jobs go, the world is your oyster. You can compete for graduate schools that will put you into a specific staff job or you can apply for many that are available. For aviation, the staff jobs are usually for O-4 or higher but there are a few exceptions. The staff jobs are at headquarters and they run the gamut on what is available. You can also apply for other jobs like a liaison to a foreign country and other interesting jobs.