Return of the AP !

(sorry about the all caps "yelling": but it was too involved to
correct.)

(The last of the enlisted pilots were gone by the late 50's to the
best of my knowledge.)



R 191820Z JAN 06 ZYB MIN ZYW PSN 793597K40 FM CNO WASHINGTON
DC//N1NT// TO NAVADMIN RHMFIUU/CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1NT// RUENAAA/CNO
WASHINGTON DC//N1NT// BT UNCLAS //N01500// NAVADMIN 031/06
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1NT/JAN// SUBJ/FY-06 ACTIVE DUTY
FLYING CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER (CWO) PILOT /PROGRAM APPLICATION//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/
1. THE NAVY IS SEEKING APPLICATIONS FROM HIGHLY-QUALIFIED AND
HARD-CHARGING SAILORS (E-5 THROUGH E-7) FOR A PILOT PROGRAM TO PLACE
CHIEF WARRANT OFFICERS (CWO) IN COCKPITS AS PILOTS AND NAVAL FLIGHT
OFFICERS. AS PART OF CNO'S STRATEGY FOR OUR PEOPLE, THIS PILOT
PROGRAM WILL HARNESS THE STRENGTHS OF OUR SAILORS TODAY AND SHAPE THE
NAVY OF TOMORROW. AS A PILOT PROGRAM, 30 QUALIFIED PERSONNEL WILL BE
SELECTED, COMMISSIONED AS CWO2 PRIOR TO LDO/CWO INDOCTRINATION, AND
SUBSEQUENTLY UNDERGO FLIGHT TRAINING.
2. THE NEWLY WINGED AVIATORS WILL RECEIVE FLEET REPLACEMENT SQUADRON
(FRS) TRAINING AND THEN REPORT TO THE FLEET. TARGETED COMMUNITIES ARE
VP, VQ (P), VQ (T), HSC, AND HSL. THE INTENT IS TO CREATE FLYING
SPECIALISTS UNENCUMBERED BY THE TRADITIONAL CAREER PATHS OF THE
UNRESTRICTED LINE (URL) COMMUNITY. AS SUCH, FLYING CWO'S WILL ROTATE
BETWEEN TRADITIONAL SEA/SHORE ROTATIONS (OPERATIONAL SQUADRONS TO
SHORE PRODUCTION SOURCES, E.G. TRACOM, FRS, NSAWC, WEAPON SCHOOLS).
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE TO COMNAVPERSCOM
(PERS-432M) NO LATER THAN 31MAR06.
3. SPECIFIC PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: A. MUST BE COMMISSIONED BY 27TH
BIRTHDAY. B. ENLISTED PERSONNEL FROM SEAL, SWCC, EOD, DIVER, NUCLEAR,
AND MA COMMUNITIES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THIS PROGRAM. C. MUST POSSESS
AN ASSOCIATES DEGREE OR HIGHER. D. MUST BE PHYSICALLY QUALIFIED FOR
AVIATION DUTY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NAVY MANUAL OF MEDICINE. E. MUST
MEET AVIATION STANDARD TEST BATTERY (ASTB) MINIMUMS. F. MUST MEET
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT FOR A SECRET SECURITY CLEARANCE.
4. INDIVIDUAL CAREER CONSIDERATIONS: A. UPON WINGING, SELECTEES WILL
INCUR AN 8 YR MINIMUM SERVICE REQUIREMENT (MSR) FOR PILOTS, 6 YR MSR
FOR NAVAL FLIGHT OFFICERS. B. TOUR LENGTHS: SEA 36 MONTHS, SHORE 33
MONTHS. C. ELIGIBLE ASSIGNMENTS: VP, VQ (P), VQ (T), HSC, HSL AND
ASSOCIATED FRS, TRACOM, NSAWC, AND WEAPON SCHOOLS. D. SELECTEES ARE
NOT ELIGIBLE FOR DEPARTMENT HEAD (DH) TOURS AND WILL FILL JUNIOR
OFFICER (JO) BILLETS ONLY. THE INTENT IS FOR FLYING CHIEF WARRANT
OFFICERS NOT TO FILL JO BILLETS THAT ARE NORMALLY CONSIDERED CAREER
MILESTONES FOR URL OFFICERS. E. ORDERS WILL BE NEGOTIATED WITH THE
COGNIZANT PERS-43 ASSIGNMENTS OFFICER.
5. ATTRITION: A. ATTRITES EITHER IN THE TRAINING COMMAND, FRS OR
FLEET THAT HAVE LESS THAN 3 YEARS OF COMMISSIONED SERVICE WILL REVERT
BACK TO THEIR PREVIOUS RANK AND RATE. B. THOSE IN EXCESS OF 3 YEARS
COMMISSIONED SERVICE WILL BE DETAILED TO NON-FLYING BILLETS WITHIN THE
AVIATION COMMUNITY.
6. REFER TO THE OPNAVINST 1420.1A FOR CWO ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA IN
ADDITION TO REQUIREMENTS CITED IN PARAGRAPH 3. INDIVIDUAL GRADE AND
TIME-IN-SERVICE WAIVERS FOR E-5/E-6 PERSONNEL ARE NOT REQUIRED. A
GROUP GRADE AND TIME-IN-SERVICE WAIVER FOR E-5/E-6 PERSONNEL IN THE
PILOT PROGRAM WILL BE SUBMITTED BY PERS-4.
7. APPLICATIONS SHOULD INCLUDE FLIGHT PHYSICAL DOCUMENTATION, ASTB
RESULTS, AND SECURITY CLEARANCE ELIGIBILITY. SAMPLE APPLICATION WITH
ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT
WWW.NPC.NAVY.MIL/OFFICER/LDOCWOCOMMUNITY, CLICK ON THE NEWS TAB. FOR
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE FLYING CWO PROGRAM, CONTACT THE HEAD
AVIATION PLACEMENT OFFICER, CDR STEVEN KNOTT AT (901) 874-4944/DSN 882
OR ASSISTANT LDO/CWO ASSIGNMENTS OFFICER LCDR AL WOOTEN AT (901)
874-3948/DSN 882. FOR APPLICATION QUESTIONS CONTACT COMNAVPERSCOM
(PERS-4801G) CWO2 MCGALLAGHER OR MR. DAWSON AT (901)874-3172/DSN 882
OR EMAIL AT .
8. RELEASED BY VADM J. C. HARVEY, JR., N1/NT.// B





Ride Safe!
Greasy Rider SLOB-6
'97 FLHTCI Lehman trike
53 years of motorcyling
(This line intentionally left blank)

Greasy Rider @ invalid.com wrote:
(sorry about the all caps "yelling": but it was too involved to
correct.)

(The last of the enlisted pilots were gone by the late 50's to the
best of my knowledge.)

And there aren't about to be any more, according to VADM Harvey's
announcement.

--
St. John

wrote:
(sorry about the all caps "yelling": but it was too involved to
correct.)

(The last of the enlisted pilots were gone by the late 50's to the
best of my knowledge.)

According to NavAir History:

"30 April 1973: The last Marine NAP (enlisted Naval Aviation Pilot)
retired. He was Master Gunnery Sergeant Patrick J. O'Neil, who enlisted
during World War II and completed over 30 years of active duty."

IIRC, NavAir News had some articles, during the Vietnam War era, of
Navy NAPs flying transports in-country.

MW

Greasy Rider @ invalid.com wrote...

(The last of the enlisted pilots were gone by the late 50's to the
best of my knowledge.)

1. THE NAVY IS SEEKING APPLICATIONS FROM HIGHLY-QUALIFIED AND
HARD-CHARGING SAILORS (E-5 THROUGH E-7) FOR A PILOT PROGRAM TO PLACE
CHIEF WARRANT OFFICERS (CWO) IN COCKPITS AS PILOTS AND NAVAL FLIGHT
OFFICERS.

Sounds like a rehash of the Aviator LDO program (early 80s?). Not too many
takers/successes, and the program died quickly.

John Weiss wrote:
Greasy Rider @ invalid.com wrote...

(The last of the enlisted pilots were gone by the late 50's to the
best of my knowledge.)

1. THE NAVY IS SEEKING APPLICATIONS FROM HIGHLY-QUALIFIED AND
HARD-CHARGING SAILORS (E-5 THROUGH E-7) FOR A PILOT PROGRAM TO PLACE
CHIEF WARRANT OFFICERS (CWO) IN COCKPITS AS PILOTS AND NAVAL FLIGHT
OFFICERS.


Sounds like a rehash of the Aviator LDO program (early 80s?). Not too many
takers/successes, and the program died quickly.



This one will die the same death for the same reason. It's not a good
commissioning opportunity for Charlie Whitehat. It's a cheap way not to
use plowbacks in the training command and destroy URL career paths, not
to hire Civil Service or contract training instructors and utility
pilots, and to put Warrant Officers into sea duty billets that have a
high failure rate for aviation URL JO's (V-1, -2 and -3 Division, etc.).

I got called on various command carpets many times in the late 70's and
early 80's for declaring that the then-enlisted-to-aviator program was a
career trap for good enlisted personnel. No senior ever faced me down
on the subject after hearing the facts.

Rick Yount
Former CWO-2
LCDR (Retired)Aviation Maintenance LDO

I think it all depends on how bad you want to fly. If you want to get
to flag rank, then, no. If all you want to do is fly (fighters, of
course!) then it looks good. But cutting them off at W4 is weird and
keeping them from Squadron CO slots is stupid because that's where you
need a top-notch leader and pilot. A super warrant rank equal to O5
would fit the bill but that will never happen in the mighty USN. I
presume in the USN one must fill the CO square to become a CAG and then
command a CV on the way to a flag. (Pardon my ignorance in such
matters.) In the USAF DCS/Personnel rates 'career progression' over
flying performance. USAF operators have looked at and pushed LDO for
quite a few years (personal communications from guys with stars here)
and have always been shot down by the personnel weinies. So - just
about when a pilot gets really sharp in fighters he is given a desk.
I've only been in one squadron (out of eleven) where at least 90% of
the guys were what I would call truly prepared to meet any eventuality
and prevail. The average fighter (!) time in that outfit at that time
was about 2400 hours. The skill doesn't come easy - you have to want to
and you have to work at it - continually. Problem is the DCS/P types
think winged personnel are fungible - one is just as good as the next
one. Hell, civil aviation has amply disproved that concept time and
again. Greek 737, anyone?
Walt BJ

WaltBJ wrote:
I think it all depends on how bad you want to fly. If you want to get
to flag rank, then, no. If all you want to do is fly (fighters, of
course!) then it looks good. But cutting them off at W4 is weird and
keeping them from Squadron CO slots is stupid because that's where you
need a top-notch leader and pilot. A super warrant rank equal to O5
would fit the bill but that will never happen in the mighty USN. I
presume in the USN one must fill the CO square to become a CAG and then
command a CV on the way to a flag. (Pardon my ignorance in such
matters.) In the USAF DCS/Personnel rates 'career progression' over
flying performance. USAF operators have looked at and pushed LDO for
quite a few years (personal communications from guys with stars here)
and have always been shot down by the personnel weinies. So - just
about when a pilot gets really sharp in fighters he is given a desk.
I've only been in one squadron (out of eleven) where at least 90% of
the guys were what I would call truly prepared to meet any eventuality
and prevail. The average fighter (!) time in that outfit at that time
was about 2400 hours. The skill doesn't come easy - you have to want to
and you have to work at it - continually. Problem is the DCS/P types
think winged personnel are fungible - one is just as good as the next
one. Hell, civil aviation has amply disproved that concept time and
again. Greek 737, anyone?
Walt BJ

You've got the picture, almost precisely. Naval aviators "screen for
command" at O4. No one who fails to screen is going to be selected for
O5. Many of the best and brightest will not screen because of quantity
limitations (there are tremendously more O4 than O5 billets; I don't
know the ratio). Those whose careers have been outside the norm of
their contemporaries are going to be left in the shavings. The more
non-flying or non-fleet or logistic assignments, the more the hazard of
non-screening.

Your first four sentences tell the real tale: Warrant accession pilots
will NEVER be considered top-flight leaders and pilots. The intent to
exclude fighter/attack squadrons from the career path of warrants rings
the bell on that. They're intended to be low-paid equipment operators.

Rick