Introduction and a few questions

Drage102 · February 28, 2014

Hello all!

My first post after lurking for a little bit. I'm currently working on myself to be able to build a WOFT packet pretty soon. I've got a good bit of work to do yet but luckily I've got the time.

Doing my research in local eye surgeons for the eye corrective surgery, while I wait the required 6 months I'll use that to buff up the packet and get myself in shape ( big thing keeping me from being ready at the moment).

I just had a few questions that I haven't found the answer's to yet.

I know the general pipeline to get from civilian to pilot as outlined by posts on this site, but for those who have gone through it already how back to back are the various schools? Do you get time between classing up in some schools, or are they all pretty much back to back?

I know often it depends on different factors but just wondering in a general sense.

Second question is I've seen the mention of the word getting tracked used a few times. I couldn't find anything on what that meant and it sounded pretty important.

Anywho, I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone through this process!

Caelus · March 1, 2014

I haven't been through, sorry, but from what I've read it just varies, maybe someone who has been through the process very recently could tell you what it's been like, that would be the most relevant. Like, reading post from years ago people would spend a month or more in a "bubble" but recently it seems like there isn't but a week b/w each thing. It can still vary from person to person, like when you get selected, I think they start by figuring out which IERW you'll get a seat in, and then work backwards from there trying to line up WOCS and BCT and WOBC or whatever, but if things don't line up well or if a class is full, you're waiting.

I'd also like to hear more about getting in a track. I tried to search around the forum for people talking about it last night but couldn't find anything that gave any detail. I know it has to do with getting PC. What I'd really like to hear is how you select or get selected for a specific track. How much control do you have over that? How hard is it to track at all? I mean, myself, I know that I'm going to be the best pilot in the entire Army, or at least strive to be, but I'd like to hear about the process.

Flim · March 1, 2014

Lol, last sentence is entertaining! There are many good pilots in the Army... It ain't top Gun brother!

Caelus · March 1, 2014

Lol, last sentence is entertaining! There are many good pilots in the Army... It ain't top Gun brother!

I know lol, I just mean I'm going to have the mentality of being the best pilot I can possibly be. Not gonna settle for ok or good enough etc. If I see someone more high-speed about something than me, I'm gonna learn from them and figure out how to get on their level. It's actually sort of an opposite mentality than I joked about. I wouldn't ever actually fool myself that I was the best out of any group of people, even if somehow I were, because I'm sure there is always something to improve upon.

Also, about tracks, I know, it's like the 1500m target right now, but I'm curious, I have a pretty good idea what an IP and MTP do, but TACOPS I have no clue what that is, and Safety, well it halfway seems obvious but in practice what would someone in a Safety track be doing?

Flim · March 1, 2014

I understand, but got to bust your ball$$. Lol

akscott60 · March 1, 2014

The Safety Officer manages the commanders safety program. It is a paperwork job, but the OSHA safety training and certificates are worth bank in the outside world.

The AMSO has a job as cool as the situation allows him to have. Normally, on a troop level, they keep the AMPS machines up to date, and provide expertise on threats, etc. A lot of people just think they plan their mission for them, which is bullshit.

Drage102 · March 3, 2014

Thanks for the info man, appreciate it!

Yeah I've seen the word thrown around here and there and couldent find any definition of what it was or anything, but it sounded like it was pretty important.

01CelicaGTS · March 3, 2014

Bubbles depend on timing. Right now there's a couple week wait for 60s, a couple months for 64s and at least 6 months or more (I know a guy waiting a year) for 47s. I don't know about 58s. They are still selecting at this point but I don't know about the wait.

As far as bubbles between the courses prior to IERW, it depends on the class size. I had a month between WOCS and BOLC, some only had a week. That'll probably change too because they are getting ready to split LTs and WOs again, and BOLC (WOBC) is being split so it's shorter initially, but you'll have a few weeks of it again at the end of flight training. Usually is only a week or 2 between BOLC and SERE, and again it depends on class size but I've waited a month and a half between SERE and IERW. For some it was only a couple weeks. They try to get guard and reserve guys in before active.

Hope that helps.

Ardo09203 · March 3, 2014

I'm sure this has been answered many times, but what does one do during these bubbles?

ShaneWey · March 3, 2014

My understanding from what others have said is that you usually do staff duty in S1 or S3. I think you still have to report for PT and do other little odds and ends throughout the day.

Jon B. · March 3, 2014

I would think PT and studying would be top of the list to occupy time. In addition to assigned duties. Good to see that I won't miss Staff Duty!

Velocity173 · March 3, 2014

We did funeral detail. Not sure if they do that anymore though.

SBuzzkill · March 3, 2014

The Safety Officer manages the commanders safety program. It is a paperwork job, but the OSHA safety training and certificates are worth bank in the outside world.

The AMSO has a job as cool as the situation allows him to have. Normally, on a troop level, they keep the AMPS machines up to date, and provide expertise on threats, etc. A lot of people just think they plan their mission for them, which is bullshit.

Lazy AMSOs restrict themselves to that. Good ones do things like set up awesome personnel recovery training events and build scenarios and set up OPFOR and acquire training tools, and so on.

akscott60 · March 3, 2014

Exactly right Buzz.

Talon64 · March 3, 2014

Is leave allowed during long enough bubbles? Or is leave not allowed at all during training?

Creep0321 · March 4, 2014

A little off topic, but speaking of leave, can anyone that has done a service transfer answer what happens with my leaver when I get out of the Marine Corps and enlist in the Army? Do I have to use all my leave on terminal, or sell it back? or can it roll over to the Army?

Velocity173 · March 4, 2014

A little off topic, but speaking of leave, can anyone that has done a service transfer answer what happens with my leaver when I get out of the Marine Corps and enlist in the Army? Do I have to use all my leave on terminal, or sell it back? or can it roll over to the Army?

Could do the first two if you want but I rolled 50 days from the Marines to the Army.

Ardo09203 · March 5, 2014

50 Days? How many do you get a year? That's WAY more than the 14 you get in the civilian world!

Velocity173 · March 5, 2014

50 Days? How many do you get a year? That's WAY more than the 14 you get in the civilian world!

30 per year or 2.5 per month.

I agree. I only get a weeks worth of paid leave per year in my current job.

Creep0321 · March 5, 2014

Could do the first two if you want but I rolled 50 days from the Marines to the Army.

Good to know, thanks. Im sitting at close to 60 right now, and just started a deployment.

01CelicaGTS · March 5, 2014

I'm sure this has been answered many times, but what does one do during these bubbles?

You will most likely be put on a detail at some point. Honors (Funeral) Detail is the most likely. I've been on it for quite awhile. You could also get put on Flat Iron or SDO. You might get lucky not get put on a detail at all, but it probably won't last for long. If you're not on a detail, you would normally go in at 0600 for PT till 0700-0715, and then accountability formation at 0900 for a few minutes, and have the rest of the day off. But, B Co is getting a little...ummm....crazy right now and now you have to come in from 0900-1100, and 1300-1430 for accountability. What do you do, you might ask? Pretend you're a private. Clean around and inside the building, random taskings (i.e. move this over there, take this off the wall, power wash the sidewalk, etc), or just sit there and study or socialize.

For Funeral Detail, its about the same except no PT, and you will almost always have to work weekends as well. 0840-1100 and 1300-1430 accountability/training. If you are already trained up, you just do cleaning, studying, etc. However, Fundet gets all of the other "awesome" details. I've done road cone detail (blocking off the roads from 0530-0700 for PT), flag detail (taking down the flag for retreat), and a few other random details. Funerals almost always come in on the weekend, and if its farther than an hour and a half away, you have to go the day before and stay overnight. I haven't had a weekend off since I've been on Fundet.

As far as leave and passes, if you are on Fundet, leave and passes probably will not be approved. If you are not assigned to a detail, you MIGHT get it approved, it just depends.

All of this depends a lot on the commander. The previous commander approved 3-4 day passes every weekend, and you didn't have to hang out at B Co if you weren't doing anything actually productive (like training up for Fundet). Right now, it is how it is. When a new commander comes in it will probably change again.

Talon64 · March 6, 2014

Do you get a say in the detail you get? Can you volunteer?

01CelicaGTS · March 6, 2014

Do you get a say in the detail you get? Can you volunteer?

Kind of. I have a buddy that volunteered for Flat Iron right after SERE, and was put on it. It was a great call on his part. Once you're on a detail like Fundet, you have no say in any of the details that Fundet gets assigned (like road cone or flag detail)

Ardo09203 · March 6, 2014

Can someone help to ease my confusion(and possibly ignorance)? What is Flatiron? I thought that was some medevac unit that flew LUH72's? What does volunteering for them before flight school get you? Do you just help out?

01CelicaGTS · March 6, 2014

If you are on flat iron detail, you are just manning the phones for a call. If you get a call, you wake up the crew if they're sleeping and then monitor the radio while they are on mission. If there's not an active mission (most of the time) you just sit there at the desk watching movies or studying or just starting out the window wishing you were flying. Lol.

The only reason I say it's a good detail is that you only have to do it a few times a week rather than everyday.

Edited March 6, 2014 by 01CelicaGTS