My husband trying to become Marine Pilot, any advise?

Question

My husband is an active Marine 6 yrs. his cotract is up in 2008, he currently has 80 hrs. flight time private flying, and is working on his BA degree in avaition. He will be putting up his package MCP(?)soon, hoping to be choosen for OCS school in Virgina, then adventaully to Florida for flight training. My quesiton, what can we do for him to make sure he gets selected? Will more flight time help him, better PT score? What will help him get selected?

Answer 1

Really, I wish he'll be select, but just in case make a plan B. May be finish his hours in Florida or something.

Answer 2

Good luck!
I'm working on Marine Pilot--going through ROTC.
Has he taken his ASTB yet or is he taking that after OCS? If he hasn't taken it yet make sure he gets some study material. It's not as much that the test is hard but you want to do the best possible the first time--especially if you don't have months to retake it.
When it comes to flight time I know of guys that had none or very few flight hours before starting their flight training doing the same and even better than those with many, many hours throught flight school. For those that don't have a private liscence there is IFS to see each persons "potential" to be an aviator. Because of this I don't see his amount of flight time (if it doesnt increase) hurting his package at all (but not helping all too much either if it does). If he keeps his grades up and maintains a medium to high 1st class PFT score (and stays healthy/injury free), he should be ok. Getting selected for OCS is pretty competitive and OCS in itself is very challenging but I'm sure he's up to it. Good luck
O, this is a pretty cool website for OCS, has some good video clips: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/class186/
I'm sure having been to Boot he knows much more than I do about the mental/physicall demands there but I thought it to be a very informative and motivational website. Any questions id be glad to try to answer, just contact me.

Semper Fi

Answer 3

From the sound of it, you are talking about your husband becoming a fighter pilot, not a helicopter pilot.

The Marines use very advanced aircraft, which are not all that much like a private plane. The experience would help a little, of course, but with the hardware that they use, and the electronics, a quick reaction time is essential. Either you have that, or you don't. If you do, they will probably take you, as not many people are quick enough.

Of course, extra flying time, excellent evaluations from superior officers, and excellent physical condition will all help. If your husband's reactions are ALMOST quick enough, getting in better shape physically might just boost them enough to "make the cut". But you've got to have the reflexes.

Good luck, and God bless your husband!

Answer 4

I don't know if this will be any help or not since so many things have changed, but when I was in boot camp (many years ago) I was in a small group that was in a preliminary screening for MARCAD. This was apparently due to a combination of scores on the battery of tests given when you first get to boot camp.. My impression was if you had these scores and you qualified educationally and physically you were in. Unfortuneately I lacked the required education. I would think he would have already taken these tests but since he's acquired his additional education he should do much better if/when he takes them again. Sounds like he's motivated and doing everything he can do. Good luck to him..I hope he makes it.

Answer 5

His test scores, physical fitness is highly important. It also helps during the interview to be hard core yet precise and answer motivational.

Answer 6

It so happens that I just finished a tour as an Air Force JSUPT Instructor Pilot at Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma. It is a Joint program which means that I also taught Navy students and Marine Corps students as well as Air Force students. Along with teaching beside other Air Force instructor pilots, I also taught alongside several Navy and Marine Corps instructor pilots. One of my best friends in the world is a Marine Corps officer that also teaches at Vance AFB. I was the Flight Commander and he was in my Flight.

The intensity of the program that your husband will go through varies radically depending on whether he goes through Navy UPT or Air Force JSUPT. Navy UPT is a much slower, more drawn-out program. Students aren't assigned a class, rather, each is on their own program. If your husband is sent to Vance AFB to go through JSUPT then he will be assigned into a class. The program is much more intense but much quicker. At the end, students who complete the Navy/Marine program are at pretty much the exact same level as students who complete the Air Force program.

In one of the answers above, another member discussed the differences between helicopters and jets. Actually, what he said isn't true. Aviation experience can be very helpful for some, however, it can be harmful for others. I have had students that showed up with thousands of hours of flying time. Some of them did exceptionally well, others not so well. The ones with lots of flying experience that do well with the program are those who are willing to adapt their flying styles to the way that the military does it. Sometimes, students will show up with lots of previous flying time but are "set in their ways" with the way they fly, and aren't easy to instruct. Those students don't tend to do very well.

When your husband completes the program his total score, called his NAS, which culminates academic scores, daily flying scores, checkride scores (in the Navy and Marine Corps, checkrides don't count for any more than daily rides the way they do for Air Force students), a weekly flightline test called a "Stan test", etc. Your husband's NAS score will then be used to rank him among other Marines. The Marine Corps will have say for example, 10 different follow-on assignments for the 10 different Marine Corps student pilots that are competing. Those 10 different assignments will be broken down to a helicopter follow-on, a jet follow-on, or a prop (C-130) follow-on. The guy that has the highest NAS score will get his first choice based on what assignments are available. The guy with the second highest score will get his first choice based on whatever is left over after the guy with the first highest score picks his aircraft. Incidentally, it is not at all uncommon for guys that finish at the very top to choose helicopters or props. There is a reputation that the very best always get or choose fighters; this simply isn't true. I will say this, however, both the Navy and Marine Corps have substantially more helicopters than any other type of aircraft. As such, the chances are, that is what he will be flying.

Things like physical fitness, polished boots, a good looking uniform, etc. unfortunately, do not have much to do with aviation, and will not help your husband out. The Marine Corps regulates these items, his instructor pilots will regulate his flying training. These are two different entities.

As far as things that can help out your husband:

1. An absolute unquestionable ability to study. Some people can study and know something well, however, it is taken to an all new level when they suddenly have to apply what they know in the air.

2. Chairfly. Chairflying is when you mentally review a sortie, in your head, before you actually go out and fly it. Every single time your husband flies he should have mentally reviewed that sortie, start to finish, at least once in his head. Your husband also needs to learn how to add adversity into his chairflying, such as asking himself lots of "what if" scenarios.

3. Know the VFR pattern like the back of his hand. This, along with the aircraft operating manual (called a dash one in the Air Force) are the first two things that your husband should study and know immediately.

4. After following item #3 above, then your husband, every single night, will need to spend a great deal of time completing self-study. Often times, he will have academic tests, Stan tests (if he goes through Air Force JSUPT), etc. that will dictate what he studies in a particular night. However, on nights when he doesn't specifically have something dictating what he studies, then he will need to complete self-study. This is simply picking up his publications, starting on page one, and reading the publication, every single word of it! Several of his different publications are several hundred pages long. If he is not used to reading then he will be!

I have found that there are essentially four types of students, they are:

1. Smart guys that do well with the program.
2. Not-so-smart guys that do well with the program.
3. Smart guys that don't do well with the program.
4. Not-so-smart guys that don't do well with the program (these are the guys that as an instructor, I really have to be on the guard for!). UPT/JSUPT is hard, but it's really hard if you're stupid! You would be shocked at some of the things I have seen people do at JSUPT.

I have seen numerous students that showed up with the program who were of less than average intelligence, but did very well with the program. I have also had rocket scientists show up that didn't do well at all. About a year ago I instructed a girl that was extremely intelligent but just didn't cut it as a pilot. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), she washed out. I never know how a student is going to do based on their background when they show up to the flightline.


Keep in contact with me. I can give you lots and lots of further advice depending on whether your husband goes through Navy/Marine UPT or Air Force JSUPT. Feel free to ask me any further questions. If your husband is having difficulties with a particular topic, such as formation, instruments, contact, etc., then feel free to write me. The good thing is that answers to these types of questions and problems are specifically what his instructor pilots are there for, however, I can probably offer even more explanation than most other JSUPT IPs, especially if he goes to fly the T-6 Texan II at Vance AFB.