All of the feedback I've received about this job has been overwhelmingly negative ("it's a dead-end job"..."you're basically just a paassenger and don't get to fly the plane"..."you make coffee for the pilot"., etc.,)
I've flight physicaled and they say I'm okay to go for a nav slot but they disqualified me for pilot. I failed the depth perception test so laser-eye surgery won't do me the slightest bit of good (what a waste of potential talent for someone with a near-perfect PCSM score).
Furthermore, why does the Air Force (supposedly) continue to have such a high demand for navs if GPS technologies are supposedly making these positions obsolete?
Don't worry, I don't believe everything my recruiter tells me.
2006-12-21 05:53:17 · 11 answers · asked by Student 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Reasons I told them no when asked if i wanted to go nav:
1) dead-end job. Yeah, if you're a pilot, you can fly civilian when you get out. However, most civilian aircraft don't use Navs though. Good luck selling those skills that nobody needs back in the real world.
2) Dying AFSC. The demand for Navs does NOT remain high. Alot of the positions have already gone away or are in the process. As planes get up-moded and new airframes come out, navs just aren't needed anymore.
3) If i'm going to have the chance of being shot down in a plane, it's going to be my hand on the control stick.
4) There are MUCH cooler jobs in the Air Force. No offense, but Nav just never seemed that fun to me. I'd rather hop around with my troops on the ground and make sure the base is working than sit in a stiff back chair playing with maps and compasses
2006-12-21 08:38:45 · answer #1 · answered by promethius9594 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Have you looked at becoming a Weapons System Officer (WSO)... you get to be in a fighter jet and all that... also being a Nav in the Air force does NOT just mean you will do that as a civilian when you get out... being an officer you have a degree in something and also many resume points such as leadership skills and all that are invaluable... as an officer you do much more than just one "job"
2006-12-21 15:38:04 · answer #2 · answered by m v 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My good friend is a Nav (but in the Navy). He can't be a pilot either but he really enjoys his job. I don't know what your definition is of "dead-end" but I think the more important question is if you want to serve your country in this capacity. If you do, then go for it. If not, check to see about another position.
2006-12-21 13:56:40 · answer #3 · answered by Drew P 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, you do get to be mission commander if you wind up in those ugly beasts at Whiteman. In some areas and ways, the trend is slowly towards the pilot being just a cab-driver, and UAV technology may make his job obsolete, too.
2006-12-21 14:33:19 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just remember in the military that despite what you want, they make the decisions. Nothing is guaranteed.
If you want to be a navigator, they might make you a weather forecaster. If you want to fly B-2 Spirits, they might have you fly in C-130's. If you want to be stationed in Europe, they might base you in Antarctica.
GPS & electronic systems are known to fail. That's why a navigator will still have learn how to read maps, make flight plans with a circular slide rule and learn to shoot the Sun and stars with a sextent.
Good luck and thank you for your desire to serve in the military. Stay safe.
2006-12-21 14:05:48 · answer #5 · answered by Tom-SJ 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If this is something that you want to do but cannot pass the vision then you need to look into something else. The pay may not be the most attractive benifit but the honorable feeling you will get when you enlist more than makes up for the money. its is a sense of pride to wear the uniform.
2006-12-21 13:56:45 · answer #6 · answered by chrissys08 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Working any flight type job in the military only has one real end - working a flight type job in the civilian world. Those don't seem particularly appealing, but it's an individual thing.
So that's my take. You should check into other possibilities.
2006-12-21 14:07:29 · answer #7 · answered by Phoenix, Wise Guru 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Good; dont beleive anything your recruiter tells you. But you can trust the ones you talk to online and via email and ect.. just not the one actually recruiting you.
I say go for it; if you dont like it, you can change rates.
2006-12-21 13:57:50 · answer #8 · answered by I Hate Liberals 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
umm, the navigator has to keep track of the location of the plane at all times. the pilot depends of his navigator to tell him or her when and where to turn..the Navigator is probably the most important person on the plane
2006-12-21 13:58:53 · answer #9 · answered by kapute2 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
If I was you I wouldn't because if you want to live to 100 or if want to go out there and get shot down your chose
2006-12-21 14:11:05 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋