I highly disagree with you concerning your generalized statement about recruiters. You will not find a more dedicated bunch of individuals in a recruiting environment.

Officer applications are worked year round because we are not governed by a number set by congress.

Read the posts on this forum and you will see that recruiters are spread very, very thin in the Coast Guard often having 1 or 2 recruiters covering multiple states.

You are not going to get a lot out of a recruiter in regards to a program you will not be qualified for until three years from now. In three years Blue21 may not even be around!

Recruiters are currently working against officer package deadlines for current panels.


You will not be able to apply now, when you get closer to the deadlines, give a recruiter a call.

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Vr,
Chuck

These poor, plain men, dwellers upon the lonely sands of Hatteras, took their lives in their hands, and, at the most imminent risk crossed the most tumultuous sea…and all for what? That others might live to see home and friends. — Annual Report of the U.S. Life- Saving Service, 1885

Recruiting Website

Read here for answers to the most often asked questions about joining the Coast Guard!

True, I wasnt trying to sound like a dick, but i did. I am just so excited, finally I found something great to do with my skills in life.

Ill keep working hard and apply when I can and see what happens, civillians and helicopters dont really work. Luckily with the huge huey pilot population from Vietnam retiring now, we might stand a chance. That is the main reason I want to join the USCG. To put my skills to use, retire, and come out and fly for the police/news.

I just really wish there was someone in the USCG who is a heli pilot that I could talk to rather than a recruiter. Because recruiters, like you, know a lot, but can't really give you the specifics.

Your right, I would not know much of the specifics. I have only been in the aviation field for 20+ years and have only flown roughly 4000 hours while in the CG as well as worked on multiple aircraft.

We do have a Pilot on here, Sardaddy who can give you the Specifics you need.

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Vr,
Chuck

These poor, plain men, dwellers upon the lonely sands of Hatteras, took their lives in their hands, and, at the most imminent risk crossed the most tumultuous sea…and all for what? That others might live to see home and friends. — Annual Report of the U.S. Life- Saving Service, 1885

Recruiting Website

Read here for answers to the most often asked questions about joining the Coast Guard!

I struck out and that one lol.

So I will ask you then, now that i know a little more about you! (sorry by the way).

If i get accepted into blue 21, and then go to ocs, complet ocs, and then go into aviation schol (per blue 21 agreement) Do I have to learn to fly fixed wings?

Because I can either do 2 things before i join aviation-wise :

1. Get my PPL AND IFR rating in a FIXED WING
OR
2. Get my PPL Rotary

So since you know how it works, can you enlighten me on what would be the better bet if i wanted to get into helicopters? I dont want to fly fixed wing. I hate it. I would only get my fixed win , and ifr in a fixed wing, because its cheaper then getting your IFR in a heli.

A recruiter told me you must get your fixed wing, but im still double checking with you. Which goes back to my main quesiton. What license would I be better off getting prior to joining hte coast guard to improve my chances of going into helicopter training?


And sorry for making a generalization about recruiters, I have just found that most do not have specifc knowledge in aviation field!

Thanks!

Im no recruiter, but I do know that if you want to choose a degree that is not listed in the degrees they approve, you must have a PPL and the degree.

And as far as the Fixed wing/Heli, your going to have to go in whith the chance to fly either one. If they have a greater need for fixed wing pilots at that time, then guess what.... your flying fixed wing aircraft regardless if you have PPL Rotarcraft or a ATP Fixed wing.

It doesnt' matter what civilan ratings you have, be prepared to fly either one.
It is NEEDS OF THE SERVICE first.

Thanks for your input! i definitely understand that.

However, Say the need for fixed wing is greater at the time of my aviation training. But, they still need a few helicopter pilots. Now , having a ppl in rotary , wouldnt that help me?

i just want to give myself the best chance to fly rotary. I dont hate fixed, but would rather go rotary.

thats why i wanted to talk to a heli pilot , to see if they know if having a license in rotary would make the USCG be more apt to give me a slot in helis.

Right, I do too, but I want to know for sure. Becuase if we all have to go through fixed wing first, maybe i should get my IFR and VFR in a fixed wing, so I can bypass my fixed training and go straight into helis?

Thanks for the info. However I Do need a ppl to enter the coast guard under the blue 21 program. Because i will not have a degree under the ones they listed. So i figured having a helicopter one would help me out more in the long run, after i pass fixed wing training, they would go "oh hey he alrdy has his rotary, we would save a bunch of money putting him through the rotary program over PERSON B" .

But as you just enlightened me, I guess Ill just have to bust my butt in flight school. And when you say top of your class? Like in flight school? Or in OCS? Becasue after OCS its off to flight school, so during flight school how can i seperate myself from others? Just be a better pilot? Do they have classes and exams? Is that what you meant by be at the top of ur class?

Sorry for the blabbering, I just want this to work out so bad, and that is why I am askign yoou so many questions!''

Thanks,

Marty

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So i can just graduate OCS and be a middle of the pack officer, and then kick it into gear in aviation school, and that is what is going to get me my ticket to helicopters, if anything does for that matter?

So My next question would be, since they dont care what license I have, but i do need to get one, which one should i get?

I guess if i got rotary, and ended up in fixed it would be sort of a waste, but I want to believe they would be more apt to give me a heli spot since i already have my license! I know you said its not true, but it doesnt make sense!

I wouldn't advise kicking back in OCS. But I suppose in theory you could do that. However, if that is the type of officer you are going to be, I would suggest you find a different vocation.

Interesting! Well, looks like I will be getting my fixed wing license this summer instead of Rotary.

I think I have the funds to do IFR as well. Would you suggest i get it?

Im going to pretend I got accepted into BLUE 21 right now, and start studying hard, aerodynamics, weather, anything that can give me a leg up in flight school So I can go helicopters!

Thanks for all your info, Im glad to talk to a heli pilot.

What are you flying? Is the heli training hard? Where do you do it?

There is virtually no in-depth information on the web about "in the life of a USCG helicopter pilot".

Thanks,

Marty

"I think I have the funds to do IFR as well. Would you suggest i get it?"

No, I don't suggest you get your IFR ratings. It will be a lot of wasted money if you go through military training. Like I said, you will get IFR ratings in military flight training.

"What are you flying?"

I fly the MH-65 dolphin.

"Is the heli training hard?"

flight training is inherently difficult. Flying a helicopter does have its challenges but I can do it so it must not be too hard.

"Where do you do it?"

Where do I do what? Fly? I am currently stationed in Port Angeles, Washington but will be moving to Detroit this summer. Before that I flew in Alabama and Puerto Rico. And even before that, I flew in Germany and Tennessee as an Army pilot.

If you meant flight training, for you it would be in Pensacola, FL and then Mobile, AL.

There isn't much information about the life of a USCG pilot because there aren't many of us and we are all too lazy to write about it.

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Say everything works out, and i get into blue 21, pass OCS, and here I am in flight school. I got in with my rotary license, and am doing fixed wing training. Through my training as a rotary pilot I will have learned ALOT (civillian training), i still will have a leg up on all the fixed wingers, because of the weather, sectional charts, airspace, aerodynamics, ect.. Right????

I just really dont want to fly airplanes this summer, Id rather to heli. Do you think I would be better off doing fixed to give myself an advantage in the coast guard flight school so I can make myself look that much better so I can get helis?

Other than that I guess im really out of questions, at least for now! I appreciate your time.

I guess my last one is, besides all the things I can do to improve my chances, if I just bust my ass in the air and the classroom, ill be successful right? (scratches head)

BTW, I love WA, I Live and grew up in Spokane, but am in cali now. Its depressing being by VAN NUYS Airport and seeing a million ASTARS fly over campus every day.

Thanks,

Marty

If you don't want to spend money flying fixed wing then don't. It is your money. Get your rotary wing ticket and see what happens from there. There is no guarantee you will be accepted to the program anyway so you should do what will make you happy in the long run.

As for having a leg up on your classmates, not really. You will all be at about the same level when you start the actual military flight training as everyone will have had at least basic flight training before starting whether they paid for it or the military did.


Good luck.

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So now that I figured flight school out, what is OCS like?

Where is it at? I read that it is at the academy?

17 weeks of hell? or 4 weeks of hell, then 3 months of solid studying and training. I just dont understand what type of things you do there. And on saturday and Sundays? Do you have any days off?

http://www.gocoastguard.com/find-yo...ate-school

http://www.coastguardocs.org/portal/index.php

Ask google what it can do for you.

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"I have the terrible feeling that, because I am wearing a white beard and am sitting in the back of the theatre, you expect me to tell you the truth about something. These are the cheap seats, not Mount Sinai."

-Orson Welles

I was reading around that BLUE 21 just might not be available to me when i turn 21, in two years. So assuming that it will not be, what are my chances (if selected for OCS) to go into the aviation program?

Because blue 21 garunteed me a spot.

Without going into a lot of detail, it is much like fixed wing vs heli. You may get to fly helicopters but if don't you have to be prepared to fly fixed.

So if you do make it to ocs, be prepared to serve your comitment even if you don't get flight training.

That being said, your biggest obstacle is making it to ocs. Getting flight training after is not as difficult as making it to OCS. This is usually where the buck stops. If you can't make into OCS, you don't become an aviator. And if you can make past ocs your pretty much set.

There is a lot of if's, and maybe's, and maybe I won't get what I want...
If your biggest goal in life is to fly helicopters for the CG, then you only have one choice to make!
Give it everything you got, or go home now.

im 6'5 but probably will get told im 6'4 like a lot of coasties have told me they undercut you.

anyways,

Am I too tall to fly? I totally forgot about this

Per Med Manual

Height. Minimum 157.4 cm (62 inches). Maximum 198 cm (78 inches).

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Vr,
Chuck

These poor, plain men, dwellers upon the lonely sands of Hatteras, took their lives in their hands, and, at the most imminent risk crossed the most tumultuous sea…and all for what? That others might live to see home and friends. — Annual Report of the U.S. Life- Saving Service, 1885

Recruiting Website

Read here for answers to the most often asked questions about joining the Coast Guard!

Seeing how OCS accepted only 30 something people last year (correct me if this is slightly off) I would hope you wouldn't waste everyone's time (hello, your recruiter) and try for OCS to think there is a chance that you would back out. The majority of the 3,000 plus people that go for OCS actually want to do it, and have had their heart set on it forever. The Coast Guard is a family and really only wants people that are 100%. For example. I am enlisting into the Coast Guard with the intention to do it as a career. I plan on using the tuition assistance to continue my education to get a Master's in Criminal Justice, then also depending how quickly that goes, maybe four years, re-enlist and use the next bunch of tuition assistance to either get a pilot license or the associates in Aviation so that I too, could try for OCS and BLUE 21 if it is still around, or the ACVAD program.

You should look at the forums where the OCS applicants list their credentials, it is EXTREMELY competitive and selective, the OCS position aren't just handed out to anyone and it isn't anyone's right to serve in the military or as an officer.

Marty55

Humble yourself,

I have applicants with 4.0 GPA's with outstanding awards and near perfect packages not make it into the program. Of the last two OCS panels 8 people made it through (nationwide!). I applaud your resolve, but want to set your expectations. There is no guarantee that anyone will get in. Have a plan B in place!

Expect that the competition will be even tighter over the next year or two as we are downsizing and less and less people, officers included, are going to be needed.

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Vr,
Chuck

These poor, plain men, dwellers upon the lonely sands of Hatteras, took their lives in their hands, and, at the most imminent risk crossed the most tumultuous sea…and all for what? That others might live to see home and friends. — Annual Report of the U.S. Life- Saving Service, 1885

Recruiting Website

Read here for answers to the most often asked questions about joining the Coast Guard!

This is good news in a way. Now OCS can be considered a definite maybe, instead of a for sure. This way I can pursue my other goal, pro vball, and IF i get into OCS well then lucky me.

However I for some reason feel confident in getting selected. Have to wait to years anyways.

Do letters of recommendation help? I have some pull with some good people to have pull with it. Also my couzin is an 0-7 or 0-8 in the air force? I think hes a 1star. Astronaught wings and all. Flying U-2's.

So i guess what im getting at is, what does the OCS board look at?

Grades (mine are good, not a 4.0 but will end around 3.5+)
Degree (business managment)
Background (Division I athlete, probably only thing I have on people here)
letters of recommendation (good pull with the right people)
Interview ( I am a great public speaker and can sell myself very well )

So those 5 things are the only things I know, or I think I know, that the USCG looks at for OCS applicant selection. What else do they do? I included a little info on each one to let you know where i stand, to see if you think I have a good chance.


-Marty

Recommendations can help or hinder. Who they are from as far as rank, etc, hold much less weight than the actual content. A poorly written, or off topic recommendation from the Commandant of the Coast Guard (not that that would ever happen) could carry less weight in the process than an extremely well written recommendation from a general manager of a Lowe's. It is not who, more what, that matters.
There are many Div 1 athletes that apply to the services Officer programs, so don't hold out on that getting you through. It is a definite plus, and will be reviewed, but is part of the overall package. Having the ability to carry yourself well in a conversation is a plus. Confidence is a settling projection to people in need or trouble, (SAR, ETC). That may make your interview easier for you, but again, it is your responses formulated from some fairly tough questions that will carry the weight. Be prepared to discuss your perceived shortcomings in detail, and other questions that are opposite of selling yourself.

Your degree in Business is good, but target degree programs are the stem degrees, Science Engineering, Math and Technology.

Be aware, that All Officer programs, blue21 included, are very, very competitive and the information posted above applies to all of them. Blue21 will not be any easier to get into than the other programs!

I wish you the best in your endeavors!

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Vr,
Chuck

These poor, plain men, dwellers upon the lonely sands of Hatteras, took their lives in their hands, and, at the most imminent risk crossed the most tumultuous sea…and all for what? That others might live to see home and friends. — Annual Report of the U.S. Life- Saving Service, 1885

Recruiting Website

Read here for answers to the most often asked questions about joining the Coast Guard!

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Last Edited : 2/26/2010 4:00:48 PM GMT