Military Flight Aptitude Tests - USAREC - U.S. Army

28 Part I: Careers in Military Aviation
Group (MATSG), the major Marine Command responsible
for all administrative requirements. Six weeks of Aviation
Indoctrination follows. The training is similar to that for
Marine student naval aviators.
Primary Training
Primary naval flight officer training for prospective Marine
Corps flight officers at NAS, Pensacola, is similar to the
training given to the other student naval flight officers.
They receive their first flight instruction in the T-34C
cockpit. Cockpit awareness and crew coordination are
emphasized.
Intermediate Training
Following fourteen weeks of basic NFO training, and
depending upon preference, class rank, and the needs of the
Marine Corps, student flight officers proceed to fourteen
weeks of intermediate training that is similar to that given
to the other student naval flight officers.
There are several Marine Corps military occupational
specialties available for naval flight officers. These include
n Radar Intercept Officer
n Weapons and Sensors Officer
n Tactical Navigator
Other career paths are also available.
For Radar Intercept Officer, student flight officers
must attend an Airborne Radar Intercept Operator course
(twenty-four weeks) at NAS, Pensacola, and then check out
in the specific aircraft to be flown at a Marine Corps
Combat Readiness Training Group (MCCRTG-10).
For Weapons and Sensors Officer, student flight
officers must attend a Weapons and Sensors Officer Course
(twenty-six weeks) at NAS, Pensacola, for training in both
air-to-air and air-to-ground radar systems before going on
to the F/A-18D Hornet.
For Tactical Navigator, student flight officers must
attend a twenty-week Tactical Navigator course at
MCCRTG-2A following basic jet navigation training at
NAS, Pensacola. Approximately one year of flight training
is required from the start of aviation preflight indoctrination
to designation as a naval flight officer. Successful
completion of such training indicates that they have truly
earned their wings of gold.
Upon completion of flight training, officers are
assigned to either the second or third Marine aircraft wing.
Those reporting to a squadron from the training command
are usually placed in the type aircraft in which they
qualified during advanced training.
COAST GUARD
Coast Guard aviators are obtained from three principal
sources. These are
www.petersons.com/arco
1. Commissioned officers who graduated from the
Coast Guard Academy
2. Commissioned officers who graduated from the
Coast Guard Officer Candidate School
3. Selectees of the Coast Guard’s Direct Commission
Aviation Program
Pilot training for each of these categories is considered in
the following section.
Pilot Training
Commissioned Coast Guard officers selected for flight
training are sent to the Naval Air Training Command
located in Pensacola, Florida. Coast Guard student naval
aviators commence their flight training with six weeks of
Aviation Indoctrination.
Upon completion of Aviation Preflight Indoctrination,
student naval aviators report to NAS, Whiting Field,
for twenty-two weeks of primary flight training. They are
assigned to one of the three training squadrons (VT-2,
VT-3, or VT-6). The T-34C is the airplane used in this
phase of training.
Upon completion of primary flight training, the
student aviators are channeled into the fixed wing patrol
(fixed wing, multiengine turboprops) or helicopters. The
selection is based upon the student’s preference and grades,
as well as the needs of the Coast Guard.
Maritime Patrol
Prospective maritime patrol pilots take five weeks of
intermediate training in a T-34C turboprop trainer at
Whiting Field. Their advanced training is at Corpus Christi,
Texas.
In advanced training, student aviators concentrate on
improving more complicated flying skills, such as
instrument capability, and perform mock missions in a
training aircraft.
Upon successful completion of advanced training,
students are designated naval aviators and earn their wings.
About one year of training time is required before being
designated a naval aviator. The next step is transitional
training and subsequent assignment to the aviation fleet.
Transitional training for those who will fly the
HC-130 Hercules is given at the USAFB, Little Rock,
Arkansas. Transitional training for those who will fly the
HU-25A Guardian produced by the Falcon Jet Corporation
is given at the Coast Guard Training Center, Mobile,
Alabama.
Helicopters
Prospective helicopter pilots take five weeks of intermediate
training in a T-34C turboprop trainer at Whiting Field.