I just found out that I was selected by the board for a pilot slot in the Navy BDCP program today and I'm wondering what I should do now as far as getting prepared and remaining ahead of the game. I'm not really sure where to go from here and I figured that someone has to have experienced this also or at least have some good advice to help me out. Anything is appreciated, thanks in advance!
BDCP
- Thread starter FLY_BOY
- Start date
///AMG
Well-Known Member
Explain what you are hoping to get ahead of the game for, and perhaps we can help. If you are worried about prepping for flight school, don't be. Everything you need to know to do well in API, primary, and beyond will be taught when you get there. Enjoy the program, and making a lot more money than most of your peers in the meantime! As far as OCS goes, I'd pick up a Naval Officers guide and maybe a Bluejackets manual, and browse through them. Lot's of good info on customs, courtesies, rank structure, and organizational stuff in those books. Beyond that, work on getting in the best physical condition that you can. I wasn't an OCS guy (I did NROTC), but most of my BDCP/OCS friends have said that being out of shape and generally clueless about general knowledge were the biggest hurdles they had to overcome there. Realize that you will probably have another 6-12 months of waiting around following OCS before you even class up for API (maybe a little shorter depending on the time of year that you commission and whether or not you have to do IFS). That will be a more reasonable time to start worrying about the API curriculum.....and even then I probably wouldn't stress too much about it. Oh yeah, congrats!
rpfeif
Well-Known Member
Did BDCP and it is the best thing that no one knows about. Especially when you leave OCS and you are two years or more ahead of everyone else in terms years of services for getting paid. It was pretty awesome to be getting two paychecks in college, one from the Navy and one from the flight school.
Physical fitness/getting beat was the predominant thing when I went through OCS almost two years ago, the gouge is that might be changing, but there are DIs there I can tell you they are going to do whatever they can to make you suffer.
That year of BDCP might be good in keeping you out of flight training and away from the mess down in Pensacola/Whiting/Corpus.
Congrats.
///AMG
Well-Known Member
From everything I have heard from friends who are still there, or still in the tracom, rp speaks the truth. Enjoy being a little offset from the current force reduction year groups
BTW, how's merids treating you? know which squadron you are headed to yet?