Some things (alomost) never change.
Kind of reminds me of the LDO and the restricted line officer pilot programs.
I have a friend who has a son (I am getting old) who is going to apply for this program.

I flew with a couple of LDO pilots who never finished their degree, they had to leave active duty after 10 years of flying, but both were picked up by the reserves.

I flew with three other guys who joined the Navy to be pilots only, restriced line officers who were never supposed to make it past LCDR. All three made CDR, one was selected for Captain, the others retired.

I had the opportunity to go LDO and become a pilot, but I stayed Enlisted Aircrew instead.


Navy Establishes Trial Warrant-Officer-to-Pilot Program
Story Number: NNS060125-08
Release Date: 1/25/2006 12:59:00 PM
 
By Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs
 
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy is seeking applications from
highly-qualified and hard-charging Sailors for a pilot program that will
place 30 selected Chief Warrant Officers (CWO) in aircraft cockpits as
pilots and naval flight officers.
 
The intent is to create flying specialists unencumbered by the
traditional career paths of the unrestricted line (URL) community.

"The concept is simple," said Cdr. Steve Knott, Head of Aviation
Placement, PERS-433. "Replace a percentage of the pilots and NFOs in
squadrons that have large junior officer aviator populations and
corresponding low department head opportunity with Chief Warrant
Officers who can return to these squadrons again and again and perform
the same duties they did before, with no career penalty."

Targeted communities include Patrol (VP), Electronic Attack (VQ(P) and
VQ(T)) and the HSC and HSL helicopter communities.

Targeted enlisted candidates include those between paygrades E-5 and E-7
and also young enough to be commissioned by their 27th birthday (29 for
NFOs); they must also possess an associate's degree or higher, meet
aviation physical qualifications, pass Aviation Standard Battery Test
(ASTB) minimums and be eligible for a secret security clearance.

Enlisted Sailors from the Nuclear, Naval Special Warfare(SEAL/SWCC),
Naval Special Operations (EOD/Diver) and the Master-at-Arms communities
are not eligible.

Selectees will not be eligible for department head (DH) tours and will
fill junior officer (JO) billets only. The intent is for flying CWOs not
to fill JO billets that are normally considered career milestones for
URL officers.

Thirty Sailors will be selected for the pilot program, commissioned as
CWO2 prior to LDO/CWO indoctrination, and subsequently undergo flight
training. Once winged, program CWOs incur an 8-year minimum service
requirement for pilots (6 years for NFOs) and complete traditional
sea/shore rotations between operational units and shore-based aviation
production sources only (FRS, TRACOM, NSAWC, and Weapon schools).

The newly-winged aviators will receive Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS)
training and then report to the fleet.

Applications are due to Navy Personnel Command (PERS-432M) no later than
March 31.

For more information, refer to NAVADMIN 022/06, available at
ww.npc.navy.mil or contact your Command Career Counselor.