Hey guys. I'm considering joining the navy and really have my sights set on becoming a cti. I don't want to be stuck in an office if I can help it, so I am looking into getting aircrew qualified. I know that for aircrew you have to volunteer during basic. My question is, would I go to NAS first outta basic or to my a school? Then, would I still be a cti with airc quals or would be an AW instead? Thanks for your replies.

There are some CT types on these boards so I'm sure you will get a lot of answers. However, to the best of my knowledge, most CTI work is done behind a desk. We had some on board my first submarine but they were just TDY there and definitely not part of ship's company.

If you qualify for CTI and are guaranteed this rating at MEPS and are a male - you will have to volunteer for both AIRC and Subs.

After "A" school if you go to a billet that requires you to be an aircrew you will be sent to school. If not then you can always ask down the road.

I believe if you go subs you don't actually have to go to sub school though. Have to wait for one of our resident spooks to chime in on that one.

That is correct...CTs do not go through sub school. Flight or DIRSUP billets are prized and difficult to come by, and your chances of being assigned to either as a 1st tour is very small. I cannot speak to your overall chances of going TDY somewhere during a 1st tour either.

If you want to be a CTI, you need to be willing to work in an office and to do round the clock, 24/7 shift work. It means working nights, weekends, and holidays.

thanks guys. I have no problem with doing the office work, I gotta earn my stripes after all. So I have to get an airc billet first in order to go to aircrew school? So that means no volunteering during basic?

You are required to volunteer for Aircrew and sub duty both as a condition of being a male CTI...you do this simply to get your enlistment contract.

Are they actually assigning spooks to boats? We had them as riders a couple of times when I was operating out of Subic Bay but they were only on for the duration of the operation. We basically didn't even know they were there. They showed up just before getting underway, ate their meals at times other than the rest of the crew and spent the rest of their time in radio.

No...no spook will ever be part of a boat's crew...spooks are TDY only. And CTIs will never be part of a ship's crew.

How does it work for female CTIs? I know we are not "volunteered" for subs but what about Aircrew?

If you want to you can go aircrew. They give you a dream sheet right before you graduate from DLI and you, being female, will put Air, Surface, and Shore in the order that you'd like them. There's no promise that you'll get aircrew, but it's possible.