WOFT (WARRANT OFFICER FLIGHT TRAINING)
GUIDE FOR APPLICANTS
COMPILED BY LINDSEY KANNO AUGUST 2013
Disclaimer: I am merely another civilian trying to get picked up for WOFT. All the information posted below is what I have found through countless hours of research, talking to knowledgeable people, and by going through the process myself. Take everything with a grain, or two, or three, of salt. Double-check everything. Research on your own, extensively. Most of the answers are out there to be found.
UNITED STATES ARMY WARRANT OFFICER FLIGHT TRAINING Flying for the U.S. Army is rather unique: all new aviators fly rotary-wing aircraft. While the Army does have several fixed-wing aircraft in its inventory, these are limited to seasoned and experienced aviators. Secondly, the Army is unique because Warrant Officer Flight Training (WOFT) contains a program casually called “street-to-seat” or “high-school-to-flight-school.” Civilians (college degree not required) may apply for this program. If selected, you sign a contract. If not selected, you have no obligation to the Army and are still a civilian. Sound easy? It’s not. The WOFT Application Process works to eliminate those without the motivation to follow through. It is stressful, there are many components, and if flying for the Army is not something you really want to do, this is probably the time when you’ll figure that out…unless somehow everything works out perfectly for you. If so, I’m jealous.
As a civilian, the WOFT Packet consists of the following components: ASVAB: Minimum 110 GT Score required. I used the ARCO book and got a 99 AFQT/139 GT Score, but apparently ASVAB for Dummies is highly recommended by many. Seriously. SIFT: Minimum score of 40 required. The maximum score is 80. There is no official study guide published for this test. See this link for more information on test sections and general guidelines. http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/download/SIFT%20FAQ.docx This thread also has significant tips and advice from people who have taken the SIFT: http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/15829-sift-is-primed-and-ready/ MEPS Physical: Your recruiter will schedule this for you, most likely in conjunction with your ASVAB test. Try to get this done as early into your application process as possible, so that you know if you are disqualified for something like color-blindness, which is non-waiverable for potential aviators. Class 1A Flight Physical: While it is easier for your recruiter to schedule this, it is sometimes possible for you as a civilian to do it. If you have a lazy recruiter, track down the number of the local Army flight surgeon that would perform the flight physical. Note: this is NOT the same physical given by FAA-certified flight physicians (read: the civilian version will not replace the Army physical). APFT: You must pass, but to be competitive, you must score very well. A “competitive” score is usually considered a 270+. The APFT standards can be found at www.army-fitness.com www.army-fitness.com..
Letters of Recommendation: For civilian applicants, a minimum of three and a maximum of six are required. The general rule is to select a combination of people who know you very well and can speak to your maturity, responsibility, and leadership abilities, and people who are in a high position of relevant authority. Ideally, these people would be one and the same, i.e. an Army Colonel you have known for 10 years. However, if you are like me and did not know anyone like that, do not be afraid to get into contact with an Army Aviator and ask them politely if they would be willing to interview you and perhaps write a Letter of Recommendation. Quite a few applicants do this; just make sure that not all of your Letters of Recommendation are of this nature. Resume: This is your chance to shine and list your accomplishments without appearing like you are bragging. The resume is something you can start early and simply add to as you progress throughout high school and/or college. Take advantage of this time and do some unique and worthwhile things; they will help your resume stand out from the rest. “Why I want to be an Army Aviator” Essay: Straightforward: answer the question. 1 page. Write it early and simply edit it as time goes by. You will need one page handwritten and a typed version of that essay as well. Full Length Photo: Dress in a crisp, clean, nice suit. Fresh haircut/shave for males/hair in a bun for females. Take it either at your local Army base where they do DA photos or research the regs for the correct posture and get it done at a photo studio. Make sure this gets uploaded in full color, not black and white. Educational Transcripts: The board will want official transcripts from high school through your most recent education level (i.e. Bachelors, etc). Obtain these ASAP so you don’t have to worry about it. This is also a hint that the board will look at your GPA, so be prepared to explain a low GPA, or you could always just focus on getting a solid one. Professional Certificates/Flight Log (if applicable): If you have your Private Pilot’s License, are EMT-B certified, or something similar, include copies of your certificates. If you have logged significant flight time, make crisp and clear copies of your flight log. SF-86 Form / Interim Secret Security Clearance: Your recruiter will have you fill out the computerized SF-86 form sometime during the process. This form asks you of your past history, and requires you list a lot of contacts/references as well as addresses of places you have lived and worked. Make it easier by printing out a copy of the SF-86 (easily available online) early on in the process and filling it out ahead of time, so you aren’t stressing out in the recruiter’s office because you can’t remember the address of a place you worked at five years ago. Battalion Board Interview: This is the last major step in the process. Once your packet is completed, you will go before a “local” battalion board and they will interview you. Be prepared to answer standard interview questions (strengths and weaknesses, etc) as well as Army-specific questions (i.e. why do you want to be a Warrant Officer, what is your favorite Army value and why). The board will then rate you on a scale of 75—25 points max for each
of the three Officers (some of which is based on appearance, apparent confidence level you exude, posture, etc), and send that rating along with the rest of your packet to Warrant Officer Recruiting Headquarters, who evaluates packets once every other month (as of this writing) and makes the final decision. If you are selected, congratulations! Your recruiter will schedule you another visit to MEPS where you will find your dates and sign your contract. If you are not selected, you will be classified as either FQ/NS (Fully-qualified/Non-select, meaning your packet was complete but you were just not selected) or NQ/NS (Not-qualified/not-select, which usually means there was an issue with your packet). If FQ/NS, the board will automatically look at your packet again the next month. Again, if selected this time around, congratulations! If not selected, you are a twice non-select and must wait 6 months to reapply. Take that time to either examine other options if you cannot afford to wait six months, or build up your packet and resume if you are set on this path. Here is a thread full of information about the Battalion Board Interview: http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/15881-battalion-board-interview/ Some potential hurdles: Eyesight: if your vision is worse than 20/50 in either eye or is not correctable to 20/20, you will be medically “disqualified.” There are waivers, so not all hope is lost, but the waivers will not extend to those who have extremely poor vision. If you fall into that latter category (your vision is utterly terrible, as mine was), you have two options: PRK or LASIK eye surgery. I will not tell you which one to pursue, only that in general, the military “prefers” PRK (though the Army accepts both), and that I chose LASIK with incredible results. Research each on your own (and very thoroughly), and if possible consult with an Army flight surgeon to ensure that the surgery you choose is acceptable. Also, make sure you obtain all paperwork required by the Army, as your civilian surgeon will need to fill them out regarding your pre-operative refraction, and post-operative results. This paperwork is required for the eyesight waiver you will put in. You must wait three months after surgery before you are allowed to schedule your Flight Physical, although MEPS usually requires a six-month wait. Color-blindness: Sorry, if you are truly colorblind then you are out of luck. MEPS will determine if this is the case. Here is an outstanding post by someone who successfully overcame a misunderstanding with MEPS regarding this issue: http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/16094-woft-and-color-vision/ Height/Anthropomorphic Measurements: The standards can be found in the Aviation Class 1A section of AR 40-501. If you are outside of the standards you can request to do an In-Cockpit Evaluation (ICE) in which you sit in all four different d ifferent airframes with an Instructor Pilot for each airframe and prove that either you can reach everything (if you’re short), or that your size isn’t going to be an issue (if you are too tall). The IP will then write a memo that the Flight Surgeon will sign and send to Rucker with your Flight Physical for an Exception to Policy. Incorrect/Incomplete packets will either get kicked back, or will be looked upon badly. It is up to YOU, not your recruiter, to ensure everything is in proper order. o rder.
Some other routes for getting to WOFT are: Enlisting and then applying from within: Please see http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/16558-active-duty-applicants/ ROTC Reserve Officer Training Corps – a college program that trains future Officers over a two to four year period. Consider, however, that the Aviation Branch is extremely competitive and in no way guaranteed, and that you will commission an Officer, not a Warrant Officer. OCS (Officer Candidate School): While it is generally easier to get accepted to OCS than to WOFT as a civilian, there are very few (and I mean very, typically one to three at most per OCS class) Aviation slots in OCS, and there is no way to guarantee it. If you choose to go this route, you must be VERY prepared to serve in another capacity/branch of the Army. Do not go this route if you only want to fly. Strongly consider this route if your desire to serve in the United States Army as a Commissioned Officer is paramount to everything else. Keep in mind, however, that Warrant Officer Aviators can always choose to commission later in their careers. USMA (West Point) Aviation Branch very competitive, and you will commission as an Officer, not Warrant Officer.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Disclaimer: since I am not yet an Army Aviator, the answers to a lot of the following come straight from posts made by actual Army Aviators. I have given credit where credit is due. Understand that a lot of these answers are flexible, varying between unit to unit and from year to year. However, I hope that this information at least gives a more accurate picture of the life as an Army Aviator than none at all.
Do I even have a chance at being selected? You have zero chance at selection if you do not apply. That said, here is a sampling of the “stats” from recent selectees: http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/16159-what-are-my-chances-check-out-thestats-of-selected-members-here/
What should I bring with me when I first meet with a recruiter? Step one is to call around to find a recruiter who has done WOFT packets successfully before. Then, show up with a folder consisting of: 1. Completed SF-86 (google this form) 2. Professional Resume 3. “Why I want to be an Army Aviator” essay (typed and written) 4. High school and college transcripts, high school diploma (original, actual copy) 5. LoRs 6. Ready to take PT test at your recruiter's earliest convenience 7. Ready to take and blow away the ASVAB 8. Ready to take and blow away the SIFT. 9. Be post-op from LASIK/PRK and have ALL of your Pre and post op paperwork completed (make LOTS of copies of this stuff and do NOT lose it!). 10. Drivers license, passport, social security card, actual birth certificate. 11. Any and all medical paperwork from past surgeries, procedures, etc. 12. DD 2807-2, Medical Prescreen Form: http://www.158fw.ang.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-130103-011.pdf If you do that, you will be the most squared away person your recruiter will have probably ever seen. My recruiter isn’t being very helpful. What should I do? If you have any doubts about your recruiter or recruiting station, change stations. stations. Period. It is worth it. I went through THREE recruiting stations before my packet was submitted, and this is not unheard of.
What forms do I need to fill out for PRK/LASIK? This is what you need. http://www.tamc.amed...gery Policy.pdf Page 8. You will need to have your eye surgeon COMPLETELY fill out the "checklist for eye care provider" AS WELL AS the appropriate test results (slit lamp exam, corneal topography, low-contrast light sensitivity, etc). Then scroll down and print out Appendices 2 and 3. Make several copies so that you'll always have one even after you give a copy to your recruiter and he wants another one for MEPS/Rucker. 3 copies should suffice. Don't forget to read Appendix 4. It will probably answer the rest of your LASIK/PRK questions. What are some other helpful websites/resources for the WOFT process? http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/prerequ/woft.shtml I have (insert here) medical problem, and/or had it in the past. Will this be a problem for WOFT? The only guidance anyone who isn’t an Army Flight Surgeon can give you with regard to this question is to consult AR 40-501. Are there any guidelines for the WOFT essay? Word limit, format style? The only official guidance on the essay is from AR 601-91, which discusses OCS/WOFT guidelines, recruitment goals, and procedures. The link is here but for the essay all it says is: Each applicant determined qualified will be required to complete a signed one page, handwritten, narrative addressing the statement, "Why I want to be an Army Aviator." No assistance in preparation of the paper is authorized other than use of a dictionary. Applicants will limit their narrative to one page. Rctg Bns will submit a typed version of the narrative signed by the applicant with the application forwarded to HQ USAREC.
One thing I notice from the few essays I've been sent from other people is that they get the title wrong, or the capitalization wrong. Some of them are funny. "Why I want to Be an Army Pilot" or "Why I want to be a WOFT Aviator" or "Why I want to be an Army officer." Make sure your title is exactly as it says in the above quote, with the proper capitalization: "Why I want to be an Army Aviator." Personally, I put a date up on the top right, the title centered a couple lines down and everything else is left aligned except the signature block at the bottom which is more right-aligned. The hardest part about the essay is finding a balance between the typed and handwritten versions in terms of length. My recommendation is type out a rough draft, handwrite it, cut it down so you can fit everything onto one page, and then work on finetuning everything. At least then you have an idea of how much you can fit on a single page (handwritten). From there, you can always mess around with the formatting on the typed version a little so it doesn't look so short.
What are the different stages of Flight School? Basic Combat Training – 1 week Reception, 9 Weeks BCT Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS) – 7 Weeks Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC) – 10 weeks (approx) Dunker – 1 day Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) – 3 weeks Initial Entry Rotary Wing (IERW) Preflight – 2 weeks Primary Phase – 8 weeks Instrument Phase – 8 weeks Basic Warfighting Skills (BWS) – 4 weeks Advanced Airframe (OH-58, UH-60, AH-64, or CH-47) - varies How time-intensive is Flight School? zVo, August 2013 :: Quick Breakdown :: ****** BOLC -- 10 weeks (approx.) Days end anywhere between 1200 & 1600 ****** SERE -- 3 weeks You'll be away from home 7 days a week w/o communication ****** IERW (Primary) -- ~8 weeks Morning FLT Line Cairns Army Airfield: 0400 (0330 bus) to 1130ish Academics: anywhere between 1300 & 1600 Afternoon FLT Line Academics: 0730 to 1100ish Cairns Army Airfield: 1200 to 1800ish You will NEED to study after 1600 for a minimum of 1 hour each night, and unless you have the memory of the Rainman, expect to spend 2-3 hours nightly just to meet the academic standards required. That's not to include daily questions which are due at the flight line each day. Instrument phase is similar, except now you're planning instrument flight plans and the academics are considered by some to be more challenging (some people find it easier). The tests are all open book, but you still need to know your stuff because of time and the fact you need to apply your knowledge at the flight line. Expect similar studying requirements and more daily questions. BWS days are shorter since you're mostly done with academics, but you have to build a mapbook (took people anywhere from 25-40 hours of manual labor to complete DURING the END of instrument phase [near the checkride before instruments) ... very stressful. Once you're in BWS, especially in the first week or two, I would come home from flightline, work on making my flight plan for the next day and have just enough time to eat and go to bed. It could
easily take 3-4 hours to plan a route if your IP makes it challenging. On top of that, you need to memorize a list of acronyms and complete daily questions that you get quizzed on in front of the entire class. Advanced airframe schedules are different... just as rigorous academically (if not more so), but you're treated more like an adult have a lot more free time to study and spend on family.
What should my focus be upon arriving at my first unit? What is “progression”? Progression consists of moving up the ladder from being fresh out of flight school to moving up at your unit to RL3 (Readiness Level 3), RL2, RL1, and then PC (Pilot-in-Command). d10, September 2012 Flight school was redesigned years ago to enable units to designate new pilots RL2 without a single flight. I've never heard of a unit taking advantage of that, but the tasks you need to be proficient in to make RL2 is the same stuff you'll need to do to graduate flight school. You're just doing it all again with w ith a unit IP. RL1 consists of mission tasks tas ks specific to t o each unit, so s o there might be some new stuff there, but that's usually only a few maneuvers that get signed off in one or two flights. But it's all about knowing the maneuvers, the aircraft (EPs, limits, preflight/startup/shutdown), and the basic flight school academics. You could maybe learn your local area and the training reservation procedures, but some unit IPs discourage that because it's not required for RL Progression. If there's a backlog you might be able to put yourself at the front of the line by handling your additional duties well and studying visibly. Get in the books every day right in the middle of your office and talk about stuff with the other pilots, even if you learn better on your own. But other than that, the only thing that really slows progression down is making yourself unavailable. Don't take a week of leave each month if you value progressing quickly. Hopefully that's common sense, but it happens. I guess people have different priorities. PC is a lot more complicated. Obviously you'll have to show that you can handle an aircraft, plus maturity and good decision making. There's probably a checklist and I'd recommend getting started on it as soon as you make RL1. Even if your unit says they don't use one, look around in your unit's SOPs for one anyway. Your brigade might have a standardized checklist that your company chooses not to use, but when a new SP/Commander comes in who wants to use it, you're going to be way behind if you haven't been working on it already. There are a ton of other factors too though, many of which are out of your control. Most units will aim to make about 50% of their pilots PCs, whether consciously or subconsciously, even though there's no limit to how many PCs you can make and no disadvantage to doing so. If you get stuck in a unit that's heavy on PCs, you could be waiting a while. Some units will have flight hour requirements, whether official or unofficial. My first unit had an official requirement of 300 hours, but your name would never be mentioned in the PC discussion until at least 500, and nobody was ever boarded before 600. Some units will offer PC as a "reward." Korea is notorious for offering PCs only to guys who extend for a second year. I was told I could make PC about 6 months early if I took a track I didn't want (I declined). It can be political, too. I've heard some ridiculous explanations by some pilots in PC boards why somebody shouldn't be made a PC. If someone doesn't like you, they can find a reason to hold you back. Bottom line is you have to get your unit's support. Particularly your Commander's and SP's support. You
should be able to get a pretty good idea about how to make that happen after a few months in a unit. The easiest way to track is to make yourself available to PCS anywhere at anytime. Your unit might not have any tracked slots available but there are always slots available somewhere. You can arrange to get the necessary school enroute. Other than that try to figure out what you want to track ASAP, even well before you make PC, and make it known. Especially make it known to the guys in your unit already filling that track. If a slot does open up in your unit, your commander will probably rely heavily on the recommendation of those guys to figure out who should fill it. They'll also be the ones writing your LORs to send to the branch manager in order to open up that PCS option. If you want to track IP, make it known that you're already a civilian helicopter helicopter CFII. That will give you a huge advantage. Most military pilots only know that the military equivalent to that is like the pinnacle of the aviation ladder. But even those that know it's an entry level job in the civilian world will consider it an accomplishment. You should actually make that known whether you plan on tracking IP or not. It will make progression and making PC easier for you too. easily take 3-4 hours to plan a route if your IP makes it challenging. On top of that, you need to memorize a list of acronyms and complete daily questions that you get quizzed on in front of the entire class. Advanced airframe schedules are different... just as rigorous academically (if not more so), but you're treated more like an adult have a lot more free time to study and spend on family.
Velocity173, January 2013 Leading up to a PC ride I take input from all my PCs as to where you stand. When I hear " XXX knows their s$&t, makes good decisions and is rock solid on the controls." That's when i see how far along you are on your PC checklist, and get a print out from flight ops to see if you have the min hours dictated by Battalion. If everything checks, then you get put up for a PC board. This board usually consists of the SP, CDR, and any PCs who are available. Sometimes the Battalion CDR (LTCol)wants to sit in to give his input since he's the one signing you off in the first place. It doesn't have to be unanimous. You'll have people who just don't like you and don't think you should be a PC. That's where the SP will sit down with the commander and decide if you warrant a ride. If so, generally you take a written test, do an IFR x-country, NVG tactics eval and you're done. I fill out your records, you take it to the Battalion CDR who gives you his wisdom on how not to screw up, signs your records and now your a newly minted PC in the Army. That's your PC "ride" in a nutshell.
What is a typical day like? What will I be doing as an Army Aviator when I’m not flying? Lots of goodies in this thread http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/15651-woftaircraft-selection/page-5 but here are some excerpts:
Velocity173, January 2013 If you’re active duty your schedule doesn't really matter if it's wartime or peacetime. The only thing that changes are the amount of hours you fly at home station. Here's an example of what your schedule on a non flying day will be like: 0630-show for PT 0730-PT ends 0900-show for work (sit around and see who's giving today's class on hydraulics) 1000-go to grocery store and pick up junk food for the fridge fund. 1130-go to lunch 1300-return from lunch (more sitting around studying, planning next flight or next class on hydraulics) 1500-time devoted to any other additional duties such as fire marshal, NVG officer, public works officer, hearing conservation officer, EO officer, movement officer, supply officer etc, etc, etc. 1600-go help crew chiefs tie down/move aircraft 1700-wait for PL to dismiss you for the day If you're lucky enough to fly a continuation flight or an actual mission your show time and schedule will revolve around that. Generally you have about a 2 hr prior show. Go out and fly for 2 hrs training or possibly be gone for the rest of the day on a mission.
Some Additional Duties Physical security Armorer Armament Nvg CBRN Supply Pubs ALSO (Aviation Life Support Officer) Fridge bitch Armament Officer GPC card holder Assistant NVG officer Assistant Resiliency Officer/Trainer Fire Marshal Public Works officer Assistant NVG officer Flight Ops officer Hearing Conservation officer
d10, January 2013 I was unit movement officer, information management officer, and unit prevention leader (+fridge stocker for the first couple years but that doesn't need much explanation). UMO was a good one. It's a high visibility job and it gives the impression of being a really time consuming duty but you're really not doing much at the company level. All of the coordination for how equipment moves is done above your level and the physical packing and preparing of containers is accomplished by the entire company. You basically just attend meetings and pass information between your company and the battalion/brigade movement cells. IMO was a good one for me because I was always the go-to computer guy whether I had the title or not, but it can be a bit frustrating when any piece of electronic equipment and even non-electronic equipment that relates in some way to "information" (aka: everything) gets passed off on you. UPL sucks unless you like handling urine.
Sbuzzkill, January 2013 I am armament, armorer, and an alternate ALSE guy. Armament is pretty much accounting for all of our machine guns and rocket pods. I make sure the log books are straight and the maintenance is getting done on them and that we are equipping what we need on the aircraft. If we get something new in or need to send something out I arrange for that and make sure the paperwork goes where it needs to. As the armorer I am signed for our personal weapons (M4, M16, M9, etc.) and my job there is to maintain the weapons, arms room, and paperwork. If we have a range or a gunnery you can expect to see me in and out of work around the clock signing out and back in weapons and doing some basic maintenance on them. My schedule has gotten better now that I have another armorer helping me out, though. I don't do much with ALSE except the occasional helmet inspection or tagging equipment and maybe helping out with modifying helmets or whatever. Half of our troop is ALSE trained so we have an ALSO but we all get tagged every once in a while to help out. I don't work on every additional duty every day but the little things that need getting done usually keep me busy. If I'm not working on my additional duty I'm helping someone else out with theirs. A lot of my day involves helping our supply guy pick up shipments, helping someone set up for a class they are giving, helping the crew chiefs down on the hangar floor, drinking coffee, studying, etc.
What are the different “tracks” an Aviator can specialize in? Instructor Pilot, Maintenance Test Pilot, Safety, and TACOPS.
Are promotions fairly guaranteed? If I want to make the Army a career, is this a viable option? The days of “guaranteed” promotions are over, at least for now. Here are some great links to help you understand the reality of an Army at war for 10+ years transitioning to a peacetime Army, in an era of extreme budget cuts: http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/16000-april-2012-army-cwo-active-dutypromotion-results/ http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/16031-does-airframe-matter-at-all-whengoing-for-cw3-promotion/ Fliesbecauseracecar, July 2013 A degree does make a difference, and a Masters more than a Bachelors, more than an Associates. Truth is that the number one discriminator for most boards is going to be your OER (Officer Evaluation Report.) Typically the board members aren't going to spend hours staring at the top guys or the bottom guys, most of the time is in the middle. Mostly what happens is that they get to your packet, look at your DA photo (not fat, check, uniform looks good, check, awards match ORB, check), skim your OERs, this guy is meets the above check, and has all top blocks on his/her OER, this one goes in the "promote" pile. Next packet, DA photo not current, clearly doesn't care, goes in the bottom stack. Folks that aren't at either end go in the further review pile. OK, we have slots for 68% (my 2-3 board numbers) 25% are in the promote pile, those guys are in. Now the question is, do we have more or less than 43% in the middle pile? Less, those move to the promote, and start finding the best of the worst options. More, we start finding the bottom of the middle pile to move into the not promoted pile. Pretty simplified, but accurate from the briefs we have gotten on the promotion briefs. Keeping your WOPD current for your grade, making PC. Getting a track prior to W3 strongly encouraged, but not 100% required. PT is command dependent. If your command is huge on PT it matters, if they are ok with mid range (250ish) then it isn't so important to get a 300. What the board sees is pass/fail only, the promotion board doesn't see your PT score. Biggest thing you can do for yourself, is be an outstanding pilot, but understand the expectation is everyone should be a good pilot. Following that, as an untracked PI, find an additional duty to separate yourself from the pack, ask for the shitty ones, Property and Unit Movement Officer are a couple that require work and good organization, but when done well will net you good writeups on your OERs. When you get stuck with the fridge fund, don't bitch, and make it the best fridge in the battalion. In the end, you are competing for promotion slots and everyone you compete with is a pilot, so find a way to stand out from the crowd. Don't brown nose, just look for ways you can effectively contribute to the unit's success and your OER will write itself.
How many hours a year can I expect as an Army Aviator? http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/16510-its-going-to-be-an-interesting-timefor-military-flying/ Velocity173, January 2013 Nowadays you'll be lucky to average 150 hrs a year during peacetime. After 6 yrs, 1 1/2 deployments and a yr as an IP I had about 1,800 hrs. No one is going to average 300 hrs a year today unless they're an IP or they lied on their flight time.
Stearmann4, January 2013 Expect the progression times to get longer with aircraft eventually coming back from OEF and going into at least a year long re-set period. The only good thing about USAREC thinning out accessions is that you most likely won't in-process your unit with 5 other WO1s and you'll all be assigned busy work in the S1/S3 etc waiting for an OML to progress. We've brought pilots into the unit who were made FAC 3 when they checked in and were left to rot for over a year (non-flying) because the unit either didn't have enough IPs, too many WO1s that needed to progress, not enough aircraft or a combination of all three. With budget cuts coming unfortunately I think we're going to see the return of this kind of stuff. All that to say that no, you probably won't make 2,000 hours unless you go to Rucker where you're guaranteed to fly almost every day.
Velocity173, January 2013 Prior to 9/11 I read an article in AAAA that said the most I could get in 60s was 200 hrs per year (Korea). That was an acurate prewar assessment. After 9/11 pilot's hours have fluctuated greatly. While deployed, a PC can get about 500 - 600 hrs during that year. This is even with their unit 200 % strength. For an IP it will be a little more. My last deployment I got 875 only because I was assigned a General and our BTL CDR used his IPs heavily. Once you redeploy the money dries up and the stay busy work appears. Now you will get about 1/3 of the flying hours. The 60 ATM specifies a FAC 1 aviator must get a minimum of 96 hrs per year. for a few of my guys after redeployment, that was tight. A FAC 2 guy (staffer) must get 60 hrs. I actually had to use our redeployment waiver for some guys who didn't meet their 60 hrs! Hours of course will vary depending on duty station but having talked to my buds at different places, they were hurting as well. So now with this current crop going to flight school and nowhere to deploy when they get out, 150 hrs is about what they can expect. For A LOT of people the life of an Army Aviator will be a rude awaking. Stearmann hit on it a little with the above post. If you look at the non flying day schedule I posted above you'll pretty much see your typical day in a nutshell. I didn't even list all the computer exercises or field exercises you'll do either. A lack of money and excess pilots is the biggest reason but there will be plenty of other hurtles in your way to the cockpit. You'll have missions where they will only pick the most senior guys so you'll sit. You'll have weather days. You'll have safety days, training days, DONSAs / holidays. You'll have local area restrictions like no flights on Fridays or noise abatement times when you can't fly. You'll have an IP who could care less about building hours and put off your progression or eval. You'll have courses to attend and additional duties to do. You'll have aircraft down for a variety of reasons canceling your flight. Your aircraft will break in flight reducing your flying
time. You'll have a platoon leader who is trying to get as many hours as possible in hopes of becoming PC so he bumps you. Finally and probably most important you'll have ground units who simply don't need to train with you all the time. I almost called some infantry units to drum up some business. When you get tired of not flying you either go IP or 160th. Both good choices. As far as other services? Sure a transport guy is flying a bunch because they're long flights. From what I've read helos and fighters about 200-250. You can actually look at the Blue Angel pilot bios and see they were only getting about 200 hrs per year before being selected to the team. People who want to fly their butts off don't join the service, they join the airlines.
Will I be hirable as a helicopter pilot after my 6 years are up? This depends on a few factors, namely your flight time. However, it is not a guarantee especially with the drawdown as of this writing. Most civilian companies require 1000 hours PIC (pilot-in-command), which may be difficult to achieve during peacetime and budget cuts.
I have no idea which airframe I want. I like them all. Where can I read current and future Army Aviators bashing each other’s airframes? Lucky enough, we have two threads almost wholly dedicated to that topic! http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/15913-oh-58-vs-uh-60/ http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/16839-ch-47-vs-ah-64/ And a bonus one: http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/15651-woft-aircraft-selection/
