Im a pilot thinking about military any help?

S

Sphamilton16

Well-Known Member
I have about 200 hours fixed wing with an instrument rating and working on my commercial and I should be finished by June. I think more and more about military aviation but I dont know where to start. I am transfering to ERAU in the Spring of next year. I spoke with a recruiter today from the Army and she was telling me that I could go into Warrant officer training reserve and possibly get a fixed wing slot while going to school. She was saying that I should go through warrant officer instead of officer school because in officer school I wouldn't have a choice if I could get into aviation or not. I don't know what to believe when it comes to recruiters.

My questions are

Should I wait to finish my 4 year degree or join before to get money for school?

What are the pros and cons about army reserve when it comes to getting a flying spot?

She said that I would probably get deployed after I finished school, Would I be able to finish or would they take me in the middle? And if I did get deployed how long approximatly would I be in the sand box? I have a 4 month old and I wouldn't want to be away for years.

Are any other branches better when it comes to getting a flying spot?

Could I sign into a flying spot or would it be a process where I might end up in infantry or something I didn't want to?

I need some help because I have a hard time chasing military slots because I dont knoow what to believe and I dont want to sign my life away to be a dispatcher i want to fly.

Thanks
 
I can't speak for the Army, but as far as the Air Force is concerned, just about everyone who is medically qualified at the Air Force Academy gets a pilot slot if they want one. Whatever is left over goes to the ROTC detachments, OTS, and the guard/reserve. If you join through ROTC, you will have already signed on the dotted line before being categorized into a certain career field. Assuming your grades, AFOQT scores, performance in ROTC/field training, and leadership abilities are competitive, you're not a tool and you haven't pissed off your PAS, you have a shot at it. The fact you've already shown some flying aptitude shouldn't hurt either. However, some years pilot slots just aren't plentiful, and if that happens to be your year, and if you (for example) have a civil engineering degree and the Air Force needs civil engineers, guess where you're going?

Officer Training School is also available as an avenue for prior service enlistees and civilians who have already completed a four-year degree. Some say these slots can be even more difficult to grab, but you can choose to decline your slot at OTS if you're not chosen for the career field you want. Everyone knows their career field prior to starting OTS.

Then there's the guard/reserves. Each unit has their own particular recruitment/selection process. If you're interested in this avenue, grab a copy of the book "Flying in the Guard/Reserves" which will list the contact information for the units you might be interested in. These area also very competitive slots and very often takes an internal recommendation to score an interview. Thus, you have to get "face time" around the unit and get to know the people, so in that respect it's alot like rushing a frat. Bonus points if you live in the local area. Also check out the many other threads on this forum as well as baseops.net for more information.

Good luck.
 
I'd say the bottom line here is if you want to fly fixed wing (rather than rotors), the Army is probably not the most logical starting point. It also seems that you don't really have any interest in getting sent to the infantry or some ground job. I'd say you might want to shift your focus to the AF, or possibly USN/USMC (though both these services still have around 50-70% of aviators in helos these days).
 
When I was in the Army (non-pilot) I checked out WOFT and asked a couple fixed wing pilots in my unit in Korea about fixed wing slots vs. helo. One of the WO's simply pointed to the rank on his shoulder....almost every fixed wing guy is at least a WO3...He said he had started in the UH-60 and transferred over.
 
The upside to being a Warrant Officer in the Army is that if you become a pilot then you can almost literally spend your entire career doing just that - flying (as opposed to being a commissioned officer where you will spend at least half of your career doing other things like staff tours/etc). The downside (as mentioned) is that the Army is primarily rotor aircraft if you would prefer a fixed wing.

The AF is the way to go if you really want to fly, hands down. After all, it is called the Air Force for a reason ;). The downside is that snagging a slot is indeed very competitive. I was blessed enough to get the opportunity to attend OTS and then go on to UPT - but slots are even harder to come by today than they were a little over a year ago when I was picked up. Add to that - more and more guys are getting tasked with flying UAV's these days...
 
Sphamilton16 said:
I need some help because I have a hard time chasing military slots because I dont knoow what to believe and I dont want to sign my life away to be a dispatcher i want to fly.

Thanks
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I can help you with the Army side. I'm a commissioned officer who is an aviator and I'm an Army ROTC instructor so I can answer Officer v. Warrant questions and Army aviation questions.

Sphamilton16 said:
I have about 200 hours fixed wing with an instrument rating and working on my commercial and I should be finished by June. I think more and more about military aviation but I dont know where to start. I am transfering to ERAU in the Spring of next year. I spoke with a recruiter today from the Army and she was telling me that I could go into Warrant officer training reserve and possibly get a fixed wing slot while going to school.
Click to expand...

Getting a fixed wing slot WHILE in flight school, either as a warrant or commissioned student, is very unlikely. No matter what everyone starts in helicopters. When it is time to get assigned your advanced aircraft there is very little likihood that a FW slot will be available. IF it is, who knows if it will be a warrant or commissioned slot. And if it belongs to your class or not. If all those cards fall in your favor, you would still have to be THE number one flight student in order to get that slot. As a frame of reference, in the 12 months I spent at flight school there was exactly one FW slot available during that entire time. Bottom line - if you want to fly for the Army expect to fly helicopters. There are opportunities later in your career to switch to FW if you even still want to by that point.

She was saying that I should go through warrant officer instead of officer school because in officer school I wouldn't have a choice if I could get into aviation or not. I don't know what to believe when it comes to recruiters.
Click to expand...

This is true. If you get selected to become an aviation warrant officer you will be tracked aviation unless you fail. If you fail you can expect to be reassigned per the needs of the Army or discharged. As a commissioned officer your branch is determined by needs of the Army, the order of merit list (a ranking of all cadets nationwide which rolls up a myriad of things to include GPA, leadership performance, and physical training), and your abilities.


Should I wait to finish my 4 year degree or join before to get money for school?
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First decided for a fact whether or not you want to serve in the military. If you decide yes, then decide if you want to be in the Army, Navy, etc. Then decide in the case of the Army if you want to be an overall leader and manager (officer), or if you want to be a specialized technician (warrant). That should help you answer your degree question.

What are the pros and cons about army reserve when it comes to getting a flying spot?
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I can't speak much about the Army reserve except that they do not have a lot of aviation assets. Generally, the national guard has more. And generally as a new soldier, guard units tend to promote from within. They'll send a strong enlisted soldier to WOCS or OCS. One way to guarantee you'll go aviation as an officer is to enlist in an aviation guard unit, then attend college full time as an rotc cadet. The guard unit can sign a contract guaranteeing your branch and will have a position open for you once you finish school.

She said that I would probably get deployed after I finished school, Would I be able to finish or would they take me in the middle? And if I did get deployed how long approximately would I be in the sand box? I have a 4 month old and I wouldn't want to be away for years.
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If you are enlisted in a guard unit while you are attending college, you may be deployed at anytime. You would finish school when you return. You can expect a total deployment from train-up to coming home to be a minimum of 18 months. If you join the Army you can expect routine deployments every 1 - 3 years.

Are any other branches better when it comes to getting a flying spot?
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I don't know what you mean by better.

Could I sign into a flying spot or would it be a process where I might end up in infantry or something I didn't want to?
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I think I answered that above, but if not just let me know.
 
Sphamilton16 said:
I have about 200 hours fixed wing with an instrument rating and working on my commercial and I should be finished by June. I think more and more about military aviation but I dont know where to start. I am transfering to ERAU in the Spring of next year. I spoke with a recruiter today from the Army and she was telling me that I could go into Warrant officer training reserve and possibly get a fixed wing slot while going to school. She was saying that I should go through warrant officer instead of officer school because in officer school I wouldn't have a choice if I could get into aviation or not. I don't know what to believe when it comes to recruiters.

My questions are

Should I wait to finish my 4 year degree or join before to get money for school?

What are the pros and cons about army reserve when it comes to getting a flying spot?

She said that I would probably get deployed after I finished school, Would I be able to finish or would they take me in the middle? And if I did get deployed how long approximatly would I be in the sand box? I have a 4 month old and I wouldn't want to be away for years.

Are any other branches better when it comes to getting a flying spot?

Could I sign into a flying spot or would it be a process where I might end up in infantry or something I didn't want to?

I need some help because I have a hard time chasing military slots because I dont knoow what to believe and I dont want to sign my life away to be a dispatcher i want to fly.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're looking to be a Warrant Officer for the Army Reserve while going to college. Not undoable but you'll have to take a 2 year hiatus from school for flight school.

Also can't say it hasn't happened, but I think for the Reserves or Guard, they almost always require enlisted time before they send anyone to flight school.

Fixed wing slots are pretty rare. If the Reserve/Guard unit you're applying for has fixed-wing is really your only chance for fixed-wing training. Though even that will be difficult to get.
 
Yeah anyone joining the Army as a step towards an airline careers is going to be disappointed. I always wanted to fly for an airline and after 9 years in I'm no closer to that when I joined at 19.

My packet was accepted for fixed wing training a couple months back. Then 5 weeks before I was to go, DA stepped in and decieded I was just fine where I was.
 
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