What about Helo's?....

alphaone

alphaone

Well-Known Member
By all means, I am shooting for a slot to fly fixed wing a/c in the Air Force or any other branch. However, since nothing is gaurenteed, how hard or "doable" is it to get a pilot slot to fly Helicopters in any of the services? In 3 years I should have my B.A. as well as ASEL(IFR), Commercial, CFI..
Thanks all
Dubya
 
alphaone said:
By all means, I am shooting for a slot to fly fixed wing a/c in the Air Force or any other branch. However, since nothing is gaurenteed, how hard or "doable" is it to get a pilot slot to fly Helicopters in any of the services? In 3 years I should have my B.A. as well as ASEL(IFR), Commercial, CFI..
Thanks all
Dubya
Click to expand...

Pilot slot is a pilot slot. In the AF/USN/USMC, no one knows what track they'll be on until into basic or primary flight training.

Still, nothing is guaranteed.

As with most things aviation......Anything and everything could happen at any given time, with or without prior notice.
 
I talked to a Coast Guard fixed wing pilot and he said that you can pretty much choose between fixed wing and helicopter, however the needs of the service and your training strengths are also taken into consideration.
 
All Army guys do... we also train Airforce helo pilots there too. It's a wonderful place tucked in the deep south where the humidity is just oh so pleasant. :sarcasm:
 
In the Army / Air Force we call them Helicopters ...
In the Navy they call them Helos ...
In the Marines they call them ... Ugh!

Bring it on Lloyd!
 
Our flight engineers call ours "airplanes" for some reason. Weird.
 
C650CPT said:
In the Army / Air Force we call them Helicopters ...
In the Navy they call them Helos ...
In the Marines they call them ... Ugh!

Bring it on Lloyd!
Click to expand...

Oh, it's on now, Dog!!!!:p
 
how hard or "doable" is it to get a pilot slot to fly Helicopters in any of the services?
Click to expand...

You are the perfect target for a recruiting Army guardsman...just sign the dotted line and I'll get my $2000 bonus:D

Seriously, just keep knocking...that goes a long way. Have all your paperwork ready (i.e. aptitude tests, flight physical, security clearance or background checks, school docs, etc.)
 
ChinookDriver said:
The army aviation warrant officer program is pretty easy to get.

http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/
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Easy to get? Are you kidding me? Are you an RLO or Warrant? Your rhetoric suggest to me that you are endorsing that the most mininum qualified candidates who dont think they dont have a shot with the farce, or Navy to apply Army, like it some easy guranteed road? With all due slot, your wrong... Maybe the -47 community doesnt hold high standards, but I can gurantee you the -58 community, and every other airframe in the Army does!

Kids...A Warrant Aviator is the hands down best pilot job in the US Military...When your bretheren RLO in the Army, and sister branches reach Major and begin to fly a desk, you will still be flying your airframe, and giving check rides to baby WOJG's and LTs for PIC....

That said, it is by no means an easy road...You may not be a Congressional commissioned officer, but you still are an Officer, and nothing less than professional and gentlemanlike conduct will be expected of you.... Yes, the Army has more airframes than any other branch, and thus sends a large amount of individuals to Rucker for IERW ect....Yes, with the current world situation, the Army is in high demand for QUALIFIED candidates to send to WOCS/OCS and flight school...But dont think for a minute that there isnt 20 overly qualified, cream of the crop candidates applying for the same slot you are...Believe me, we are in no short supply of extremely capible candidates looking to get to Mother Rucker...

In short, unless you a great candidate who chooses Army Aviation first, then there is no need for you to apply to join our fraternity...Unlike the other branches we actually deploy for 12+ months...And believe me, if you get a pilot slot in the Army, its not "if" I get deployed, its "when"..."When" you get deployed, you will not be going back to your nice Officer Cordors on your boat, or your air conditioned rooms in the farce after a day of flying....Instead you will return to you sand bag covered trailer at a FOB in the middle of nowhere...You will spend most of your hours flying at night, 100 feet off the deck in territory where if you get shot down, some insrugent wants to put an orange jump suit on you, and introduce you to his knife and make you a tv star....

So does it really sound that "easy"?

If "easy" is what your looking for, I suggest looking at another branch
 
MikeOH58 said:
Easy to get? Are you kidding me? Are you an RLO or Warrant? Your rhetoric suggest to me that you are endorsing that the most mininum qualified candidates who dont think they dont have a shot with the farce, or Navy to apply Army, like it some easy guranteed road? With all due slot, your wrong... Maybe the -47 community doesnt hold high standards, but I can gurantee you the -58 community, and every other airframe in the Army does!

Kids...A Warrant Aviator is the hands down best pilot job in the US Military...When your bretheren RLO in the Army, and sister branches reach Major and begin to fly a desk, you will still be flying your airframe, and giving check rides to baby WOJG's and LTs for PIC....

That said, it is by no means an easy road...You may not be a Congressional commissioned officer, but you still are an Officer, and nothing less than professional and gentlemanlike conduct will be expected of you.... Yes, the Army has more airframes than any other branch, and thus sends a large amount of individuals to Rucker for IERW ect....Yes, with the current world situation, the Army is in high demand for QUALIFIED candidates to send to WOCS/OCS and flight school...But dont think for a minute that there isnt 20 overly qualified, cream of the crop candidates applying for the same slot you are...Believe me, we are in no short supply of extremely capible candidates looking to get to Mother Rucker...

In short, unless you a great candidate who chooses Army Aviation first, then there is no need for you to apply to join our fraternity...Unlike the other branches we actually deploy for 12+ months...And believe me, if you get a pilot slot in the Army, its not "if" I get deployed, its "when"..."When" you get deployed, you will not be going back to your nice Officer Cordors on your boat, or your air conditioned rooms in the farce after a day of flying....Instead you will return to you sand bag covered trailer at a FOB in the middle of nowhere...You will spend most of your hours flying at night, 100 feet off the deck in territory where if you get shot down, some insrugent wants to put an orange jump suit on you, and introduce you to his knife and make you a tv star....

So does it really sound that "easy"?

If "easy" is what your looking for, I suggest looking at another branch
Click to expand...

Okay stud, just relax a second and calm down. First, a clarification: by easy to get I simply meant

1. That compared to other application processes, the Army WO program application process isn't difficult.
2. If you meet the qualifications per your application, you will most likely be selected.
3. It wasn't a commentary on the quality of the Army's warrant officer or warrant officer system.
4. And lastly, it was certainly not a comment on the ease or difficulty of the day to day life of an Army Aviator.


That was a heck of a first post! Any reason for all the hostility? Any reason to believe that I sugar coat what Army aviation is all about? Any reason for your pondering that the 47 community lacks the standards of the other airframes? Any reason to jump on a board like this and basically talk down to EVERYONE? Any reason to be rude to a group of professionals and aspiring professionals engaged in an endeavor to learn? Any thought that your brash, harsh, and arrogant post made the Warrant Officer profession seem less professional?

Here's what I think. This was your first and last post. You found the board, saw one post that raised your hackles, and posted a grim message full of boisterous claims and misinformation. You won't come back.

But if you do, I invite you over to the helo forum. Your experience would certainly be helpful. I'd be willing to live and let live on this first mistaken post of yours. If you're willing to play nice, glad to meet you and hope you stick around. And if not, stay safe out there.

And could a one-sentence post really be classified as rhetoric?
 
I was a little over aggressive, I will admit. I apologize. I misinterpreted (sp) your post...Im just sick and tired of "oh...your fly army................................Why not the Air Force?"....And hearing how easy a slot with the Army is, which you and I both know is false, but you were not saying that, so no need to discuss it...Simple mistake...
I'd be happy to get into the helo forums...Where are they located?
Anyways, where you out of??? I have a good buddy, Forrest Johnson, was flying -47's out of MSARNG, as well as contract civ at rucker...He is now a 47 IP...Maybe you know him?

Anyways, I apologize for my offensive post, and I hope this doesnt turn any of you future candidates away from myself, or Army Aviation...Please feel free to post or PM me with any questions, and I will be happy to respond to the best of my ability...
 
The helo forums are here: http://forums.jetcareers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78

And no problem. We (in the army) all are brothers. We (in Army Aviation) are all unwanted step-children.:) ) And we here at JC *try* and play nice.

Don't know your buddy... not too much contact with guard guys. Haven't flown at Rucker in many years.
 
keep in mind there are fixed wing slots in the army and army guard as well. you have to be initally qualified for rotary and there are usually alot of people gunning for it, but there is usually a Merlin, King Air or something corporate for every state and I know of one unit in Springfield, MO that has i think close to a dozen King Airs.
 
MikeOH58 said:
...Unlike the other branches we actually deploy for 12+ months...And believe me, if you get a pilot slot in the Army, its not "if" I get deployed, its "when"..."When" you get deployed, you will not be going back to your nice Officer Cordors on your boat, or your air conditioned rooms in the farce after a day of flying....Instead you will return to you sand bag covered trailer at a FOB in the middle of nowhere...You will spend most of your hours flying at night, 100 feet off the deck in territory where if you get shot down, some insrugent wants to put an orange jump suit on you, and introduce you to his knife and make you a tv star....
Click to expand...

Geez, with a recommendation like that, who'd WANT to fly Army?

Go Air Force!

(Just kidding Mike, little interservice rivalry never hurts... Welcome to JC by the way.)
 
Thanks all to the replies! And by easy, I didn't mean that I would be half assing it, I meant that if I didn't come out of West Point would I have a shot?....It would be a great challenge and honor to fly for the Army.
 
alphaone said:
Thanks all to the replies! And by easy, I didn't mean that I would be half assing it, I meant that if I didn't come out of West Point would I have a shot?....It would be a great challenge and honor to fly for the Army.
Click to expand...

West Point certainly does not guarentee an Army branch. ROTC, OCS, and West Point all have their own branch selection methods. Each system is alloted x amount of slots from Human Resources Command. To branch Army Aviation you need the following:

- Pass the flight physical
- Good good grades in college (ROTC/ WP)
- Do well in ROTC your junior year of college (ROTC - I'm sure there is something similiar at WP)
- Do well at camp between your junior and senior years (ROTC - again, sure WP has something similiar)
- Pass and do well on the flight apptitude test
- Meet Army height/ weight standards (don't be a fatty)

Let me know if you choose one of these routes...
 
If you wanna fly Army then i suggest going Warrant...

If you have prior enlistment that is great...Prior NCO's make a hell of a good Warrant, and the Army does give favor...

If not, apply with a mininum of an associates degree, if not a BA/BS...Keep up your grades in college...Strive for the highest GPA possible...If that means sacrificing the bars on Thursday night, then so be it, because the reward is worth it...
Stay in shape...You want to submit your packet with a max PT score...
Start studying for the AFAST...With enough study, you should have no problem scoring high on the test...Remember, its a go no go test, so once you hit the mininum score, that is your indefinate grade. Make that a higher # than a lower....
Work on your LOR's...If you dont personally know an Army Aviatior, contact your local guard or reserve units with AVN, explain your situation, and if you play your cards right, you will get a chief, or RLO writting why you would be a good candidate...

Finally I guess you could take a look at the class1A flight physical...If there is anything in that physical that you question, have it checked out...Especially your eyes...If there is anything that will disqualify you the fastest, it will be medical...Its best to make sure your medically qualified before starting the whole process just to find out your not eligible...

goodluck
 
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