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Army Aviation
- Thread starter CWJones411
- Start date
The fine print that is usually glossed over during the euphoria of the thought of going to flight school;
1. Investigate, but don't count on the WOFT bonus. Army funding changes by the month. Don't delay submitting your application looking for the bonusm you're just losing time-in-grade.
2. The Army flies helicopoters. You will more than likely never sit in an airplane, and slots to the F/W course are not offered until you have some senioirty, competition is fierce.
3. Absolutely no guarantees are made as to what airframe you'll fly, nor what duty station you'll tranfer to. Furthermore of the 4 years you and your family are stationed somewhere, you may make 2 15-month deployments. If you're single, not a big deal, but a family member deserves a realistic picture before you commit all of them to the Army quality of life.
4. BEWARE!Army recruiters are in extremely difficult circumstances right now. Theyhaven't been known for their honesty as of late. Don't expect useful information for applying to WOFT. It's a hassle for them, and they aren't filling critical shortages (i.e. infantry, cooks, etc) by helping you submit your WOFT application. Contact myself, Bobbyrock, OH58, or the numerous resources on www.kiowapilots.com help.
5. It's been stated several times before, but Warrants do the majority of the flying (some airframes more than others), commisioned officers bear the burden of command as they grow more senior in rank, and they fly less and less. There are exceptions.
That said, the life of an Army aviator is not like his/her counterparts in the other services. You live in the field with the ground forces, often in the same conditions. This is both a strength and detraction of Army life depending on your inclination. There are no fancy "O"clubs where pilots hang out after work (unless there's an AF base near), no flight suits, crud games, etc. There's alot of long cold/hot nights flying in the dirt and grit supporting ground guys. I'm probably jaded cuz' I spent so many years in the lap of Navy luxury. The Guys who've always been in the Army don't seem to know any different.
I've rambled, but you get the idea. Contact one of us green types if you have more questions.
1. Investigate, but don't count on the WOFT bonus. Army funding changes by the month. Don't delay submitting your application looking for the bonusm you're just losing time-in-grade.
2. The Army flies helicopoters. You will more than likely never sit in an airplane, and slots to the F/W course are not offered until you have some senioirty, competition is fierce.
3. Absolutely no guarantees are made as to what airframe you'll fly, nor what duty station you'll tranfer to. Furthermore of the 4 years you and your family are stationed somewhere, you may make 2 15-month deployments. If you're single, not a big deal, but a family member deserves a realistic picture before you commit all of them to the Army quality of life.
4. BEWARE!Army recruiters are in extremely difficult circumstances right now. Theyhaven't been known for their honesty as of late. Don't expect useful information for applying to WOFT. It's a hassle for them, and they aren't filling critical shortages (i.e. infantry, cooks, etc) by helping you submit your WOFT application. Contact myself, Bobbyrock, OH58, or the numerous resources on www.kiowapilots.com help.
5. It's been stated several times before, but Warrants do the majority of the flying (some airframes more than others), commisioned officers bear the burden of command as they grow more senior in rank, and they fly less and less. There are exceptions.
That said, the life of an Army aviator is not like his/her counterparts in the other services. You live in the field with the ground forces, often in the same conditions. This is both a strength and detraction of Army life depending on your inclination. There are no fancy "O"clubs where pilots hang out after work (unless there's an AF base near), no flight suits, crud games, etc. There's alot of long cold/hot nights flying in the dirt and grit supporting ground guys. I'm probably jaded cuz' I spent so many years in the lap of Navy luxury. The Guys who've always been in the Army don't seem to know any different.
I've rambled, but you get the idea. Contact one of us green types if you have more questions.
I'd like to second this thought. With my recruiter it was like the legally blind man leading the blind man. Without the help of www.kiowapilots.com or the Army Aviation forums at http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/3241924461 I would've been lost and so would the recruiter.