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One for the Army WO bubbas
- Thread starter Uncle Fester
- Start date
In my state the Guard is funded to send only about 12 folks a year straight to WO Flight. They are required to have a fixed wing ticket w/ instrument rating. I was told that was to improve performance in flight school and reduce attrition. Years ago they rarely filled all the quotas. I don't know the status of it today.
Thanks again, guys. This is good stuff. I think my cousin is more worried about him flying helicopters in particular (she keeps asking how safe they are). I tell her she should be thinking more about being an Army wife. Not knocking our green brothers, but it's a very different life than the Navy life she's seen. As far as I know, the Army Air mishap rate isn't much different than the rate in RW in the other services.
I know some of the big Army Air posts are shitholes (Ft Hood particularly, I know firsthand). Which are the more highly-desired? What places do Army aviators fight to get assigned, and which are fled from as fast as possible?
I know some of the big Army Air posts are shitholes (Ft Hood particularly, I know firsthand). Which are the more highly-desired? What places do Army aviators fight to get assigned, and which are fled from as fast as possible?
I'd put Wheeler Army Airfield at or near the top of my list, based on 55+ years of personal experience and observations of their current operation .... mebbe Ft Lewis .... mebbe Ft Drum, but I have no 1st person knowledges on that particular slice of Army Green ....
In the Army's defense, a duty station is entirely what you make of it. However, the Green machine has a larger number of holes, I've known guys who bitched about living in San Diego.
I'm stationed at Ft Lewis, and I can honestly say it's probably where we'll be staying after retirement in the near future. It's got the same apeal as San Diego in that the surrounding area is big enough for you to go home at night and not have DOD stickers parking on both sides of you.
Hawaii is definitely high on the list as is Germany. There are also VIP UH-60 detachments at Ft Belvoir, VA (non-deployable) that guys have gotten out of flight school. Unfortunatley your standing in Army Aviation now depends largely on your combat experience, and you are expected to help row the boat at some point.
If you've grown accustomed to living by the ocean, you'll be dissapointed with the Army. If you like to live in semi rural areas with country charm (if you get 20 minutes away from the base), then you'll like Ft Bragg and Ft Campbell. I can't speak intelligently on other posts though.
As for Lawman's post on turning down fixed wing training, that's about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Why would your decline additional flight training?
I'm going to spiff ball and say that if you ever uttered "I'd like to go back to UH-60s and deploy to Afghanistan", that you'd get yanked out of your cushy C-12 and be landing in the dust before you could get you gloves on.
I'll be at Rucker in December going through the C-12 transition, and I've waited 7 years for it.
MR-
I've worked at Fort Lewis, Fort Hood, Fort Irwin, Fort Richardson, and Fort Wainwright. Of all those posts I liked Fort Lewis the best, if given the chance to work OLR West again for LSI I'd be all over it. The Pacific Northwest is the best place to live IMHO.
A4's,
You're correct on Wheeler. I spent four years there. It is a deployable unit so you'll get your share of OEF/OIF deployments. But way better than most of the Army shizat holes. I spent four years at Hood and it sucked. Austin being close was the only saving grace.
I spent my last few years in Savannah which I thought was excellent. It didn't have the Army town feel. Hunter AAF is home to a few small units and the rest of the Army gentry hang their hats an hour down the road at Ft. Stewart.
You're correct on Wheeler. I spent four years there. It is a deployable unit so you'll get your share of OEF/OIF deployments. But way better than most of the Army shizat holes. I spent four years at Hood and it sucked. Austin being close was the only saving grace.
I spent my last few years in Savannah which I thought was excellent. It didn't have the Army town feel. Hunter AAF is home to a few small units and the rest of the Army gentry hang their hats an hour down the road at Ft. Stewart.
Probably not that much different than the life of a JO in the Navy. You'll have additional duties that are commensurate with your rank. As you get more senior as a warrant you will track as either an IP, Maintenance Test Pilot, Safety Officer or Tactical Operations. You'll stay in these tracks throughout your career. As a CW4 you'll usually move to the BN ( about 30 aircraft) level and work directly for the Bn Commander. After that you move to BDE level ( about 110 aircraft) and work for the BDE Commander.
Forced to move down to Ft. Hood from what I would consider a great duty station, Ft. Carson, CO. Some hate the snow, but in CO Springs, by afternoon is was 70 degrees again! Something I didn't do while in the Navy prior to the transfer, was to get gouge on possible duty stations, when Carson came up, an Army classmate said he would kick me if I didn't take it!
Stearmann, waiting now to do the fixed wing transition as well, tired of spending money on all these additional ratings. Branch managers that came to brief us at Hood earlier this year mentioned 50 slots, only 25 applied! Not sure about the additional 5 yrs.
Stearmann, waiting now to do the fixed wing transition as well, tired of spending money on all these additional ratings. Branch managers that came to brief us at Hood earlier this year mentioned 50 slots, only 25 applied! Not sure about the additional 5 yrs.
Just a suggestion: Personally??? I'd do virtually ANYTHING to get a fixed wing Xsition, especially one that's paid for by UNCLE. That'$ if you want to try for anything '$ignificant' that involve$ flying after your time in a military uniform i$ over ...
I know, I know ... some herein will disagree -- usually the guys who are HELO-only .... but I've been in the 'industry' between airline gigs (I was the D.O. of a legitimate Part 135 operation -- 5 corporate jets, 15 HELOS - offshore oil, MedEvac, corporate/rich guy charters) ... and all the fellows I hired (mostly Vietnam HELO drivers) bemoaned the fact that they were 'locked into rotary' when it came to civie-street occupational flying options ... the ones who wanted to 'move up & out' of the HELO world were, in fact, trying to scrape together the $$$$ to acquire fixed-wing experience/ratings.
If you can get fixed wing time or ratings, compliments of UNCLE --- you'd have to be a damn fool to pass on it -- unless you've got a secret plan or Daddy is rich.
Hunter Army Airfield - Sitting right in the middle of Savanna GA, 30 minutes from the beach and 45 from Hilton Head. BAH is more than enough to live comfortably and there is an actual culture and civilization that exists rather than just being a city that is there because of the base (A la Rucker).
Ft Carson - Colorado Springs.... Ought to be self explanitory.
Wheeler - Hawaii. Absolutely beautiful by all accounts of those who have been stationed there. Personally I wouldnt want to do it straight away because its probably the most expensive cost of living of any post. Rather do it with some rank and enough money to not have to choose living in a crap hole or being broke.
As for the fixed wing thing. I dont want it this early in my career and I dont meet one of the 57 bullets on the requirement page. Only like 3 guys in my class did.
phrogpilot73
Well-Known Member
The Army's is actually better, here's FY '08 Class A's (per 100,000 flight hours - all Aircraft):
Army: 1.457
Navy: 1.70
Marines: 2.16
When you compare it to just helos, they're about the same - although it's not a great comparison (I couldn't find the Army's breakout of T/M/S):
Army: 1.457
Navy: 1.06
Marines: 1.41
Does the 160th fly C-12's, or is this break from the operational side for a while?
This is the biggest misconception about HI. Yes, things are expensive, but the military does a pretty decent job of off-setting that w/ money, at least on the O side. I don't know the WO numbers, but for an O-1 up, they throw a ton of money at you for housing and COLA that it's comfortable living. I'm not normally a Commissary shopper, but HI is the one place where I became one, and 98% of what you need is there at normal prices. If you're single, it's arguably easier since you can room w/ someone.
Also, I'm not sure I'd call Wheeler "beautiful." When I would drive down there, I swear I took the wrong turn and ended up on the bridge back to Alabama. Oahu is awesome. The 1/2 mile outside the Wheeler gate...not so much.
The Army has 4 battalions of RC-12 Guardrail's and one of RC-7/EO-5 ARL's. They have been very busy the last few years going to the usual deployment garden spots, and Korea, doing 'operations'.
Unless they are 'utility' birds I am pretty sure the 160th has no C-12's.