I'm a 15B helicopter engine mechanic in the Regular Army, with 4.5 years of service. I enlisted in the Army with the intention of becoming a warrant officer aviator. Unfortunately, due to deployments I wasn't able to get corrective eye surgery until April 2006; and due to a recent PCS I just completed my application packet for the May board this past week. I'm sorry to say I wasn't selected.
My dilemma is, after November of this year, I will have less than 12 months time in service left before I ETS out of the Army, which means I will be ineligible to apply after November. If I don't get selected in the coming boards before Nov, I could reenlist for a few more years, and continue to update my packet. I've also thought about getting out for a few years, getting a college degree in aeronautics, and then applying for WOCS as a civilian.
After talking to a friend of mine currently going through flight school, and WO1's who recently graduated, I know how competitive the program has gotten in the past year or so. I know it's a risk to reenlist for several more years with the possibility of not getting selected at all. To those warrant officers and pilots, do you have any thoughts?
Thanks for the tip. I don't think I will enlist in the guard unless I become absolutely convinced that I would be happy with a non-flight mechanic-type job for the next 4 years or so.
I am near Pittsburgh, and the place I would want to go is the Apache unit in Johnstown, PA, but I haven't called them up yet b/c I doubt they'll be of much help, seeing as they won't be able to guarantee me anything.
I guess the Reserve is the way to go, but unfortunately the closest unit appears to be Willow Grove, PA, which is around 250 miles away, and it sounds like that distance might be a problem for the Army. I'd move though, if accepted. Anyone know of anything else in OH or WV?
There's a nice PA ARNG unit in Ft Indiantown Gap, PA... think it's an hr or so away from Pitt. They have a huge aviation contingent. Spent alot of time with a few pilots, and got spent a good amount of time in the air with them. I highly recommend looking there before looking to jump out of the state. I wish I lived up there!
Originally posted by 10595546: ...He also said I should enlist as aviation mechanic and get to know the aircraft to prepare me for the afast test and get to know the warrant officers who fly them for references.
That's a tough call. Last year, E-3s were getting picked up. This year, most E-4s are getting shunned, even if they're highly competent Blackhawk crewchiefs and flight instructors--like my friend who missed it the last two times. I don't think any E-3s or lower have been selected this year, and I know civilian applicants are up against stiff competition themselves. The only former civilian applicant in my unit, now a WO-1, has an aeronautics degree from Embry-Riddle & several fixed-wing ratings.
Being 27 still gives you some time before you turn 33 and need a waiver. I quit my teaching job at 27 and went to civilian flight school full-time. I graduated in '05 and joined the Army last year as a 15T, which is a Blackhawk mechanic. I had accrued a lot of student loans, but the Army paid off $16,000 of that this year & I also got selected in this month's board. I don't think I would have gotten picked up as an E-4 without a degree and/or flight experience. Not the way this year's boards have been going.
If your recruiter wants you to believe that you'll have a good chance of getting into WOCS if you just spend a year or two as a mechanic, he's not looking at the recent selection trend. The hangars at my base are full of junior enlisted warrant officer wanna-bes who are really good, experienced mechanics and crewchiefs. You can do it, but don't expect it within 2-3 years. Just a heads-up.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: HawkWOC,
Listen being a helicopter mechanic isn't going to give you a heads up on the AFAST. Tons of guys pass that with no problems. I didn't know what a collective or cyclic was when I took the test. I bought a study guide and looked over it. Yes mechanics will have pilots around them who can get letters together or help you with a packet, but its not a slam dunk. I have a crew chief who hasn't been picked up. Some times the boards are just brutal and looking other than what you got. Any more I am not sure which is harder civilian WOFT or active Army. I know civilians have a lower selection rate, but I don't know how many people are actually that competitive. Ask a lot of people on this board, some times people get picked up, some times they don't. Some guys got picked up on their second round just cause.
Originally posted by TurbineSurgeon9000: My dilemma is, after November of this year, I will have less than 12 months time in service left before I ETS out of the Army, which means I will be ineligible to apply after November.
Really? I find this one hard to believe since there are "street to seats" and "high school to flight school" still happening. If you apply and get selected within 12 months of ETSing there is the ability to extend just as in other circumstances. You might want to get with your AG section and research this a little more. Keep applying and don't give up since there are plenty of warrants out there who were not selected on the first, second and third boards but they kept the faith.
Yep..13 years in most of it as a mechanic or crewchief..took me 5 tries. Who knows how they pick people these days. We've got one street-to-seater hippie (first time go by the way ) in our class who thinks George Bush ordered the planes flown into the Trade Center. Life ain't fair.
Originally posted by Saltyfish: We've got one street-to-seater hippie (first time go by the way ) in our class who thinks George Bush ordered the planes flown into the Trade Center. Life ain't fair.
Typical. Just another one of the crowd who thinks the Army will be a free ride for hour building. Tell me you crushed his balls for being a dumbarse.
Oh man! He's a she and yes we crushed her balls. Now we just need a piece of duct tape. Thankfully she won't talk about her views much anymore with the class. She can't understand how the rest of us are so clueless. "It's because we're not from the north where people usually have college educations" she said.
She thinks she's gonna fly UH-60 medevac cause' AH-64's kill innocent people all the time. Can't blame the board... we should invent a blood test for ignorance.
Originally posted by trafficmp: Curious as to what you told her to shut her up. Was she a WO or LT?
Dosen't really matter Trafficmp, a dumbass is a dumbass. But seriously, I hope she is not an LT, thats all we need leading troops into harms way with views like that.
Salty, PLEASE tell me you are just kidding about this female! LORD, what are they hiring these days. Back in my infantry days this individual would of found themselves in a "assisted" motavational session.
I'm serious. It's a real kick in the pants when you try and try to get in and then you see a small percentage of folks who should probably not have gotten accepted slip through the cracks without any effort.
Hello everyone. I just took the ASVAB today and and did very well. I will be going to MEPS shortly. I will have to chose a MOS soon. I really want to be a pilot.
I am 30 years old with a bachelors degree. I was wondering if since I need a moral waiver for misdemeanors to get in as enlisted, will that same waiver work for WOFT or will I need to get another waiver. My AD recruiter and Guard recruiters are both telling me there is no way that I would get WOFT or OCS that I need to go enlisted 1st. They said that I would not pass the security clearance check that is to be done for the Guard and AD. Is there a different clearance for WOFT than AD enlisted?
If I do need to go enlisted first, what are some good jobs to do to get flight experience? Im not too keen of a mechanic. I really wanted to do flight crew for the Navy. Is there a MOS similiar to that in the Army? The description is as follows
"Crash survival, water landing, enemy attack. They deliver critical flight support and cross train for other jobs so theyre prepared to step in when needed."
• operating tactical weapons, sensors, and communication equipment; • performing in-flight maintenance of aircraft electrical and mechanical gear; • working with pilots to operate and control aircraft systems; • operating mine countermeasure detection and explosion equipment; • providing rescue of downed pilots with emergency first aid and survival swimming; • performing duties of flight attendants and load masters.
Before and after flights aircrewmen perform pre-flight planning and equipment checks and post-flight maintenance associated with their assigned source ratings or mission specialty.
Anything like this? What other non-mechanic jobs are good to get in the door that could lead to a chance to get to be a WO?
I'll take this one. You don't need to do become an enlisted soldier first. You need to worry about your offenses first. Of course a recruiter is going to lie to you. He/she is not a Warrant Officer themself. Whatever it takes to fool you and get you in. People have gotten in with some crazy charges or medical conditions and become pilots. Their is a waiver for everything.
They told me I was too old at 30 to be a pilot when I came from the Navy (where I worked on helicopters). I became a crewchief and now, 3 years later I'm about to start flight school. You see where I'm going?
Since you haven't told us what you did wrong how can we advise you? You need to do some research. Actually their is no such thing as an "Aircrew" MOS in the Navy or Army. I was in both. In the Navy you get a specialized mechanic job, or sometimes even aviation administration in the squadron, then become "Aircrew" on the side either by doing it on the job or going to school. In the Army you become a 15T or 15U for either Blackhawk or Chinook repairer, prove yourself, then get selected "Crewchief".. again on the job.
Either way you need to be able to do research on your own in aviation and this is a good place to start. Search crewchief, waiver, DUI whatever is pertinent to you. Then ask your questions. Try to understand your repeating the same stuff we hear countless times and for every pilot at Rucker their are 30 people who didn't get picked. But you can do it.
You don't seem to understand either the process of enlistment or putting a flight packet together but don't let the recruiter give you an education about it the hard way. People in my class range from 19 to 38 with some folks having never been in the Army and some having served for 16 years. GED's to masters degrees. Why be a mechanic, or anything else, if your not going to be happy and becoming a Warrant Officer is what you want?
Thank your for your good advice. The big problem is that my 1 offense was when I was a juvenile because it is one of those non waiverable offenses. The charge actually says posession w/ intent but it really wasnt and all I got was 40 hours community service 15 years ago. I also have the infamous DUI. Havent drank alcohol since then. Also have disorderly conduct and under 21 w/beer. I keep hearing there is a waiver for everything. Is there a waiver to get a non-waiverable offense waivered?
My recruiters think there is a loophole to get me in but said it may effect getting selected for WOFT and OCS. The recruiter is actually exhausting every effort to try to get me into OCS or WOFT. They know that it is what I really want to do. The AD recruiter is actually really awesome. It is the 3rd Army recruiter I have been to until I found this one that is more than willing to do what it takes to get me in. I was just curious as to if the waiver I get just to be able to enlist would also be the same one I would have to have for WOFT?
I will do a search before asking questions from now on. Thank you for you help and info!
In the Marine Corps you can get a guarenteed Enlisted Aircrew contract. I know because I did it in 1998. I went to my recruiter and told them that is what I wanted to do and nothing else. I was eligable to be aircrew and secured the contract. It was a non-platform specific aircrew contract which ment that I had no idea what aircraft I would fly on. Some people got helos in which case they were always flight mechanics. So you would be required to work on the helos. There were also positions open on Marine KC-130 aircraft. But in order to get them you went to an additional selection board after aircrew school in Pensacola, FL. The positions were for Loadmasters (which I became), Flight Mechanics (which obviously you would work on the aircraft), and also for navigators (in any other service navigators are commisioned officers, but in the marines they are enlisted). Out of all the aircrew positions, and after you picked up E-5/SGT., you could apply to become a Warrant Officer for the Navigator position only (if you were a navigator to begin with). If you applied to be a warrant officer in any other aircrew positon, and were selected to become a warrant officer, you would be reclassed into a new MOS or have a desk job b/c in Marine Corps tradition, "Warrant Officers do not get their hands dirty". So any job that involved mechanics or physical work (heavy labor) a Warrant would not do. A navigator sits in the flight station on the "Herk". But I had alot of awesome enlisted, warrant, and comissioned officers and we all helped each other with all the jobs once we became proficent at the job. This is a sort of "unwritten law" in Marine aviation. But I'm sure it is like that in all the services to an extent. If you did not get selected to become Kc-130 aircrew you were to automatically become a helo crew chief (once again you WILL get dirty) or you were reclassed to the needs of the Marine Corps. Did you ever think of applying for Marine OCS under the PLC program. You will get a guarenteed flight contract IF you meet all the qualifactions. I was in that program too. But not now (long story). Since you finished your Bachelors you would go to OCS in the 10 week program most likly. Then Flgiht school as a pilot or WSO (weapons systems officer). My brother did this and he is now a Marine F-18 WSO. He loves it! Anyway there a ton of options out there if you ask and look. DO NOT go blindly into the needs of the service or by a recruiters word (I think most recruiters a good guys, but there are always a few who don't care about dectating someone's future career for their own selfish needs to get you "out the door" for their recruiting numbers). Sorry to be long winded but I'm just trying to share what I have learned doing my own research and with my experiences. Any questions feel free to reply here or shoot me an PM at usmcloady@hotmail.com
