Army Reserve

[psysicx]

Does anybody have experience flying with the Army reserve.I am pursuing a Blackhawk unit and was wondering how you like it.How many days you have to fly a month,tdy's, and deployments.Thanks

 

[hawg2hawk]

Does anybody have experience flying with the Army reserve.I am pursuing a Blackhawk unit and was wondering how you like it.How many days you have to fly a month,tdy's, and deployments.Thanks

If you do it, do it as a warrant officer and not as a commissioned officer. O's tend to get their 96 hours a year whether they need it or not, and spend most of their time doing staff duties. That's 96 hours a year.
We are in the process of hiring a junior army captain with about 4 years on flight status who has a little over 500 hours total time, with 200 of that flown during a year-long contingency deployment.
Your mileage may vary, but talk to the guys in your prospective unit before you commit. Army reserve guys are spending a lot of time overseas right now, 12 to 14 months at a pop.
I am by no means slamming the army guard - they are great guys with an important job to do, but if your primary goal is flying a lot, this is probably not what you are looking for. Talk to the guys on APTAP.org - there will be some guys there that can provide a lot more detailed info on this than I can. Good luck!

 

[CCDiscoB]

I just took a plane load of Army Aviation Reservists to the Middle East. How long you ask, one year! I would not join the Army, the Army National Guard or Army Reserve for all the tea in China (I can say this, I used to be Army). The AF Reserve has Blackhawk units, have you looked into them?

 

[psysicx]

The AF requires a degree.I would like to fly and go to college.Deployments don't bother me.Thanks again.

 

[HoursHore]

Look at enlisting as an aircrew member in either a Tanker unit(boom operator) or airlift unit (loadmaster). You fly, although not up front, get a lot of money for college (at least 60%, some states pay all In state tuition (Illinois is one)), and than have the inside track to a pilot slot in that unit when you get your degree (as long as your not a closet case). Also Crew chief at a fighter unit is a good in to one of those units as well.

Talking to Former Army Guard guys coming thru Vance for Fixed wing Qual course, It was really hit or miss on how much they flew. One guy, after being picked up by a Tanker unit, didn't fly for the whole time his interservice paperwork was being processed in retribution.

Its a longer path, but I think the benefits are much greater in the end.

 

[psysicx]

Is it really that bad?Will someone who is in the Army Reseve post.I know that you have to fly an average of 5 days a month.

 

[Birdstrike]

Is it really that bad?Will someone who is in the Army Reseve post.I know that you have to fly an average of 5 days a month.

I liked it. I flew in four different Army reserve (read USAR, not ARNG) units and it just depends on the unit. The Assault Bn would let you fly about 1.5 hours once or twice a week x 4 times a moth and about 3.0 on drill weekends. That's about it. You don't build much time in Army aviation. The Army just doesn't fund flying hours as much as they should. You're an aerial weapons platform transporter, not an aircraft. But I worked with some of the finest people I ever met and had more responsibility than I wished I had. You will most certainly deploy, anywhere from 6-12 months, possibly the same year you join the unit fresh out of flight school. TDY will be mainly short term and voluntary, like for schools.

 

[MIJI]

Deployments don't bother me.

That's the spirit.

 

[psysicx]

Right now everybody is deploying be it Army,Air Force or Navy.Helos are what I would like.Thanks

 

[Hobit]

Psysicx,

I know how you feel about helicopters. I love them dearly! Once upon a time, I was 23, held a CFII/MEI (Fixed Wing only) with a BS from a small Florida based institution and made the mistake of taking a helicopter ride. WOW!!! That sure was cool! I had more fun flying around a pasture chasing cows, flying within a few feet of the ground and "attempting to hover" than I ever did in the previous four years of fixed wing boredom. (including aerobatics up to and including competitions)

I had to 'get me some more of that'. I had to find a dupe that would pay me to fly helicopters. The only problem was that I didn't have the coin to pay for the lessons, and that career field is hard to break into.

Enter the US Army and WOFT (Warrant Officer Flight Training). Fastforward to seven and a half years later...
I had 2100 hours, 1600 of that was R/H, I was a vet and I was looking for a job. Of that 7.5 years in the Army, I was OCONUS, or in a tent, or out in a field in rural USA, or stuck somewhere TDY that you've never heard of for about 60-70 % of that.

I know that it all may sound great and exciting now. But 5 years into it, when you are laying on a cot in a tent at 2 pm in lower Louisiana in the middle of the summer and brushing the fly's away in 90+ deg. heat while 'resting' (desperately trying to sleep) for a midnight launch to got out and fly NOE with a poor FLIR picture, you will lay there and ask yourself what you are doing and why you aren’t in the AF. They live in motels or BOQs far more that you ever will in the Army. In my experience, I only saw a few AF folks dealing with the nasty part of life and that was for a few days at a time.

Take a look out there and see for yourself how marketable helicopter time is. I went to an FBO recently to get a CFI (FW) job flying 152's for mostly primary instruction. My resume has 2100TT ~600 FW and I was very current in fixed wing. I had been an IP in the Apache and also taught in FW before entering the Army. The chief instructor pilot made a point of repeatedly telling me that in his eyes I only had 600 hours. Funny, I thought that my AH-64 IP time was not totally, but somewhat, important and an identifier that I was semi-intelligent and could teach, but not according to this genius. You will see a great deal of.... well for lack of a better word, Ignorance about all things related to helicopter flying. If it hasn't been shown on discovery wings, it doesn't exist to the vast majority of folks. Others will look at you as a substandard pilot because they just don't know what it R/H flying entails. They do not know of the very complex night vision, navigation, and weapons systems that you will have to deal with. This huge amount of ignorance leads to the ‘nose in the air’ with regard to your qualifications and a lack of respect for your experience. A dual rated pilot told me before I started my 'path less traveled’; "It's a fixed wing world out there!" (here’s a question…. Why do you think the path is less traveled?)

He was right. I met the absolute best people I could have imagined. I made life long friends , but looking back I WOULD in fact do things differently. If you have to go military, Try another service and shoot for fixed wing flying. Do a real no cr*p earnings analysis of a FW pilot in the AF/Navy vs a CWO in the Army… Add bonuses, base pay,BAH,BAS, and then compare the quality of life for each. After that, do an honest look at the jobs for helicopter pilots. Consider locations, top pay, schedules, movement, and benefits. Also, one thing to think about, as a AF/Navy pilot you will be an RLO and have ‘management’ experience, as a CWO in the Army you will not have the opportunity as much. If you loose your ability to fly (medical) you need fall back skills.

If you are honest about it, the fixed wing world will always win out. I will always consider the Apache as my first love of aviation and the best A/C I will ever fly. But it won’t give me anywhere near the life style that I want. I think an honest assessment of the industry will bear out the same for you also.

I think you should push yourself and try the ANG/USAFRes. But, if I haven’t dissuaded you, I hope you enjoy the ride you are about to take. Rest assured that you will live/fight/fly with a great and extremely down to earth group of people. You will consider them family and never forget the great times. Folks in the Army are usually pretty laid back and fun.

I am going back in not because I can’t find work out here, but because the people there are a class above the rest and worth being around. Hanging with your buddies becomes even better than rolling in and letting go with rockets and 30.

Good luck in your future and feel free to PM for other Army questions.
Pardon my ramblings...

Good Luck
Hobbit

 

[psysicx]

I would imagine that there is a difference between AD and the reserves.

 

[Hobit]

What differences are you talking about? Money? Deployments?

When I have been overseas, there were reserve component folks there with us attached to the task forces.

In fact my unit was replaced by an ARNG unit in the last place. They were very good too. Although they were activated an excessively long amount of time and spent a while away from home.

 

[CCDiscoB]

Others will look at you as a substandard pilot...they do not know of the very complex night vision, navigation, and weapons systems that you will have to deal with.

I don't know about that statement, I know a thing or two about night vision, navigation and weapons systems.
Helicopters have very important mission. I think I saw some on T.V. once, the show was called M.A.S.H.

(just kidding).

 

[Hobit]

CC,


Take my whole statement into account and re-read it.


I wasn't saying that you know nothing of Nav, NVS/NVG, Weapons systems. I was stating that most people think that helicopters are set up like the Huey's of 1968 and the pilots aren't exposed to complex systems operation.

I can give you multiple examples of 'tudes and ignorant statements made by those not connected with helicopters in any way.

I am not whining or overstating anything. Just simply letting the person know what they are getting themselves into.

 

[MIJI]

I would imagine that there is a difference between AD and the reserves.

There are differences, but right now you probably won't like them.

As a part time reservist or guard member, you will probably fly even less than the active duty guys do, which as noted by others isn't a lot compared with your civilian counterparts, or with the other services.
As either a part timer or a full timer, you will deploy -- for sure -- for a one year tour, and you may even get to do it twice in two years to different garden spots. Although you say this doesn't bother you, you may want to wait until you try it before offering an opinion.
In an undermanned unit, you may work as much or more as a part timer than a full time guy, get paid less for doing it, and not recieve the same benefits (e.g. mil leave, medical, etc.) depending on your status.

If your goal is to be a soldier, then you're exactly what the army is looking for. If you're thinking primarily of the college money and flight time, you're about to get a hard lesson in economics, e.g. "there's no such thing as a free lunch."

Hope it works out.

 

[Birdstrike]

...but 5 years into it, when you are laying on a cot in a tent at 2 pm in lower Louisiana in the middle of the summer and brushing the fly's away in 90+ deg. heat while 'resting' (desperately trying to sleep) for a midnight launch to got out and fly NOE with a poor FLIR picture...

There's some guys in the Cav laying in a berm at 2 am in lower Iraq after being in 100+ deg heat brushing the crabs away while resting for a midnight launch through small arms fire and RPGs to fly through another brownout who would give anything to be in Louisiana about now...

 

[CCDiscoB]

I would like to fly and go to college. Deployments don't bother me.

How long do you want to take to finish college? Deployments don't bother you, until you want to finish that semester you were so close to finishing. I wonder how much longer it takes a Army Reservist to finish a four year degree? These days, I'd say at least 3 to 4 more years. Going to college as a part-time student is not fun. Here is something else to consider, once you're Army you will remain Army until your commitment runs out. They don't like in-service transfers. Don't think you'll just transfer to the AF, otherwise half the Army would have left by now. One of the only ways I know to transfer is if you're in ROTC.

One last thing to consider, do you think we're done in the Middle East? Oh no, we've got some unfinished business with a couple of Iraq's neighbors. Did you catch the State of the Union address? If you join the Army, you WILL see action.

No offense to helo drivers, you guys do a great job, but like Hobit alluded to; you want helicopter time, what are you going to get you degree in, basket weaving?

 

[Hobit]

Birdstrike,

When I was in Afghanistan at 50+ degrees Celcius (HIT check temp was 51, thermometer was pegged) all day I still would rather be there instead of Ft Polk (did 3 MRE's there in 18 months ).

I didn't want to bring the whole combat thing into it. I thought it may look over the top. But if you think the young man would be better served by that info (shooting,taking fire etc), I can do that too.

CC,

Excellent post. Hopefully he'll listen to you.

 

[psysicx]

Thanks for the help.I know deployments are high for everyone but won't it calm down after the war.And I talked to the guy in the unit and said that you need 4 to 5 days to maintain currency and you show up and fly.You only have additional duties if your full time.

 

[MIJI]

Thanks for the help.I know deployments are high for everyone but won't it calm down after the war.And I talked to the guy in the unit and said that you need 4 to 5 days to maintain currency and you show up and fly.You only have additional duties if your full time.

Sounds like me when I was 19. If the advice already given doesn't dissuade you, have at it.

Let us know how it goes.