Army Warrant Officer advice please

[Hobit]

I always wondered about the wisdom of using helicopters for Deep Attack and ...

Too bad helo guys don't do exchange tours like Fixed Wing guys do. I think Marine helo pilots could benefit from some time with the Army, and vice versa, especuially guys in the attack helo community.

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I wholeheartedly agree with both.

 

[CRJFlyer]

I took all the tests in college and scored the best on the AFOQT. I did the poorest on the NFOQT but my score was good enough for both the Navy and Marine Corps. My AFAST score was middle of the road. I remember a lot of if this gear "A" turns this way and gear "B" turn this way, which way will gear "C" turn to the point of exhaustion. There were also about 5 or 6 helicopter specific questions dealing with the functions of the cyclic, collective, and pedals and maybe some rotor wing aerodynamics. The NFOQT was full of algebra word problems and long division and multiplication and they gave you very little time to do them.

That was my impression from the practice tests. All the questions were very similar. So I'm thinking to get past that part of the test may just be a matter of memorizing the answers, or just having a very basic understanding of the cyclic and collective. There were some tricky questions about liftoff on a slope etc, but only 1 question like that and once you see the answer itr's hard to forget.

I'm still a bit worried about the pictures/cyclic part. The pictures are not all that clear, and I am very positive the answers from the practice tests were wrong. I have no doubt I understand the movements and results of the stick, but with the pictures just being snapshots I fear it may be a bit confusing.

 

[AirCobra]

That was my impression from the practice tests. All the questions were very similar. So I'm thinking to get past that part of the test may just be a matter of memorizing the answers, or just having a very basic understanding of the cyclic and collective. There were some tricky questions about liftoff on a slope etc, but only 1 question like that and once you see the answer itr's hard to forget.

I'm still a bit worried about the pictures/cyclic part. The pictures are not all that clear, and I am very positive the answers from the practice tests were wrong. I have no doubt I understand the movements and results of the stick, but with the pictures just being snapshots I fear it may be a bit confusing.

I remember the same thing. It was like a bunch of black and white pictures that looked like modern art and there was some sort of grid on where you would move the cyclic to level the aircraft.

I took the test cold and didn't know about the test prep books back in 198...nevermind. I remember looking at those dots and thin and bold arrows and thinking WTF? Do they still have that. I think they called it Complex Movements or something along those lines.

 

[AirCobra]

I wholeheartedly agree with both.

A friend told me the reason the Army doesn't do many exchange tours is because the pilots would never come back.

 

[Caveman]

I remember getting those stupid annual compensation comparisons when I was on active duty. They kept trying to tell me the $28K I was getting was really $45K. What a crock.

As a WO you'll do okay financially. You won't get rich but you'll be able to comfortably pay the bills. There's definitely a tax break because everything that doesn't end in the word 'pay' is nontaxable. For example base pay, HZ duty pay and flight pay are taxable. Housing allowances and subsistance allowances are not taxable.

My SWAG about comparing military compensation to civilian compensation is that it's about a 8-10% advantage. Let's say we compare total compensation of $75K and the military compensation is split 2/3 taxable and 1/3 nontaxable. That means at a 20% total tax rate (state/federal/SS) the military guy would pay $5000 less in taxes. The civilian would have to earn $81K to have the same spending power all else being equal. So the $78K total given in a previous post would equate to about $84-86K. All in all not bad, but it's not six figures. YMMV.

 

[psysicx]

What is the difference between flight hours for Warrant vs Officer? I understand both have side jobs.

 

[CRJFlyer]

As a WO you'll do okay financially. You won't get rich but you'll be able to comfortably pay the bills.

And there is the important part!!

At this stage of the game I see and end to my bank account and although we can live normally for 2 years, after that there will be $0 in the bank account. And then we'll be screwed. Me finding a job to get by will be tough because of babysitter needs etc. Only other option is getting a overnight shift job, wife works during the day, and we never see each other, still have to figure out how to take care of the kid on zero sleep. And eventually the stress of all this will lead to an end to my marriage at some point.

While the pay in the military isn't anything exceptional, it does provide enough, allows my wife to take care of the kid, we'll have med. insurance and a GUARANTEED job....that may be the most important part... So far I've had at most 2 years with a company before things went to crap. NJA was not even 2 years if you count the stress level at home knowing I'd be eventually let go.

At this point, not only am I excited for the opportunity, it may also solve most of our current problems. Granted, deployment and moves will be stressful, but we look at it like an adventure and chance to see new places/do new things. Plus I'll gain another skill that may aid in the future.

Starting my essay now.....wait...now.

 

[AirCobra]

What is the difference between flight hours for Warrant vs Officer? I understand both have side jobs.

Once again I can only speak from people I talked to in the Army but it appears Warrants get more flight time than Officers. Officers get about the same amount of flight time as WO1's and CW2's until the officer makes O-3 then flight time drops off dramatically, while flight time for senor CW2's and junior CW3's increases dramatically. What I have seen from other services O-3's do the bulk of the flying with flight time dropping off around O-4 depending on your assignment.

That being said you will never get as many hours in the military as you would with steady civilian pilot employment since you won't have several months devoted to things like moving and going to various service schools. The military doesn't really have much to do with flight hours though since they are a pretty arbitrary way to judge experience. If the unit needs aircraft commanders or IP's they will select who they think is best for the job since most people are going to be close on total flight time at different points in their careers. Its more about temperament.

 

[AirCobra]

I remember getting those stupid annual compensation comparisons when I was on active duty. They kept trying to tell me the $28K I was getting was really $45K. What a crock.

As a WO you'll do okay financially. You won't get rich but you'll be able to comfortably pay the bills. There's definitely a tax break because everything that doesn't end in the word 'pay' is nontaxable. For example base pay, HZ duty pay and flight pay are taxable. Housing allowances and subsistance allowances are not taxable.

My SWAG about comparing military compensation to civilian compensation is that it's about a 8-10% advantage. Let's say we compare total compensation of $75K and the military compensation is split 2/3 taxable and 1/3 nontaxable. That means at a 20% total tax rate (state/federal/SS) the military guy would pay $5000 less in taxes. The civilian would have to earn $81K to have the same spending power all else being equal. So the $78K total given in a previous post would equate to about $84-86K. All in all not bad, but it's not six figures. YMMV.

I thought that to until I started having to pay for school, health insurance, life insurance, additional taxes, and groceries without the comissary. Think about it if you needed an Tylenol you could walk to the clinic and they would hand you a whole bottle for free. Now I have to pay $7 bucks at Walgreens. These intangibles add up. Sure you may not make use of every serivce available like the GI Bill but at least they are there and you wouldn't have to pay for it out of pocket.

 

[Hobit]

+2 for AirCobra.

My wife gave birth to our daughter while I was 'on orders' and the total bill was $4.25 (for my steak meal). Honest question, what would the average co pay for a 'youngin' be with Blue Cross? What about each maternal 'well being' visit and associated ultra sounds? My daughter was born in a Naval Hospital and my wife, daughter, and I were treated like rock stars. I am definitely no one special, and a Soldier at that yet we received amazing care. My wife and daughter have also continued to received the resulting 'meds' free. Another bene that isn't easy to add.

Think of the 401K deduction per pay check to match the guaranteed retirement annuity.

I paid about $380-400 per month for blue cross blue shield. That is another thing taken for granted by many.

Another nice thing is that my state gives a good tax incentive each year for Guard folks.