Army Warrant Officer Flight Program

[weekendwarrior]

If you like to continue to fly FW, and still have a burning desire to serve and fly helo's, you might consider joining the Guard. This way you get the best of both worlds. Military flight school on your resume as posted previously, some (not alot) of flight time. Multi-turbine time (60,64,47) as recognized by some companies, but not all. (US customs is my goal, and they count 100% multi time for helo guys)
You'll spend a year and half training, come out with about 200 hours time, and you got PAID to put rotocraft instrument onto your commercial. If you don't like it, you are stuck for 6 years of guard duty, instead of stuck somewhere active you don't want to be (unless you get deployed of course, which is likely in todays world, but not forever).

So the way I look at my decision, it cost me 1 1/2 years of my life training, during a time when the aviation jobs really suck, and it's hard to build time. I got paid better than I would as a CFI for this time. I got a rotor instrumentrating in the process which equates to ALOT of money. I have rotor to fall back on if I don't find a FW job. I get to fly a cool aircraft on the weekend. And best of all, I go home at night.

Some people will knock the guard, but IMHO, it's the best part time job flying you can get. All the WO's that are in my unit got out of active for all these reasons, and enjoy flying Army much more now, since it's not a full time BS commitment that others have stated here with Army aviation.

As far as FW transition is concerned, it will be weird at first with pedal control. There are some fixed wing habbits that won't die, but I worked through them eventually. You will be miles ahead of eveyone else. Radios, patterns, navigation, instruments, etc. I'm in instruments now and am coasting through it with a 95 average with no problems, due to most of it being a review (and it's building more IFR time, too).

Whatever your choice, best of luck.

 

[SkyMutt]

Do you have to be in the National Guard Full-time, as in 40hr work weeks, for 7 years inorder to fly helicopters with the guard?? Do you HAVE to be a warrant officer inorder to get training at Ft. Rucker??

 

[weekendwarrior]

No you don't have to be in the Guard full time. As a pilot, you serve one weekend a month, plus any additional flight training periods you schedule, which amounts to a couple of nights per month additional. Then you have your 2 week training for your annual training.

When you go to flight school, you go through WOCS (warrant officer candidate school) right here at Fort Rucker before you start flight school. It is a 6 week course.

So to answer your question, no you are not a Warrant Officer before you come here. You are a Warrant Officer Candidate when you get here. You are whatever your enlisted grade was before you put your packet in for WOCS.

 

[SkyMutt]

thx for the info, i have one more question for ya. I understand that it is very competitive to get into the flight program in the national guard. I'll be recieving my A&P license some time next year. Could i work FULL TIME as a helicopter technician and at the same time work toward my priviate pilot license. Then after working with the unit for a few years apply for the flight program? Do you think this method is practical? However, i should stay in an gain experiance as a mechcanic because like you said i cant fly full time and I'll need another job while im flying part time for the Guard.

 

[weekendwarrior]

You can do this up until you attend flight school. Many Techs do this. They serve in the guard as a mechanic, then work for the guard as a tech during the week. The issue is that a tech job is held by someone with the same MOS. If you go to flight school, you won't be eligible for that job when you get back from flight school.

Yes, it's competative, but not that competative. Depends on the state, the mission, etc. Check with the aviation S1 shop at your local unit, they should be able to tell you how many people they have waiting to go.