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High School to Flight School
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Depends on the job. When I was a platoon leader, I did OK - anywhere from 10-15 hours a month. However as soon as I left my platoon, I was lucky to get 5 hours a month. That was while I was in a line unit. Don't forget that you get to go to nice places like the officer advanced course for 6-8 months without flying. Anyway, 5 hours a month didn't help when the end of the semiannual period rolled around and I still had 35+ hours to fly...
Polartwins,
Apparently I can only post long diatribes but here is another one anyway. After noticing you, like most people, put flying as the top of your reasons for getting into the military I thought I would give you a bit of a comparison.
As a warrant officer I actually flew about the same as schoolio (10-15 hours of actual flight time a month) while I was active duty Army flying apaches. I have no idea what the average is now for a warrant officer. I left in '97 so somebody out there can give better numbers for pilots in now. But if it is anything like Desert Storm, Bosnia, etc. you fly a lot when you are in theater, but back home not so much.
I vividly remember a time in the 101st when almost nobody in the unit flew for 59 days so that we could save our flight time for a big training cycle. Why 59 days? because we all went non current at 60 days so it was the longest they could go in between flights. So what did we do on that first flight? We had a Battalion night gunnery excercise. What a great way to warm up after not flying for so long. I can honestly say that was one of the worst flying experiences I have had in my entire career. There were many near death experiences that night and not just in my cockpit.
Including flight school, I had about 850 actual flight hours with about 400 more simulator hours from a total of just under 7 years of flying (40 weeks of of flight school and six years in a unit). Flight time will vary by person. It all depends on the airframe and the unit. I was pretty much unemployable as a pilot in the civilian world when I got out due to the low flight time. I didn't really mind as I wanted to do something different anyway. But to many Army pilots getting out it is a surprise that they aren't as hot of a commodity as they thought they would be.
To compare, I have been in the Coast Guard just over six years and in that time I have logged about 1800 hours in the H-65. There is only one H-65 simulator Coast Guard wide so all of our training at the units is actual flight time. We average about 28-35 hours a month but for Katrina I logged that in 5 days. Plus, I get paid more as a Commissioned officer than I did as a Warrant officer.
If you don't have a degree, WOFT is a great way to get yourself into the cockpit. But, if you have a degree or are getting one, take a look at all the services before making a decision. WOFT will guarantee you a flight slot, another good reason to apply for WOFT. But I was sometimes, for the lack of a better word, frustrated that the warrant officer corps was very flat as far as career enhancement went. I.e. the biggest difference between a W-2 and a W-4 was where they decided to sleep in the tent. Ok, it was a bit more complex than that but not much.
I don't want to talk you out of WOFT even if it does seem that way. I don't regret my time as a warrant officer and was lucky and thrilled to get accepted in the first place. I also realize I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for that program. I just want to point out that the warrant officer flight program is a great way to go but it isn't the only way to go. It doesn't always live up to the expectations of those who have the one goal of flying because that is not all you do and sometimes the flight time is hard to come by.
Just look at all the options, decide what you want to to and go for it. Good luck.
Apparently I can only post long diatribes but here is another one anyway. After noticing you, like most people, put flying as the top of your reasons for getting into the military I thought I would give you a bit of a comparison.
As a warrant officer I actually flew about the same as schoolio (10-15 hours of actual flight time a month) while I was active duty Army flying apaches. I have no idea what the average is now for a warrant officer. I left in '97 so somebody out there can give better numbers for pilots in now. But if it is anything like Desert Storm, Bosnia, etc. you fly a lot when you are in theater, but back home not so much.
I vividly remember a time in the 101st when almost nobody in the unit flew for 59 days so that we could save our flight time for a big training cycle. Why 59 days? because we all went non current at 60 days so it was the longest they could go in between flights. So what did we do on that first flight? We had a Battalion night gunnery excercise. What a great way to warm up after not flying for so long. I can honestly say that was one of the worst flying experiences I have had in my entire career. There were many near death experiences that night and not just in my cockpit.
Including flight school, I had about 850 actual flight hours with about 400 more simulator hours from a total of just under 7 years of flying (40 weeks of of flight school and six years in a unit). Flight time will vary by person. It all depends on the airframe and the unit. I was pretty much unemployable as a pilot in the civilian world when I got out due to the low flight time. I didn't really mind as I wanted to do something different anyway. But to many Army pilots getting out it is a surprise that they aren't as hot of a commodity as they thought they would be.
To compare, I have been in the Coast Guard just over six years and in that time I have logged about 1800 hours in the H-65. There is only one H-65 simulator Coast Guard wide so all of our training at the units is actual flight time. We average about 28-35 hours a month but for Katrina I logged that in 5 days. Plus, I get paid more as a Commissioned officer than I did as a Warrant officer.
If you don't have a degree, WOFT is a great way to get yourself into the cockpit. But, if you have a degree or are getting one, take a look at all the services before making a decision. WOFT will guarantee you a flight slot, another good reason to apply for WOFT. But I was sometimes, for the lack of a better word, frustrated that the warrant officer corps was very flat as far as career enhancement went. I.e. the biggest difference between a W-2 and a W-4 was where they decided to sleep in the tent. Ok, it was a bit more complex than that but not much.
I don't want to talk you out of WOFT even if it does seem that way. I don't regret my time as a warrant officer and was lucky and thrilled to get accepted in the first place. I also realize I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for that program. I just want to point out that the warrant officer flight program is a great way to go but it isn't the only way to go. It doesn't always live up to the expectations of those who have the one goal of flying because that is not all you do and sometimes the flight time is hard to come by.
Just look at all the options, decide what you want to to and go for it. Good luck.
pilotyip
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2001
- Posts
- 13,629
Another way
Another option to look at is this. We had one our pilots go this route. Join the National Guard as an enlisted man in an aviation rating, become a crew cheif. Get known in the unit, then put in for flight school. Our guy got into flight school at age 19. He then flew for 18 months as a H-60 pilot, and was accepted for fixed wing transistion. Checked out in the C-12. He then came to work as a DA-20 F/O, but then went back to the guard full time a C-12 pilot. He was going to college on the side. There are many ways to skin a cat.
Another option to look at is this. We had one our pilots go this route. Join the National Guard as an enlisted man in an aviation rating, become a crew cheif. Get known in the unit, then put in for flight school. Our guy got into flight school at age 19. He then flew for 18 months as a H-60 pilot, and was accepted for fixed wing transistion. Checked out in the C-12. He then came to work as a DA-20 F/O, but then went back to the guard full time a C-12 pilot. He was going to college on the side. There are many ways to skin a cat.
Last edited:
CherryBomb
Former freight trash
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- Oct 19, 2005
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- 246
I did the woft program in 2001, got selected right out of highschool at 18. Broke my leg right before going to Fort Rucker. A week later Sept 11 hit and they took everyone on "medical holding" and sent them home with a dischrge. Huge personal let down...
Anyways, there were several guys that got in right out of highschool. id say about half of the guys had some or all of their college completed. The other half high school guys.
Like I said, I went in in 2001 so my info is fairly recent. PM me if anyone needs any somewhat up-to-date info.
Anyways, there were several guys that got in right out of highschool. id say about half of the guys had some or all of their college completed. The other half high school guys.
Like I said, I went in in 2001 so my info is fairly recent. PM me if anyone needs any somewhat up-to-date info.
Checks
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2001
- Posts
- 447
With the shortage of warrant pilots and the lack of applicants to flight school there is a high percentage of people getting accepted into the warrant officer flight program. Go for it, timing is perfect for a guy like yourself. The odds wont be any better to go high school to flight school.
If you cant afford to get your PPL then at the very least get you written tests knocked. That will be just one more little thing on your application.
If you cant afford to get your PPL then at the very least get you written tests knocked. That will be just one more little thing on your application.
Yellow Snow
never eat the yellow snow
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- May 15, 2005
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- 110
I am surprised no one has mentioned the Air Battle Captain program at UND.
You can get a full scholarship, complete your degree, and come out of the college as a US ARMY pilot. The competition is fierce for the program but it is a full ride and the training is second to none. Once you are in the ARMY as a pilot, go into the 160th and you will fly as much as you can handle.
You can get a full scholarship, complete your degree, and come out of the college as a US ARMY pilot. The competition is fierce for the program but it is a full ride and the training is second to none. Once you are in the ARMY as a pilot, go into the 160th and you will fly as much as you can handle.
Could you expand on the program. The only thing I could find on the program (including looking at the UND website) is this statement from Sen John McCain:
$2 million for the Air Battle Captain program at the University of North Dakota. This provision sends students from West Point to North Dakota for their flight lessons. Instead of letting flight schools compete for the ability to train these cadets, we have earmarked their training to North Dakota. We are putting parochial interests over the necessity to provide the best training possible for the best price to our Army cadets.
From that it looks to be only open to West Point Cadets. I know there are similar programs to what you said but maybe they are named differently?
Additionally, you don't just "go into the 160th" there are a few hurdles you have to jump before you get there, and as a commissioned officer it is even tougher to get in due to less available jobs and a few more obstacles to overcome.
$2 million for the Air Battle Captain program at the University of North Dakota. This provision sends students from West Point to North Dakota for their flight lessons. Instead of letting flight schools compete for the ability to train these cadets, we have earmarked their training to North Dakota. We are putting parochial interests over the necessity to provide the best training possible for the best price to our Army cadets.
From that it looks to be only open to West Point Cadets. I know there are similar programs to what you said but maybe they are named differently?
Additionally, you don't just "go into the 160th" there are a few hurdles you have to jump before you get there, and as a commissioned officer it is even tougher to get in due to less available jobs and a few more obstacles to overcome.
pilotyip
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Checks "With the shortage of warrant pilots and the lack of applicants to flight school there is a high percentage of people getting accepted into the warrant officer flight program. Go for it, timing is perfect for a guy like yourself." Isn't that saying you can fly without a college degree?
pilotyip
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Checks, I also do not promote not going to college as a general strategy, I only offer a counter to the "You MUST go to college to be a pilot" It is not true. It is an alternate successful career path. And every posting on why "you MUST go to college" has a flip side. I only offer alternatives.
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