WOFT Selection Boards

[wannabearmy]

Just completed my initial flight physical and DA photo yesterday, and am in the process of finishing up my packet. I'll be going in front of the selection board next week and hoped some of you seasoned veterans could lend me some advice on what to expect. I'd be grateful for any help you might offer. Thanks for all that you fine people do!

 

[Ollie]

I went through the board in 2003, but I doubt a lot's changed. Here was the format for my board:

I got a military style haircut and wore slacks, a sport jacket, conservative tie, and loafers. My recruiter and I went to the headquarters building for the recruiting battalion and sat in a lounge area waiting to be called. When the desk SGT called me in, I walked up to the door to the conference room, knocked 3 times, and waited to be invited in. A voice inside prompted me to enter and I walked straight in, closed the door, walked forward to a chair, stood at attention in front of the chair, rendered a salute, and reported to the chairman of the board. The chairman told me to be seated, and I sat down at the modified position of attention. There were 3 tables in a semicircular arrangement with my chair in the middle. At each one of the tables was an officer from the recruiting battalion, in my case, they were all CPTs.

The chairman of the board greeted me and read aloud the format for the interview. Once that was done, each one of the officers asked me a few questions. They asked things like:

"Tell me about class x or your y certification." - Things I put on my resume and transcript.
"If you could change 1 thing in your life right now, what would it be?"
"Why do you want to be an Army Aviator."
"Why should we favor you over other candidiates?"
"What are your thoughts concerning our presence in overseas conflicts?"

That should give you a good idea of what kind of questions to expect.

Once the interview was over and none of the officers had any further questions, I was dismissed. I stood at attention, rendered salute, and thanked the chairman. Then I moved out from the chair, about faced, and walked out.

My recruiter and I waited for a few minutes, and then he was called in to speak with the chairman. He came back out, told me that the board was impressed by my interview, and that was that. I was on the selection list a few weeks later.

I hope that gives you somewhat of an idea of what to expect. As with anything, your experience may totally differ from what I described.

 

[wannabearmy]

Thank you Ollie, thats the best info I've gotten yet. So, you knew right away how the interview went? Good, maybe I'll be able to sleep that night! How was your WOCS experience? Did you like the program? Did you go straight from BCT to WOCS or did you get a little lag time between? Once again, thanks for your time - I'm trying to soak up as much information as possible and I appreciate your help.

 

[CH47Driver]

Another good source...

Wannabearmy,

It's been a LONG time since I went through the selection process so I can't be much help on that part, but what I can do is refer you to another forum that is a great source of information. If this link doesn't work, just type in www.aptap.org and it should take you to the main page. There is a section about becoming a Warrant Officer. I'd check that out, then go to the message board.

It's a site mainly devoted to helping Army pilots transition to the commercial aviation world, but you can usually find some helpful info about trying to get into the Army as well. In fact, I just checked and there is a post titled "WOFT Info/Advice" that might interest you. Sounds like a guy just went before the board, so he might have some fresh information for you.

At any rate, you chances of being selected are good right now, the Army needs pilots in a bad way, just be prepared for lots of deployments.

Best of luck to you

 

[wannabearmy]

Thanks CH47Driver. Am I deployable right after flight school? Would I be assigned a new station, time to settle in, etc. before being deployed? Sorry for all the questions guys, but it seems really tough to get any answers from somebody that hasn't been through this themselves. How long have you been in the CH47? Afghanistan? Iraq? Thanks again, very grateful for the insight.

 

[Ollie]

Yes, I was fortunate enough to know how the interview went about 15 minutes after I walked out the door.

I went and enlisted in the DEP 2 days after I learned that I had been selected. I shipped for BCT at Jackson about 6 weeks later and the very day after I graduated basic, I was on a plane to Rucker. I reported at the 1st Warrant Officer Company (WOCS) at about 1730 on a Friday afternoon. The casual duty candidate gave me a room and some linens and informed me that we were off duty until Monday morning, which was a pretty big shock to me at the time. I promptly changed out of my uniform to civvies for the first time in about 3 months, walked down the mini mall, bought a box of Krispy Kremes and pigged out.

While at HHC WOCC (that's where you wait to get all ready to walk across the street to 1st WOC to begin WOCS), we in-processed during duty hours and were off at 1700. My class began the 9 days after I arrived at Rucker - that's about it for "lag" time. I put lag in quotations because, while for those first couple of days I just goofed off, they still expect you to accomplish a lot of tasks during duty hours to prepare your equipment, your paperwork, and yourself for beginning class.

 

[CH47Driver]

As far as deployment, it's pretty much luck of the draw. It all depends on the unit you get assigned to and what their plans are. You may get assigned to a unit that is just coming back and not get deployed for a year, or you may end up in Iraq within weeks of arriving at your new unit if that unit is on the go list. You'll find that the Army sometimes has no rhyme or reason, you just have to roll with it.

I just recently seperated from the Army after 9 years in, and while I'm glad to be out, I had a blast while I was in. I flew about 1,700 hours in the Chinook, but never got sent to the desert, although if I had stayed in, I'd be typing this from Bagdad right now. I knew going in I wasn't a "lifer" but some people get in and can't see doing anything else. If you do well in flight school, you'll get to choose your aircraft, so I'll put my plug in for the Chinook. It may not be "sexy" and it's definitely an OLD bird (originally put into service in the 60's), but it's one of the most capable birds they've got. It can carry almost three times as much as a Blackhawk, can fly faster in level flight and can even float. The really great thing about it is that when you go to the field, you can take everything but the kitchen sink... Ok, you can even take that, too. No rental cars available where you're going? Just roll a Humvee inside and you're covered. Can you tell I'm proud of my old bird?

Anyway, I hope things go well with the board. I'll tell you right now, the Army rarely does anything quickly, so be prepared to wait after the board meets. Best of luck and let me know if I can answer any more questions.

 

[spongebob]

Capabilities aside, the Hook is about as ugly as they come. Don't know if I want to fly an aircraft that can have a midair with itself. Also had first hand knowledge of what a manpad missile can do to a Hook...not pretty!


SB

 

[Ollie]

That thing about having a midair with itself is commonly mentioned by detractors. However, has anybody actually heard of a documented case of it happening? Yes, if one of the synch shafts breaks, it could, theoretically, have a "midair" with itself. However, every aircraft has at least one critical component which, if lost, could bring the entire aircraft down.

 

[wannabearmy]

Thanks again. Everybody that flew CH47s seems to love that bird. Sounds like "rollin' with it" seems to be the most common answer as far as assignments and the like. I don't have any plans to fly commercially and I am mainly doing this for the privelage of serving, and the chance to fly helicopters alongside world-class pilots. I appreciate your help and input. I'll let you all know how the boards go next week.

 

[CH47Driver]

You're doing it for the right reasons, then. You will fly with some great folks and make some of the best friends you've ever had. Study hard and you'll do well and have a blast in flight school. Panama City is only an hour and a half away when you need a break from Rucker.

SB, I really like how vague your profile is... Must not be too proud of what you've flown. I'll be the first to agree with you that the Hook is ugly, but looks aren't what get the job done, so when you're done being superficial, we can talk about what really matters. And regarding manpads, I know the incident you're alluding to. In most helicopters, there wouldn't have been any survivors (half of those on board survived the direct hit and crash). What have you been flying lately???

 

[Hobit]

I spent a bit of time flying around with some Hook's and am very impressed with their crews and the A/C's capabilities.

I was continually amazed.

And this comes from a Gun Pilot!

Good on ya Hookers!

SB, I am sorry you hold that opinion. I guess I think they are beautiful because of the feats I have seen them perform.

One of the best missions I had was flying escort for a flight of 8 hooks on an air assault. Yeah, an air assault! Lots of boots. I will always remember watching them weave in and out of the mountains in a very well flown formation on a perfect mission. Truly an amazing sight.

 

[Traderd]

Well, I probably can't offer much advice as I did my board more than 20 years ago. I only remember their surprise to find out I was already a pilot and that it was not mentioned in my packet. Oh, and a Major on the board gave me a hypothectical about flying medivac, wounded soldiers and weather at 100 & 1/4. Guess he liked my answer; I got in and flew Attack/Lift for 20 years between active duty and the guard.

I only got one ride in a hook. My last trip out of the box at Erwin was on 47 under goggles. I survived!

Best of luck. I understand you're going in from the street so it will be a different world.

 

[weekendwarrior]

My board was pretty much the same as previously mentioned. "Tell me about yourself" (I had a memorized answer for this question, that I worked on for many days)

Why do you want to be a pilot in the Army?
Why would you make a good officer?
What sets you above the other applicants?

Basically, show respect, confidence (not cocky), and be yourself. Bottom line is, if you made the board, you meet the qualifications, and you need to show up a real sh!tbag in order not to get it. The Army needs pilots. Bad, real bad. Not saying that because they need pilots that you are a shoe in. Just saying that it is not that difficult to get in nowadays. It used to be much worse.

As far as the vision is concerned, you need 20/50 or better. If not, you need eye surgury. It is an experimental process right now, but I have known a few guys that got it.

Good luck.

 

[wannabearmy]

Thanks again guys, board is Thursday night. I already had lasik (9 months ago) and vision is 20/15. Already had my MEPS phys, Flight Phys, etc. 142 AFAST, 133 GT, College Degree, and 28 years old. I'm going Active Army. But, I think the final nod on the lasik comes from USAAMRL. Does anybody know if Army will move my wife down to Ft. Rucker while at flight school? Also, do they do all Advanced training at Ft. Rucker (specific aircraft) or is there different schools after IERW at other bases? (I know that the advanced Apache class is there, but what about the others). Once again guys, thanks for all your help and any other tips would be great. Driver, I just might take you up on that offer - pints on me.

 

[Ollie]

You will be authorized to move your wife to Rucker during flight school and you'll be eligible for post housing. During in-processing WOCS you'll stop at the housing office and put your name on the wait list so that, by the time you finish WOCS, there will be housing available.

For an active duty guy, all the advanced aircraft training is done at Rucker. There are only 4 airframes that you could get coming out of flight school. RES/NG guys have other training sites available to them.

Your scores sound quite competitive. Your next point of order needs to be developing some good responses to the questions they're sure to ask (see above posts). If you interview well and your surgery waiver is granted, you're good to go.

 

[Traderd]

How is the training structured at Mother Rucker nowadays?

When I entered in 1983, we did 6 weeks of WOCD, followed by primary training in Th-55s, contact training in the UH-1 followed by Basic/Advanced instruments in the UH-1. At that point, you were either tracked in scouts and went to the Scout program in OH-58s or Utility tracked and did Combat skills training in the UH-1 followed by an Advanced Aircraft Qualification Course (AAQC) in the Hawk, Cobra or Chinook. I think it was also a possibility that one could go directly to the Fixed Wing transition out of combat skills training.

Also, prior to my class, the scout track was not an option. They basically took the top performers in the class and put them in that track. However, we were allowed to choose either the scout track or our the aircraft transition of our liking after we finished instruments, based on our class standing. I was lucky enough to be in the top few so I elected out of scouts and went to combat skills training and then to Cobra Hall for the AH-1 transition.

I know everything has changed and that the TH-67 is the primary flight trainer, but I'm just curious to see how the rest of the program flows now.

By the way wannabe, when I went to flight school, there was a real advantage to being married. At that time, you did not receive your bar until after you finished all of flight school (but before any AQC). As such, the lowly Warrant Officer Candidates (WOC) were not allowed to live off base until very late in the program, unless you were married. Then, you could move off post immediately following primary flight training. Which I did - moved into the Green Acre apartments in senic Daleville Alabama. I believe candidates now are promoted to W1 as soon as they finish WOCD. Ahhh - the easy life!

 

[psysicx]

How do you like flying in the AD Army.It seems to have mixed results.Also with the war what is the deployment rate like.I heard one year on one year off is this correct.

 

[Ollie]

As of right now, there are 2 distinctly different programs being run at Rucker for initial entry aviators - BCS (basic combat skills, or the "traditional" track) and flight school XXI (FSXXI).

First, all students must attend several weeks of pre-flight traning studying aeromedical factors, cockpit familiarization, and startup procedures (they're trying to lower the high number of hot starts on the flight line). Then, they attend primary in the TH-67 which is the military version of the Bell 206B3 JetRanger for 8 weeks. After that comes 4 weeks of UH-1/TH-67 instrument flight simulator training. During this time, students do 2 weeks of basic instruments (attitude flying), then 2 weeks of advanced instruments (radio navigation) in a full motion sim. After that comes 4 weeks in instrument certified 67's flying all over AL, FL, and GA shooting approaches and sampling the country cuisine.

That's the point at which the student body splits into the 2 "tracks" to finish the remainder of their flight traning. As of right now, at the end of instruments, students are called into the company office for a meeting. At that meeting, cadre puts out how many FSXXI slots are allocated from DA and for what airframes. At that point, the guy at the top of the order of merit list (OML) based on grades from academics and flight line gets his first choice of FSXXI slots. The trend seems to be top couple go 47's, the next 8-10 go 60's, the next couple go 58's, and then a couple of 64's. The rest of the people get BCS. Before I get flamed, let me issue a disclaimer saying that these were the approximate numbers from my specific class - I have the extreme respect for all airframes and, to be honest, I really had a difficult time deciding what I wanted at the time. They're trying to get funding to allow all active duty personnel to get FSXXI by fiscal year 2006 and all personnel, regardless of component, by 2008.

The FSXXI group, as a whole, then attends a 2 week basic terrain navigation course where they fly as passengers in OH-58's learning to navigate low level and contour using a trusty 1/50,000 map. After that, everybody splits up to go to their specific airframe and do 12-20 weeks of airframe specific training.

The BCS group begins a 12 week course flying OH-58's where they learn terrain flight, tactics, nights, etc. before they go on to their advanced aircraft.

After BCS and FSXXI, everybody comes back together for aviation officer basic course, which is an 8 week course that teaches the ins and outs of being an aviation officer and includes a couple weeks of SERE (level B right now, but expect C by year's end). About half way through OBC, active duty people that went BCS will choose airframes and duty assignments based on the OML. FSXXI people only choose duty assignments. At OBC graduation, everybody gets their wings. After that is a dunker course then you're outta there.

 

[wannabearmy]

Great information Ollie - you guys are all really helpful, and I appreciate your time. I imagine that choosing your airframe is a very tough decision. Every one has its own appeal. Did your decision become easier while you were in school? What factors made you decide the 47? I know everybody I've talked to that flew/flies that bird absolutely raves about it. I'd love to hear what other airframe pilots have to say about their airframes and some of the reasons they chose it. Thanks again everybody. Going to meet my recruiter tonight, finalize my packet.