PaulyMeadows

Thanks for all your great comments. I'll be meeting with a guard recruiter who also recruits active duty next week, and getting the ball rolling! It shows a lot about this career path to hear from guys in their 33rd or 17th year. Flyarmy, Greggo, and Rmepilot, thanks again for your comments. I'll be sure to pick your brains over the next few weeks.

P.S. "Whirlybirds" as a regiment nickname? No?

rmepilot

Not that I'm aware of. We usually call them helicopters or aircraft, but definitely not whirlybirds or choppers.

Actually 22 yrs active, all aviation (17 yrs WO, 4yrs enlisted, 1 yr WOC).

Scout

My 2 cents worth, from 26+ years active duty, 25 years as an Aviation Warrant Officer, retired CW5 last April. Read Greggo’s and rmepilot’s comments again, good stuff there. Flyarmy's comments are valid; however the selection of Commissioned Officers for flight training vs. Warrant Officers is like comparing apples to oranges.

I had the privilege on several occasions to sit on the selection board for active duty Warrant Officer Candidate selection and WOFT. A little known fact is that only 2 of the 5 officers that make the selections are aviation officers and only 1 aviation warrant officer. Each Warrant officer on the board is there to brief the board members on what each branch is looking for. Warrant Officers serve in dozens of technical fields from Special Forces to Musical Band Leaders. The selection board is briefed by the Aviation Warrant officer on what to look for in the aviation packets, this is driven by the Aviation Prepotency at Ft. Rucker. Having done this a few times there is only one single trait that stands out …..APTITUDE. Aptitude is measured by your GT (General Technical) portion of the ASVAB. The other factor in aptitude assessment is the AFAST. Minimum acceptable scores to be considered are usually score of 110 GT and 100 on the AFAST. These are minimums, a competitive score is 120 on each with a higher GT a plus. Past flight experience is given VERY LITTLE weight. Civilian flight experience is largely a measure of who can afford it with very little insight as to ability or aptitude to be successful in military flight training. With all this said, this is what the Active Duty Army is looking for, the Guard and Army Reserve may be different since they do their own selections. My advice is talk to a recruiter have them verify your GT score, take the AFAST then see if you are medically qualified by getting a Class 1 flight physical. All bets are off until these are known.

Go to U.S. Army Recruiting Command's Warrant Officer Recruiting Information Site. The information there is up to date, and accurate. Don’t make decisions based on hearsay or what you hear through the grapevine.

Only three things will get you through Army Flight school, .........aptitude, motivation and a willingness to serve your country! If your short of any of these your in the wrong place.

ryan1234

Scout,
The board results for November of the website you gave showed about 16% of the all applicants selected to go on to WOCS for 153A. I was a little confused, is that the same board/percentage for civilian applicants? Did some of those who were not selected not meet the minimums?

jsfBoat

"RUN! GET TO ZA CHOPPA!"

Scout

Ryan1234,

All applicants that are boarded are fully qualified in all areas, the board selects the "best qualified." There is no quota, but there are "goals" for female and minorities applicants.......these are seldom met due to the "best qualified" criteria.

Stetson20

Don't show up at your first unit and tell everybody "I'm just here to build time," either. You'll be building desk and duty officer time. lol

Stetson20

ChinookDriver47

Agree with the above comment. To the OP: You will probably be flying a desk for a bit until your unit can RL progress you. Do your best at whatever job you get assigned. That will show that you aren't "just a time builder." Working as an Assistant S-4 or S-1 sucks, but it is those behind the scenes jobs that make the big wheel turn.