thtpilotguy

I am considering starting the process for the Army Warrant Officer Program or High School to Flight School. I would like to end up flying either Apaches or the Little Bird. I am an aviation student at a small community college in NC. I am majoring in Aviation Management and Career Pilot. At this time I have about 150 hours and my Private(working on instrument). What can I do to better my chances at this point of being admitted into the Warrant Officer program. Also I was wondering about what jobs are available after time in the military as a helicopter pilot. I was wondering how the airlines would look at the helicopter time if i had the fixed wing ratings as well.

rickair7777

Acceptance to military officer (and flight programs) is based on "whole person", ie education, grades, fitness/athletics, character, community activities, and previous military service.

Striving to do your best in any or all of these will help, then it's just a matter of how qualified the OTHER applicants are.

Since you are looking for a flight slot, aviation experience is helpful, the PPL is definitely good, Beyond that an instrument rating would be helpful too, but after the PPL additional ratings have less value to the military...they are going to start you all over and train you to do it their way anyhow.

Airlines obviously require fixed wing ratings, and most of them require that you have FW flight time to meet their minimums. A few (mostly regionals) will give you partial credit for helo time. The Army does have some FW aircraft, and while all army pilots are trained on helos, some will get to transition to FW. What you will need is FW military turbine PIC time...as long as you get 1000-1500 hours of that you should be good for the airlines (and a 4 year degree). If you don't get enough FW time in the military, you can always work as a CFI on the side and/or take a regional job when you get out.

But the best path to the majors will be FW time. The fastest route for what you want to do would probably to join an Army reserve or national guard helo unit, fly part-time for them, and pursue a civilian career on the side (CFI, Freight, Regional, Major).

Scout

Here's my 2 cents on part of your question. I agree with rickair7777 about the "whole person" concept.

The Warrant Officer Selection boards look at only a few things when considering a candidate for Warrant Officer Flight Training. The two biggest factors are your GT score (part of the ASVAB) and the AFAST (flight aptitude) score. There are minimum scores to even apply, beyond those you will need to do well to be competitive. Average the two scores and if you are in the 120 range you should be competitive. You will need good vision, and need to pass a Class 1 medical also. College is great if it is recent and you have good grades that indicate good study habits. Prior flight experience has VERY LITTLE to do with acceptance to the program. The officers that select the applicants are briefed on what is important in a candidate packet. The briefing is based on trends of past success. Not commonly known is that the board is selecting applicants/candidates for all Warrant Officer Programs, not just aviation. Only one (maybe two, out of around eight) of the officers will be aviators. Again it is the GT and AFAST scores that have the most to do with success in flight school. Prior civilian flight experience mostly is an indicator of what you can afford, not aptitude towards success in a military flight program. I could go in to waivers and other situations (medical, legal, age..), but it is best if you don't have any.

I did the selections numerous times over the last 10 years prior to retiring from the Army. If you have any specific questions, send me a message. I will be glad to help.

Scout

rickair7777

Good point, I forgot to mention the military aptitude tests. Without that you are dead-in-the-water.