HELP: Heli pilot for military

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MangoEmbarrassed2998@reddit

Army would be best. Can’t go street to seat as a warrant. But it’s a 10yr adso and many pilots are tired of getting fat cocked by the military. So I’d look else where

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enlist as a 15 series, preferably rotary mechanics. Why? you work and become Crew Chiefs for pilots, when you drop a flight packet, you will need Letter Of Recommendations (LORs) from pilots who are commissioned WO3-2LT. Being in the 15 series its easier to get these letters.

you will need a GT score of 110 minimum, BUT if you come in and have a lower GT, you can always do BSEP to raise your GT score.

Note: be a performer, just don't assume your commander will approve it, if you are an under performer, it will get denied.

I a 15W (UAS Operator) have many pilots as PLs, XOs, and Commanders. So when my Soldier wanted to drop a flight packet it was easy. He passed the SIFT, got his LORs, went to BSEP, and dropped his packet. took about 6 months but he was accepted on his first go.

He now out ranks me and flies UH-47 Chinooks.

Less than 4 years in, no degree, no flight experience.

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RGN_Preacher@reddit

You can start flying helicopters for the Army right out of high school through the United States Army’s Warrant Officers Flight Training (WOFT). It’s a fair bit of paperwork, so most Army recruiters will lie to you and tell you that you need to go in as a helicopter crew chief or something first before you can apply.

Your best source of information will come from the website forums - Vertical Reference. There are plenty of people there that have gone through the training and share their tips and advice on how to get it AND what the lifestyle is like.

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Low_Spirit_3832@reddit (OP)

i can apply to that before i enlist at all? ty

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RGN_Preacher@reddit

Yes, it is the only program where you will get a confirmed pilot slot so before you even show up to basic training you’ll know you’ll be flying and if you don’t get in you don’t have to spend 4 years fueling helicopters in Iraq and Saudis Arabia.

I know you want to fly specific helicopters - so that would mean going down the National Guard route and rushing a unit. If you go active duty you will be competing with your classmates to select the airframes available. There could be no blackhawks offered at all or you might end up flying a C-12 (King Air fixed wing aircraft) or an Apache. Also in like the six years from now that it would take for you to even make it to flight school and graduate training the Army may have fully replaced them with the tilt rotor aircraft. (I’m not fully up to speed on the timeline implementation of that).

Just enjoy high school and your friends, stay out of trouble, don’t vape, get consistent quality sleep and stay physically fit, excel in class and be a good human.

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Eclecticwitch42@reddit

Navy OCS you can have a confirmed pilot slot before you show up (you skip boot camp if you go to OCS). WOCS is the only guaranteed slot without a college degree required. Also, I'm tracking the C-12 slots are dual tracked with 60s or 64s and most of those pilots are sent to then fly helicopters. There's very few actual fixed wing slots left as they phase out the C-12s, but they have to finish out the training contract. I'm a current 47 pilot who went Navy OCS first only to be DQ'd for height. I was guaranteed a student naval aviator slot, and dropped on request to go Army when the Navy wouldn't let me fly. And my flight school class had no Blackhawk slots for active duty warrant officers, the class before mine had no Apache slots. Needs of the Army.

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LockheedTriStar@reddit

C-12 slots are now for life again, but it won’t last long as FW is nearing strength again.

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Low_Spirit_3832@reddit (OP)

Ok tysm to both of you ill keep this in mind

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Desperate_Exercise13@reddit

Good drakes, extra curricular activities, sports, all good. Don’t overlook the Navy. They have a ton of helicopters. You can choose rotc, or even navy AOCS after college to enter aviation.

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pattern_altitude@reddit

Chasing airframes at this point is putting the cart way before the horse and makes little sense.

Think long and hard about whether you want to fly or serve, because your job as an aviator in either branch is to serve first and to fly second.

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Low_Spirit_3832@reddit (OP)

i want to serve but i would love to fly a helicopter

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Ok_Truck_5092@reddit

Nothing wrong with that.

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Longjumping_Panda531@reddit

There’s a very straightforward path to fly rotary via WOFT, I’d hardly say this is a cart before horse situation as long as OP is fine ending up in a CH-47 or AH-64 as a backup.

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Low_Spirit_3832@reddit (OP)

im cool with that, AH-64s are awesome

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valspare@reddit

9th grade is a good time to start towards this goal.

I'm going to talk about this from a selection board (hiring manager if you will).

A bit out of order though. You need to be able to pass an aviation apptitude test and a flight physical. If you are unable to do both, your dream is over. Additionally, you'll need to achieve a 110 GT on the ASVAB (or the current) and be able to obtain a Secret Security clearence.

You say you want to fly helicopters, and so does everyone else with a packet infront of the selection board. What makes you stand out from the others?

Are you physically fit? Do you have integrity (doing the right thing even when no one is watching)? Do you have good grades? Do you catch on to technical materials and understand them? Are you a quick learn or slowm

How do you present yourself? Do you bathe regularly and know how to do personal hygiene (you'd be surprised)? Do you dress professionally? Act professional? Address people politely?

They are going to spend ~$250,000 on initial training to be an aviator. And trust you with a ~$15M helicopter and the lives of the crew and passengers onboard. Do you present yourself as someone worthy of this kind of investment from the aelection board?

Do you present yourself appropriately as an Officer of that service? Can you handle criticism personal/professional?

How do you handle fear? How confident are you in undertaking a task where if an inflight emergency happens, that your survival, the survival of the crew and passengers, rest solely on your actions in response to that emergency? Do you have crippling fear with the idea of possible being shot at?

While prior flight experience can help. It isn't a requirement. Sometimes, bad habits learned in PPL tng, can propogate over and will need to be corrected/eliminated. How well do you function in a small team environment? Are you the type to argue in the cockpit?

Some things that are going to end your dreams before they begin. Crime, drugs, alcoholism, DUI, gang affiliation, visible tattoo's, membership in extremist orgs, failing medical, physical, mental apptitude, security clearence, personal associations, etc.

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Low_Spirit_3832@reddit (OP)

I am convinced that I can pass the aviation aptitude test when it comes to that. I will pass the flight physical because I have 20/15 vision and good hearing. I have not taken the ASVAB test yet but I will study when it comes time for that. I believe that I could get a Secret Security clearance. Additionally I have both US and Canadian citizenship.

I am physically fit, I do 50 pushups a night and can run a mile in 10:30ish. I will definitely improve here because I believe I can do much much better. I have good grades. For example last year I had a 4.0 GPA, this year I had a 3.4 GPA (C in geometry). I am taking AP European history next year and will continue to take AP’s throughout high school. I am also a quick learner.

I believe that I present myself well, I’m polite and address people with the correct title. I shower every day and wash my face & brush my teeth twice a day. I dress in jeans and a white t-shirt (it's hot in LA).

I am worthy and grateful of this large investment. I want to serve my country and I believe that this is the best way to do it. I can handle criticism and use it to improve where I am weak. I trust that after proper training you can trust me with the lives of my crew and myself in the event of an emergency. I do not have a fear of being shot at that I know of (I’ve never been shot at)

I function well in environments with a small team. I am definitely not the type to argue at all, unless I am confident that they are wrong. I’m a good person. I have no tattoos, never had drugs, & am not in a gang. I and my family have no medical conditions that I know of that could hinder me.

[If theres any way that I could have improved this please lmk TY]

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Eclecticwitch42@reddit

Just so you are aware, the flight physical is a lot more than just looking at an eye chart and listening to beeps. Blood work, urinalysis, colorblindness, depth perception, dialate those pupils, the whole 9 yards. They'll also look at your past medical records for disqualifying conditions (repeated joint dislocations are an example disqualifier, I know someone disqualified for restless leg syndrome). Had a guy in my WOCS class eliminated after pinning warrant, but before flight school because they do a few more color test pages than normal, and he had mild color blindness. This is not to discourage you, but it is important to remember nothing is certain in life, all you can do is try your best.

ASVAB is pretty easy if you are a good test taker, the SIFT is more important because you can only take it twice and the second time is only if you fail the first time. A 21 minute 2 mile run will pass the PT test with the current standards, but you'll definitely want a faster time if you are looking to impress people. Do some volunteer work if you don't already. It looks good on applications, and gives you an opportunity to network, which can help you get the letters of recommendation you need. It helps to have some senior warrant officer and senior commissioned officer reference letters, I got some letters from retired officers I volunteered with.

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Low_Spirit_3832@reddit (OP)

I took the practise ASVAB without studying, I got a 17/24 (71%).

It says: Your strengths: General Science, Electronics Information, Arithmetic Reasoning

Study for: Auto and Shop Information, Mechanical Comprehension

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Plastic-Scar-5074@reddit

Coast guard fewer helicopters, need degree, army more helicopters, no degree needed. You do the math

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ammo359@reddit

How are we supposed to do math without a degree?

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Low_Spirit_3832@reddit (OP)

which has more requirements?

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Eclecticwitch42@reddit

Coast Guard is way harder to get into, but fly a lot more hours. Army you are flying bare minimums at most locations, but has the most helicopters of all the branches. Air Force has the Pave Hawk, so that is an option too (also requires a degree because the job is a commissioned officer).

I'd recommend reading through some of r/armyaviation if you want a good feel for the current state of army aviation from current aviators.

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kevinossia@reddit

Check r/Helicopters.

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Low_Spirit_3832@reddit (OP)

ok ty, i cross posted there bc i wasnt sure where to put this

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

I want to fly either the UH-60 Blackhawk or the SH-60 Seahawk for the military, is it easier to become a pilot for army or coast guard? I have no experience flying before and am in 9th grade. What steps can I take to achieve this goal? Who will train me better, which one costs less... ect. I will also provide extra info if u need any. THX

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