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I have been a 15T for nearly 19 years now. I have enjoyed it a lot and have been blessed enough to have had some amazing memories I would not have, had I been anything else. One of the Pro's to being a 15T is you have an opportunity to fly as an enlisted crewmember (Crew chief), it entails more than just shooting guns. You can become a Certified A&P Mechanic with either MOS, and still benefit once you've decided to leave the Army. The amount of duty stations you can be attached to actually outweighs the 15U series by a bit, 15T are considered to be more universal in that aspect, solely based on the fact that there are more places that Blackhawks are stationed than Chinooks. You have an opportunity to expand your career into more specialized units, typically with either MOS. I cannot tell you much from the Chinook side, but 15T's have a better chance at promotion as well. I have seen many 15U's still waiting for that promotion into the higher (Senior NCO) ranks simply because there is just not enough space to allow them to move up. Most are qualified to do so, but just can't. I hope that helps, if you have any more questions, please just contact me.

Becoming a Crew chief it can be very time-consuming but in the end it’s all worth it! now becoming a crew chief like all the others said, you need to get into a flight company and that depends on where you’re stationed and if they even have a flight company. For me(swearing in on this upcoming Wednesday for 15T) in Colorado at Buckley Air Force Base it’s only flight company so right out of AIT I’ll come back and do that

I'm a 15 U about to retire I love it I get to work on chinooks all day . You do blade removals. Engine removals, change APU Generators, CCI'S which is a in depth cleaning and inspection for rust and corrosion. I loved it

15T is the best job I’ve ever had. It opens a lot of doors on the civilian side and if you play your cards right, you stand to make a lot of money once you separate.

Becoming a crew chief can be kind of tricky. I have seen brand new privates come out of AIT and go straight into a flight company. I think that might be a little more common in the Guard than Active Duty though. If you don’t get places directly into a flight company, you’ll have to prove yourself as a maintainer and as a person. Flight companies are tight knit groups that aren’t generally keen on outsiders. You need thick skin and a particular sense of humor.

Here is a board that may help provide some answers - I always wanted to be a pilot of something so I understand the desire - good luck.

http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/21247-civilian-to-woft-questions/