What insight can you provide on a career as a Warrant Officer Helo pilot in Army or a pilot in Air Force?

2020-01-27T21:05:46-05:00

I'm currently a sophomore cadet in AFROTC and if I am chosen for training this summer I will be contracting over the summer. I've been exploring the path of leaving rotc and college to join the army as a warrant officer to fly helicopters instead. It interests me mainly because the warrant officer route is a strictly flying career(To my understanding until CW5). Instead of the Air Force's pilot career which spirals into command positions after 10 years or so in most cases. My current AF route also has the uncertainty of me being selected for a pilot slot(granted it's not incredibly competitive currently) and also of me being awarded a plane that I would find boring. I'm also currently interested in flying fighters if I were to receive a pilot slot, however I realize this could change while I'm at flight school, but if it did not change there is always the chance of fighter slots not being available at my graduation time. I would be happy with any of the helicopters in the U.S. Army and would have a guaranteed flight spot if I did the army path. Any insight into these careers would be greatly appreciated.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2020 9:12 PM

2020-01-27T21:12:04-05:00

First off, you are not guaranteed any slot in the Army. If you want to attend WOFT, because you are currently not a contracted service member, you would have to go the Street to Seat route which tends to be a little harder then a service member select. You must take the SIFT, have above a 110 GT, pass a flight physical, get LORs from senior warrant officers, then have your packet boarded. Even after all of that, you are not guaranteed to be selected. I know numerous commissioned officers whose first choice was Aviation and had met all the requirements, and guess what? They didn't get aviation.

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made Jan 27 at 2020 9:43 PM

2020-01-27T21:43:45-05:00

In my 23 years of commissioned service I had 3 years I was not in a flying billet. I flew all the rotary winged aircraft the Corps had at the time and three fixed wing. I was a flight leader, had a special instrument rating and loved flying. When I retired there was no great demand for pilots since all of my contemporaries who didn't make a career out of the service had taken the spots vacated by the WWII and Korean military trained pilots.
All of that said, when I started to look for a job to support my family, the interviewers weren't interested in any of my flight quals, they wanted to know what college I graduated from and what talents I had that they could use in their company.
My point, being a stick and throttle man is the greatest career one could hope for in my opinion, but don't give up a college degree and the opportunity to learn something about all those boring things like administration, logistics, maintenance and other fields that civilian corporations can use.

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made Jan 27 at 2020 10:38 PM

2020-01-27T22:38:03-05:00

When I was a kid, I wanted to fly fighters like most. I did not have the vision and went nursing. Now that I fly for fun, I would much rather fly a C130 than a fighter. What you can do with a big bird effects people in a different way and I truly think they take much more skill. Stay in college and get your degree. Airplanes and helicopters will always be around and you are young. Finish a bachelors and then go get the technical education, I did that in nursing then EMS. It worked well for me.

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Jan 27 at 2020 10:43 PM

2020-01-27T22:43:54-05:00

Don’t know Cadet 3rd Class Private RallyPoint Member. I just jumped from both fixed and rotary wing. Lots of fun may I say!

Response by LTJG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2020 11:18 PM

2020-01-27T23:18:58-05:00

Im going to pm you

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2020 8:28 AM

2020-01-28T08:28:50-05:00

It really all depends on you and what you want in a flying career. I commissioned out of an ROTC unit in 1986. Converted to Warrant officer in 1994 and have no regrets. I've served active, reserve and National Guard. My civilian and military aviation career have given me great satisfaction and I've never been unemployed. (Results may vary.)

That said, several of the guys I commissioned with did their 20 years active duty and are now captains for major airlines. (Results vary there too.)

Best advice I can give is to come up with your own aviation goal. If one path fails be willing to take another route to your goal.

Good luck.

Response by CPT Michael Walsh made Jan 28 at 2020 8:42 AM

2020-01-28T08:42:28-05:00

Get your education. Make that your number one priority whether as a military officer or civilian. As other career officers here pointed out, "There aren't any guarantees!"

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2020 9:57 AM

2020-01-28T09:57:37-05:00

Finish your degree even if you want to be a Warrant Officer. Although it is not required, it is highly beneficial to your career and the Warrant Officer community highly encourages furthering your eduction.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Jan 31 at 2020 9:52 AM

2020-01-31T09:52:40-05:00

I was an Air Force pilot and worked in or near operations for 16 of my 22 years. I flew transports and training aircraft and never found it to be particularly boring. Although I have to admit that some flights were routine. On the other hand, flying the C-130 below 500 feet above the ground, at 200 knots, in formation was a mission that required your full attention. Also, teaching students to fly was always a challenge. You never knew exactly what the student in the other seat was going to do. I have some good stories from my time as a "basic jet" instructor pilot. I did tours of duty on headquarters staffs and worked at the unified command headquarters level for almost 6 years. Excitement wasn't the hallmark of those years, but there were many challenges. I took knowledge and skills from those jobs that helped me get good post-retirement employment.

Cadet 3rd Class Private RallyPoint Member You have accurately described the main difference between the Army Aviation WO program and the Air Force pilot program. Army WOs mostly fly. They don't normally command units. If all you want to do is fly, this may be the right course for you. Unfortunately the Air Force doesn't have warrant officers. Air Force pilots usually fly for their first 6 to 8 years. After that they normally are required to do a mix of staff or command work along with flying. As a captain, you'll have to make a decision to pursue a command track or a staff track (my names not the AF). If you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities, particularly the personality, to be a commander, then you volunteer and push to get the jobs that lead to a Squadron Command, such as Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, Chief Pilot, Operations Officer. You'll also have to complete professional military education, preferably as a distinguished graduate, if you want to command. If you do well as a Lt Col Squadron Commander, then you'll be on track to Colonel and Group and Wing Command.

Lifetime income is an additional consideration most young people may not look at. Get a military pay chart and compare WO and officer pay. Assuming normal promotion profile from WO1 through CWO5 or O1 through O5 over a 24 year career, you'll find commissioned officers consistently make more money. This pay difference effects your life significantly, particularly as you get older, have a family, and plan for post-military life. The difference in military retired pay is proportional to the difference in active duty pay. Figure you may live to draw retired pay for at least as long as you were on Active Duty. Although many of the retired benefits are the same regardless of rank, the lifetime income difference for a Warrant Officer vs a commissioned officer is significant. (Please no blowback from CWOs. I know CWOs are "commissioned".)

Let me join with others in this string who encourage you to complete your degree, with or without ROTC. The degree will open doors and enhance opportunities. Being only a "good pilot" won't provide as many options. IMO, ROTC is the easiest way to a commission. It the route I took. I was fortunate enough to have an AF scholarship for my last two years of college; however, I would have continued ROTC to commissioning even if I didn't get the scholarship. With AFROTC you should know well before graduation if you will get an AF pilot training slot. If you don't because of test scores or medical, then you may not have qualified for Army flight training either. The Air Force has lots of great career opportunities for officers, so it's not a fatal blow to your life goals if you don't go to flight training.