Aviation Officer
Aviation Officer
Posted on Jan 30, 2019
What is the the training time frame of an ARNG Aviation Officer?
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I am currently a PFC in the ARNG and a cadet Ohio State's ROTC program and the only reason I would ever contract would be to fly. I am an Aerospace Engineering student currently as well and would like to work a full time job with guard duties after training. I have always wanted to be a Pilot and I was wondering what the path would be like for an Aviation Officer in the guard from college graduation to being able to work a job full-time with guard duties. I read an article awhile back saying it was around 18 months, but I would kinda like a breakdown of what goes on during that time. Any response would be appreciated, as information on the subject is scarce online.
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15A: Aviation OfficerOhio ARNG
15A: Aviation OfficerOhio ARNG
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 1
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Great Question PFC Evans. The Training Pipeline is going to be between 14 months to 16 months depending on a number of variables. What we call "Flight School" is actually a series of courses that generally align, but you may experience delays in your training due to "bubbles." I can at least cover the big rocks:
PCS to Fort Rucker - 10 Days (We'll cut your orders 10 days before your start date in order for you to house-hunt and get situated.)
Inprocessing - 1 week - UTC: This is the first place you may experience a "bubble." When I showed up to Rucker (in 2010), they told me it was going to be 4 months until I started. I didn't care. I was a newly-wed and I was 90 minutes from the beach (Panama City, Destin, Ft Walton, Pensacola, etc). That got shortened to a 30 day bubble while I was waiting, so I didn't have to wait that long. I haven't heard it is as bad as 4 months again, but be prepared, you may have a delay here. We have a guy down there now that had to wait a few weeks.
Officer Basic Course (OBC/BOLC) - 5 weeks : This is where you will learn the basics of Aviation Officership.
SERE - 3 Weeks : Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape - Key advice... Play the game. No one ever got an extra dessert in the Chow Hall for "out-thinking" SERE. Do what they tell you. Nothing more, nothing less.
Initial Entry Rotary Wing Training - Common Core now begins. This is the second place you may experience a bubble. It's ok if you do, you're there until you finish. Enjoy that drive to the beach.
Aeromedical Training - 2 Weeks: Classroom instruction on the physiology of flight. You'll also get sized and issued your flight gear.
Primary Flight Training - 6 weeks (Ohio will want you to do LUH-72 POI): Learn how to hover, fly, and land a helicopter. Traffic Patterns, Emergency procedures. Half the day will be on the flight line (or in an airborne cockpit) and the other half will be classroom academics.
Basic Instrument Flight Training - 4 weeks in the SIM: Learn to fly in the clouds/IFR in the National Airspace. Half day in the SIMs, half day in the Classroom.
Advanced Instrument Flight Training - 4 Weeks in the LUH-72. You did it in the SIM, do it in the real aircraft.
Basic Tactical Navigation - 2 Weeks: Flying off of a topographical map. Good Times.
Warfighter Skills and Intro to NVG's - 4 weeks: Learn to fly in the trees. Do it at Night. Add Goggles.
So far you're at 30 weeks of training. You will now experience National Guard/Reserve Appreciation Day... otherwise known as Selection Day. The Active Component folks will be tallying up their Order of Merit Points to determine Aircraft Selection. As a Guardsman, you probably knew what aircraft you were going to be flying the day you packed a U-Haul. This is the third and final place you may get a bubble. I had a two week bubble between Warfighter and Advanced Aircraft. I had those Limitations and Emergency procedures committed solidly to memory!
The next 18-20 Weeks, you will then be learning your Advanced Aircraft. It will be a Rinse-Repeat regarding the order of things. Learn to fly your advanced aircraft in the traffic pattern. Learn to fly it in the clouds. Learn to fly it tactically. Learn to fly it at Night and with NVG's.
There is finally another 3 weeks of Officer Basic Course and Graduation "Phase."
If you add any possible bubble's and Christmas Exodus, you're looking at 14-16 months. That's from the date that you start training. The flying part is generally 1 year. Add the Officer Basic Course, SERE, and the Admin stuff, you can call it what we are calling it.
After that, you get Silver Wings pinned to your chest, and you are a Rated Army Aviator. You'll PCS back home and then you'll have to show the Instructor Pilots in your State that you didn't forget what Rucker taught you. Readiness Level (RL) Progression can last a few weeks to a few months. Don't delay. Your state (Ohio) will probably offer you 2 months of orders. Get to RL 1 as soon as you can and start your career as a squared away Aviator.
The next goal will be making Pilot in Command. You're never really done developing as a pilot (until you ETS or Retire).
Send me a PM if you would like to get the contact info for the OHARNG Aviation Recruiting team.
Best of Luck!
PCS to Fort Rucker - 10 Days (We'll cut your orders 10 days before your start date in order for you to house-hunt and get situated.)
Inprocessing - 1 week - UTC: This is the first place you may experience a "bubble." When I showed up to Rucker (in 2010), they told me it was going to be 4 months until I started. I didn't care. I was a newly-wed and I was 90 minutes from the beach (Panama City, Destin, Ft Walton, Pensacola, etc). That got shortened to a 30 day bubble while I was waiting, so I didn't have to wait that long. I haven't heard it is as bad as 4 months again, but be prepared, you may have a delay here. We have a guy down there now that had to wait a few weeks.
Officer Basic Course (OBC/BOLC) - 5 weeks : This is where you will learn the basics of Aviation Officership.
SERE - 3 Weeks : Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape - Key advice... Play the game. No one ever got an extra dessert in the Chow Hall for "out-thinking" SERE. Do what they tell you. Nothing more, nothing less.
Initial Entry Rotary Wing Training - Common Core now begins. This is the second place you may experience a bubble. It's ok if you do, you're there until you finish. Enjoy that drive to the beach.
Aeromedical Training - 2 Weeks: Classroom instruction on the physiology of flight. You'll also get sized and issued your flight gear.
Primary Flight Training - 6 weeks (Ohio will want you to do LUH-72 POI): Learn how to hover, fly, and land a helicopter. Traffic Patterns, Emergency procedures. Half the day will be on the flight line (or in an airborne cockpit) and the other half will be classroom academics.
Basic Instrument Flight Training - 4 weeks in the SIM: Learn to fly in the clouds/IFR in the National Airspace. Half day in the SIMs, half day in the Classroom.
Advanced Instrument Flight Training - 4 Weeks in the LUH-72. You did it in the SIM, do it in the real aircraft.
Basic Tactical Navigation - 2 Weeks: Flying off of a topographical map. Good Times.
Warfighter Skills and Intro to NVG's - 4 weeks: Learn to fly in the trees. Do it at Night. Add Goggles.
So far you're at 30 weeks of training. You will now experience National Guard/Reserve Appreciation Day... otherwise known as Selection Day. The Active Component folks will be tallying up their Order of Merit Points to determine Aircraft Selection. As a Guardsman, you probably knew what aircraft you were going to be flying the day you packed a U-Haul. This is the third and final place you may get a bubble. I had a two week bubble between Warfighter and Advanced Aircraft. I had those Limitations and Emergency procedures committed solidly to memory!
The next 18-20 Weeks, you will then be learning your Advanced Aircraft. It will be a Rinse-Repeat regarding the order of things. Learn to fly your advanced aircraft in the traffic pattern. Learn to fly it in the clouds. Learn to fly it tactically. Learn to fly it at Night and with NVG's.
There is finally another 3 weeks of Officer Basic Course and Graduation "Phase."
If you add any possible bubble's and Christmas Exodus, you're looking at 14-16 months. That's from the date that you start training. The flying part is generally 1 year. Add the Officer Basic Course, SERE, and the Admin stuff, you can call it what we are calling it.
After that, you get Silver Wings pinned to your chest, and you are a Rated Army Aviator. You'll PCS back home and then you'll have to show the Instructor Pilots in your State that you didn't forget what Rucker taught you. Readiness Level (RL) Progression can last a few weeks to a few months. Don't delay. Your state (Ohio) will probably offer you 2 months of orders. Get to RL 1 as soon as you can and start your career as a squared away Aviator.
The next goal will be making Pilot in Command. You're never really done developing as a pilot (until you ETS or Retire).
Send me a PM if you would like to get the contact info for the OHARNG Aviation Recruiting team.
Best of Luck!
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Cadet 2LT (Join to see)
Really helpful insight sir, do you have any information on this for the FLARNG?
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