Any advice on becoming a warrant officer for aviation with no prior aviation experience/knowledge?

2017-06-14T11:25:53-04:00

What would you recommend for studying in order to ace the SIFT exam? I'm also in the process of raising my GT score but in the meantime I really want to be on top of getting aviation knowledge as this is a true career dream I've always strived to get to.

Response by LTJG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 14 at 2017 11:54 AM

2017-06-14T11:54:21-04:00

Took the sift then jumped ship to naval aviation pun intended.

If you have a decent grasp on rudimentary math and English you'll be fine. There are some tricky sections like the shape recognition and the odd man out section which honestly familiarization with those types of problems will get you to where you need to be. Go on Amazon... Search for sift study guide and pick any of the top three as long as it has practice questions. I got the blue one and it got me a 72 on the sift.

As far as the aviation knowledge section it's tough studying for that because it covers such a wide range of basic ground school type of aviation. My book had that kind of stuff in it as well and that's all I relied on. I also had no prior aviation experience.

Good luck. Let me know if you have more questions

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 14 at 2017 11:55 AM

2017-06-14T11:55:23-04:00

Any MOS may apply.
Be at least 18, but not have reached their 33rd birthday at the convening of the selection board.
"Waivers will be considered for applicants with exceptional qualifications and only on a case by case basis"
Score 40 or higher on the Selection Instrument for Flight Training (SIFT).
Successfully pass a Class 1 (warrant officer candidate) Flying Duty Medical Examination (FDME) IAW AR 40-501 that has been approved by the Commander, U.S. Army Aeromedical Center. The initial FDME is only valid for 18 months.
Commissioned Army Officers that are qualified Army Aviators must apply through their HRC Assignment Officer to the Aviation Branch Proponent for consideration. Commissioned Officers that have been identified for involuntary separation (OSB, twice non-select for promotion) are ineligible to apply for MOS 153A.
All In-Service applicants must have a digitally signed letter of recommendation from an Army Aviator (CW3 to CW5) currently serving (Not Retired). In-Service Applicants may supplement (not replace) the Army Aviator (CW3-CW5) LOR with hand signed LOR's from Retired Army Aviators as desired. Active or Retired Army Aviator LOR’s for Non-In-Service applicants (WOFT) is encouraged but not required. If the unit commander or above is a field grade aviator, the aviator interview may be part of the commander's endorsement. In this case, the commander's endorsement must contain the same statement required for the aviator interview. Use a memorandum format and start with the statement I have interviewed (your name) and find (he/she) has the needed personal characteristics, motivation, physical stamina, and qualifications to be appointed a U.S. Army Reserve warrant officer and appears acceptable for selection into the WOFT program as a warrant officer candidate. Applicants from other military services may be interviewed by a field grade aviator from their branch of service if an Army aviator is not readily available. Army aviators will conduct the interviews whenever possible.
Non-Aviation Army Commissioned Officers: The board procedures for (non-aviation branch) Army commissioned officers have changed effective 7 DEC 1016. All (non-aviation branch) Army officers that desire to be boarded for 153A (rotor wing aviator) will be boarded in March 2017. Subsequent boards will be held once per FY in January. Applicants must meet the requirements IAW AR 611-110 and complete all documents required IAW the Warrant Officer Application Checklist. Requested waivers will be included with the application packet at the time of submission. All qualified non-select applicants can resubmit an updated application packet for the next FY board.
All Applicants applying for a 153A position in the Reserve Component (ONLY) must obtain a memorandum signed by The Army Reserve Aviation Unit Commander accepting them into the unit and an active Reserve Senior Aviation Warrant Officer endorsing acceptance into the aviation unit. View 11th AVN Command Memo for Record.
Acceptance to Warrant Officer Flight Training (153A) will require attendance and successful completion of:
The U.S. Army Aviation Center Survival Escape Resistance and Evasion (SERE-C) course.
Helicopter Ditching and Dunker trainer.

Note: The waiver authority for this requirement is the Commanding General, U.S. Army Aviation Center, Fort Rucker, AL 36362-5000.

http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/prerequ/WO153A.shtml

WO153A.shtml

Response by WO1 Mike Dwyer made Jun 15 at 2017 11:44 AM

2017-06-15T11:44:50-04:00

Sorry, but I have no idea. I've been out if the Army for 27 years and I wasn't an aviation warrant.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2017 5:00 PM

2017-06-15T17:00:07-04:00

I just took the SIFT last week, got a 64. Here are some of my tips on the test...

Simple Drawings -- So easy, I drank a coffee when I woke up, and a monster before the test (I am a Drill Sergeant and used to that level of caffeine lol). It definitely helped. I was able to get 100/100, maybe one wrong. Go fast but be accurate!

Hidden Figures -- Absolutely awful, I got through 21 of them and was only confident on about half of them. I studied different AFAST study guides for these, but it was no help. Good thing it didn't have much effect on my score.

Aviation Information -- First three chapters of the FAA Rotorcraft handbook, know the Army's helicopters and their purpose, where the Army trains pilots. The first two questions I had no clue about, started getting nervous but then the rest of the questions were exactly what I studied. You need to know those first 3 chapters word for word. Watch YouTube videos about how helicopters operate and this section will be easy. I am pretty sure this section holds a bunch of weight on the overall score.

Spatial Apperception -- No issue at all, just like the study guides. The pictures are somewhat bad quality so pay attention to the practice questions and make sure you know what the front of the plane looks like compared with the back.

Reading Comp -- No issue, I found it hard to concentrate about half way through but motored on. Maybe 2 or 3 snags. Just remember, only use the info from the paragraph, no outside knowledge.

Math Knowledge -- I am no math wiz .. I had to take the FAST class to raise my GT score from 109 to a 126. The math here was notably more difficult than the AFCT though. Basic algebra, percentage problems, probability, maybe 3 geometry problems. I had to guess on a few, but overall not too bad.

Mech Comp -- I used the AFCT and AFAST study guides for this, as well as some youtube videos. I recognized a few problems but I was freaking out most of the time ha ha. I don't think I did very well here.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 19 at 2017 6:34 PM

2017-06-19T18:34:33-04:00

I've been flying uh60's for ~8 years. You have some great answers to the original part of you question pertaining to Army Aviation. As far as general aviation knowledge (besides taking lessons) search 'aviation ground school' on youtube. You will find a whole slew of videos. If you have any specific quesitons about anything let us know.
(https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aviation+ground+school)

aviation ground school) - YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Response by SP5 Peter Keane made Aug 1 at 2017 7:57 PM

2017-08-01T19:57:43-04:00

Take a time machine and go back to early 1972. You'll be at Fort Wolters in less than 2 weeks./