How does a soldier get into flight school?

2018-10-25T20:25:23-04:00

As a young enlisted soldier trying to better myself and push my army career I have been really thinking about flight school
How does one get accepted ?
Is there a rank restriction?
Is there and MOS restriction?
And what are some disqualifying factors?

Response by LTJG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 25 at 2018 8:32 PM

2018-10-25T20:32:50-04:00

Google

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 25 at 2018 8:33 PM

2018-10-25T20:33:18-04:00

SPC Private RallyPoint Member Here is some information that will help.

https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/current-and-prior-service/advance-your-career/warrant-officer/flight-warrant-officers.html

Flight Warrant Officers

If you have dreamed of becoming a helicopter or fixed-wing pilot, the Army can help you turn that dream into a reality. Warrant Officers fly some of the most exciting, technologically advanced aircraft in the world.

Response by SrA John Monette made Oct 25 at 2018 8:34 PM

2018-10-25T20:34:03-04:00

you'll need a 4 year degree. pilots are officers and warrants. terrible eyesight will get you disqualified. so will fear of heights.
https://work.chron.com/job-requirements-apache-helicopter-pilot-19755.html
In order to join the Warrant Officer Program, you must meet certain eligibility requirements. All prospective applicants must: •be a U.S. citizen
•have a high school diploma or GED
•earn FINAL Secret or Top Secret Security Clearance
•pass the standard three-event Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) within the last six months and meet basic height/weight requirements
•have 12 months remaining on a current enlistment contract
•have five to eight years of active federal service (AFS) to be considered a prime candidate, but less than 12 years of AFS at the time of application (anyone with 12 or more years of AFS must submit an AFS waiver request with the completed application)
•be under 33 years of age for 153A (aviator) service (anyone exceeding this age limit must submit an Age waiver request with the completed application)
•have 20/50 distant visual acuity, correctable with glasses or contacts to 20/20 visual acuity

Job Requirements for an Apache Helicopter Pilot

Army officers who fly Apache helicopters are known as aviation officers. This category includes all helicopters, such as the Chinook, Black Hawk, Apache and Kiowa. Depending on the type of helicopter and the specific mission, Army helicopters, such as the Chinook, may transport troops or supplies, or, in the case of ...

Response by PO3 Christian Brielmaier made Oct 25 at 2018 8:37 PM

2018-10-25T20:37:52-04:00

Hey man,

Depends on what you want to fly, how you want to fly, where you want to fly, and how much effort you want to put into it...

The Army has WOFT, the navy and Air Force have their own programs; depends on your goals.

Bettering yourself is the best motivation out there! Once you have some answers for the questions above, there are plenty of folks on here and in other forums that are willing to help anyone motivated enough to put in the work.

As for DQ factors. There are plenty: medical, criminal, eval related, etc. good news is that there are waivers available so don’t get discouraged!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 25 at 2018 9:22 PM

2018-10-25T21:22:55-04:00

Go to your local Special Operations Recruiting where they have the Warrant Officer recruiters. You can also pull up the latest MILPER for WOCS, but the recruiters will answer your questions.

Response by WO1(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 26 at 2018 1:03 AM

2018-10-26T01:03:45-04:00

Go to gowarrantnow.com
It has all the information you need.
Half of the battle to become a warrant is searching for the answers to build and develop your packet.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 26 at 2018 2:56 AM

2018-10-26T02:56:50-04:00

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

This website is very useful. I recently just started to put a packet together. I have raised my GT score to over 110 and have a SIFT test scheduled in a couple weeks. Once I'm done with that I will schedule my flight physical while working on my resume. Look around this website too as I have found very useful information and very helpful service members. Good luck!

WO153A.shtml

Response by LCDR Keith Trepanier made Oct 26 at 2018 9:06 AM

2018-10-26T09:06:20-04:00

I applied to Army flight training as a PFC. There is no rank restriction for when you can apply. There are people who have gone to flight school right off the street and there are some who were E-7's or even higher. Your MOS doesn't matter. The only thing is that it is a bit easier if you have an aviation MOS because you can just ask officers in your battalion for recommendations. But you can still get aviation recommendations pretty easily so don't let that stop you.

The best way to start is to go to the warrant officer recruiting website which has been noted in other posts. Read the documentation, do what the documentation tells you to do, complete the paperwork and recheck it again and again. This is a long process and you have to jump through a lot of hoops but it will be worth it in the end. There are disqualifiers but make them tell you that you are disqualified. Don't discourage yourself. I did that at one point but the flight surgeon told me he could fix my issue easily and it would be no problem. Just keep working toward making it.

The best advice I can give you is to ignore everyone around you who says you will never get selected, or that it is a waste of time, or that you will never make it through the program. The worse people to listen to are those giving you all sorts of advice about what you need to do, and what you need to get through the process yet they have never even made the attempt. They do not have your best interests at heart. Plus, it is great fun to come back to that unit after you graduate flight school and look them in the eyes and tell them they were wrong.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Oct 26 at 2018 6:11 PM

2018-10-26T18:11:23-04:00

SPC Private RallyPoint Member Browse, research, explore, and decide. http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/WOgeninfo_enlmos.shtml

Another route is to earn a commission and compete for Aviation as a branch. If flying is your goal, recommend the Warrant Route.

WOgeninfo_enlmos.shtml

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made Oct 27 at 2018 8:47 AM

2018-10-27T08:47:37-04:00

Congratulations on you aspirations PFC Hanson. Other posts in this string have provided more current information than I am qualified to give you and, without a doubt, you should take the time to study those references. Another interesting read, although dated, will give you an idea of overall DOD requirements;
http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/download/militaryflight.pdf
Forget the improving your career reasoning. The more realistic reason for becoming a pilot is the accepted fact that pilots are generally more amiable, better looking, richer, and stay cleaner than their contemporaries. In my time there was the detractor that they also had a higher mortality rate in theater than most, but if you go into the pilot program you'll soon develop the knowledge that the rate doesn't apply to you.
Regarding obstacles, I can give you an example of what you are facing. When I was initially selected for the flight program as a young enlisted man, 250 of us were gathered together for two days of aptitude and intellectual evaluation. There was two days of testing where, as you failed a test you were released and returned to your unit. By the time the last test was given, there were only two of us left and the other candidate failed that test. Then I had to pass the flight physical!
There is a valid reason for the obstacles. As a pilot, every time you strap an aircraft on, you are being entrusted with a multi-million dollar piece of equipment and the responsibility for the lives of the entire crew, passengers, and potentially, the folks on the ground that you might shoot, smash or otherwise kill when you make a mistake.
All of the above considered, you'll never find out if you can do it unless you fill out the application and start the process. Go for it and best of luck to you.

militaryflight.pdf

Response by CW4 Kenneth McGill made Dec 11 at 2018 7:54 PM

2018-12-11T19:54:22-05:00

If you do get into flight school and graduate stay with the Blackhawk. You will get more flight time and easier to transition to civilian company