UPTme the simplest answer for the path to CG aviation is "it depends". There are a few general paths though.

1) OCS direct to flight school. AKA "AVCAD Program" I know this exists for our enlisted folks who are guarenteed flight school. Some OCS grads go straight to flight school and I've heard that some were given flight school before OCS and others applied and were accepted during OCS.

2) Direct Commisioned Aviator (DCA) are typically Army helo pilots who are looking for a better QOL and come into the CG. The CG just started doing this for fixed wing pilots in 06.

3) The most common route is a person gets their commision from OCS or the CG Academy and gets their first assignment. From there they apply to flight school. The requrement is that you have to be an O-1 or O-2 when you apply. Which effectively give you four years to get accepted.