Der Meister,

I love it, plain and simple. I don't want to turn this into a service-bashing thing, however because it is a VASTLY different war at treetop level than it is at FL250, my experience with military aviation is incredibly different from the fixed wing drivers in the operational sense. I would imagine the administrative and "officer-stuff" is almost identical. For most of the services, getting helo's is something you either REALLY want, or were at the bottom of the list in flight school, or simply didn't get a choice. For us, we specialize in being the best helo-drivers out there, period.

I can't tell you how many AF and Navy guys I have talked to that have said we are balls-crazy for doing what we do. I guess you kind of have to be.

Rotary flying is some of the most fun you can have with your clothes on. I am sure the carrier dudes in the USN/USMC will say the same thing about a carrier shot. I love being down in the fight having a direct impact on the battlefield and having the ability to get down low, fast, and yank and bank in narrow canyons and valleys that a fixed wing driver would simply bypass and overlook as a part of the landscape.

Since taking this job I have been shot at countless times, had RPG's streak toward my aircraft both in the air and on the ground, had mortars walked in on me in distant landing zones, extracted troops in heavy in contact, and called in gunships to kill the bad dudes. On the other side of the coin, I have slung-on supplies to war-torn villages, helped build FOB's, helped build a dam for a power source, and slung enough food and water in to feed an entire village for a month. I have brought some of the finest men and women to the fight and been the first flight to take them home for R&R. You just can't get this type of experience in any other service.

In no other area do I think I could get the satisfaction and job variety that I have being an Army pilot. I have great people to work with and for, and even as a Warrant Officer, I make more money than a regional airline captain. That being said, this job is a ton of work outside the flying. I could go into great detail, but it would just be an onslaught of acronyms and form numbers that mean nothing to you.

Look into all the services, and don't discount anything off the bat. Somewhere there is a right fit for you.