MilitaryAV8R

To my young Marine friend; Semper Fi. As you can tell from my screen name I am a pilot in the military. I have been in the Army 20 years now and will be retired Dec 31st. Prior to the Army, I was in the Marine Reserves for about 5 years. So in many ways I was in your position long ago. Growing up in an airline family I also had the urge to fly from a very young age.

So my question to you is this, have you considered flying for the military? Back when I was a Marine and going to college, I believed that I had to have a 4 year degree to be an officer and fly in the military. I was just doing classes and waiting for my time to come. Then my father happened to see a recruiter at the mall who had some papers about the “Warrant Officer Flight Program”. As it turned out, you do not need a degree to fly in the Army as a Warrant Officer. I applied and after a few months was accepted. I went to Warrant Officers School and then flight school and never looked back. Flying for the Army the last 20 years has been the best decision I think I ever made.

I am not sure if you want fly for the Army or not, but I would recommend considering it at least. Check out the website below and talk to a local Army recruiter. One great thing about this program is that if you are selected you are guaranteed a flight slot (as long as you don’t screw it up). And if you are not selected, you walk away and there is no commitment at all.

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

PS. I know that at the top of the page it says the program is for civilians only. When I applied they actually meant that you were not in the Army. They said as a Marine I could apply. Once again, ask a recruiter.

kjm7217

I will consider that path. However there are a few things I would need to do, like increase my asvab. I have an 81 currently. And is that program only for rotor craft or fixed wing?

kjm7217

So I found a flight school close to my next duty station. It is called gt-aviation if you guys want to take a look. Seems pretty good (to my minimal knowledge of flight schools) but compared to some others the rate for a 172 is 80/hr and they have a flight club where its 300 per month and its a 4 month contract and I can fly up to 5 hours per month. They also have a "fuel club" that offers discounts on fuel for 18 a month. Not sure if this is just a way for them to make a quick buck or not. Overall though it seems fairly legit.

MilitaryAV8R

As a Warrant Officer you will go to flight school in helicopters. As flight school ends and you get assignments there is a very slim chance of a fixed wing slot but I would not count on that. Plan to fly helicopters for a few years and then apply for fixed wing. They have a fixed wing selection board each year. I flew helicopters for 9 years and then switched to fixed wing. In fact that pic next to my screen name is actually me flying that jet based out of Germany.

So there are some pretty sweet fixed wing assignments in the Army. But no fighter jets if that is what you are looking for.

USMCFLYR

AV8R -

What percentage of Army aviation would you think/guess is fixed wing?
In other words, if this young Marine decided to take that path would his chances of flying fixed wing at some point in the future be reasonable or akin to winning the lottery?

AtlCSIP

I know some other guys who did the rotor to fixed route at a Warrant Officer. Worked well for them, and the rotor qualm are extremely expensive in the civilian world. Wish I had gone that route.

MilitaryAV8R

As for getting the fixed wing course right out of flight school I would say your chances are only slightly better than the Power-Ball Lottery. Once you have a few years and apply for fixed wing it varies greatly on how many put in for it and how many they are taking for that year. When I got selected the rate was about 10% but I have seen it as high as almost 20% because the Army limited the conditions that you could apply (hence less applicants for that year).

I am not making any guarantees that someone will get fixed wing. I was simply stating that it can be done and there are some great assignments. And even if you never get fixed wing, helicopters are a blast to fly and can make you a very good career on the outside. In fact, many of my friends that were fixed wing got out and could not find work. Now they are flying helicopters again. It is always nice to have a fall back.

kjm7217

I know that all forms of piloting in the military are HIGHLY competitive. And I would be disqualified right off the bat for my eye sight for fixed wing. And I never really considered going rotor.

Vslo

Thank you for your service, and I wish you luck in whatever endeavor you choose.

Vslo

Like you, my love of flying also began at a very young age at the local airport. I had a $20 bill that I would always wave as I begged every last pilot who was unfortunate enough to cross my path for a ride. I got to fly in Stearmans, a Ryan, Pitts, Birdog, Cessnas of course, etc.
Joined the Navy later but didn't become a pilot. Got out of the service and drifted for a while, living the artist life. I knew flying was expensive, etc., but could never get it out of my head. At 35, with some encouragement from my wonderful wife, I became a "career changer" and finally got my PPL, IR, CFI(I), and am currently working on my MEI & ATP. I know that at 1200 TT I am still pretty low-time and hence still hanging onto my optimism, but I can say with certainty that there is no other life for me than being a pilot. I've had a lot of sh@t jobs in my day, and have suffered much indignation. Having fulfilled my dream of being a pilot has filled an essential need in my life that could not have been filled any other way. I'm proud to be a pilot because it's what I was always meant to be. I heard someone say on this forum that the profession is great, but the industry sucks. I can work with that. I think if you have wanted it for that long, you need to go and get it. It's not all sh@ts and giggles, but it beats being an incomplete person.
And by the way, I never spent that $20!
Good luck to you.