flight school rankings

rotorwashed · August 5, 2011

For those of you who have done military flight training, I am curious how they grade or rank each pilot. I have heard that the top ranked pilots are usually able to choose which ship they transition into. Is the ranking based on stick and rudder skills, or more biased towards ground knowledge tests?

Fighter13 · August 5, 2011

For those of you who have done military flight training, I am curious how they grade or rank each pilot. I have heard that the top ranked pilots are usually able to choose which ship they transition into. Is the ranking based on stick and rudder skills, or more biased towards ground knowledge tests?

True to a certain extent. Active duty aviators are the only ones the OML (order of merit list) affects since NG/reserve aviators are already slotted in their airframe (though their also still ranked on the OML). The OML is a class ranking in which individual scores can move each aviator up or down, so everyone gets to "choose" their airframe. When it comes to airframe selection for active duty, you may or may not get the airframe you want but from my experiences, almost everyone walks away happy with what they get. OML is based on classroom academic scores, how well you do on the checkrides in each phase of IERW and the final PT test you take before advanced airframe selection. Checkrides and the advanced airframe PT test tend to be ranked more heavily towards OML.

NorCalHeliKid · August 5, 2011

Its also 100% subjective based on who you get for an IPs in each phase and who you do your checkrides with for each phase. There are MOI check pilots who tend to grade more in depth and can be more critical and some students will just get another IP from class (IP swap with another student). Your checkride score is mostly up to your IP, the check pilots tend to give you scores close to what your IP put you up with before the ride, so if they like you, youll get a good score, its hardly based on knowledge at all.

In the end, it doesnt matter, everyone tends to get exactly what they want based on the airframe "dream sheet" that you fill out the week before selection. The only exception Ive seen is if you are dead LAST on the OML or you fail your PT test, the PT failure is sure to get you something you didnt list at all in your dream sheet.

rotorwashed · August 5, 2011

how much of an advantage would you have if you were already a flight instructor before starting at rucker? or would they just grade you harder then the brand new pilots?

SBuzzkill · August 5, 2011

The grading will be the same but they might put more pressure on you to perform. Advanced airframe tends to equalize everyone from what I've seen.

Edited August 5, 2011 by SBuzzkill

akscott60 · August 5, 2011

how much of an advantage would you have if you were already a flight instructor before starting at rucker? or would they just grade you harder then the brand new pilots?

Ill take this one. Today was TD22 for me. I have had 12 days on the flightline now, and 2 days were weather cancelled. I have 17 hours now, and I am taking my P1 on Tuesday. I am pretty well ahead of everyone in my flight, and I can and will attribute that to my CFI and flight experience.

NorCalHeliKid · August 5, 2011

Buzzkill, I read your post before you could delete it and settle for a red dash on my comment. (Mature, you obviously thought that one through). I know the way that it is supposed to work as far as grading...but from my perspective, it just does not work that way all the time. Its extremely subjective. I went through Army flight school, to answer your facetious question. And, no, actually Im not a retard, but thanks for your concern. I had ratings and experience before I got here, and it definitely helped out in the first IERW phases before advanced...cut down on stress and study.

SBuzzkill · August 6, 2011

I was a bit fired up today.

The comment wasn't really directed at you, but at the guys who take the mentality of "who cares about OML I'm going to have wings just like the rest of you." I can't stand that crap.

There were a few guys in my IERW class who were never happy with the grades they got and blamed it on everything but their own attitudes. It has always bothered me that these guys couldn't look themselves in the mirror and say "I'm screwing this up." I saw a lot of unfair judgement placed on IPs, check pilots, and academic instructors from students who were too lazy to work for their grades.

Hopefully that explains me jumping to conclusions, and I apologize for my comment earlier. I have to say that throughout flight school there were very few times that someone got unfairly treated, and when they did it was usually identified by the rest of the flight and taken care of rather promptly.

Edited August 6, 2011 by SBuzzkill

Fighter13 · August 6, 2011

how much of an advantage would you have if you were already a flight instructor before starting at rucker? or would they just grade you harder then the brand new pilots?

Depends on your experience (rotary or fixed wing?) and the individual, but generally no - they want you to fly the army way and execute the tasks using the methods that are outlined in the training program. If from the fixed wing community and you're instrument rated, then that might help you out during the instrument phase. Helicopters are way different than fixed wing. If you're a rotarywing insructor, you probably won't have a problem at all but they won't give you a harder time about it unless you're performing under the level they expect everyone else to be at. My first stick buddy had fixed wing training from the dutch Air Force, my second stick buddy was a corporate airline pilot and one of my other friends had 3500 hrs/was a fixed wing instructor before he came. The dutch guy did better than all of us, and the rest of us got about the same grades as everyone else.

akscott60 · August 6, 2011

I do agree with you SBuzzkill about some of the guys here that are AD especially that really don't care about their OML. They are the ones getting 80s and 90s on their Academic exams, while I bust my ass for a 100. I guess they are just happy to be here. Guard guys can do what they want, but I am glad that some are just as competitive as the rest of us.

rotorwashed · August 6, 2011

how many guys are in each class? of those guys how many of them have prior helicopter experience? are the guys at the top of the OML usually the ones who have experience in helis?

akscott60 · August 7, 2011

Our class of 56? has one pilot with a commercial helicopter ticket and a couple hundred hours. One has about 25 hours in an R22, and another has 40 fixed wing. One has a fixed wing PPL. Three of us have CFI fixed wing, with commercial multi tickets. Hours range from 400-600 for the three of us.

That being said, we are months from selection. Who knows what the future holds on the OML.

d10 · August 8, 2011

The comment wasn't really directed at you, but at the guys who take the mentality of "who cares about OML I'm going to have wings just like the rest of you." I can't stand that crap.

I can't either. I heard the same thing when I went through flight school (usually from the weaker pilots, imagine that). It's a terrible philosophy but I guess it's still popular. If you don't care enough to act like a professional pilot, then don't be a professional pilot. Find some other job and stick to flying recreationally.

Your checkride scores are going to be really subjective though. If you score a 90 and your buddy scores a 95 it's entirely possible you had the better ride but a tougher grading IP. That's nothing to stress out about. But that doesn't mean you should walk in to a checkride or a written test and not give it your best effort.

rotorwashed · August 8, 2011

Thanks for all the replies guys! It really helps me know what to expect, not that it would make much of a difference anyway! I'll be aiming for the top OML regardless!