WOFT Guide for Applicants

[Lindsey]

Lindsey, I must say the Army will truly be a better Army once you are a member. This is the work of a professional that gives 100% of their own effort and does not mind helping others a long the way. I have kept a watchful eye on the site as of late, and your screen name, as well as a few others, continues to pop up in multiple threads to lend a helping hand. It is nice to see other people my age with a similar attitude towards life and military aviation.

Thanks for the kind words. All I'm doing though is simply paying it forward because there are *so many* people here who have helped me get to this point, it's ridiculous. There are some truly great people on this forum. I owe a lot to a lot of people around here. Are you working on your packet?

[dangerb]

Lindsey,

 

Hello my name is Bryan and I have always dreamed of becoming a pilot someday. My father was a pilot in the Navy for 20 years "retired now". He recently suggested to me that I should apply for WOFT and become a helicopter pilot. This have given me a new light on what I want in life and will do anything to achieve this goal. I have a few questions that I would like to ask you and possibly email you. I have done hours of research on this and have since found some great information. I am currently 21 years old and will be finishing my AA degree in liberal arts in 2 months. I have also been working at UPS as an operations supervisor for the past 2 years. I was scheduled to take my asvab today but it was canceled due to the government shut down. I was on the WOFT recruiting home page and saw that they had extended the packet submission until October 28th, I have not taken my physical, ASVAB, letters of recommendation, AFAST exam yet, do you think I will have enough time to get a packet together in 27 days to meet this deadline? The reason I ask is I saw they were in high demand on 153A packets and it mentioned any applicants will have a good chance of getting accepted. Lastly I am a little concerned about my recruiter not giving me enough help to achieve this, I have found out from this site though that they do not benefit from getting a person accepted into the WOFT program which is a little concerning to me, therefore I am trying to reach out to people that can help me. I am very great full for your time. Thanks.

.... If anyone else has any information on this to please respond I am trying all that I can to make my dream come true. Thanks and God bless.

[dangerb]

One more thing if you can please tell me which book or what solution "paying for a couple hours of ground school" would be best for me to study for the AFAST I would appreciate it. I spoke with a retired Army pilot in Clearwater Florida and he made it sound like the AFAST was and adaptive test and that I really couldn't prepare myself for it I either knew it or I didn't. Thanks.

[Rob1341]

Umm, it took me close to 3 years but I guess if all the stars are in alignment there's a chance but I wouldn't bank on it. Do you already have lor's lined up? Also the AFAST has been replaced by the SIFT. Browse through the forum for a while there's a ton of info here. Good luck

[Rob1341]

Oops didn't see that that was adressed to Lindsey, disregard. Lindsey go. Lol

[smalltownguy]

Thanks for the kind words. All I'm doing though is simply paying it forward because there are *so many* people here who have helped me get to this point, it's ridiculous. There are some truly great people on this forum. I owe a lot to a lot of people around here. Are you working on your packet?

 

Not at the moment, I'm in the Sandbox working as a "dirty" contractor pilot haha. I won't be home until February so I can't start the actual process yet. However, I am well prepared for the process partly because I have some of the hard parts already completed for my current flight gig such as clearance and such. I won't bore everyone with all my accomplishments and such but I hope to make a board early next year. I get so much crap from everyone out here because I'm the only person they have ever met that wants to go from six figure contractor to military instead of the other way around haha. What can I say? I just feel like I should be doing my current job in uniform and not 5.11 gear ha.

[dangerb]

Thanks Rob, and no I do not have any LOR"s yet that is probably going to be the hardest thing for me at this point. I will continue to do my research and possibly contact the nearest army base near central florida "that's where im located" and see if I can schedule a few dates to meet with some W3's-W5's. From the posts I've read that is the strongest asset is to have good recommendations? It is going to be challenging to me to find them since I grew up in a Navy family and know many Naval pilots. How does the SWIFT test compare to the AFAST? And also what book would you recommend me getting to study. The packet doesn't seem to hard just figuring out time management almost. But then again I haven't done it yet haha.

[dangerb]

SIFT* sorry

[Lindsey]

Lindsey,

 

Hello my name is Bryan and I have always dreamed of becoming a pilot someday. My father was a pilot in the Navy for 20 years "retired now". He recently suggested to me that I should apply for WOFT and become a helicopter pilot. This have given me a new light on what I want in life and will do anything to achieve this goal. I have a few questions that I would like to ask you and possibly email you. I have done hours of research on this and have since found some great information. I am currently 21 years old and will be finishing my AA degree in liberal arts in 2 months. I have also been working at UPS as an operations supervisor for the past 2 years. I was scheduled to take my asvab today but it was canceled due to the government shut down. I was on the WOFT recruiting home page and saw that they had extended the packet submission until October 28th, I have not taken my physical, ASVAB, letters of recommendation, AFAST exam yet, do you think I will have enough time to get a packet together in 27 days to meet this deadline? The reason I ask is I saw they were in high demand on 153A packets and it mentioned any applicants will have a good chance of getting accepted. Lastly I am a little concerned about my recruiter not giving me enough help to achieve this, I have found out from this site though that they do not benefit from getting a person accepted into the WOFT program which is a little concerning to me, therefore I am trying to reach out to people that can help me. I am very great full for your time. Thanks.

.... If anyone else has any information on this to please respond I am trying all that I can to make my dream come true. Thanks and God bless.

 

Bryan,

 

First off, welcome to the forums. You won't find a better source of information regarding the WOFT process for civilians than this place.

 

Some points:

 

1. You've got to read the WOFT guide that is the first post of this thread. It will answer many of your questions prematurely, particularly regarding the nonexistent AFAST. It has been replaced by the SIFT, and there's a link in the guide to another thread on these forums that will answer every question you could ever think of about that test. It just takes time to read through it. Spend the time; it is worth your while.

 

2. Can you complete your packet in 27 days? Highly unlikely, government shutdown or not. With the government shutdown? Near impossible. Where were you scheduled to take your ASVAB? MEPS, elsewhere? If MEPS is cancelling ASVAB testing because of the shutdown that is a scary situation. Someone else has remarked on these forums that the flight physical approval process is being held up at Rucker for the same reason. All of these things will delay your packet completion. That said, you need to attack this packet with all the fervor and passion as if it was possible to slip into the November board. If you don't, you will find it to be July 2014 and you still don't have your packet in. You need to be relentless, and yet patient at the same time. It is tough.

 

3. Letters of Recommendation. This can be one of the lengthiest parts of the process since you are relying on others to spend time to write a thoughtful and powerful recommendation in your favor. You need to get on this immediately. Reach out to people today. Your father was a Naval Aviator for 20 years - that's good. Unfortunately you can't use him for an LoR since he is biased--he's your dad. However, he must know some pretty powerful people who would be willing to interview you for an LoR. Are there any buddies of his in the Navy who have seen you grow up and can attest to your maturity, passion, and aptitude? Can you get a letter from your boss? All these things need to be attacked ASAP.

 

4. The website you are talking about (USAREC Warrant Recruiting Page) is geared towards current Active Duty soldiers applying for WOFT - their deadlines, dates, process, etc is all different. Your recruiter should be able to get the *civilian* cutoff dates, board dates, etc from the recruiting Battalion. You can't use that website for anything except to get a sense of what's happening (yes, November may have high selection rates similar to September). The only exception is this page http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/prerequ/woft.shtml which is the only part of that website exclusively for civilians. It is going to sound pathetic, but your best source of info for WOFT are these forums right here.

 

5. If you're lost on where to begin, go back to that Guide in the first post of this thread, and there's a section there which outlines all the things you can do yourself before you even meet with your recruiter. Get all of your paperwork together, medical records, etc etc. It's a long list. Start now!

 

6. Additionally, if your recruiter was unaware that the AFAST no longer exists, that is a big red flag. If he continues to insist it exists after you inform him that the SIFT has replaced it, find a new recruiter IMMEDIATELY. I wasted *months* on poor recruiters. Don't make the same mistake.

 

7. My email address is lindsey.kanno@gmail.com and feel free to shoot me questions there, but if there's any questions you think others could benefit from as well, this is a good place for it. It helps to reduce the number of redundant questions...

 

8. Keep motivated, don't get discouraged. I highly recommend going to Amazon and picking up "Chickenhawk" by Robert Mason, "Dustoff" by Mike Novosel, and "Low Level Hell" by Hugh Mills. If that doesn't get you fired up and ready to roll, start looking at another career.

 

Good luck, and keep us updated.

 

Lindsey

[smalltownguy]

^^^^^number 8 is key haha good books

 

Oh and USE THOSE NAVY PILOTS you know for LORs dangerb!!!!

[Lindsey]

^^^^^number 8 is key haha good books

 

Oh and USE THOSE NAVY PILOTS you know for LORs dangerb!!!!

 

I got a whole list o' books more where those came from!

[smalltownguy]

You and me both Lindsey. Out here the only things I do are reading, running, and flying!

[akscott60]

You are soon going to be way busy to deal with this.

[Lindsey]

You are soon going to be way busy to deal with this.

 

Hence, the guide.

[dangerb]

Thanks I just read the WOFT guide that you created...very good information to help me out a lot. I will continue to get my stuff in order. I will contact my recruiter tomorrow to schedule my ASVAB, the place I was scheduled to take it today was not a MEPS station it was elsewhere. He told me that they are still offering them in Jacksonville "Florida" which is the nearest MEPS station to me. I am going to try to have him schedule me both physicals including my Class 1 Flight Physical to be sure I am up to par to pass all the required fields. In the meantime I will continue to work on my LoR's. One more question I do have is where might I achieve 1 or 2 recommendations from a WO5-WO3? I am going to be honest I don't know any Army aviators and am trying figure out if calling the nearest army base to talk to one is the best way to arrange this? And lastly how long will do the letters last for? I wont be able to make this deadline for the packet but am persistent and will for sure meet the next one. Thanks for all the great information.

[KING]

 

Not at the moment, I'm in the Sandbox working as a "dirty" contractor pilot haha. I won't be home until February so I can't start the actual process yet. However, I am well prepared for the process partly because I have some of the hard parts already completed for my current flight gig such as clearance and such. I won't bore everyone with all my accomplishments and such but I hope to make a board early next year. I get so much crap from everyone out here because I'm the only person they have ever met that wants to go from six figure contractor to military instead of the other way around haha. What can I say? I just feel like I should be doing my current job in uniform and not 5.11 gear ha.

 

Are you in Iraq or Afgan? Dyn?? Im in kinda the same boat as you. Im on a DOS contract in southern Iraq making some good $$$. Im not a pilot though... just another window licker. I get odd looks all the time when I tell people my plans for WOFT, so I know how that is.

[Brian101193]

Since this forum has been absolutely vital to the completion of my WOFT packet, I've taken the time to compile a new, updated, and more extensive Guide for WOFT Applicants.

 

I hope this can be used as a "go-to" resource when newbies show up in the forums asking...questions which have been asked and answered before. My aim was also to filter through some of the chit-chat in certain threads and pinpoint a few of the most useful and insightful posts so it isn't lost in the noise.

 

I'm aware there is a $25 guide out there someone created a few years ago, but I can only imagine how outdated the information is (AFAST, no sequestration, etc). Mine is free, and it will stay free. Disseminate at will.

 

Thank you so much, this has helped me greatly as i only recently heard of this program and had a lot of questions. Just one quick question, what determines what air-frame you get assigned too? Is it just the Army's needs and test scores or do you have some say in the matter?

[PhrogGuy]

Thank you so much, this has helped me greatly as i only recently heard of this program and had a lot of questions. Just one quick question, what determines what air-frame you get assigned too? Is it just the Army's needs and test scores or do you have some say in the matter?

Order of Merit List. Combo of Needs of the Army and how well you do throughout the pipeline. The better you do= the higher you are on the OML=More likely to get your first choice.

Take a little peeky peek around the other threads. That should answer around 99.99% of any questions you may have.

[smalltownguy]

 

Are you in Iraq or Afgan? Dyn?? Im in kinda the same boat as you. Im on a DOS contract in southern Iraq making some good $$$. Im not a pilot though... just another window licker. I get odd looks all the time when I tell people my plans for WOFT, so I know how that is.

 

I'm in Azzf*ckistan. Yeah some people support the idea, but most just think I'm crazy haha.

[Lindsey]

Cross-post from another thread, but felt relevant here:

 

I've gotten a lot of PMs about how I got my LoRs, particularly the two CW4/CW5 LORs I have. The "how" I got those letters is actually kind of a funny story. You know Linked-In, that weird site where you sign up but you don't know what to do with it and some day when you're bored you fill out your profile and throw your resume on there, and then proceed to ignore it for several weeks and come back to find friend requests and random messages? Well, that's what happened, except one of those random messages was an Army National Guard CW4 UH-60 Standardization Instructor Pilot asking if I needed any help with my packet. "Well Sir, now that you ask - I could really use a Senior WO LOR to strengthen it, if you wouldn't mind!" So I sent him my resume and we communicated back and forth between a few emails, and wa-la I got myself a letter.

Now inspired, I decided to look through the connections-of-connections on Linked-In and I came across a 160th SOAR CW5 (which is actually only about 30 minutes from my house). What a ridiculously badass resume he had on there. Thoroughly intimidated, I hmm'd and haw'd for a few days about sending him a message. Then I said to myself "what's the worst that could happen? He doesn't reply or he says no, and I'm right back where I started. What's the best that could happen? I meet with him and he hopefully writes me a LOR." Well, it worked out better than I could have imagined. He was immediately gracious and helpful, and we quickly set up a date and time where I could come to his office and do an interview. He had me write a 1 page biography to send to him along with my resume to he could get to know me a little bit before I came in for the actual sit-down interview. The day of the interview comes and I'm dressed up in a suit, the whole deal, but it's actually quite casual. The second I sat down he said "reading over your stuff I'm gonna write you a letter, so just relax and let's chat." Wow. So we chatted about the Army, Aviation, flying, he asked a few interview-ish questions like "why Warrant Officer" and he liked my answer to that question so much he was like "you've done your research, you're going to be an outstanding WO," etc. Needless to say I was trying to contain my excitement. He was seriously just an amazingly cool, relaxed guy. And he wrote me an OUTSTANDING letter. Doesn't hurt that his writing skills were extremely impressive as well.

 

I definitely would recommend both Linked In and this website. Linked In is all *about* networking - just be professional and polite and definitely make your tone come across as "I would be honored to have a LoR from you but please don't feel obligated" or something like that. In other words don't come across as pushy (obvious, but you'd be surprised at some people). With this website, there are some pretty powerful people who lurk on here, and some even post. I recommend going back and reading old threads that seem to have a lot of "juice" in them - i.e. a lot of Warrant Officers posting because someone asked details about flight school, getting to a unit, etc. As you continue to read you'll start to "get to know" the person behind the username - you can infer a lot (is he a brand new guy straight out of flight school? does he post like he's "been there done that?") and if he seems like a squared away guy with a lot of good advice, send that person a PM. Even if he himself isn't a CW4 or CW5, he will know some and may pass along your info if he desires. It may seem like a long shot in the dark, but so was my nervous email to that 160th CW5. Fortune favors the brave!

 

If you're relaxed and clearly enthusiastic, *AND* informed about the career (both good and bad), then you will get a good LOR. If you're *really* informed about this career, you will get a really really good LOR.

 

People think that I know a whole lot about this WOFT stuff - but the truth is, when I first showed up to this website in 2009, I knew absolutely no one in the Army. Nobody. All I knew is that I eventually wanted to fly Army helicopters. I owe literally everything to these forums. My Army "network" now extends to literally dozens of people I converse with on facebook chat and on the phone and via text messages and emails, and ranges from fellow applicants to that 160th CW5 I still keep in touch with. I've made some good friends here. But what most people don't realize is that while the networking is great and invaluable, it's only possible if you take the time (a lot of time) to really read through these threads. Not just the most recent ones. It makes you more informed about things you didn't even know you're uninformed about (does that make sense?). It answers unanswered questions. I did well in my 160th CW5 and Battalion Board interviews simply because I had read so much over the years on this forum about the career, and talked to current Army Aviators that I'd met through this forum about the career, that I didn't even have to think or prepare my answers. They came naturally. I just can't stress this enough.

 

I hope I don't come off as if I'm lecturing anyone--that's not my intent. But hopefully it helps some of you who are just as in-the-dark as I was four years ago.

[Lindsey]

Bump

[firepilot42]

I just read your guide and I sure wish you did it a year ago.

 

Good work!!

[broncothunderbird]

bump for an old thread.

 

thanks for the guide !

 

very helpful

 

I have a 17 yr old son thats interested in WOFT,

he met with a recruiter,

they asked a few questions and asked him to take a practice ASVAB,

he made a perfect score on the practice ASVAB, so they got interested in a hurry.

taking the real one next week,

im sure he can make a perfect score on the physical fitness,

he;s captain of his HS Lacrosse team, and making good grades in the schools International Baccalaureate program

 

no traffic tickets, or any moral issues,

only obvious problem is vision, 20/70 or so

 

 

I have an uncle that was a helicopter pilot in VietNam and wound up as the Chief of Staff for a state Army National Guard. But since hes family he wont be able to write a LoR.

 

The recruiter told my son that the vision requirements have changed and only requirement is correctable to 20/20 with soft contacts.

Anyone heard this?

[Velocity173]

Vision standards changed around mid 2000. No longer 20/20 uncorrected both near and far. Now:

 

http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/armedfly/blvision.htm