WOFT from an enlisted standpoint

[Maverick7]

Hi, I'm currently 17 years old and a junior in high school. I am very interested in becoming an Army aviator through the WOFT program. Right now, I'm researching my a$$ off and attempting to make contact with anybody I can to ask questions and get some advice.

 

I'm aware that a majority of this forum seems to be dedicated to civilian applicants. Also, when someone posts their stats I see a lot of college degrees.

 

I'm currently looking at attempting WOFT through an enlisted crew chief position if not accepted high school to flight school.

 

My question is, would it be a wise decision to enlist if not accepted into high school to flight school? I'm eager to start my military time and serve my country but I'm not trying to make any rash decisions either.

 

Would obtaining a college degree be a safer alternative?

 

Many thanks,

 

Travis

[darkstarx87]

Honestly have only heard of 1 high school to flight school to go thru wocs in the last 2 years (who had a connection) ... not sure what the actual #s are.

 

I think it all comes down to what u want to do ... flying vs. Serving ... and how soon u want each to happen ... Which u could live without if things didn't work out. I'm a former enlisted guy and can tell u that the acceptance rate from active slots is good NOW ... who knows what it'll look like by the time ud be ready to submit.

 

Take ur time and think it thru. Plenty of people are here to help out anyway they can

[skyreaper]

I also considered enlisting (almost did) when initially embarking on joining the military. It's good you're thinking about this now, gives you more time = more options to explore. Look into all of them; From enlisting, college ROTC, OCS, whatever. I even almost dropped a package in w the NOAA Corps (lol, could be cool). If you're set on flying, great, I have been for forever and that determination will help this goal come to fruition. Log a few hours and work towards a PPL if able. There are relatively inexpensive ways to do so, i.e. joining a Civil Air Patrol squadron (I met a Colonel who wrote one of my best letters of rec. by being a CAP member).

 

I think most, if not all, successful military pilot applicants have directed their lives towards specifically being a military pilot to some degree or another. I'm saying start early in preparing yourself for the day when you send your package up so it's a no brainer for whoever is doing the selecting. Do you know what the board is looking for and how you could offset something that is lacking relative to the 'perfect applicant'? After you've done everything you think you can, and haven't ruined your chances with law violations, remember two things: You have 0% chance by not submitting, and NEVER give up as long as you have a chance. Even a perfect applicant will encounter serious road blocks, this weeds out the weak and undetermined, be resilient and go for it if you want it.

 

I could go on for hours about this...

And that concludes this segment of 'life lessons with skyreaper'.

[2ndGen]

Don't enlist, go to college. Seriously. I was enlisted. Not that I hated it or anything, but enlisted soldiers are very different. If your aspirations are to be an officer, there are very few circumstances where enlisting is the best path. Go to college, stay out of trouble and get good grades, all the while making connections and what not, apply for WOFT and you'll get picked up.

[Joe_P148]

@ Maverick,

 

I'm really glad you found this site as this is probably going to be a very good source of information into the WOFT program from a wide range of people.

 

Army Aviation, Experiences may varry.

 

WARNING: WALL-O-TEXT-FOLLOWS...

 

So you are considering the Pro's and Con's of enlisting as a crew chief prior to applying to WOCS. I know tons and tons of pilots that are former crew chiefs, I also know plenty of high school to flight school and street to seat pilots as well. So the argument about sheer numbers varies, and you never know, you may be the one high school to flight school guy that gets picked up this year or next. Be careful what you wish for though.

 

My personal experience with high school to flight school candidates is that a large amount of them lack the maturity, assertiveness and experience to function as a well rounded pilot in command. After flight school you will blend into a pilot population that can easily be 10-15, even 20 years your senior. Remember, being a pilot involves some politicking too, You will have to hang out with these guys, go to BBQ's, talk about life. You may be younger than some of your fellow pilot's kids! Right out the gate you are at an uphill battle, trying to make Pilot In Command in the post war Army. Remember, you may be the best pilot in the world but you will have to be a leader, and gain the trust of your command before you can make pilot in command. Out of my WOCS class 1 of 2 high school to flight school candidate passed flight school. The 1 that did, failed to make pilot in command 6 years out of flight school and subsequently failed to get promoted to CW3 and is being looked at for removal from the service. If you come in high school to flight school and decide to stay in the Army, you will have to make CW5 to stay in for retirement. On the other hand, you come into WOCS high school to flight school and are a stellar performer, Mature, and get in with the right crowd and doors will open for ya. You will get into a great career from the ground up and do it really young. You will be earning 2-4 times the annual salary of kids your age, and be flying Army helicopters!

 

Ok ok, that was a lot, Now consider enlisting.... Long post I know.

 

Ok, so like I said I know tons of prior enlisted folks that are pilots, They have done really really well in Army Aviation, some haven't it's all based off the individual. What sets these folks up for success is that the initial shock and awe of Army or military life is standard to them. They are a little more mature / disciplined / experienced and have seen the other side of the Army, they know the price for failure in this job! That being said, a lot of the enlisted candidates are older, 24-30 maybe older. They have families, financials and sometimes an attitude (Spc 4 mafia anyone?). This can negatively or positively effect their experience. Some of the hurdles to overcome for an enlisted person trying to go to WOCS is, getting to time to build the packet, getting time to take all the tests, and getting their command's approval to do all the aforementioned.

 

I am a prior enlisted Infantry guy, dropped out of ROTC to go to War. I have been flying since 2007. When I went to flight school I was 21 and had 4 years in the Army already. Even at 21 with experience, I still struggled with maturity, and I had to learn to grow up in this community. Now at 29, I'm a CW3 looking at having to make CW4 and Selcon to retire or make CW5. A hard but obtainable goal in the future.

 

Good Luck, Sorry for the Wall o text and if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Edited February 8, 2014 by Joe_P148

[SBuzzkill]

College is a complicated beast and has the potential to be an incredibly expensive mistake. Whatever path you choose make sure you put in the same effort researching it as you are WOFT.

[Maverick7]

Thanks for all the replies!

 

Right know I'm taking some flight lessons in a Robbie, when I can save up for one. I just took one today actuality putting me at 4.2 hours. I've made email contact with a coordinator for WOFT boards that is stationed up at Knox.

 

I've chased air shows and tried to talk to pilots there. Ive emailed the XO my nearest CAB (Fort Campbell) hoping that they could set something up for me to go on post.

 

What else could I do to better my chances?

 

And as far as enlisted vs. going to college, I want to get a degree but I also want to begin my military career and choose the best route for WOFT.

[DirtyCrewChief]

I'm a 58 crew chief who is putting together his packet right now. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I'll help you out with whatever I can.

[Maverick7]

Any of you guys know much about the reserves? If I were to become a crew chief in the reserves I would be able to get college out of the way and only be required to show up for duty once a month right? How many crew chiefs are assigned to a black hawk or a chinook? Do the always ride in the helicopter?

[nskojo]

Not sure about reserves, I'm an AD crew chief on 60s (picked up in JAN) and while I valued my time as one I wish I would have done this a lot sooner.

 

It depends on your attitude, I wrote about this before but being enlisted is no "quick" way to go to WO, you have to prove yourself before you can get LoR's.

[cwil7280]

I joined the Air Guard at 17. Best decision of my life, second to WOFT. I went to basic and tech school 6 days after I graduated high school. From that point on the military helped me pay for college, and when I wasn't in school I was TDY all over the world to places like Hawaii, California, Vegas, and England. Rough life right? On top of that, being that I had no bills and lived with my grandma, the money from basic, my $20,000 sign on bonus, and TDYs was more than enough to pay for the schooling the military didn't cover, and all out of pocket without loans. State tuition assistance was another program unique to the Guard, basically you apply for free money for tuition, and if they have it, they pay your tuition for you. Too easy. I also volunteered for one deployment, which slowed me down a little college wise, but opened up the post 9/11 GI bill with better benefits. It also looked good on my WOFT packet since I was deployed with the 1st Infantry Division. (My battalion board president was 1st ID as well, lucky me) Bottom line though, I was serving my country, I loved my Guard unit, I had military experience that helped me mature and grow, and by the time I was 21, I had my associates degree, a deployment, and dates to ship out for WOFT in the active Army. Not too bad a deal if you ask me. PM me if you have any questions about the guard, or the WOFT packet building process.

[Newbe]

Go to college. You will have to make CW4 in order to remain in the army for retirement. Right now the boards for CW3 and CW4 are tough. Who knows what they will be in the future. Anyway, you will probably need a college degree in order to achieve these ranks in today's army. That is the way things are trending. Going to school right now is much easier than in 5 years when you are balancing a career and family meanwhile taking hours away each night completing college one class at a time online. Don't jump the gun. Take your time. Right now the Army is drawing down it's forces and as mentioned earlier it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get into flight school. If you go to school first in 2 or three years the draw down may or may not be completed but if I had to guess in about 3 years the numbers will start trending up a bit. Not a ton but a bit making it a little easier.

As far as going enlisted is concerned. I know many pilots that were crew chiefs but I also know many crew chiefs that came in hoping to drop a packet and are stuck where they are at with no hope of making it to flight school.

All I can say is that at a minimum go get your associates degree before applying.