Airframe Selection

[TrashHauler]

Hello everybody,

 

I have been lurking in the forums for a little while and have decided it's time to join in and start posting. I'm currently a AF Reservist flying on C-130s (hence the name TrashHauler) and have decided to take the plunge and begin my pursuit of Army Aviation. I'll skip the why and all that and save it for another thread.

 

There is an abundance of information on the "how-to" and "daily-life" and the "what-are-my-chances-of-(insert question here)", a lot of which I'm still reading, but my question to you all is as of right now how favorable is it for someone wanting to fly Chinooks? I understand fully that it's "needs of the Army", but the information I have uncovered regarding this is dated as most of the information I have been able to uncover still includes Kiowas.

 

I also understand that needs change often, and asking you all to project what the climate will be like even for the next graduating class will be, nevertheless two or so years from now , will be mostly speculation but still what are the opportunities like? I absolutely love that Helo, I have wanted to fly it since I was a kid though, honestly, as long as I'm airborne I'm fine with that.

 

Thanks everybody in advanced.

[ACP]

To get as close as to guaranteed 47s the only way is to go guard or reserves and find a unit with them. Even then I have seen people at selection get told their state is now switching them to 60s.

 

Active duty side the best way is to get top in your class. If you do that you at least give yourself a shot. But there are very few 47s available each fiscal year. Over half the slots are given to foreign students/Guard/Reserve. It seems there is at least one 47 available every few classes. Some magical classes get several. Unfortunately there is no guarantee for any of the airframes though. There are some classes where only 64s are avilable and others only 60s. But I can solidly guarantee there will never be a class of only 47s.

[napoleonpp]

I agree. During my selection for WO there was 0 47s, 8 Blackhawks and 9 Apaches. There is sometimes one chinook available, surprisingly there was two available at the last selection. As stated the best chance is to go Reserve/Guard and even then sometimes people get screwed. Other than that just study your butt off and do your best on checkrides and hopefully there is one available at selection.

 

I used to be a crew chief on them. It is an awesome airframe, I miss it like crazy!

[johnhenry]

I agree. During my selection for WO there was 0 47s, 8 Blackhawks and 9 Apaches. There is sometimes one chinook available, surprisingly there was two available at the last selection. As stated the best chance is to go Reserve/Guard and even then sometimes people get screwed. Other than that just study your butt off and do your best on checkrides and hopefully there is one available at selection.

 

I used to be a crew chief on them. It is an awesome airframe, I miss it like crazy.

 

 

Could I ask what makes the 47's so sought after? I know it has awesome power and fewer weather restrictions, but is there some 5th element that draws people to it? I'm just a lowly WOFT applicant trying to understand the things.

[ACP]

I personally chose it because of aircraft capability (fly higher, further, faster & can land on water), mission set (things always need to be moved), and community (generally more relaxed and tight knit due to the smaller number of airframes).

[Pirate04]

 

 

Could I ask what makes the 47's so sought after? I know it has awesome power and fewer weather restrictions, but is there some 5th element that draws people to it? I'm just a lowly WOFT applicant trying to understand the things.

 

I've been wondering this also. Personally, I want to be in a 64 but the USAR unit I'm going to does not have those.

[Masshole130]

I, personally, just think it Chinooks are cool. If course all airframes are, but I line the heavy lift aspect of it as well as its mission. Guard does not take initial entry to rotary wing, at least any more, or I would try that. Anybody have a buddy in a reserve chinook unit maybe I could get in touch with?

[napoleonpp]

 

 

Could I ask what makes the 47's so sought after? I know it has awesome power and fewer weather restrictions, but is there some 5th element that draws people to it? I'm just a lowly WOFT applicant trying to understand the things.

Honestly I don't know what it is about it. I was in high school and my recruiter told me if I signed as a chinook guy that I could fly on them. That was enough to sell me as a high school student.

 

I just loved the mission. It's a blast and rewarding to drop off 50 guys out of your chinook on a target to get a bad guy(s). It does just have lots of different missions as well. Going from air assaults to fast ropes, to guys jumping out the back in the ocean to SPIES, to ladders. You get the hint. I'm a 64 pilot now and I love this thing. I think that's just some the things that draw guys to it. I definitely miss the community and the missions

[johnhenry]

Honestly I don't know what it is about it. I was in high school and my recruiter told me if I signed as a chinook guy that I could fly on them. That was enough to sell me as a high school student.

 

I just loved the mission. It's a blast and rewarding to drop off 50 guys out of your chinook on a target to get a bad guy(s). It does just have lots of different missions as well. Going from air assaults to fast ropes, to guys jumping out the back in the ocean to SPIES, to ladders. You get the hint. I'm a 64 pilot now and I love this thing. I think that's just some the things that draw guys to it. I definitely miss the community and the missions

 

 

Cool. Thanks for the perspective.

[Pirate04]

Honestly I don't know what it is about it. I was in high school and my recruiter told me if I signed as a chinook guy that I could fly on them. That was enough to sell me as a high school student.

 

I just loved the mission. It's a blast and rewarding to drop off 50 guys out of your chinook on a target to get a bad guy(s). It does just have lots of different missions as well. Going from air assaults to fast ropes, to guys jumping out the back in the ocean to SPIES, to ladders. You get the hint. I'm a 64 pilot now and I love this thing. I think that's just some the things that draw guys to it. I definitely miss the community and the missions

 

At what point did you make the switch? I didn't know that was even possible.

[napoleonpp]

 

At what point did you make the switch? I didn't know that was even possible.

I was only a crew chief in the back of the chinook, not a pilot. I crewed for about 6 years and then put my packet in to fly.

[cwil7280]

Every airframe has pros and cons. I chose the Chinook at selection because 1) Korea wasn't an option straight out of flight school and I didn't want to go there with a brand new baby. 2) since it is a smaller community I heard that people are a little more laid back and lot closer, and it's less cutthroat for promotions and flight hours. 3) I like the idea of high altitude/mountain operations. 4) at the time they said the only airframe with a chance of still going to Germany was the Chinook, though I've since heard that changed. 5) you only have one set of 5&9s to study. 6) hookers have the longest wait time to start advanced, and I wanted to spend that time at home with my newborn and not be so worried about memorizing 5&9s as quickly.

 

You're the only person who can decide what's best for you. Choosing the actual aircraft you fly is only a portion of it. You have to think about duty stations you may/may not want, the mission you want to fly, the community you're going into, the opportunity for future career moves, etc etc.. I debated fixed wing for a while because someday I thought it would be nice as I got older to transfer to the AF and fly heavies and I figured fixed wing experience would help with that, and help with an easier transition to a cushy civilian job, but ultimately fixed wing sounded boring to me compared to what a helicopter is capable of. When you get to flight school you'll learn that it's more than just picking an airframe.

[Pirate04]

Those of us in USAR/Guard don't get the opportunity to choose.

[Brian101193]

Those of us in USAR/Guard don't get the opportunity to choose.

You don't have to risk getting a C12 either 😂

[Yamer]

You don't have to risk getting a C12 either 😂

That's not entirely true. We have a C12, and people have been forced into it.

[Brian101193]

That's not entirely true. We have a C12, and people have been forced into it.

 

Really!? That would seriously suck.

 

Do you know if you're going to have to retrain on Hawks yet?

[brian74]

Go to the Army HRO website and look at the previous promotion numbers for each airframe. That will give you some odds on your career potential. 47's can be feast or famine. I would recommend either going to Korea or the next deploying 47 unit if you chose them. Keep in mind, 47's are pretty limited on duty stations. If I had to do it all over again, I would have chosen UH-60 without hesitation for that reason alone.

[Yamer]

 

Really!? That would seriously suck.

 

Do you know if you're going to have to retrain on Hawks yet?

The final decision has not been made yet on which battalions they're keeping. We are waiting for that word. Until then I continue to fight for progression flights... But I digress.

[Brian101193]

Sounds like a classic case of hurry up and wait!

[CharyouTree]

 

Really!? That would seriously suck.

 

Do you know if you're going to have to retrain on Hawks yet?

 

You guys need to look at the big picture!

 

Our fixed wing det flies a metric crapton of hours, compared to the battalion. (Crapton being defined as per capita in flight hours. We get 60+ per month in one airframe. I see them getting 100 over the course of 8...)

 

Speaking of Battalion and a staff position... know when I'm doing that? Hopefully never, at this rate. With the influx of new guys, and the outpouring of older guys, I'm rapidly *becoming* an older guy. I'm on of, if not *the* next W4. Certainly among my friends who are just now making W3, 2.5 years after I did. I'm already lined up for a W4 slot, and just need the Staff course/WOILE and it should be mine, on the appointed date, a year "early". I should be a W4 at 34 years old... All without going to BN.

 

I'm easily distracted, but the point is: don't be put off by "broadening assignments". Especially the ones that get you additional schools and ratings. You may think it sucks now, but that could be the difference between a job or not. Don't forget that your civilian counterparts are paying out the ass for this stuff.

On AD, you shouldn't get forced into the FW (...sorry -58 guys...at least you still have a job, right?). If you get forced in on the Guard side, you should be able to transition over again in a few years. (Especially if that's your state's goal. I hear it is for mine, but... whatever).

Edited March 12, 2016 by CharyouTree

[Brian101193]

I was looking at it more along the lines of you not getting the airframe you signed up for. Personally, the biggest advantage the Guard has is that you already know what airframe you'll be flying before you even go to Rucker.

 

If I had signed up with the guard because I wanted Hawks and got switched to apaches I'd be kind of pissed. I understand what you're saying about the benefits of FW though, it just wouldn't be my preference.

[CharyouTree]

I was looking at it more along the lines of you not getting the airframe you signed up for. Personally, the biggest advantage the Guard has is that you already know what airframe you'll be flying before you even go to Rucker.

 

If I had signed up with the guard because I wanted Hawks and got switched to apaches I'd be kind of pissed. I understand what you're saying about the benefits of FW though, it just wouldn't be my preference.

 

I (think...did I confuse it with something else?) watched a guy at Lindsey's selection get switched between Hawks and Chinooks. (I don't remember which he thought he was getting...). It happens.

 

A guy in my unit was just telling me the other day about a guy in his FWQ class who got a phone call from his unit as he was driving away from Rucker to go back and do the course if he wanted it.

 

The best part about the Guard is you CAN get different aircraft. Interstate transfers, or even just multi-tracking are a thing.

[StockTrader]

 

I (think...did I confuse it with something else?) watched a guy at Lindsey's selection get switched between Hawks and Chinooks. (I don't remember which he thought he was getting...). It happens.

 

A guy in my unit was just telling me the other day about a guy in his FWQ class who got a phone call from his unit as he was driving away from Rucker to go back and do the course if he wanted it.

 

The best part about the Guard is you CAN get different aircraft. Interstate transfers, or even just multi-tracking are a thing.

Couldve been my friend. He was lined up for hawks but got switched to chinooks about 2 weeks out from selection. They are deploying his unit pretty much the second he leaves rucker. OK Guard if anyone was curious.

[stearmann4]

Currently 47 pilots are almost 100% to W3 and W4, 60s are something over 100% manned right now which does but fate well fit prmorion or progression. I suspect it will swing once DA reaches its drawdown goal.

[Dbargs]

...Keep in mind, 47's are pretty limited on duty stations. If I had to do it all over again, I would have chosen UH-60 without hesitation for that reason alone.

 

Is there a list of available duty stations by Airframe?