TimS Posted June 3, 2020 Report Share Posted June 3, 2020 Hi everyone, I have talked with an Army recruiter a few times about the army's street to seat WOFT program and have i am interested but have some questions that maybe you guys could help me out with. I have a bach' and a masters degree that don't pertain to aviation. I have always wanted to serve in the military though. I have worked in the sports medicine field as an ATC with the military for approx 7 years, 5 of those years with special operations. My sports medicine background doesn't really give me any lead way towards any type of MOS other than administration which i am not interested in. I just talked with the recruiter yesterday and we broke down what needs to be done. If i move forward with this i would be looking at 86 weeks of training from basic through flight school. I am 29, which my recruiter said isnt much of an issue, which i defenitly didnt believe him. Is this even possible for me or is this recruiter setting me up to fail? The biggest worry i have is failing out of flight school because i have no background in it and then the army throwing me into some whirl wind for the next 3 years. I dont have a worry about applying and getting in because of my background and my letters of rec that i have. i am just more worried about the fact of failing out and getting stuck in the "machine". The recruiter has been in for 19 years and said "i have never heard or seen any WOFT candidate failing out of this program" which cannont be true i have worked with the army in the past and know that flight school is a long and difficult. Anyone that can help me or give some background on their experience would be really helpful. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewoski Posted June 3, 2020 Report Share Posted June 3, 2020 Bro you’re over thinking it.. 90% of people who go flight don’t have any experience in aviation. I’m not saying it isn’t possible to fail but that shouldn’t be one of your concerns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedude Posted June 3, 2020 Report Share Posted June 3, 2020 The Army uses a very large broom to push people through flight school. Pretty much the only way to not graduate is to quit, you can be a terrible pilot and the Army will still graduate you and make you your next unit's problem to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkerman180 Posted June 3, 2020 Report Share Posted June 3, 2020 (Disclaimer: I’m not a warrant, I’m an O-grade) You’re asking the wrong questions dude. If you have a masters I’m sure you’ll have no trouble getting through flight school (excluding some unfortunate event or medical condition). The question you should be asking is “Do I want to live the life of a Warrant Officer?” It’s hard and it’s frustrating. Look into that. You’ll be taking orders from some pock-marked kid fresh out of a bachelors degree, working long hours, probably not flying as much as you’d like, and dealing with big-army bullshit. If that’s worth it to you then by all means join us. To me the flying and the mission are worth it. Not so for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrhoodhimself07 Posted June 3, 2020 Report Share Posted June 3, 2020 As a Recruiter, I would recommend you go through with the process. Take the SIFT, take the Flight physical. If you pass those, then decide if you want OCS or WOFT. I recommend WOFT but either way. Don’t over think this, and don’t worry yourself out of a great opportunity. risk is usually worth the reward. Your initial contract is 3 years until you become a Warrant. Referencing the above comments, you should be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyO Posted June 4, 2020 Report Share Posted June 4, 2020 You should see some of the people skating through flight school. I know a kid who failed literally every single PT test (BCT, WOCS, WOBC, SELECTION APFT), has been late several times to every phase of training, and failed multiple tests. Still going strong. I've also seen very good dudes, who are naturally bad at flying, get recycled a few weeks with success. Besides quitting, it's almost impossible to fail out. The very few people who have trouble grasping the actual flying (not the hardest part of school) figure it out just a little bit later than everyone else. You're gonna be disappointed with how the Army turns out, but if you think you'll appreciate the mission/flying like @walkerman180 said, it'll be worth it. Edit: Surprisingly, everything you said you think the recruiter is lying about is true. Never said that before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimS Posted June 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2020 Thank you everyone for the help and advice! I really appreciate it! I went and talked with the recruiter yesterday and he had me take a quick PIP test at the office just to double check my color vision. He said its the same color vision test that they will administer at MEPs. Well apparently i am red/green color deficient which i had no clue i ever had this issue. I can see red and green fine but apparently different shades i cant see or make out the number thats in the plates. After the test he just looked at me and said "well thats an automatic disqualifier". I thought i should make an eye appointment and get that checked for sure because at 29 yo i never knew that i had color blind issues. I have done some research online that a lot of the time if you fail the PIP test you can take other tests and pass just fine but its mainly up to MEPs to determine what test they want to test you on not just me requesting a different test. Anyone else have this issue, and what did you do to get by it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyO Posted June 4, 2020 Report Share Posted June 4, 2020 47 minutes ago, TimS said: Thank you everyone for the help and advice! I really appreciate it! I went and talked with the recruiter yesterday and he had me take a quick PIP test at the office just to double check my color vision. He said its the same color vision test that they will administer at MEPs. Well apparently i am red/green color deficient which i had no clue i ever had this issue. I can see red and green fine but apparently different shades i cant see or make out the number thats in the plates. After the test he just looked at me and said "well thats an automatic disqualifier". I thought i should make an eye appointment and get that checked for sure because at 29 yo i never knew that i had color blind issues. I have done some research online that a lot of the time if you fail the PIP test you can take other tests and pass just fine but its mainly up to MEPs to determine what test they want to test you on not just me requesting a different test. Anyone else have this issue, and what did you do to get by it? Maybe just ask to do it again? Those tests can be weird. I wouldn't try finding a way to cheat the test. If it's an honest problem, you shouldn't try sneaking through it. I would assume it equates to important vision requirements such as flying with NVGs or systems, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Switchmitch Posted June 7, 2020 Report Share Posted June 7, 2020 This guy was able to get an alternative test for his colorblindness and was able to get qualified for woft. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimS Posted June 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2020 Thank you guys very much I am going to look into the process with the alternative tests that are now available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaurus Posted June 7, 2020 Report Share Posted June 7, 2020 TimS As everyone says, you need to be in the top 98% of your class to graduate. Everyone that finishes Army flight school will be a copilot ONLY. That being the case, the Army can push through marginal students. Why aren't you looking at the other services for flight training? Especially now that the Army commitment is 10 years after winging. 11 plus years is along time if you're not enjoying the suck. Navy 32, or AF 33 (On their website) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimS Posted June 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2020 From what my recruiter has showed me is after flight school I would have 6 years of service. Air Force is 10 years at least from what I've been informed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaurus Posted June 8, 2020 Report Share Posted June 8, 2020 As of 3 Jun 20, the Secretary of the Army has approved the commitment for Army flight school to 10 years UPON graduation effective 1 Oct 20. I believe the Sec of the Army has more say so than your recruiter. Air Force and the Army are running neck and neck in commitment. Which one do you want to choose? If selected, you can choose your aircraft and location with the AF ANG or AF Res, very competitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimS Posted June 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2020 Okay yeah that just wasn't relayed to me by my recruiter. Thanks for the info! I'm sure he didn't want me to know haha until I went to sign the contract 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parking Posted June 8, 2020 Report Share Posted June 8, 2020 1 hour ago, TimS said: Okay yeah that just wasn't relayed to me by my recruiter. Thanks for the info! I'm sure he didn't want me to know haha until I went to sign the contract 😂 Honestly, the memo was dated 03 Jun, but wasn't in general public until two days ago. Good chance they didn't know about it, but also good chance they may hide it from you too. I had recruiters convinced BN interviews were still a thing last month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaurus Posted June 8, 2020 Report Share Posted June 8, 2020 TimS When you sign a military contract before attending active duty training, you are not obligated to serve. You can literally change your mind on the day of shipment (google it). You are not being paid while waiting. Therefore you are not under any obligation in going. Of course, a recruiter may forget to tell you this minor point. Maybe he/she is absent minded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBuzzkill Posted June 13, 2020 Report Share Posted June 13, 2020 Dude, I would never join the Army with a 10 year commitment AFTER getting wings. No f*cking way. It's not worth that much of your life. That's coming from someone who really enjoyed being there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowlurker Posted June 14, 2020 Report Share Posted June 14, 2020 On 6/13/2020 at 3:39 PM, SBuzzkill said: Dude, I would never join the Army with a 10 year commitment AFTER getting wings. No f*cking way. It's not worth that much of your life. That's coming from someone who really enjoyed being there. Warrant Officers can always find a way. Fail 2 PT Tests, Medical Discharge, DUI, PCS and then take 6 months of leave to start your own business... there's always a way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBuzzkill Posted June 15, 2020 Report Share Posted June 15, 2020 What are you talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedude Posted June 15, 2020 Report Share Posted June 15, 2020 7 hours ago, SBuzzkill said: What are you talking about? He's talking about being a POS and purposely getting yourself kicked out so you don't have to fulfill your obligation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBuzzkill Posted June 15, 2020 Report Share Posted June 15, 2020 I do not recommend that technique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.