r22forlife Posted December 15, 2005 Report Share Posted December 15, 2005 If there are any ex military or current military helicopter pilots out there, would you please let me know if you think it is a good choice to join and become a pilot. I currently have a commerical/Instrument rating and working towardsa CFI but I realy dont want to teach. Any information would be greatly appreciated. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpig Posted December 15, 2005 Report Share Posted December 15, 2005 alot of people dont want to teach. including me at one point but i am glad that i got my ticket. i would rather be a cfi then be an army pilot ( no offense just not my cup of tea ). i think people should instruct for atleast 100 hrs cus you learn ALOT. also from what i have hearda company would rather hire a 1000 hour cfi than someone who just built time doing commercial ops or built time with their own aircraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkdriver Posted December 16, 2005 Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 What are your specific questions? Being accepted depends alot on Age, education, background. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helicopter_Dr Posted December 16, 2005 Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 I have got to disagree with you Warpig. I know for a fact that a lot of companies would rather hire the guy that did 1000hrs. of commercial work over the CFI. The reason is if you are a CFI with 1000 hrs. how much of that flight time were you actually flying. All of it was PIC granted, but the student did most of the flying. The commercial operator that does not have a CFI has more hands on experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r22forlife Posted December 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 Iam 23 years old with a high school diploma, about 21 college credit hours and have been training at Quantum helicopters where I have obtained a commerical liscence with an instrumnet rating. Iam currently working towards my CFI but I dont enjoy that aspect of flying. So i have been looking into the warrent officer program so i can actually fly,and recieve top notch training. what I am trying to decide is if it is worth going to the army or should I just stick it out, do my time and finish in the civilian world? Will I actually fly in the army or will I et in and they have me do something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpig Posted December 16, 2005 Report Share Posted December 16, 2005 helicopter dr. not trying to pick a fight but operators that i have spoken with would rather have someone that has the ability to do flight reviews along side of the fact that they know you know your info ( or should ). some companys i wont mention where you build your hours doing commercial work sound great. but watch some of them fly a solid approach or pattern ( only from what i have seen ). again i am not trying to start a fight but from what i have heard and seen where i operate. also operaters that see resumes with time building companys will tend to put them to the bottom of the stack from what i can understand. i as an operater would choose the cfi not only cus they ( should ) have the knowledge but i can garuntee, myself included they have had some very close calls and should be on top of thier game. another thing is a good friend who flew in the gulf was offered 10 grand more a year to instruct in the 206 for new hires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkdriver Posted December 17, 2005 Report Share Posted December 17, 2005 Iam 23 years old with a high school diploma, about 21 college credit hours and have been training at Quantum helicopters where I have obtained a commerical liscence with an instrumnet rating. Iam currently working towards my CFI but I dont enjoy that aspect of flying. So i have been looking into the warrent officer program so i can actually fly,and recieve top notch training. what I am trying to decide is if it is worth going to the army or should I just stick it out, do my time and finish in the civilian world? Will I actually fly in the army or will I et in and they have me do something else? I dont get your question "will they let me fly in the Army." IF you apply for the Civilian to WarrAnt officer program then you will be a pilot. Mind you there are lots of additional duties, but a pilot none-the-less. You look like the average high school to flight school applicant as far as the above bio goes. Go talk to a recruiter. Ask about the above program and not enlistment. http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/ Check that out to start. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ascott20 Posted December 18, 2005 Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 I crossed over from the civilian world to the military, and I believe I made the right choice doing so. However, if I had to do it over again, I would have gone in as a warrant officer rather than as a line officer (second lieutenant, etc). The Warrant Officer flight program is for flying officers. You will have some simple, mundane additional duty, but your primary job will be to fly helos... that's it! Now, on the down side, you will not accumulate hours as fast as your CFI buddies. However, your flight time is much more relevant to the actual helo operations world than what most CFIs do. The smallest aircraft you will fly is a very nicely equipped Bell 206B3, and you will develop much more confidence and experience operating at terrain flight altitudes and confined areas. If you maintain your knowledge and skills from the civilian market, you will have employers screaming for you when you decide to retire. Remember, 1000 hours in an R22 in the pattern is one thing, but 1000 hours flying turbine aircraft performing terrain flight, slopes, confined areas, pinnacles, mission planning, sling loads, and even hoist (GO DUSTOFF!!!) operations, is another!!!! I'd say go for it. Just my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r22forlife Posted December 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 Hey, Thanks for that information, its exactly what i wanted to hear. I have contacted my local recruiter and I have an appointment on Monday the 19th. i will keep you updated on my progress and thanks again for that info. Sincerely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewT Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 However, if I had to do it over again, I would have gone in as a warrant officer rather than as a line officer (second lieutenant, etc). And give up ROTC, LTC, and LDAC?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkdriver Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 Our chain of command was out pushing the milper messege about making the jump from Warrant to MSC today. Not in my wildest dreams(or thiers). Sorry Ascott. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ascott20 Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 No offense taken hawkdriver. Don't let anyone talk you into making the switch. All they're letting me fly right now is a desk. I am so close to crossing over to your side right now; I tell you what. Hey Andrew, stay in the NG or reserve man... my buddies who are part-timers are getting to fly plenty!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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