ARMYAV8R Posted December 10, 2006 Report Share Posted December 10, 2006 (edited) Hello all, I was parousing the internet a couple weeks ago looking at various helicopter jobs and the like and came across this site. I currently work for the Department of Homeland Security as a firefighter in Virginia and have just made the switch from the enlisted ranks of the Marine Corps Reserve into the Warrant Officer Candidate Ranks of the Va Army Nat'l Guard's Aviation program. I am awaiting a "school seat" at Fort Rucker, AL (seems as if a few of you "may" have been there once or tiwce ) and I am looking forward to starting my military career in Aviation. Ultimately I would like to maintain employment with DHS as an aviator for them with the "side job" as a "Hawk" pilot in the Guard. I have been lurking here a few weeks and have found the forum VERY informative. For the most part I will continue to read and learn from what you all are going, and have gone though. Any suggestions or "words of advice" are always appreciated! Blake Edited December 11, 2006 by ARMYAV8R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voluptuary5 Posted December 11, 2006 Report Share Posted December 11, 2006 Thanks for your service, Blake, and I wish you the best of luck! -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlo Posted December 11, 2006 Report Share Posted December 11, 2006 hello, well seen your post, and I do not know your situation at all, but i can offer a little advice. I two really good friends who I talk to on a regular basis. One is an air national gaurd pilot in california. One is A wanna be helicopter pilot who works on radar equiptment in Iraq currently. to make a long story short. both men are unhappy with thier circumstances and thought they would both be great pilots by now. The army guy went in for six years " to become a helicopter pilot as he was told"" he went to basic then AIT. ait was helicopter ground school, then went to korea for a year and never touched a helicopter, maybe just radar equiptment. then came home and went through some other crap. all in all, he did not get what he was promised, he seeked out a private pilots license for fixed wing while in korea, he paid the five grand or whatever just to make his warrent officer package look better. I beleive he has 112 units of college and almost his bachalors degreee.. to say the least. the army has gave him the run around and he hasn't been put into the pilot training program as of yet. he is in iraq now and has about a year left until his four years are up. he signed for six but thats only if he is a pilot by four years I believe. so he feels very cheated and very pisted off. he has not seen a heli yet. He thinks they are going to offer him a pilot position if he re enlists with the army in about 8-10 months. second friend, went into the gaurd, went to basic then to heli school, he flies once or twice a month he says and has been deployed to iraq once where he only flew a few missions. he doesnt like the pay, has no hours and had to leave his job a CHP to go to iraq and make pennies. he has no hours and said he was lucky to actually become a helicopter pilot in the gaurd. only a few guys actually get the pilot seats, and even if they give you everything in writing, "" which is yes you will become a helicopter pilot if you sign up for the gaurd for 6 years. They don't have to promise when you will become a helicopter pilot. I think this is crap and he says most people sign up for the six years and they are ready to go to basic and then helicopter school, but the gaurd sends them to basic and then makes them do non sence for like three years , then puts you into the program with the intentions that you will enlist for another four years. He is very pist cause he did get right through to the helicopter program from the national gaurd, but he has been deployed which is almost a gaurentee and it is not the two weeks a year one weekend a month thing anymore. he has no hours and cannot get a 1000 hour helicopter job. cannot get on with chp helicopter flying cause he could be deployed at anytime still and they do not want to put up the money to teach him to fly the CHP helicopter... " don't know why, he is already a pilot. he said only half of his flights he can log and only half of his flights are in the pilots seat. the other half is watching his buddy fly and just babysitting the controls.. ok sorry for the long post, im not trying to tell you what to do, or say that this is what happens to everybody , but these are just two real life stories that im sure everyone has if you look around. just proceed with caution and dont sign anything unless it is in writing and then know that the contract doesn't always mean much since the government does whatever they want anyway.... good luck and i hope all works out well for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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