armyman736
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
- Messages
- 123
I am wanting to become a helicopter pilot If I were to attend and graduate from ROTC. What are my chances of getting this job and what are the qualifications. Thank you in advance.
Would doing something like Aeronautical Science at ERAU and graduating with a commercial pilot license increase you chances?
I find Clarkson's advice above to be typically valuable and insightful, but I'm sorry that things are the way they are. My son very much wants to branch Aviation if Army ROTC is the path he ultimately takes, but he has wanted to major in Engineering since he was 12. I find it incredible that the Army fails to appreciate the difference between a Criminal Justice major with a 3.9 (like me) and an Engineering major with a 3.0. Hence Clarkson's advice to aspiring aviators to "find the easiest major possible" in order to assure the maximum GPA points in the OML calculation. Realistic, yes. But in my opinion, a waste of a college education and an invitation by the Army to take the path of least resistance rather than encouraging its future leaders to truly challenge themselves and reject the easy means to an end. In my opinion the Navy and Air Force appear to have a much better appreciation for the technical majors in their future officer ranks. I fear the Army is missing out by discouraging their best and brightest from achieving their maximum academic potential.
goaliedad, I absolutely agree that there is a place for officers of all interests and majors. When I was on active duty, most of us had no idea what our fellow officers majored in. I just regret that in the ROTC world, GPA alone, regardless of the difficulty of the major, has such a significant impact on the cadet's ability to branch into their primary field of interest, participate in training opportunities, etc. Those who desire to tackle the significantly harder classes required for a degree in engineering or the hard sciences should not, in my opinion, by discouraged from doing so, because I think the Army benefits from their education. The Army must recognize this to some degree, since to the best of my knowledge there is not an abundance of social science majors offered at West Point. Also, in my observation (and yours can certainly be different,) those of us who majored in crim justice, poly sci, sociology, etc. did not have GPAs "slightly higher" than our heartier classmates seeking an engineering, chemistry, or biology degree; they were significantly higher on average. Just doesn't seem equitable or logical to me.
Here is another path to aviation that most don't think about, but I think Scout will back me up on this. I believe the Medical Services branch gets some med evac pilot slots. Although Med Services isn't the easiest branch to get either, this may be another way to get an opportunity to fly. If all else fails just ask for the 101st and get the opportunity to ride around in them.
Goaliedad, I was interested in UND's AROTC helicopter flight program, but I did some research and talked to an officer from the program that discouraged me from pursuing them. Apparently your first semester is basically your application to get into the flight program, and they only take ~15 people (this figure changes year to year). I hated the idea that if I didn't make it into the program, then I'm stuck in freaking North Dakota. I decided for Oregon State University instead, makes more sense since I'll be in state and they have a good ROTC program.
EDIT: The officer didn't try to discourage me, but what he revealed about how the program works made me change my mind.