AROTC Aviation

smd400

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Jan 23, 2017
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Hi all!

I am interested in branching aviation. What is the time commitment? I would love to fly but am also cautious to extend my time in, given that at 20/21 it is a lot to commit to.

Thanks!
 
Go warrant officer if you really want to fly. Army Officers lead Soldiers- either as an aviator in Germany or Chemical at Ft Polk. You are committing to leading Soldiers.
 
+1 MSAROTC

The army needs pilots, but the bulk of flying is done by WO's. The WOFT is the best route for someone who seeks purely to fly, not lead.
https://www.stripes.com/news/us/army-considers-better-pay-for-aviation-as-pilots-and-crews-leave-at-record-rate-1.577947

I believe that for Army ROTC, aviation has a base commitment of six years from the day you report to active duty. If you ADSO, you add another year for seven.

However, the Army has been rumbling about changing the AV commitments due to the volume of pilots leaving the service, so everything is subject to change.
 
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Yes, I agree! I would love to fly but would also be totally fine with a ground job! I don't plan to go career so from my understanding I would spend a good amount of time flying early on, and maybe my last couple years not so much, which would be fine with me.
 
Hi all!

I am interested in branching aviation. What is the time commitment? I would love to fly but am also cautious to extend my time in, given that at 20/21 it is a lot to commit to.

Thanks!

Both of my son's branched Aviation out of AROTC, one has moved over to Civil Affairs and the younger is still AV. The commitment for both of them was 6 years, some will tell you that the 6 years starts after you graduate flight school but for them that's not what was shown on their original orders.

The post above is correct in regard to Warrant vs Regular Officer if you plan on staying in the Army past your first commitment. WO's will fly for most of their career, RLO's will move more to staff, planning and command positions. You are correct in that you will fly as much as the warrants in the beginning, after a couple years you will most likely move to a staff job, you will still fly, how much will depend on your unit.

As a RLO in Aviation you'll wear a lot of hats, my younger son has been planning Pacific Pathways for the past few months, he has been to Thailand for two one month trips for planning Pathways that will start in Feb. He is approaching the 4 year mark in the Army and he still flys, just not as much as when he first reported. This summer he will be heading back to Ft. Rucker for the Captains Career Course for about 8 months, he will not be flying while there. The amount of flying he will do after that will depend on where and what he does next.

As was mentioned above, as a RLO you will spend more time on staff and have some opportunity for a command over your career, flying is not the main mission of an Aviation RLO, but you will gain a lot of experience in various positions you hold.
 
I believe every initial enlistment is 8 years. However, it is served wx a 4x4 (4yrs active 4 yrs reserve/IRR), 6x2, 8 year reserve. I may be wrong, and someone check me. As having been both an Aviation WO and a RLO I had many great experiences including C-Co Command (MEDEVAC). You are young and you won't know which fits you best until you have flown a little. Go Aviation- it is a blast! Remember the aviator joke: what is the difference between a W1 and a 2LT in aviation? The W1 will make W3 quicker.
 
Anyone know if the commitment extends beyond 8 years if the cadet chooses to go the National Guard route after commissioning and is interested in branching aviation? Also how does flight school work if going the national guard route? Thanks!
 
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