branch for 160th SOAR tryout?

[bigbody]

Hey! One of my biggest goals in my army career is hopefully to make the 160th SOAR, whether it be as a pilot (preferred) but I would not mind the chance to join as any other job. Is there any branch which the 160th prefers, or any jobs which are underlooked by the majority of applicants. Additionally, I have heard that commissioned aviation officers rarely ever fly, so would this be the best route in order to try to become a pilot with the Nightstalkers?

 

[Casey]

It’s a cool goal but I’d advise you to focus first on commissioning and doing really well in your first duty assignment(s). Regiment takes folks from all sorts of branches so there a number of different ways to end up there depending on what your goals are. Don’t choose your branch based on thinking it’ll be easier to make it to assessment down the road. Just focus on doing the best at whatever you end up doing and things tend to work themselves out in due time.

You can search some of my previous posts or @UHBlackhawk who has some good ones on the differences in flight progression between commissioned and warrant officers. Bottom line is as a LT/CPT, you’ll generally see opportunities to fly regularly depending on what jobs you are put into. As you progress further, into the field grade ranks, your flight time will diminish unless you end up in special organizations or functional areas such as the 160th where you will continue flying. Ultimately, it comes down to what your goals are. Do you want to be a platoon leader and commander leading soldiers or do you want to be a technical expert as a WO? Either way, you’re going to be expected to be a professional pilot.

 

[prospective2019]

AV officers certainly do fly--couple of my instructors have well over 2,000 flight hours.

You will have a chance to talk to representatives from the 160th during Branch Week every year, many of them Old Grads. They are a great resource.

 

[UHBlackhawk]

Since the 160th is an aviation regiment aviation is the obvious choice. But they do have support personnel from other branches. AG, MI, and QM come to mind (S-1, S-2, S-4). I wouldn’t be surprised if they have cyber.
But, as written above, concentrate on performing as a lieutenant first. My experience is dated, but when I was there they looked at non aviation officers who were successful as LT’s. You would go there normally for a short period of time, 2-4 years, as a senior LT-junior captain. Maybe a little longer.
Also, as written above, talk to one of the recent members of the 160th for the latest info.

 

[USMAZoo98]

If your goal in life is to fly as much as possible, you are better going the Warrant Officer route. Warrants do the most flying in the Army - not to say commissioned officers don't also get some flying in. That being said, you should focus on getting through to commissioning first and make yourself competitive for Aviation as the highest priority to improve your chances.