From the street to a cockpit seat

Since April 1951, the U.S. Army has had a program—not widely known in some areas—that takes qualified civilian applicants off the street and trains them to fly helicopters. For many years the Warrant Officer Flight Training (WOFT) program carried the moniker “high school to flight school,” because a high school diploma is the highest level of education required. Because the selection process has become more competitive recently, however, “college to cockpit” may be a better description of the program—the majority of successful candidates today have at least an associate’s degree.

Actually, there are two ways into a helicopter cockpit through the program, explained CW5 Jeffrey Reichard, chief warrant officer of the Army’s aviation branch at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Forty percent of the candidates accepted are civilians “off the street,” he said. “Not only do most applicants have a college degree, but about half have some flight-training experience, in either fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft,” Reichard said. “I think the economy has allowed us to be more selective in the process.”

Candidates work through their local Army recruiters, who forward completed application packets to Fort Knox, Kentucky, where a review board meets each month to consider them. Reichard said the program sees an average of 45 applicants each month: 40 percent typically are accepted.

The remaining 60 percent of WOFT candidates come from the Marines, Air Force, and enlisted soldiers in the Army. For these aspiring Army aviators, a review board meets every other month, and it may consider 200 to 300 applicants. The board may select 20 percent to 25 percent of the candidates, Reichard noted. Reichard, from Carlyle, Pennsylvania, has served the Army for 27 years, and was an enlisted soldier before becoming a warrant officer.

Civilians accepted into the program receive normal enlisted basic training, then come to Fort Rucker and attend Warrant Officer Career College. These warrant officer candidates complete a six-week training program that emphasizes basic Army knowledge, leadership training, and rigorous physical training. Then they enter the flight training program and begin initial entry rotary wing (IERW) training.

“I have been very pleased with the selection process in the Warrant Officer Flight Training program, and the quality of the students we’ve received off the street,” Reichard said. Civilian candidates are much more motivated and qualified than in the past; more than 75 percent have at least an associate’s degree, and half of that 75 percent have a bachelor’s degree.

The number of candidates the Army selects for pilot training each year fluctuates based on the Army’s needs, Reichard explained. “In fiscal year 2010 we are looking to select a little more than 300 into the program,” again with 40 percent of candidates coming from the civilian sector. “We are looking to increase that in FY11 and FY12.”

Training about 300 warrant officers to fly helicopters in the next year means that 120 will be “off the street” and the remaining 180 will come from within the armed forces. There are approximately 13,000 warrant officers in the U.S. Army today, and that 30 to 40 percent of them serve in aviation. “The aviation branch is the largest warrant officer branch in the Army,” Reichard said. Not all warrant officers in the branch are pilots; other aviation opportunities for Army warrant officers include unmanned aircraft systems, air traffic control, and aircraft ground maintenance.

“There are more warrant officer slots than officer-grade [slots] in Army aviation,” Reichard noted. In 2010, while the Army brings 300 warrant officer candidates into the program, some 270 officers will be selected for flight training—and they will go through the same program. A small number of Army aviators can transition to fixed-wing flying, but in the Army all pilots learn to fly rotary-wing aircraft first.

Civilian applicants must meet several requirements: be a U.S. citizen; high school graduate or equivalent; at least 18 years old and have not reached thirty-third birthday before being selected; minimum GT (General Technical test) score of 110; minimum AFAST (Alternate Flight Aptitude Selection Test) score of 90; pass Class 1 Army flight physical; ability to obtain secret security clearance; and strong letters of recommendation are suggested.

Besides holding a four-year college degree, the average selectee is 26 with a typical GT score of 120 and an AFAST score higher than 130, Reichard said. On a required physical training test, most applicants score above 270 out of a possible 300.

The screening process is very effective. Only about 5 percent of candidates wash out of the program for any reason—medical, flight deficiency, or academic deficiency, Reichard explained. “If you can get selected, you will become an Army aviator,” if you stay with the Army’s values and Army standards. The warrant officer appointment is conditional on completion of initial Army aviation training. If a candidate does wash out, he or she can stay in the Army as an enlisted soldier or be discharged as a civilian.

At Fort Rucker, successful candidates will train in the TH-67 Creek helicopter—similar to the Bell 206B-3—as well as in flight simulators. After initial training pilots will transition into the OH-58 Kiowa reconnaissance helicopter, the UH-60 Black Hawk transport, the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, or the twin-rotor CH-47 Chinook. Over a training period of nine to 12 months, pilots typically log between 70 and 150 hours of flight time.

For more information on the program or to apply, contact a local Army recruiter or go to the Web site. A local recruiter must prepare the WOFT application package.

Mike Collins is technical editor for AOPA Flight Training and AOPA Pilot magazines.