The upper age limit to enter flight training is established in law and requires Congressional action. I think it would be a great idea to leverage senior NCOs to enter pilot training with a waiver. If you love the flying youre doing, and you have a squadron of good people, any assignment can be a great experience, no matter how busy you are. Although its easy to feel stuck on Active Duty, there are also options for getting out early. Reading this in Jan 21, after 10 months of pandemic lockdown. It also left plenty of time to have a normal life and spend time with one's family. This is usually a 1-year assignment, though it might be two. Additionally, because of rules that the Federal Aviation Administration has put into place over the last decade that make hiring civilian pilots difficult, many regional airlines have created rotary-wing transition programs that substantially ease the transition for Army helicopter pilots. Not difficult for the Army in finding 300 additional NCOs for the WOFT program if need be. If youre worried about frequent moves disrupting your family life, picking a community with few basing locations is a viable option for Active Duty. This mindset is far from universal, but its prevalent enough that the Academy actually had pilot slots go unfilled a few years ago! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I at least expected a survey or something from the Aviation branch to ask why I was leaving, but again, nothing. (Yes, they say ADSO instead of ADSC because the Army and the Air Force refuse to do anything the same since they divorced back in 47.) 10 year ADSO started FY21. This used to be unheard of. Branch of Choice: Your BRADSO obligation runs consecutively with your flight school ADSO and your commitment will run out to about the 10 year point. As a Guard or, There are also a lot of great flying opportunities that you can only do on Active Duty. Soldiers pilot a CH-47 Chinook helicopter during a training flight over the city of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, May 23, 2020. There is no replacement theory for ARFORGEN they decided to just shelve it and go with "let's make everyone miserable all the time". junglerekon 2 yr. ago The TIG start isn't official yet. Serving on Active Duty is also the only way to get an overseas flying assignment. This means that aviation formations get screwed doubly they have to support everyone's demands, while being vastly outnumbered. Clear editor. No additional time added with a BRADSO. The Army, by contrast, could only say that Army senior leaders recognize there are growing civilian opportunities for Army pilots. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy recently signed a memorandum that increased the ADSOor active duty service obligationfor Army pilots. Anyway, I just clocked 20 years, 5 1/2 years of that has been spent in the Middle East and for what? Some of the impacts may have directly affected [Soldiers] ability to pursue [their] goals of working for the commercial sector, especially the airlines.. What I would propose is to change the flight school is conducted to make it cheaper and make it easier to increase throughput. Aviation: dude it's a 10 year ADSO, so I hope you like aviation, cuz you ain't going anywhere else. On this career path, Stan is most likely to leave young kids at home with his spouse while he deploys. If the civilians don't want to join, not a problem. The congressional study on pilot retention noted, One of the most important variables in meeting pilot requirements is the retention rate, as this is used to estimate what level of new pilot production is needed.. This global pandemic has made unprecedented impacts on the worlds economies and our way of life, Koziol said. I've been in the Army for a long time, and it's never been worse than now. Armed Forces REGARDLESS of the provisions of this enlistment/ The same goes for great deals like going to Test Pilot School, flying the E-11A BACN, and much more. Im a turd for putting 2021. Branch of Choice: Your BRADSO obligation runs consecutively with your flight school ADSO and your commitment will run out to about the 10 year point. Air defense branch offering $60,000 bonus for warrant officers, New aviators to incur 10-year service obligation, New Aviators to incur 10-year service obligation. The 10 year ADSO was based on whether or not you pinned WO1/2LT by a certain date, not by when you started or graduated IERW. It just seems like a bait and switch to have me sign a conditional release and paperwork that says 6 years and then say, oh by the way we meant 10. There will always be external factors and organizations that draw quality talent from the Army, but the Army should have more flexibility in their ability and measures to retain quality talent. There's an easy answer to this the oblivious, tone-deaf culture of "readiness" that GEN Milley fostered while serving as the CSA. Flying helicopters looks pretty dope though. For most, Top Gun played at least a little bit of a role. In the current COVID crisis, those years may soon make the difference between having a great job and. It's almost as though he completely and totally ignored the concept of morale and esprit de corps. There's the technical expertise that goes along with it as well. I think that mindser still exists. WASHINGTON -- Starting in October, commissioned and warrant officers selected for initial entry flight training will be required to serve at least a decade once they become an Army aviator, according to an all Army activity message published Aug. 12. What if Stans 5-year ADSC runs out as the next SARS/Swine Flu/COVID-type pandemic puts hiring on hold? Anything and everything related to or affecting US Army Aviation. I was enlisted for 6 before I moved over. Note: The waiver authority for this requirement is the Commanding General, U.S. Army Aviation Center, Fort Rucker, AL 36362-5000. . The Army has had pilot shortages off and on ever since I can remember. I wonder how this will effect street to seat recruitment for WOFT. In the last decade, retention has always been a hot-button issue. Furthermore, for cadets who may want to pursue a civilian career after a stint in the Army, the opportunity costs are higher the longer they stay. Hopefully it is dependent on start date and not graduation date. I like the idea of the Ultimate career path because it still allows you to. How to Join and Requirements Scholarship Opportunities Cadet Life , Network, As the COVID-19 crisis continues to drag on, I cant help asking my crystal ball how things are going to shake out. However, has he really had a better home life than them? Why or why not? If the Army rescinds this ADSO and reverts to the original six-year obligation, it will have six years to develop solutions to increase retention. ADSO is completed. Before trying to add more pilots, or change quality of life (which I don't think they're trying to do), they should look at leveling the demands on pilots within the ranks. However, Army aviation should not be compared with the other military branchesnot least because of the widely varying costs of producing pilots. I ended up discovering that Stan was most worried about frequent moves and long deployments stressing his family during an Active Duty flying career. Heres some humor about the topic too https://thefrontlines.com/comics/army-pilots-beware/. (Read. Full disclosure, I was a street to seat Warrant that served for 24 years. and our Well, the short answer is, we dont know. Since classes are generally pretty well mixed with people with respect to when they commissioned, the first couple of classes must have been a mix of people on the old 6 and the new 10. . You get to the airlines sooner, and you spend more years at a major airline. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Im would bank on that being the flight school start date officially. If people don't want to serve, you are actually harming readiness, not helping it. You can post now and register later. The new policy doesnt include Soldiers currently in training, said Chief Warrant Officer 5 William S. Kearns, aviation and officer policy integrator for the Armys G-1 office. Given the pandemic's direct and indirect effects on the aviation industry, is that even going to a concern going forward. Up to $15K per year payable to officers drawing Optometrist Regular Special Pay who have completed initial ADSO for education and training, and who execute a 12-month active duty service agreement. At the same time it could drive a shortage of Aviation Officers, but if they're going to leave the Army anyway. They might be stuck on Active Duty slightly longer than Stan, but hed have to spend at least a couple of years at a regional airline to even start competing for major airline jobs. You can review the rules in AR 600-3 if memory serves. You must understand, the Army has an ace in the hole when filling the Warrant Officer aviation pipeline. Why should you consider doing Company . Theres a two word solution to this, age waiver. I would never have signed a 10 year ADSO for army aviation. Hah oh good catch. His administration's definition of readiness was turning maximum amount of red chicklets on spreadsheets to green, sending people over and over to the field and CTCs without any break, and endless rotations to Korea and Europe. Well also see some advantages of Active Duty and some options for cutting your time there short. Final thoughts the social aspect of the Army has never been worse. The Ultimate Military Pilot Career Path is to get hired directly by a Guard or Reserve unit and let them send you to UPT. So the recruitment piece has not historically been our challenge, it has been capacity and production. But what if the new ADSO invalidates this assumption? That seems like a lifetime to an 18 year old. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense. They used their experience to mentor and groom all the other warrants around them including myself. Before people get started on the, this is the way the Army goes and all that, I know. West Point graduates have a 5 year commissioning ADSO. I bet less than 400 WOFT selected are non prior service on a annual basis. The Army has more career Enlisted willing to cross over for the opportunity in being an Officer and increasein pay for the family, with or without a degree. The change comes as the cost and requirements for aircraft have increased across the board, Kearns said. Ultimately, the Army needs to focus on the retention of quality talent; not on retaining mediocre talent for a longer period of time "because they can mandate longer ADSOs.". Can you imagine thesmile on more than a few faces of the last graduating class in Fy 2020 in September. Start date has no impact on this. While the goal of the CSA's program was a well intentioned effort to make up for a dearth of aviation experience at senior ranks, it wasn't well received and Congress bit back. These cadets may not be willing to forgo an extra four years of civilian work experience to serve as aviation officers. These could range from 6 months to two years, depending on the type of aircraft hes flying. The Army must also capture the opinions of those it can still retain. The 10-year service obligation is the result of a numbers-related calculus related to Army manning and will not address the problems that make Aviators leave. 10 years after flight school graduation. 6 years is a masters degree, 10 years is 2 years longer than a PH. What if you transfer from being an officer with 8 years of service (including enlisted time) to being warrant aviation? You are likely going to be on Active Duty Status for about 7 years once you finish command as most officers command a company around their 6th year of service. The 10 year ADSO was based on whether or not you pinned WO1/2LT by a certain date, not by when you started or graduated IERW. At first, his idea sounded reasonable to me. If I am reading this correctly, this applies to officers that attend initial flight school after October 1st 2021. ADSO stands for Active Duty Service Obligation. There are a lot more BCTs, SF groups, SFABs and NG/USAR units than there are CABs. I retired in 1998. The future of Army aviation depends on retaining the pilots in whom it invests so much. That was the last straw for several senior pilots in my battalion and the majority of them retired after/because of that deployment when they had intended to stay in for at least a few more years. I transitioned from infantry to aviation and have had off-and-on heartache with it ever since. is working as an Admission Liaison Officer for the USAF Academy. In a worst-case scenario, hes looking at: Wow, thats a lot of moving and time away from home! These trips have to be funded at his own expense and would require him to use leave that wont be available for family trips. Be older than 18, but not more than 33 years at the time of board selection (Active Component (AC), USAR, and ARNG) . Army Pilots put up with less Army BS and get paid more. The Army should be able to meet their quota through CAREER Enlisted personnel ONLY if they must. There's a regulation whose number I can't recall at the moment that specifies when it starts. No. The best pilots I have served with were prior NCOs. Aviation Warrant Officers have a 10-year service commitment after completing Warrant Officer Flight School. This is both expensive and time-consumingtough to fit in around a 9-5 as an engineer, especially if he has a family. When discussing any big-picture career options, I always make sure to follow Simon Sineks advice and Start With Why. "We probably need to look at it and adjust it a . In congressional testimony it was stated that at that time (2019) around 40% of the pilot population was within 3 years of being retirement eligible. They think this is going to solve the shortage. Aviation continuation pay 2 . My ORB says a date 6 years from my AD start date, which Im pretty sure is wrong. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Were looking at troops selected for flight training in the fiscal year 2021 and beyond.. I would be inclined to say that your contract is still 6 year ADSO. Expect bonuses to disappear as well. Due to the flight school ADSO and timeline, you will be on active duty for about 7 years in order to fulfill the obligations incurred through flight training. 10 years is a good rate of return for the experience needed in being a pilot. Regarding the future Army Commissioned Lts in wishing to branch aviation, that will be an issue next year. What are the chances of getting picked up. Traditionally, the Army has not struggled to recruit pilots. Aviators selected for DH can expect an accompanied increase in flight pay from $650/month to $1,000/month at 10 years of aviation service (YAS) . Sounds great! Just to end it and walk away.. victorious..? What a joke. So why are aviators getting out? In recent discussions with some USAFA cadets, Ive encountered several who actually turned down pilot slots because of that 10-year ADSC. The US Army recently changed its aviation Active Duty Service Obligation from 8 to 10 years and created an absolute uproar. The root cause cited by those transitioning at various levels has related to toxic climates, mismanagement of professional profiles, quality of life, and unit culture. Rather, the Modern War Institute provides a forum for professionals to share opinions and cultivate ideas. If you havent already read Part, Part 1: Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (AFROTC) Table of Contents What is AFROTC? pay, allowances, benefits, and responsibilities as a member of the Change flight school where primary flight training is done by civilian contractors via fixed wing. I bet less than 300 WOFT selected are non prior service on a annual basis. A large number of aviation personnel have a lot of passion and dedication to the mission, but that can only last so long when your life consists ONLY of the mission. Like it or not, you need to accrue that experience one way or another. In order to figure out the pros and cons of these different options, we first need to compare the timelines side by side. Im not young, but Ive aged well and am not ready to resign myself to a desk. Aviation has always been a highly desirable branch, and gaining a slot has been a matter of performance or differentiation from peers (whether OML or via a competitive application process). Just like privates do certain tasks, junior warrant officers perform certain work as well, and I've personally seen a few folks not being able to deal with that change. Id always wanted to be a pilot and didnt know anything else, so I said the Doolie equivalent of Shut up and take my money! (There was a lot more Sir and Maam involved.) Our young NCOs want to become warrant officers and get out and fly.