Could any Aviation Officers who were previously cadets briefly explain your thoughts and experiences with your choice of branching?

Flying is viewed by the uninitiated as romantic...the novice as exhausting...the experienced as tedious.

Seriously though-I'd ask yourself what it is that draws you to aviation and if your core abilities, interests and attitudes are in keeping with the "'life". Modern aviators (in my humble opinion) are "Application Engineers" with a high stress/fear threshold. In both military and civilian flight experiences, I encountered that "high" of realizing you're controlling a craft that's carried by physics all alone in the atmosphere...and that's one of the best feelings I've ever experienced. However, I've also experienced the sheer terror of having your brain "check out" the moment an engine stalls or a fire light comes on...and it's just NATOPS and a couple seconds (or much less) between you and death. I lost an engine on a solo at 1,000 feet and recovered; it was an eye-opening experience.

For me, the "worst" part of training wasn't the physical stuff (water survival, egress, bailout, etc) or the actual "flying"...it was the complexity of navigation under military standards. It's all pretty "simple" stuff on the ground...I did harder math in AP Calculus...but at a few hundred knots in a cramped cockpit with a dour instructor grading every move? Well, that's infinitely harder. The only way to combat that is constant practice, study and prep...which makes having a "life" outside the squadron tough...though to be honest, some of the "best" folks actually did, and maybe that's what got them through. I purposely rented an apartment with wall to wall mirrors in the living room: I had all filled with procedures written out in grease pencil that I constantly drilled well into every night. I did sim time on my own and had my own simulator program at home to "fly" endlessly before each hop.

I busted my rear and poured it all in...and still didn't make it.

When I gave up and went to the ship, I found that I could "make mistakes" and learn from them more often...the bar wasn't "lower" or the consequences any less severe... but there was more room for correcting an error. On the ground, I found that I had enormous support and resources for making decisions...nothing was ever 100% up to me. In both cases, I was more naturally inclined to succeed...something I will eternally wish I had figured out by 20 instead of 25.

That's probably what's different between flying tactical aircraft and other branches...you have less time, fewer resources to make decisions.

True enough, aviators don't live in holes in the ground, sleep under vehicles, or run on two hours of sleep a night on a ship. Yes, they are "cool guys" in their flight suits and leather jackets. Absolutely, they bring the pain and are on the pointy end...but they are also well aware of all of that and don't suffer those who can't hack it among them. However, take them out of their element, and there are many aspects of leadership on the ground they might miss out on.

If anyone's looking for an "easy" branch...I'd advise them to remain a civilian, and get their doctorate in something.

It's all about balancing what challenges your heart tells you it must face...and what challenges your mind/body tells you that they can overcome.

I went to the USAFA out of high school because wanted the best chance to fly possible, and there the pilot quals and pilot slots are the highest. I have just over 3,000 hours flying mostly large multi-engine jets. If you have some flight experience in small airplanes and you have the sense that your brain can make decisions and plan faster than the average pilot, you may have the ability to fly faster aircraft. Staying mentally ahead of your aircraft is a requirement for all pilots, but doing this at 500 knots demands faster planning and decision-making than doing it at 150 knots. As LCDR (Join to see) stated, you need to evaluate yourself and decide why you want to fly. Many pilots think they want to fly jets and pull G's when they're 22, and during UPT they realize it may not be for them. I am 6 feet tall and slim, and pulling 6-7 G's every day is not fun for me. If you're 5'8" and built like a fire plug, you may enjoy it. So when I got a large aircraft out of pilot training, I was happy for the next 15 years of flying. I've experienced engine fires, lost hydraulics...a whole career of ahh shits. Flying is truly rewarding sometimes, boring most-times, and high-stress life-or-death sometimes. You need to take it seriously or you will die. Take some time to talk with pilots who fly different aircraft types and different mission. The mission frames your daily life.

In my case I fly Blackhawks for the Army. I love flying helicopters because of the complexity of the aircraft and the missions that we do. I started flying civilian fixed wing before going to Army flight school though. What I can tell you...Army sucks a lot of the joy out of flying but when you’re done with the mission, you feel accomplished. It’s a weird dynamic that a lot of people are. It cut out for. A lot of your career in aviation will be about attitude. Aptitude won’t be the biggest part but attitude will. If you are willing to bust your butt for a long time and never give up, you’ll do fine as a mil Aviator. I can’t speak for other branches of service but I’m sure they’re similar. The unfortunate part of being a mil Aviator is that it makes it a tough life style for family. I’ve deployed several times over the last 15 yrs in the Army and each one has been for a year or more. That is one of the hardest parts about being in Army aviation, you’re constantly on the go.

As far as flight hours go: depending on what you’re flying and what you’re mission is will dictate how much you fly. Deployments are always the place to rack up a bunch of flight time. Always remember this: it’s not the quantity of flight hours you have but the quality of flight hours you have. In other words, complex planning for tactical missions, multi ship flights under 0% illum...blah, blah, blah. Point being don’t focus on how many flight hours you have, focus on getting quality flight time and quality training.

As far as Army training goes: you will go through flight school at Ft Rucker, Al for around 18 months. Plain and simple: for the majority of people, it’s friggin hard. You will understand what chronic fatigue and burnout feels like by the end. It’s none stop studying while you’re in flight training. There are easier times than others but just understand, you are there for a reason!

As far as the quality of life goes...ha, it’s the Army. I’ve never expected Army lifestyle to be very cozy. Most Army bases aren’t great but neither are a lot of the other branches bases. Off post housing is meh. As an Army active duty pilot, you will move every 3 years. If you want to start a family, it should be taken into consideration.

All that said, it really boils down to this: Aviation is not for everyone, Aviation is demanding yet rewarding, Attitude is everything. Please take a lot of time to think about your future decision in military aviation. It is a hearty investment for the military so don’t take it lightly. As someone said in an above comment - flying is romantic to people that don’t do it...I can tell you that it is a love of mine but also a very demanding job.

Lease message if you have any questions about Army aviation! Good luck