SOF then Night Stalker

Ravage

running up that hill
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Jan 3, 2007
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in Wonderland, with my Alice
Guys I've read on a diferent forum (soc) that there are guys from Ranger Reg, SEALs, SF now fly (thats right FLY) in the 160th as pilots !
I mean how can that be done, you become a SEAL or a Ranger, you serve a couple of years and then you decide to fly as one of the very best helo pilots in the god damn world - the 160th SOAR(A).
So how is it ?
 
I know a lot of people that have done it. Just another selection process.
 
I dont know anything about the process. Alot of the enlisted guys I know took the WO route.
 
I dont know anything about the process. Alot of the enlisted guys I know took the WO route.

just outta interest Boon,What does that entail??(WO route) Can the lowest rank of Sgt skip ranks to get to Sgt Major or is that all involved in the selection??
 
I honestly don't know. My TL was doing it before he was kia in Iraq. He put in a packet for Warrant, and I believe he had to take a test. I honesty dont know what was involved. Im not familiar with the Irish Army ranks, but in our system he would have been an E-5 or E-6 and went to the WO paygrade.
 
I honestly don't know. My TL was doing it before he was kia in Iraq. He put in a packet for Warrant, and I believe he had to take a test. I honesty dont know what was involved. Im not familiar with the Irish Army ranks, but in our system he would have been an E-5 or E-6 and went to the WO paygrade.

After Sgt we have CS (company Sgt) or CQ(Company Quartermaster) the CS being the Senior Rank out of the Two. We then have Sgt Major WO 1.AFAIk Boon, Our CS rank equates to E-7(found that out from Mates who have served with US Mil in Bosnia) and E-8 and E-9 are WO 1/WO 2 respectfully.
 
You make E-4 (at a minimum), submit a warrant officer packet, take the flight test (AFAST, I think), go throught WOBC and flight school. Spend a tour flying for a conventional Army unit and submit a packet for 160th. If you make the cut, you go throught their selection process and training. That is a very dumbed down version of what it takes to fly for 160th.
 
They've recruited some crewmen directly from AIT, not sure how that works for pilots though. I can't imagine that would be feasible.
 
I think there's a little confusion based on our perspective rank systems. WO are completely different in the American military than they are in Europe/most of the rest of the world. Here being a WO denotes a comprehensive knowledge of a particular subject area. Say logistics/aviation/artillery/and even Special Forces. While some of the requirements to become a WO in those areas DO require a specific rank and amount of time in service as a prerequisite for ascension (SF as an example), others can be applied for with little to no prior-service (ie Aviation).

As I understand it becoming a WO in say the British Army is a matter of progression in the enlisted rank scheme after Sergeant Major or whatever other enlisted rank you have at the top of your food chain. Here in the US Sergeant Major (at whatever level) is pretty much as high as it goes on the enlisted end.

To become a Warrant Officer (or as others affectionately know them, a Chief) requires that the applicant meet the basic eligibility of the Warrant Officer specialty they're applying for and completion of the Warrant Officer Basic Course at Ft. Benning, GA and whatever follow-on training is required for the job. For those who are going to be pilots that means training at Rucker, Artillery types go to Sill, etc., etc. If you're military has what are called Limited Duty Officers, Warrant Officers for us are very similar.

Hope that clears things up a little.
 
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Rusty, that's only true if you're already in.

FF, you can enter directly into the WO flight training pipeline as a civilian but there are some specific requirements that have to be met first.

More here: http://www.goarmy.com/about/warrant_officer.jsp

I'd presume having flight time would be one of those specific requirements for a Civvie.

WO's are still classified as Enlisted?
 
If you're military has what are called Limited Duty Officers, Warrant Officers for us are very similar.

Hope that clears things up a little.

Unless you're talking Navy, in which case they have Limited Duty Officers AND Warrant Officers.

Irish Army, having flight time is not a requirement for a civvie, but it would make one's application packet more competetive.

As for WOs being Enlisted, that is a big negative. They fall in-between the Enlisted and Commissioned Officer scales. A WO1 outranks a Sergeant Major, but a 2LT outranks a CW5 (theoretically). In a lot of the warrant officer fields in the US, you are required to have been an NCO (Sergeant or above) prior to becoming a Warrant Officer, Aviation is the only one that I know of that does not have that requirement. That is due to the fact that, as RLK pointed out, they are technical experts in their field.

However, to confuse you even more, at some point (I don't remember right now), a Warrant Officer does become a Commissioned Officer (as in they receive a commission), but they remain Warrant Officers. So you can have non-commissioned and commissioned Warrant Officers.

Just smile and nod, buddy :D LOL
 
Your question was answered, and other questions were asked. This thread hasnt been derailed.
 
Regardless of one's background, everyone goes through Rucker to get basic flight training. Civvie stick time is great, but doesn't allow one a pass at a certain school or badge or whatever.

Unless we start talking MFF and civilian skydiving.... LOL.
 
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