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Army Rotary to UPT
Afternoon!
I just took my AFOQT this morning, still waiting for my grades to return.
I was wondering if there was anyone who has had experience transitioning from green to blue as a pilot.
Mostly everything I know about the transition so far has been self-taught, so any guidance would be greatly appreciated!Also, for anyone looking to transition to the Army as a rotary pilot, feel free to ask anything
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13 Replies
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Hey Brother. Yeah absolutely. I made this jump back in 2018. Happy to chat with you about my experience whenever. It’s a LONG an interesting road.
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Sorry, I PM’d you instead of replied on this, oops.
so that everyone can see, I was wondering if you could give a brief play by play of what the process was like, starting from getting your release from the army, to integrating into your unit after finishing flight school.
what are some challenges you face in the Air Force that didn’t exist in the Army
Do you have any words of wisdom for me as I start this process?
From what I understand, getting into a unit is sort of like rushing a fraternity. You submit your application, they do an interview on you, then if they like you, an invitation is extended to come for a unit visit, if the unit visit goes well, they “sponsor” your flight school spot, meaning they’re sending you there with full intention of putting you in the airframe you interviewed for in their unit. Is this accurate?
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What’s going on guys? I am active Army looking to go over to the blue side as well. I am glad that I am not alone and definitely have some questions if I could hop in on this discussion too!
-Bryce
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Just wanted to see if you’ve made any headway in your transition
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So far, I was put into contact with an Air Force recruiter and he gave me a packet to fill out. Some of the things included are:
conditional release
PCSM score
SGLI paperwork
Several questionnaires
basic recruiting paperwork
I HIGHLY recommend studying for the AFOQT. It’s quite different from the SIFT
If you don’t already know, there is a free resource for practice tests that are very accurate on MWR libraries (I didn’t even know this website existed before, great for online tutoring)
TheTBAS is a stressful test. The best advice I could give for this is to watch some YouTube videos on it, and during the test remember that mistakes will happen. Don’t panic, keep your cool and stay focused on your 5 meter targets.
the recruiter also sent me an excel spreadsheet on unit level staffing for pilots, who is in deficit and who is full.
But when comparing that to MilReceuiter and BogiDope, some units are not advertising on all of the source. I would recommend checking all three as you move through the process.
from my understanding now, once I get my packet finished, I am able to start applying to the units directly.
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Just curious, did the units you are applying to say that you need to take the TBAS & AFOQT? I thought this was not necessary for rated military pilots.
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yes, I contacted several at first and they all said they needed AFOQT and TBAS testing.
after taking your AFOQT, you can then take the TBAS. Bring your logbook and college transcript to the TBAS test.
they will then compile all of your scores together, and give you a PCSM score. That score is out of 99 points that reflects your chance of success in flight school.
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All,
To clear up some confusion regarding the last couple of comments… The Air Force doesn’t recognize Army Helo Training as an equivalent to UPT. While I’m sure most of you bring an awesome skillset to the fight, unfortunately, the Air Force (including ANG/ Reserve) does not consider you “rated” by their definition. Hence why you would need to take the AFOQT/TBAS as each is pre-req. to attend UPT.
Maybe not the best news, but I hope this helps.
Cheers!
-CHAOS
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All, sorry for the late reply here, and I’ll address the broader question in a post in the morning, but Chaos is correct. The Army does not recognize IERW as equivalent to UPT. If you’re selected you’ll receive your wings via Aeronautical Review Board, but they will have the stipulation: “Rotary Wing Only until Completion of UPT.”
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CHAOS, Coma,
Not to thread jack since this is an Army discussion but I’m assuming this doesn’t apply to Navy rotary since all Naval Aviators regardless of platform fly the T-6B in flight school? Trying to clarify since I cannot find this information anywhere.
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The short answer is it shouldn’t. That said, I have seen highly competitive units ask Gold to Silver candidates to take the AFOQT just as an additional discriminator, but you would not need to attend UPT as the Air Force sees your T-6 time as equivalent.
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Also check out the inter-servce transfer page on the Air Force side.
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I thought it was suspended (besides the U-2).
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