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I am 24 and I just got out of A&P school with my licenses. I never considered joining the Army but I must say, it’s started looking good when I researched it. I'm look at the Army as a place to start my career.
Two questions, number one. Am I too old to even join? I'm 24 going on 25 this year. I know the average age of enlistment is around 18 to 23. Will they even look at me if I talk to a recuiter?
Number two, I do have my A&P...does that even matter? Will I gain anything extra from having it, or is it worthless?
If I sign up for it, is this something that gets locked in for me because I have an A&P, or can they push me out for someone else like infantry or cook? I don't want to get stuck with something I don't like.
Aviation is my passion, I want to fix helicopters. I was looking at doing OH-58, UH-60 or CH-47 as a job if I joined. Does anyone here have any info about each of these and the pro’s and con’s of them.
I’ve done alot of research, but seem to be lost when it comes to finding out if my training in the civilian world will help me in the military world.
Thanks for helping a newbie, hopefully the info I get will help me pick.
Well, I am biased....I have just a little over 2340 hours of flight time in a CH-47. I was a crew member in the back (SI). They cannot leave the ground without you, period.
So, the 58, you fix it and they fly away, the 60 does not need you to fly.......will they have you, yes, need you, no.
The 47 can go to altitude that the 60 has never though of. the 47D can take off at a gross weight of 50,000 lbs (the 47E &G have waivers to 56-58,000 lbs gross).
The 47 can carry it's own weight (sling load or internal). See the weights above.
The UH-60 is just starting to have standards, throughout their entire program....the 47's have had this since the early 80's. How do I know this, I have been very far up the chain, and was helping develop this style of learning before I retired in 2009.
Anyway, I could go on, but you see, I am bias.
As for your A&P...useless in the Army....not until you get out, that is when you will get full benefit....with whatever helicopter you decide to go with....
BTW, the 47 is also the fastest.
So anyway..if you sign up for the MOS, that's yours unless you do something wrong...
BUT, if you go 60 or 47, there will always be the chance that you go into maintenance....if you want to fix and not fly...your golden either way....
Well, I am biased....I have just a little over 2340 hours of flight time in a CH-47. I was a crew member in the back (SI). They cannot leave the ground without you, period.
So, the 58, you fix it and they fly away, the 60 does not need you to fly.......will they have you, yes, need you, no.
The 47 can go to altitude that the 60 has never though of. the 47D can take off at a gross weight of 50,000 lbs (the 47E &G have waivers to 56-58,000 lbs gross).
The 47 can carry it's own weight (sling load or internal). See the weights above.
The UH-60 is just starting to have standards, throughout their entire program....the 47's have had this since the early 80's. How do I know this, I have been very far up the chain, and was helping develop this style of learning before I retired in 2009.
Anyway, I could go on, but you see, I am bias.
As for your A&P...useless in the Army....not until you get out, that is when you will get full benefit....with whatever helicopter you decide to go with....
BTW, the 47 is also the fastest.
So anyway..if you sign up for the MOS, that's yours unless you do something wrong...
BUT, if you go 60 or 47, there will always be the chance that you go into maintenance....if you want to fix and not fly...your golden either way....
Ummm, someone really wants me to go with the Chinook.
Thanks for the info, it really helped. Why isn't my A&P worth anything in the Army? Don't they at least give me a extra rank or something? A bonus?
Ummm, someone really wants me to go with the Chinook.
Ha ha..what gave that away.......do you want me to tell you about the grills and fridges we brought to the field....that those other guys...could not...
Think about this...we can fit 2 Hummers inside....and still close the ramp...
Quote:
Originally Posted by tr00th
Thanks for the info, it really helped. Why isn't my A&P worth anything in the Army? Don't they at least give me a extra rank or something? A bonus?
You cannot use what you learned with your A&P......when it pertains to the Army...sorry, don't know how else to say it...does it help you to understand how anything works...sure, but, because you know/understand how to shoot a rivet....nobody cares...really...that's not your job...
Your A&P will help towards your college...that's about it....
Ok then, thanks for your help. Is there anyone esle who is in Army Aviation out there who can weigh in?
I was an Army aviator, and my son is currently an AH-64 crew chief.
WRT aircraft type, they all have their pros and cons, all have a role to play in the grand scheme of things. You couldn't pay me to fly a -47, but that's another story . As was said before, if you maintain attack/obsv aircraft you don't fly along (if that's important to you).
There are many different avn maintenance positions other than crew chief also...you will most likely spend time in a PC or QC shop repairing components/doing phases/etc before you become a CC and are assigned a bird of your own. My son worked on avionics and armament (cannon/ rockets/missiles) and worked on FARPs reloading weapons racks as well.
Your A&P might be a factor with a recruiter in getting into MOS 15 if you emphasize it, but its not a requirement obviously. My son didn't know one end of a wrench from another when he enlisted...his ASVAB and so on made a much bigger difference in his choices (as well as current Army needs, of course). The A&P will of course also be of value if/when you leave the Army and resume civilian life.
Becoming a flying crew chief, like on a -60 or -47 isn't the most important thing to me, but I would like the opportunity if I'm very good at my job to become a crew chief. That's why I would prefer the -60 or -47.
I have looked at all the airframes in MOS 15 from Warrior, Apache, Chinook and Blackhawk. I would be honored to work on any of them, and would take any MOS 15 opening that the recuiter said was open, cause I've heard they go very fast, so yeah...I'm not super picky.
I looked it up, and 24 isn't too old. Most guys join at my age, so that's good to hear. The only thing I need to work on is my weight, I'm way to big to join up right now. So that's the only thing that's in my way.
Can anyone here, tell me what does a Army Aviation Mechanic do in a normal 24 hour day in the field? I would like to know what I'm getting into.
Becoming a flying crew chief, like on a -60 or -47 isn't the most important thing to me, but I would like the opportunity if I'm very good at my job to become a crew chief. That's why I would prefer the -60 or -47.
I have looked at all the airframes in MOS 15 from Warrior, Apache, Chinook and Blackhawk. I would be honored to work on any of them, and would take any MOS 15 opening that the recuiter said was open, cause I've heard they go very fast, so yeah...I'm not super picky.
I looked it up, and 24 isn't too old. Most guys join at my age, so that's good to hear. The only thing I need to work on is my weight, I'm way to big to join up right now. So that's the only thing that's in my way.
Can anyone here, tell me what does a Army Aviation Mechanic do in a normal 24 hour day in the field? I would like to know what I'm getting into.
Well, this is where it comes in handy being on the flight side, in the field you MUST get your 10 hours uninterupted sleep. The others are pulling guard duty, kitchen duty, and oh yea...they will work on their helicopters, if their is nothing else to do....
I also believe you know more if you fly/maintain your own ACFT. I know that I MADE my guys learn the internals of how a transmission worked, how the oil flowed through the transmission....how the hydruallics actually worked.....where does "this" gage get it's signals from....as a crew member you need to know and understand this......
Not saying you could not learn that in a maintenance company...oh and if you think you fly and walk away you are mistaken...you stay with the ACFT, it's yours (at least on the 47 side) that's your baby....and people take pride in thier baby....
And to be honest...in my 15 years in 47s, the maintenance guys were not the brightest...every now and then you found a shining star....but not many...all "the good guys" ended up in flight.
Either way, Aviation is the way to go.....it will help you on the outside to gain work.
I have a G.E.D. and 67 college credits. The A&P program I took was considered by the college to be a non-credit program.
Should I go back to school and get my AA or does it even matter?
Could I get my Bachelors degree in the Army, do I still get the rank of E-4 when I'm done or is that a one time thing in the begining?
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. As was said before, if you maintain attack/obsv aircraft you don't fly along (if that's important to you). 
