Application and Selection for WOFT

In June 2012 I started the process of becoming an Army Aviator.  I'm going to break it down a little bit here in case anyone is just getting started and needs some help.  But first, I'd like to say that without the help of the Vertical Reference Forum and the great people that post there, I would not have been able to get through the process.  Specifically if you are just getting started, one of the members has a guide with tons of info on getting through the process.  The guide is here, and the thread is here.

I first visited the recruiter's office and told them that I wanted to pursue the WOFT (Warrant Officer Flight Training) program, and they did a mini-interview with me to see if I was worth their time.  Putting in a warrant officer packet is no easy task for a recruiter, and from what I hear they don't get any extra points for it.  It's the same as putting through a regular recruit, but it takes a lot more work on their part.  If you are going to pursue this, make sure that you are well educated about the process before you see a recruiter.  Not only because it will make them more likely to work with you, but you're going to have to do a lot of the work on your own.


So after they determined I was a "worthy" applicant (mostly because I had previous flight time), I was sent home with a paper SF-86 form.  This is the background check/security clearance form.  This took me a few days to fill out because it asks about everybody in your family, all of your previous addresses and when you moved in and out, and a bunch of other very specific questions that I had to track down the answer to.  I think the hardest part was that I needed a reference that could verify every piece of information I put down.



Once I got that done, they scheduled me for the ASVAB, AFAST (which is now the SIFT), the MEPS physical, and my security interview all at once.  It's a 2 day process where you stay overnight at a hotel in the area.  The first afternoon, I took the tests and went to the hotel.  The next day, I woke up early to get to the MEPS physical.  It was my first experience with the Army's "hurry up and wait" process.  It's basically a medical exam with blood draw, urinalysis, eye exam, hearing test and a meeting with a doctor.  After that, I spoke with the security interviewer for about 15 minutes and that was it for the day.

I started getting my letters of recommendation (minimum 3, maximum 6), resume, and "Why I Want to be an Army Aviator" essay together.  After awhile, I finally got my recruiter to schedule my Class 1A Flight Physical.  Get this done as soon as you can because it CAN take up to 6 weeks to get approved.  It gets sent to Ft Rucker to get approved after your in person flight physical.

The other big thing I had to work on was the APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test).  The general consensus is that you should score at least 270 to be considered competitive.  I was nowhere near that when I started, but I made sure to work out at least 5 days a week (running was the hardest part), and I scored a 260 before my battalion board interview.

The battalion board is the last real step of the process.  My board interview was with 4 officers (none of them were aviation), and they asked questions about why I wanted to be in the Army, why I wanted to be an aviator, and some other questions.  Afterward they gave the the "thumbs up" and sent my packet to USAREC to be reviewed on the next national board, which was in November 2012.  The only feedback I got was to continue working on my PT.

I was able to do a record APFT before the national board and score a 282 and resubmit it before the board convened.  This was a little hard, because my recruiter told me that there was no way to update my packet.  I ended up going over his head to battalion to get it updated (which I would only recommend as a LAST resort).  I got selected on the November 2012 board on my first time around, 5 months after I started the process.  3 days later, I went down to the MEPS and signed my contract.  I had to wait 6 months for basic, but everything was all set and ready to go.  I was actually going to be an aviator in the US Army.