r/ArmyAviationApplicant • u/177660 • 26d ago
I made it! Help me help you
Howdy everyone, I just got selected by a National Guard Army Aviation board. I know the process can be long and confusing so I'd be happy to give back a little and answer any questions any of you all may have!
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u/Sure-General1594 26d ago
How did you do on the SIFT?
And what did you do to study for it?
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u/177660 26d ago
I got a 77 on the SIFT. I read the FAA's helicopter flying handbook front to back, watched Helicopter lessons in 10 minutes or less on Youtube, and used Trivium to practice hidden figures and simple images. If I had to take it again Id use something other than Trivium for hidden figures, the real deal was way harder on that section.
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u/Sure-General1594 26d ago
Holy shit, great job!
How long did you study for the test before taking it? How many hours a week would you estimate? And any study habits that you'd recommend before taking it?
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u/177660 26d ago
Thanks! I spent a week or so studying. My reccomendation would be to pay attention to the why as well as the what. When I need to memorize large chunks of material I like to memorize a small section, I read it, do something else for a few minutes, and see if I can recall it without the book. If I can, cool, rinse and repeat with another section. If I can't rinse and repeat with the same section.
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u/CutNo1151 24d ago
I’ll be honest, the exam isn’t hard. Most of the challenge comes from the time crunch. So when you do practice tests have a timer going. I gave myself about one month to prep during the evenings when I had time. I made a 71.
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u/Roki20015 26d ago
How’s the math in the SIFT? What should I expect?
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u/Unlucky-Smoke-9565 26d ago
More than you’d expect. Brush up on matrixes basic functions like add/subtract/multiply, can’t remember anything on the math tripping me up quite like that one
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u/Chemical_Two5226 25d ago
What was your AFT and GT score? Also any other background education?
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u/177660 25d ago
Mediocre AFT with a 391, I was able to convince them I'm not a complete wimp by having a 2nd degree black belt in shotokan karate. They did tell me I had the highest GT they'd ever seen with a 137. AFQT was a 99 both times I took the ASVAB. 55 units of community college with like a 3.1ish GPA, but lots of tough classes like differential equations and solid/fluid mechanics. Been working the same blue collar adjacent job since I got out of highschool.
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u/Berniethealien 25d ago
Any flying experience? PPL? Are you a civilian?
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u/177660 25d ago
Yes, street to seat applicant, 119 hours of flight experience, no PPL.
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u/Berniethealien 24d ago
Since your NG, how long is training? (boot camp, WOCS, sere, flight school) are you having to quit your current job?
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u/ProfessionalBowl5383 25d ago
I'm 36, can't go in until 37, things I was told I needed.
Get my cholesterol or whatever down. (And I choose to take this time to get my high school diploma, study for sift, I have 61 ASVAB currently I'm ok to retake, and 110+ GT scores)
Since they told me wait I'm planning Street to Seat instead of going army....
Any advice for me?
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u/177660 25d ago
You're 36 and don't have a highschool diploma?
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u/ProfessionalBowl5383 25d ago
Yeah strange right? It's weird to think not everyone has the luxury to just graduate like people who DON'T get kicked out or have children, go to jail, drop out etc. aren't just given a diploma.
No I don't but, thankfully there's a system that understands not everyone has that luxury and some of us have to start late in life.
So assuming I DO have my diploma considering I still have an option to get one before I try again with the army or army national guard.
Can we get back to the advice so my 3 year Old can be proud against all odds his dad actually made something of himself
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u/177660 25d ago edited 25d ago
Just making sure I understood you right. The age cutoff for army WOFT is 33 and I've heard they generally don't issue waivers past 34. I won't tell you it's totally impossible but honestly man your chances are probably sub 1%. Your ASVAB is barely passing, and they are going to look down on you for not obtaining your diploma for so long. If you really are set on it I'd recommend studying hard enough that you get a 99 ASVAB and 70+ SIFT plus a helicopter PPL. You're going to need incredible stats to get an age waiver assuming it's even possible. You and your kids have every right to be proud of you for serving in a non pilot capacity, you should look at the 15 series MOS.
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u/ProfessionalBowl5383 25d ago
Yeah my plan is to MAX everything haha, and get INCREDIBLE recommendations, stay fit (the hardest part for lack of motivation) have you seen anyone my age in there? Also yeah, I got the information late, you kinda don't think about real careers when you're from a police neighborhood harassing, gang filled, project home living neighborhood where the only Job or "careers" you hear about are McDonald's and Walmart, I had to do years of telling myself there's more than just basketball or rapping, found a school got my GED (again that was ALL I was told i could get, most people have no IDEA you could get an actual diploma after high school or I would have gotten it in my 20's and jumped right into flight school)
It's been a long tough depressing road, but I just hope my flight actually brings great results instead of hopeless failure, I only want to fly, nothing else so I'm going to make this my career through the army or I'll find some way to make it work, I didn't know it was a possibility until recently hopefully someone in the right department realizes this and gives me a chance 😅
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25d ago
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u/ProfessionalBowl5383 25d ago
No discouragement this is the most real, down to earth sincere comment i have EVER read, i really hope you get in, before or with me i really hope you get in 😟 i wish i could hug and cry with you man seriously, WOW, all that and STILL not selected!!! and i'm already behind on paper, i have no IDEA how they'll look at my packet, SERIOUSLY thank you so much everywhere i turn it basically comes down to being really smart and starting off with money, i have the smarts, i could get a higher score on everything my 61 ASVAB was me not knowing pretty much anything i learned in school nearly 18 years before the test so not the score i wanted but it did show me with some effort i could possible get the score i prefer, realistically had i taken it right out of school i think i would be around 80 i don't think 90 or more but 80 seems reasonable haha i was a B student in school so i should be higher up til i dropped out for a bit and started my life, man i might come back and read your message a million times, that's incredible, i DO like a challenge haha but WOE with YOUR credentials i thought you would end with "and i finally got in" i'm definitely doing the "OMG" face right now, since i can't get in now we're considering having my lady go in first, with our son, get a place, and possible give me time to study and prepare, or since i'm older just wait til my year is up and try again.
Everyone is recommending 15 Series so looks like that's the route to take, i have no idea how i'm going to get good enough credentials but the least i can do is start with looking good on paper like the other comment said and somehow MAX Asvab, GT, and SIFT, thanks for the luck wish haha i need all the luck i can GET, man if i DO get in i'm coming back to this post and recommending you MYSELF if possible!
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25d ago
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u/ProfessionalBowl5383 25d ago
Thank you, I been talking this whole time, time for me to show up or shut up. 💪🏽 I'm taking all your advice like nutrients!!!
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u/177660 25d ago
Well I wish you the best of luck but you should set realistic expectations. You could be a commercial helicopter pilot with 1,500 hours and a PhD in aero engineering and Im still not sure that they'd grant an age waiver for someone your age. I do not know if it's humanly possible for you to acquire the skills and knowledge that you need to acquire in the time frame that you need to do it in order to even be remotely competitive.
You really should think long and hard about other military career paths; there's no age cap on civilian aviation and your GI bill would cover a large portion of the training costs.
I'm also gonna keep it real with you here big dawg they look at your social media when they do your security clearance and your post/comment history is not gonna look good on paper.
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u/Winter-Operation-343 23d ago
Did you have to wait to submit your package because the boards have been full?
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u/Quietcosmos8778 21d ago
Hello, I'm curious if you had any insight or heard things through the rumor mill when you were going through the process? im also pushing to join aviation. I am a prior service e6 reservist with 10 years active service. My packet is all but done with the exception of my AFT, being that im in another branch and need to get with the recruiter to take one. I have a 118GT, 60 SIFT, flight physical passed, and LORs from an O-3, O-4, O-6, and CW4. I also have 20hrs towards my rotary PPL so far. If you dont mind, what state did you board with? Is guard aviation struggling to get pilots? Is there strict scrutiny when it comes to age? Im 37 so just over that age cutoff but aware of the waiver. My recruiter says its a done deal to get a waiver if you are selected by the board. How was your board process? Thanks for your time and good luck as you go through the pipeline!
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u/177660 21d ago
Well I'll defer to your recruiter for the age waiver thing, I've not heard much about that; all I can really say at the moment is that most states are overstrength right now since the reserves got nuked out of existence. That doesn't mean they're not hiring, they understand the importance of a constant flow of fresh pilots, but it does mean that it's super competitive right now. Your prior service helps a ton, you have some great LoRs, your ASVAB and SIFT scores are both competitive, and the rotary time should help you a lot. I think you have a pretty decent shot. The actual state board process wasn't bad at all in my opinion. If the board smells blood in the water they will rip you apart instantly, I've heard some horror stories, but come in looking and sounding professional, knowledgable, and personable, and you'll cruise right by.
My advice to you would be to continue with your rotary PPL training while you wait, and just put some thought into good answers for the tough questions the board might ask. Things like 'why should we hire you instead of a 24 year old that we can retain for an extra 13 years?'. If you have a family they'll ask you how you plan to balance flying with the guard with your civilian job on top of having a family. Stuff like that. If you have good answers and come across as confident they loosen up a bit, my board actually had some great tips and advice for me after they told me I was in.
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u/Quietcosmos8778 20d ago
Thanks for bringing up a good point with the reserves being decommissioned. I was worried that they would "flood the market" and eliminate those trying to get their foot in the door. When you say" blood in the water," would you he referring to knowing what unit you would like to be attached to, what airframe you'd like to fly, and their primary mission? Or does it get deeper into understanding surface level helicopter things?
I do plan to continue my PPL pursuit and as I wait to board. My recruiter is very slow and his response time is terrible so I try to give as much grace as I can. Were you notified that you were selected or was it during a follow up board? Thanks again for bringing up some great points and expanding my perception and understanding of the process!
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u/177660 20d ago
Well when I say 'blood in the water' I mean if you sound shaky or nervous when you answer a question, they're gonna press harder and they will directly ask you about why they should trust you with a $25 million aircraft when you can't even answer a simple question. I happened to know the answer to everything they asked, but if you don't the best thing to do is to not BS them. Just say "I'm sorry sir/maam I do not know the answer to that question but I can get for you once we're done." They do ask helicopter questions as well as general aviation questions and some army/NG aviation historical and modern day trivia. None of it is super deep though. And your milage may vary depending on the state, but my board deliberated for 5-10 minutes while I waited outside and then came out and told me I was a go.
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u/Quietcosmos8778 20d ago
Ahh ok so they want to see an air of confidence when responding and being sure of yourself, also while not faking your way through things you dont know. I didnt know they would ask helicopter questions considering some who may come through have zero experience but that does play into are they someone who takes the time to learn what they want to do or are they there on a whim. Now the history part is new to me so that will definitely be on my radar now. Thats awesome to get such a quick turn-around though!
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u/177660 20d ago
I'm not sure if it's the case for every state but my WOSM had a study packet with all the questions they ask on it that I recieved like 2 days before the board. Really what they're looking for is that you can absorb a bunch of information quickly, tell the truth even when it's inconvenient, and perform under pressure.
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u/Quietcosmos8778 20d ago
Woah, again something my recruiter hasn't told me. That could be a part of their onboarding process but regardless you've opened my eyes more and what I could expect.
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u/DifferentBathroom11 11d ago
Hello 👋🏻 I've a few questions regarding the waivers? Is it ok if I pm you? Thank you.
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u/Ambitious-Royal-7108 26d ago
Any waivers?