What U.S. Army Flight School is Like 

Well, they sure pour a lot of information into your head in a very very short period of time. I spent 45 years flying both airplanes and helicopters for a living. The hardest part of learning to fly for me was how to read the question the FAA would ask on the written exams. It took a while. Back then before the freedom of information act, they didn't publish the Exam questions. We use to get Exam Test Guilds from a Company called Acme School of Aeronautics Fort Worth Meacham Field Fort Worth, Tx. It was a school run by retired USAF Colonels and one of them handed a photographic memory he would go every so often take an FAA exam flunk it with a score of 69 then write the questions from memory and make a study guide. Like you, I found the Instrument flying part to be the most enjoyable. I started in airplanes and ended up in helicopters then back to airplanes.

I worked as an I.P. At Ft.Rucker for 28 yrs. and found this video to be very informative. I worked in PRIMARY (Common core) which was quite a hard course to teach because the students were trying to kill you on a daily basis! The students were basically “fresh of the bus” but after ten weeks of “near death experiences” they were excellent pilots. INSTRUMENTS was a lot easier for the students and I.Ps because the student already knew how to fly now they had to learn to navigate. Learning to fly a helicopter is like juggling 10 balls in the air, tap dancing and singing the National Anthem and all in the dark while naked in a snow storm! John Raeburn

OMG! I remember going through army CID school at Ft. McClellan as a U.S. Marine in 1989. We memorized a one inch thick manual among the many other things we did. When I say “memorized “ I mean every single word! I don’t know now how this is possible because now I can’t remember why I went downstairs or into the next room! 😂 Thank you for your story and thank you for your service. When I learned to fly at the age of 17 my uncle who was a fighter pilot during WW II gave me perhaps one of the most important pieces of advice I have ever received. He said “remember this two rules in flying One: You never have to take take off! Two: you always have to land!” Keep the sun at your back brother.

Thank God we have young men and women who are as smart and dedicated as you. I applaud you Damon. Anyone looks on here and sees the young people in college that are asks on the street who our first president is and can’t answer it’s easy to say we’re doomed. Then I see a video of yours and I believe we have a chance. Thank you. God Bless you 👍🏼

Thanks for this. Never seen any content like this. I wanted to be an army Pilot at 18. Never got through and it really hurt but your videos have given me some sense of consolidation

AWESOME video!! Thank you! Very well presented and very informative! I enjoyed it a lot.

All I can say is... impressive! Can't imagine the intellectual commitment this program requires. Military aviators are IMPRESSIVE! I flew LE helo back in the 90s. Mundane, comparatively. Thank you, and to all those before you and all those to come!

Army flight school changed my life forever! I enlisted in 1969 and finished my 47 year career with 26,000 accident free hours, encompassing, military, flight test, corporate and airline flying. Enjoyed everyday in the pointed end of the aluminum tube👨‍✈️Enjoy, as TIME travels faster than a jet👨‍✈️

That was massively interesting. Thanks for posting 👍

I was so blessed in being able to attend flight school in 79. Th-55, UH-1H, and OH-58. Flew rotary wing as an Instructor for 7 years. Selected for fixed wing in 86 flying RC-12 and C-12s until retirement. Follow on career was with the FAA retiring in 2017.

Well done. Keep 'em flying!

I'm subbing to this channel. This is EXACTLY what i've been searching for. Keep making these videos Damion.

Thanks so much for this video! I love the format and it was super informative! Keep doing what you’re doing!!

Congrats! Hard work pays off!

So well done my man thankyou!

Great job. You nailed it. Same trials and tribulations since 1999

I was an IP for 3 years at Rucker back in the 90s in B Co, 1-212th for Scout track. Brought back some memories.

Awesome video. My dad was at fort Rutger before I was born. I grew up hearing helicopter stories and learned to fly as a kid in a lawn chair in the driveway with sticks in my hands!!

Thanks for the video, Damion. I don't remember the intensity in ORWAC 70-24, but we were all going to Vietnam so were invested. I loved the TH-55 at Ft. Wolters, but I had flow Cubs before ROTC. I was the first ROTC cadet to get a CPL with the 36 hours allowed for the ROTC flight program. We had some civilian instructors at Wolters, as some here mention. Mine had been a crop duster. I tried to wack the little stinger off by trying to three point full stall the Matel Messerschmitt in autorotation to the ground a couple of times. Ronnie Westmoreland, on the third, waited until I flaired and then yelled, "wheel landing, dammit." I had no problem after that. We had two black officers in 70-24. One, Herb Skinner, showed up at 93 rd Evacuation Hospital, where I was after being shot down in a Cobra. He was just in country and wanted advice on where to go. I told him First of the Ninth Air Cav was the place to be. He ended up in Echo Troop and was shot down in Loaches five times the first week. Our patch said, "The boldest cavalrymen the world has ever known." Thanks again, Damion.

I went through in '86. Loved it!

As a civilian pilot, my instrument training was also my favorite. As you said, point A to point B with no ground reference was very satisfying.

👍🏾Very informative and helpful information! Salute and🫡Thanks!

very interesting - glad you shared!

Great vid! You’re a solid communicator !

Great lessons- I will use some of this methodology as a CFI.

Excellent video Damion! I considered flight school in 1985 but was color blind. A fellow NCO went in '95. I believe he went the Apache route. Thanks.

I graduated IERW Flight school in Dec 1991 as a WO1. Went to OCS in 93 and got commissioned. Went back to Ft. Rucker to the UH-60 AQC and later the MTP course. 😊

Impressive! Doing something positive with your life. Good luck.😊

Very interesting. L started flight school at Ft. Wolters in 1971. After Rucker, Hunter AAF (Cobra Hall) & a couple of schools, off to vietnam. My Primary instructor had flown "The Hump" in WWII & was very laid back but could fly the TH-55! Our class learned instruments in the TH-13T (Bell 47--recip_) This was interesting. Thanks.

GREAT JOB SOLDIER AND A HAND SALUTE

This is the best video I’ve found. Thank you so much!! It’s amazing to see other pilots of color succeeding 🙏🏽

You are a bright Young man! I am telling my age, I started Army flight school at Fort Wolters TX in 1967! 😅

I went through in 83. TH55 -> UH1H -> OH58 scout track. I remember the endless studying. Ugh... But the final few weeks of tactical flying where you put it all together with another student flying copilot was awesome fun.

Hey I’m glad you didn’t speak negatively about Ozark and Daleville since those were my childhood homes, it’s ok to bad mouth Enterprise. Seriously, great job and you must know you are a role model. If I stayed in the Army I was going to become a Signal corp Warrant Officer and would end up training back ‘home’. 😂

Awesome video Damion!! I graduated with Red Fight, Class 87-15. Still flying 35 years later. Rucker is still the best training I've received in all those years. Keep it up and God Bless!!=)

You forgot the most important part of leaning to fly, sounding cool on the radio. I think we called it Contact rather than common core (back when we flew primary in the TH-55) but yeah, it's a fire hose coming at you every day. But seriously, instrument flying was way too precise for me. I could not wait to get on to tactics phase where you just fly around and have fun, except learning to navigate on 1/100,000 paper maps at 90 knots, oh that was really hard at first. (ORWAC 4-84) (maybe 3-84 I don't remember)

Daily questions. I didn’t have PTSD until you mentioned this. Thanks (joking, of course.)

The SERE part got me weak lmaooo but great video!!

Best of luck in the future

WOW EXCELLENT EXCELLENT man

great video man. Im ATC at rucker now applying for G2g

Great video. Well done explaining the journey to become an Army Aviator.

thankyou so much man

Mahalo's for sharing bro!

Light Blue Class 86-12. Every now and then all the stars align, and you get a series of top notch instructors. I watched many struggle and some get recycled but I was fortunate in that it all came very easy to me. I miss the days of having almost no responsibilities except hitting the class room followed by converting gas to noise. Back in those days, civilian airfields would give you freebies if you refueled. One field had bikini clad golf cart gals pick you up to go to flight ops. Friday nights at the O club with about a 4 to one guy to girl ratio as the locals were always on the hunt. Out of a class of 120, so many have crossed to Valhalla.

I’m going through it right now boss! Just started. This video was very useful. Definitely nervous to start common core.

It was a little different in 87 when I finished flight school. We were E-5s throughout flight school. TH-55, Huey and then advanced aircraft. You couldn't think of flying fixed wing.

Outstanding Sir, for taking the time to lay it out there and share your experiences. I have always been passionate about becoming an aviator through “green to gold” however constant deployments keep me ground pounding! Hope to meet and collaborate with you some day, Hooah! to your channel - subscribed🇺🇸 1SG “Tiv”

Just made it to BI. Feels good.

Can you do a video on explaining what a timeline would look like coming into the Guard as a civilian, going through OCS or WOCS, then flight school and what happens coming back to your unit? I am looking at possibly the Air force route in the reserves and there is actually quite a lot of information on that route but harder to find for Army. A lot of the training pipeline aspects seemed very similar but curious as to some of the more specifics going into that timeline as a reservist and what happens after flight school. Much appreciated and glad I came across your video!

Army Flight School. The school that teaches you just enough to be a danger to everyone on the aircraft unless you get a good CE that keeps your asses in check.

Being the 1% here, it’s an awesome video thank you!!

Graduated Army flight school in 1977. Warrant officer school and flight school were combined. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. I remember thinking I must have died and gone to an insane asylum. We started with 33 guys and 8 of us graduated. Today I am a physician and becoming a doctor was a walk in the park compared to Army flight school. The experience changed me and I knew if did that I could do anything. Today my most valued possession are my original wings I have kept since 1977. They only cost a dollar then but they are priceless to me. How we did OCS and 200 plus flight hours together in 10 months still is amazing. I am proud to say that I was an Army Aviator.

I was looking forward to a SERE school description 😂

Your doing great young man. Apaches ,Blackhawks or Chinooks? Enjoy 👨‍✈️🇺🇸

Very cool pilot👍🏾

I'm an Army Aviator who graduated flight school seven years ago, and I still can't hardly believe I pulled it off. Best thing I can say about how the Army does things is that short of you being an absolute catastrophe in the cockpit, you've a near inexhaustible amount of do-overs. "If you don't do it right, just do it again." - some IP somewhere.

This is exactly why the US Military takes only the best of the best, and why the US military has a high win to loss ratio when it comes to head-to-head battles. The failure comes when you have politicians making strategic decisions. Thanks so much for your detailed video, and thanks for your service!

I always wanted to do this. I’m too old now. I’ll have to go the civilian route. I’m glad you get to do it and are living your dream. Have fun flying! Thank you!

Man the army is wild. In Navy flight school we just showed up, they briefed us, and we sent it and then partied….

Very informative video. I went through when dinosaurs ruled the earth (worwac 67-11), so things have changed a bit, but the stress and learning curve looks like it remains constant. Army Aviation is still Above the Best.

Thank you for all your HARD work getting thought that TUFF school to fly Birds. 😊 One question I have, was there a different breed of people ( female including ) that wanted to fly Cobra gun ships, or was it just selection, who did better on EXAMS.

Don’t forget about PT Test During various Training periods. Rucker is not a place for being Fat or failing a PT Test. Did WOC in 1985, we lived in the barracks in Flight School. WOC’s Had to be janitors & study at the same time, having Officer Expenses on SGT pay. WO1 was pinned on at Winging Graduation. The Vietnam Era IP’s were very quick tempered & Intolerant to student mistakes. On Weather Day’s the IP doing Class Briefing would smoke you with Dash-10, 95-1, FAA & etc, questions. Class 86-5 Navy Blue Hat’s & Retired CW3 USAR

Because all these will save your lives...

I know you said it's a 9-5, but just curious, are you still doing the usual 0530 rollcall formation and morning PT? I'd imagine you do, but just want to be sure and try to prepare for the sleep schedule and studying.

Glad you got through it...I wked at KWA as a civilian under pt 95 army regs....ok flying a C 7A.4 yrs until global lost contract. Wouldn't ever inroll in any military flt traing program....never insist or volunteer for anything!

Wish I went this route …I could’ve been an esteemed officer and helicopter pilot . If I could do it all over again I’d do this program .

Do you know of any study guides for common core or any literature(Quizlet, etc.) I can read before going to flight school? Or tips for memorization. I work with formulas and numbers so memorizing words and facts isn't my strong suit. Regarding getting a paragraph wrong, have you seen people get kicked out for not being good at memorizing the information? Or what happens if someone messes up in class?

Just got accepted and commissioned, Should be going to Rucker in the fall next year. Do you recommend anything i should do now before i go, i plan on going commercial at some point and not sure how to get a jump in that? I have bear ATP but god that’s expensive.

Sounds like a walk in the park 😉

Your instructor pilot can make you or break you. I saw perfectly good students get eliminated because they had a monster from Burnside Ott as their instructor. Most instructors are ok, but there will be one or 2 in each class that is a burned out Ahole and will abuse you once in the air.

Just got selected for WOFT, this has me both extremely excited and terrified lmao

If you get to flight school (this is regarding the Warrant Officer pipeline) and wash out for some reason (I know very few do, because once you make it there, it's in their best interest to make sure you finish and become a pilot), do you still owe the Army 10 years, or do you go back to civilian life?

Great video……Thanks!

Video on the airframe selection day?

Hey @DamionBailey I'm in the Army currently as an 11C & I'm planning on reclassing to aviation. I have a minor speech problem would that disqualify me from WOCS or flight school?

When did you go to flight school? I went in 1995. Time goes by so fast.

WTF this reminds me of the ATP fast track program. The difference is these instructors are at less than 300 hrs TT. At least the military instructors has much more time and instructional training.

You mentioned the C-12 briefly. Can you explain more on the C-12 route and how to get selected for that airframe. I know it’s competitive because of the limited number of slots. What things go into being #1 in your class?

Hey sir, I’ve got a couple questions if you don’t mind; How long was Common Core? Were you allowed to drive your own vehicle in Common Core instead of rushing to catch the bus? Where do you prefer to stay on post? Do you have a roommate?? How was living on post? How’s the gym, DFAC?

What is the order of preference for aircraft? Which do the top students compete for?

Okay, I recently applied online and I'm hoping to sign in for Aviation Officer. Tomorrow is my Meeting with the assigned Recruiter. My question is, Does the Army help in Relocating to enhance the Training?

Navy P-3 guy.. what helo's are you flying thru the diff phases, as you progress, diff models, more power (yay).

I just passed my SIFT with a 64. Do you HAVE TO BE a warrant officer to fly? Or can I be just a commissioned pilot? How does it work?

What to ask for as I go to the army office to be a pilot

#AboveTheBest

So they switched up the order of stuff finally and front-loaded SERE I see

How long is the common core portion?

What are you paid as in flight school?? Im currently enlisted in Army NG so would i get my current rank pay or would it be as a WO-1?? And how long is the duration of School???

I’m looking at branching aviation, I should find out in December. Do you recommend any preparation prior to flight school? Beginning memorizing those emergency procedures etc.? Thanks for the vid. Great information!

Does army only fly helicpoters or they have other type aircraft. ?

When did you go through? Luckily the bus isn’t a thing anymore

I thought about applying to WOC school after Vietnam then heard about all the crap they put you through in the first 6 weeks of training.

If I make it to flight school via the National Guard, will I have to be there the whole time, or part time?

What I’ve learned from this video: Flying is your hobby now.

If it takes so long for flight school what happened in Vietnam when the average guy done short tume

How does the intellectual rigor compare to college? Im a premed major at a somewhat selective university

From start to finish of flight school how long did I take???

does anyone seriously remember all of those questions in one night during common core? that seems literally impossible on top of learning the flight material

Where do you prefer to stay on post? did you have a roommate?? How was living on post? How’s the gym, DFAC? lol did you have time to go to the gym?