Quote:
Originally Posted by 59GS
my 18 year old granddaughter whom I have (or used to have) guardianship of is seriously thinking she needs to be a helicopter pilot. She's very bright, level headed but adventuress -
Tom
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Your granddaughter is obviously exceptional in every way
I had a lot of fun and amazing experiences when I was a helicopter pilot in the navy but the military is, of course, not for everyone.
On the civilian side a very good friend of mine is the chief pilot for a large life flight/utility helicopter company in Denver. If you'd like, PM me your contact info and I'll pass it along to him. He is a retired Marine pilot and the finest kind...we flew together when I was the Chief Test Pilot at the Sikorsky factory in CT. He could answer any questions you have on civilian opportunities, challenges, etc.
She has a few options if she decides to go military.
- Warrant Officer in the Army. No college required. Very competitive selection process.
- Other services: College mandatory. Extremely competitive selection process for any of the academies, ROTC or Officer Candidate programs leading to flight school. She also needs to be aware that there is a minimum obligated service requirement once she graduates from flight school and gets her, "wings". I'm not sure what it is now, but when I got my wings it was five years.
IMHO pursuing a ROTC scholarship is the best path...school is paid for and if she decides the military is not for her, she can opt out after two years of college, no muss, no fuss.
PM me if you want more details.
All the best.