Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 2/21/2009

Question
Hi there. I'm a 22 year old female with 20/20 (if not better) vision and a Bachelor's degree in Biology. I want to serve my country in the armed forces. However, I do not know which branch to commit to. I wish to fly. Preferably a search and rescue helicopter. Do you think there is a branch that would best fit me for what it is I wish to pursue? Do you perhaps know of any pilots I may contact that have experience in any/all the branches of the military that may offer me insight?!
Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!

Answer
Cohri,
Congratulations on having excellent eyesight.  If you're otherwise healthy you stand a good chance of becoming a pilot.  Having a Bachelor's degree in anything is just what you need, but be advised that your competition includes graduates from the Air Force Academy who have aeronautical degrees.  Job preference is always given to someone who has a degree related to the job.  If, by chance, you have a private pilot license you can skip the initial screening flights, etc. and go right to UPT.  Otherwise they'll send you to separate training for about 9-12 hours flight time before you enter Officer Training School (OTS) just to see if you are cut out to be a pilot.  It's here that some people discover they're afraid of heights or get airsick, etc.
I consulted several helicopter pilot friends before I answered your question.  I kind of had an idea what they'd say, but I wanted you to hear it from the experts.  For a female wishing to fly for the military, I'd go with the Air Force first, Navy second, Marines third, and Army last.  First of all, how tall are you?  Many women are disqualified because they're too short.  Generally, female pilots are 5ft 5 inches or taller.  Why is this important?  A close friend of mine wanted to fly the C-5 aircraft for as long as I can remember.  She graduated OTS and UPT at the head of her class.  But being 5'1" she couldn't reach the rudder pedals on a C-5, even with the seat adjusted all the way forward.  She was so disappointed that she never enjoyed her minimum time in the AF.
The Army has very few fixed-wing aircraft, so the most Army pilots are helicopter pilots. General Matia, a good friend of mine, is the commander of Army helicopter aviation.  He says most Army pilots are generally enlisted Warrant Officers, so the field is very small for officers.  The Army is the only service that sends soldiers directly into helicopter training without first being trained in Fixed-Wing aircraft  to learn the basics of flight .
I have another good friend, Colonel Hayward in the Marines, who began his career in helicopters (he led the invasion in Grenada) and later transitioned to the Harrier aircraft because he said  Marines don't consider a helicopter pilot a "real pilot" like the fixed-wing guys.  Captain Eason, my Navy buddy, thought he'd get to do SAR  (Search and Rescue) ops but instead spent most of his flying time in helicopters doing drug interdiction ops in the Caribbean.  He'd fly his H-3H Sea King into a suspected area and draw fire while a Marine AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopter was waiting just over the horizon out of sight waiting to move in for the kill after the target was located.  Sounds like fun, huh?  Lucky survivors like him usually only fly for a short time and then get a desk job.
Colonel Black, my long-time Air Force buddy and SAR helicopter master pilot, says Air Force helicopter pilots attend undergraduate pilot training (UPT) at Laughlin Air Force Base (AFB) in Texas, and then spend 3 months at Fort Rucker in Alabama learning to fly the UH-1N helicopter.  Yes, the Army actually teaches the Air Force how to fly helicopters.  Then you'll most likely go to Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for Rescue School.  There you'll spend  3 months training in rescue operations, mountain flying, night vision systems, forward-looking infrared radar (FLIR) , tactical low level formation flying , and using the 250 ft rescue hoist.  The first 6 weeks is spent learning to fly the helicopter, the next 6 weeks is spent learning how to use the helicopter in flight.  Upon successful completion of training you'll likely go to one of the SAR squadrons.  Because of the nature of their business, SAR squadrons are usually located in coastal states (FL, CA, WA etc.) or in mountainous states.  Hill AFB in Utah is the Inland Search and Rescue Coordinator,  responsible for coordinating all federal inland commercial, military, and interstate aeronautical search and rescue in the contiguous U.S.
There are basically only 3 types of helicopters in the military, the "HH-1/UH-1 "Huey", the HH-3  "Jolly Green Giant", and the HH-60 Jayhawk.  The Jayhawk is the most commonly used helicopter for SAR.  Because they are unarmed, they are usually accompanied by an Army AH-64 Apache helicopter while doing SAR in a combat zone.
The AH-64 carries HELLFIRE missiles, a 30mm chain gun and Hydra 70 rockets and provides great cover fire while a Jayhawk concentrates on extracting a wounded soldier.  The Air Force plans to retire the HH-60 in anticipation of a new Combat Search And Rescue (CSAR) helicopter.  Fully armed, it can do the job of both a Jayhawk and an Apache.
A SAR aircrew typically works 12-hour days, mostly on alert waiting for an emergency call.  They normally have 20 minutes to react and be airborne  This may sound like a long time, but the helicopter has to be configured for the nature of each emergency.  Equipment needed to save a sinking ship is obviously different from a that needed for a stranded rock-climber.
Colonel Black said like most military pilots, a helicopter pilot usually only flys a couple of times a week, the rest of the time he's swamped with paperwork.  In his 30 year career in the Air Force he totaled only about 3,00 hours of flying time.
I think you have an excellent chance.
Good luck in whatever you choose!
Colonel H

Comment - Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with me and providing me with confidence in regards to going for the career I seek. I appreciate it more than you know! Just one more question....I have read statistics stating that the Navy actually has more helicopters at their disposal. Wouldn't this mean a better chance due to more availability? Just curious...you're the expert!  :) Thanks again!!!
p.s: I am 5'10", so I won't have any problems in THAT area.

Yes, and the Army has more boats than the Navy.  But when you look at how they're used, you'll see the difference.  Way back in 1954, when I was a toddler, the Navy purchased hundreds of Sikorsky S-58 helicopters for anti-submarine missions.   But when the Korean War was over, the helicopters were no longer needed and were relegated to use as trainers and land-based transports.  So they're still around, but are so old they aren't really usable (unlike me).  However, the Navy counts them because Congress gives them money based upon how many ships aircraft/people theyhave.  It's like counting how many cars in your home state and then counting the ones in the junkyards just to make the numbers look good!  The AF still has the most Helicopters and pilots, mostly because of the Special Ops missions and other land-based missions.  Navy helicopters are limited by the number of ships that can carry them.  The AF has no such limits.
5"10"?  Great!  Believe it or not, studies show tall people are more successful in life.  That goes all the way back to caveman days when the leaders were chosen by size and strength, and women were chosen by looks.  I guess that's one prejudice that will take many generations to overcome.
Best of Luck to you.
I'd love to hear what you decide and how it turns out for you.
Colonel H