Gents,
I'm new to this site. Registered after reading some really funny misperceptions about Army warrant officers and Army aviation.
I flew both USAF and US Army so I have a pretty good feel for both worlds. That said, I've been out of the game for a few years. Passed the torch to the next generation, etc.
Army WO history. Prior to 1987, all Army WO's were appointed. This included W-1 thru W-4. CW2-CW4 were commissioned in 1987 to bring them into line with the other services. W-5 added to the mix in the 1990s.
Army WOs were managed by the Warrant Officer Branch and were part of the Warrant Office Corps until integrated into their respective branches (Aviation, Transportation, etc).
While the aviation warrant officer remains in the role of 'professional aviator'/technical expert, warrant officers often hold command positions. During my time, I saw CW3/CW4 platoon leaders and company/troop commanders. Usually these are interim positions due to shortages of LT/CPTs but some were permanent assignments.
As for aircraft, Army WOs fly both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. There is no exclusion of WOs from the fixed wing community. The reality is that the Army has a heck of a lot more helicopters than it does fixed wing aircraft so there just aren't that many fixed wing slots available in the aviation system. This applies to both commissioned officers and warrant officers. In the 1980s, it seemed like a lot of women aviators were put into the fixed wing community but that's just my two-cent opinion.
Internally, commissioned types are referred to as RLO's (roll-o's) or Real Live Officers. The biggest difference between the COs and WOs is that by the time a CO makes O-3/CPT, he can generally expect staff assignments to take him out of a frontline flying slot. WOs will generally fulltime pilots with additional staff duties -- sliding into Flight Standards (IP), maintenance, armament, or safety fields.
I'm new to this site. Registered after reading some really funny misperceptions about Army warrant officers and Army aviation.
I flew both USAF and US Army so I have a pretty good feel for both worlds. That said, I've been out of the game for a few years. Passed the torch to the next generation, etc.
Army WO history. Prior to 1987, all Army WO's were appointed. This included W-1 thru W-4. CW2-CW4 were commissioned in 1987 to bring them into line with the other services. W-5 added to the mix in the 1990s.
Army WOs were managed by the Warrant Officer Branch and were part of the Warrant Office Corps until integrated into their respective branches (Aviation, Transportation, etc).
While the aviation warrant officer remains in the role of 'professional aviator'/technical expert, warrant officers often hold command positions. During my time, I saw CW3/CW4 platoon leaders and company/troop commanders. Usually these are interim positions due to shortages of LT/CPTs but some were permanent assignments.
As for aircraft, Army WOs fly both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. There is no exclusion of WOs from the fixed wing community. The reality is that the Army has a heck of a lot more helicopters than it does fixed wing aircraft so there just aren't that many fixed wing slots available in the aviation system. This applies to both commissioned officers and warrant officers. In the 1980s, it seemed like a lot of women aviators were put into the fixed wing community but that's just my two-cent opinion.
Internally, commissioned types are referred to as RLO's (roll-o's) or Real Live Officers. The biggest difference between the COs and WOs is that by the time a CO makes O-3/CPT, he can generally expect staff assignments to take him out of a frontline flying slot. WOs will generally fulltime pilots with additional staff duties -- sliding into Flight Standards (IP), maintenance, armament, or safety fields.
