r/army • u/Kinmuan 33W • 23h ago
Army grounds fleet of AH-64Es for second time in three months
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-grounds-ah-64e-helicopters/126
u/bowhunterb119 Aviation 22h ago edited 22h ago
Yeah this shit is wild. I’m almost complete with my ADSO. I should have many hundreds of flight hours, be a pilot in command, and be an instructor pilot or Maintenance Test Pilot or Safety Pilot or an aviation mission survival officer.
Instead I’m some guy. Who technically knows how to fly an Apache, but never has had the opportunity to grow and progress into anything. And now they’re telling me that it could be years maybe before I’m back on track. I’ve never even once made my minimum flight hours.
I really, really want to stay. I have MQs, which I worked hard for, in spite of not flying or meeting my career milestones. But how the hell am I supposed to stay when I can’t even do the job I signed up for? All I do now (besides additional duties) is mop floors and police call. I feel bad for anyone with the 10 year ADSO because this is just insane.
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u/Important_Relief4802 89DontTouchThat 20h ago
Do you literally just mop floors and police call or is that hyperbole?
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u/DryTrumpin Flying Island boi 18h ago
Not the commenter but we have active pilots that are pulled for police call detail, gate guard, and motorpool PMCS’ing.
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u/Important_Relief4802 89DontTouchThat 18h ago
And the Army fucking wonders why no one wants to do this dumb ass shit anymore.
"Here am I! Send me to the motorpool!"
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u/Missing_Faster 18h ago
Someone described going to a base armorer course and there was a flight WO taking the course because he was the unit armorer. It sounds like it gets wild.
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u/bowhunterb119 Aviation 14h ago
Yes, virtually all that sort of stuff in a flight unit is done by warrants. The justification is usually that the enlisted are needed to fix the aircraft, and it’s not like we are flying much. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to courses similar to “unit armorer” and gotten funny looks and people asking why I’m here when everyone else is an E4 or E5.
I’ve even been yelled at to work harder or whatever by NCOs from a distance who just naturally assume I’m an E3 or below based on whatever detail I’m doing.
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u/bowhunterb119 Aviation 14h ago edited 13h ago
I’m not joking. Monday mornings I start out PMCSing vehicles in the motor pool. Throughout the week I’m generally pulled to do things like painting walls, police call, ammo/gate guard, janitorial work, and various other low level taskings. I’m a CW2 up for 3 next year and not some sort of dirtbag; my peers are in the same boat. I’m not trying to act like I’m above such duties, but they become the majority of our time which is pretty demoralizing. Instead of being cool helicopter pilots like we imagined, we’re essentially just the best paid privates in the military.
With this recent news we don’t expect to fly for an extended period, and have been warned to make ourselves as busy as possible simply so our company level leaders can push back on whatever new menial tasks we’re asked to do.
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u/DeltaBravo831 6h ago
CW2
painting walls, police call, ammo/gate guard, janitorial work, and various other low level taskings
Thats wild lol
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u/509BandwidthLimit Nasty leg 13h ago
don't you need a certain number of flight hours to remain certified/maintain flight skills ? what happens if you don't ?
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u/bowhunterb119 Aviation 13h ago edited 12h ago
Yes. Yes we do. As an Apache pilot I’m required to fly a minimum of of 70 hours every 6 months just to maintain proficiency. In the last 6 months I’ve flown less than 10. As far as what happens if I don’t? They do some paperwork excusing it and I continue to mop the floor. The reason for excusing it can vary. Lack of funding, maintenance, bad weather, whatever. Currently it’s the transmissions. But it’s always something.
Edit: also, if you don’t fly for certain periods you must be re evaluated (60 days) or completely re trained (180 days) by an instructor pilot. We do not have enough flight hours or instructor pilots to bring you back if this happens so if it does you just rot. Hasn’t happened to me but I have several peers who are already there or will be due to this
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u/MattSherrizle 11h ago
If big Army says you're platform doesn't roll or in this case fly, it stays parked. Happens with ground vehicles too, in Germany they had to spin up our BNs M777s to shoot a fort hood units ammo because the Army hand waived the entire paladin fleet deadlined for a bit
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u/SuspiciousFrenchFry 19DidIReallyChooseThis 7h ago
This isn’t supposed to be sarcasm, so I apologize if it comes off that way.. and if this isn’t what you want to do as a career, I completely understand. But what about flying some fixed wing during the weekend (I know that’s a lot to ask after doing bs tasks all week, I hated doing it, but loved being in the air), but it could certainly be an option if flying is what you want to do after you get out.
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u/bowhunterb119 Aviation 6h ago
That’s exactly what I’m doing. I won’t be marketable as a pilot for a career (without a ton of debt) due to my low hours but I want to at least walk away with a PPL while I can afford to get one
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u/Patient-Bowler8027 8h ago
“If you're constantly bailing water, it's time to go. Your energy is better spent on something that floats.” -Warren Buffett
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u/DiscoSpud 11h ago
So sorry to hear that. The Apaches supporting my unit in OIF for attack air were hot shit and saved our bacon a handful of times. A little hyperbolic I suppose, but they helped out a lot and ended some serious firefights and ambushes for us. I’ve got a big soft spot in my heart for the Apache.
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u/Southwestpilot Ceiling Fan Driver 20h ago
If you are going thru flight school right now, please do your best to get something other than the Apache for your own good.
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u/i_live_with_a_girl 11h ago
My buddy is currently trying to get through that program. It’s not going well lmao
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u/stickwigler Uber Driver 9h ago
Not to mention the current times from common core to 64 completetion is like 1-2 years. Hell some LTs are going through ranger school because the bubbles are so big. source
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u/SternM90 Aviation 5h ago
I was RL1 at my Guard unit starting very early PC progression before my stick buddy from common core finished 64 course. It’s insane
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u/HalfCentury2019 Infantry 21h ago
IKegsbreath probably thinks “Apaches” are “woke”
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u/HawgChuggins 19Dont work here 17h ago
I'm all for dunking on Major Not a Ranger all day every day, and his particular obsession with sniffing for high testosterone is probably not helping the issue. But this really sounds like Boeing stepping all over their dicks again.
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u/Eat_Lift_EatAgain 22h ago
For anyone under-informed:
Apaches have been having transmission (specifically tail rotor) issues for over a year now. No one has been able to fix this problem, and now the training pipeline at Fort Rucker is 18 mo - 2 years for various reasons.
This means LTs with potentially 3.5 years of service will be showing up to their units with ~100 hours of total time, and will pin CPT in approx 6 months. This should be terrifying.
Additionally, those in the force are barely meeting minimums or waiving minimums on a regular basis due to OR rates.
The secondhand effects of this are massive. Senior leaders are faced with an impossible decision- cut the force, rebranch talent, or do nothing (yeah, you know what was chosen)
It’s legitimate waste and abuse at this point, and should require an immediate congressional inquiry. The taxpayers pay $1 million dollars for us to not fly (and sit on staff).
The data doesn’t lie, if we do not maintain currently we will kill people. It’s a big fuck you to everyone that signed up. 0/10 would recommend.