Also called: Army 153A, Aviation Warrant Officer, Black Hawk / Apache / Chinook pilot
Flies Black Hawk, Apache, or Chinook helicopters for transport, medevac, and attack missions.
Army aviators fly low and fast, ferrying troops, hauling cargo slung under the aircraft, or evacuating wounded. The Army is one of the few places you can become a pilot without a college degree through the 'High School to Flight School' warrant officer program. After service, they fly for hospitals, police departments, utilities, and offshore oil companies.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for warrant officers W-1 to W-4, 2026 estimate. Warrant officers are technical experts who usually come up from the enlisted ranks.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 2 years after high school. High school diploma or more, selection to Warrant Officer Flight Training, ~6 weeks of Warrant Officer Candidate School, and ~1-1.5 years of flight school. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Aviation, Professional Flight (later, via GI Bill).
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Optionally piloted Black Hawks are being tested for cargo runs; medevac and attack flying stay mostly human.
Classes: Physics, Geography, PE / fitness.
Official data: O*NET occupation 55-1011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.