Fly helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for search and rescue, disaster relief, and military operations. Lead aviation units in emergency response.
Officer - College Degree Required, Flight Qualified
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Guard aviation officers fly and lead, which in practice means a heavier commitment than one weekend a month. Flight currency, simulator periods and additional training days fill the calendar around a civilian job, and some aviators fly commercially as well. Drill weekends bring mission planning, aircrew briefs, maintenance status reviews, safety meetings and the section leadership the rank requires. State activation puts Guard aviation in the middle of the response, flying search and rescue, medical evacuation, water drops on wildfires and damage assessment. Commissioning comes through state Officer Candidate School, ROTC or an academy, followed by flight school before you join the unit.
You learn to fly the aircraft to Army standards and then to lead the people who fly and fix it. Mission planning teaches weather analysis, risk management, fuel and load planning, and crew coordination under pressure. Aviation safety programs build a formal habit of assessing and documenting risk before it becomes an accident. You manage maintenance priorities, training records, flight hours and budgets the way every officer manages property and people. Working disaster missions adds coordination with civilian agencies and controllers who do not use military language.
Flying builds disciplined self assessment, because an honest debrief of your own mistakes is a safety requirement rather than a personality trait. You develop calm during compressed decision making, the kind that shows up when weather closes in and the fuel state is finite. Leading aircrews teaches you to insist on standards with warrant officers and crew chiefs who often have decades more experience than you. The job grows meticulous preparation habits, since the mission brief is where most problems are solved and the aircraft is where they are paid for. Aviators tend to become people who plan thoroughly and then adapt without drama.
Aviation is one of the strongest translations available, and many Guard aviators already fly for airlines, hospitals, utilities or law enforcement. Flight hours, instrument experience and command time support a civilian pilot career, though the ratings and paperwork involved are their own process. The leadership and program management side opens aviation operations, safety management and program management roles on the ground. State emergency management and federal agencies value officers who have run real disaster air missions. Serving part time is exactly how many pilots build both careers at once.
Your day begins in the aviation ops hangar with a weather brief, a look at the aircraft status board, and a mission planning huddle with your pilots and crew chiefs. You strap into a Black Hawk or fixed-wing bird for a search-and-rescue sortie or a disaster-relief supply run, flying grid patterns and talking to ground teams the whole way. Once you land, you file the after-action, review maintenance squawks, and plan the next flight block.
No suitable exact-MOS or related career-field video has been verified for this page yet. No unrelated video or search-results page is substituted.
$77,814–$144,392
2026 basic pay only; the same grade and service time pay the same across jobs. Promotions are assumed, not promised. Excludes allowances, bonuses and special pays.
These annual examples assume full-time active duty, not part-time drill pay.
Possibilities for serving Soldiers, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
National Guard participation also requires component/unit school-seat approval; confirm availability and requirements with your unit.
Earned by successfully completing Ranger School's demanding leadership and field training.
Not restricted to combat MOSs. Requires selection, a school slot and current course prerequisites. The tab does not mean assignment to the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Recognizes successful airborne qualification, including the required training jumps.
Support specialties can attend too; the Army explicitly gives human resources and wheeled-vehicle mechanics as examples. Requires a school slot and medical, physical and course qualification.
Earned through Air Assault School, covering helicopter operations, sling loads and rappelling.
Available across job specialties, not just combat roles, subject to unit nomination, available seats and current school requirements.
A waiver-dependent opportunity outside engineering; earned by successfully completing the Sapper Leader Course.
Conditional opportunity: Soldiers outside engineering must submit a waiver to attend. Approval is not guaranteed; all other course requirements still apply.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For National Guard 15A Aviation Officer, official service-wide guidance and any exact feeder-list matches are distinguished below from unverified specialty-specific requirements. Ranks are not separate jobs, and these possibilities are not guaranteed promotions or available contracts.
Examples of higher service ranks
These are service-wide rank names, not a verified promotion ladder for this specialty. Examples are not exhaustive; appointments sharing a pay grade are not additional promotion steps.
Official military rank referenceThe Army National Guard describes technical warrant specialties and a separate helicopter-pilot route. Technical options depend on the Soldier's MOS. This branch-level information does not establish eligibility, a state vacancy, or a promotion ceiling for this listing.
Army National Guard warrant career guidanceService-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
Guard applicants work with their State, Territory, or DC Warrant Officer Strength Manager on qualifications and a predetermination packet. Approval and required training are separate from promotion; an Army feeder match alone does not establish Guard eligibility or a state vacancy.
USAREC National Guard applicant processSpecialty-specific advancement, senior assignments, and eligibility for a different personnel category have not been verified for this listing. No feeder eligibility or automatic transition to another specialty is implied.
Advancement depends on current service rules, performance, required education, qualifications, selection, and authorized positions—not simply years served. Confirm current requirements with an official recruiter or career counselor.
Related military jobs below are for exploration, not promised progression or confirmed transfer paths.
Sources reviewed 2026-10-03. This is a partial evidence review, not verification of every advancement route for this specialty. Source retrieval dates do not replace policy effective dates.
Career-field mappings, not automatic qualifications. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024 national medians). O*NET links explain each occupation; military experience does not guarantee a job or salary.
Fly helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for search and rescue, disaster relief, and military operations. Lead aviation units in emergency response.
Guard aviation officers fly and lead, which in practice means a heavier commitment than one weekend a month. Flight currency, simulator periods and additional training days fill the calendar around a civilian job, and some aviators fly commercially as well. Drill weekends bring mission planning, aircrew briefs, maintenance status reviews, safety meetings and the section leadership the rank requires. State activation puts Guard aviation in the middle of the response, flying search and rescue, medical evacuation, water drops on wildfires and damage assessment. Commissioning comes through state Officer Candidate School, ROTC or an academy, followed by flight school before you join the unit.
You learn to fly the aircraft to Army standards and then to lead the people who fly and fix it. Mission planning teaches weather analysis, risk management, fuel and load planning, and crew coordination under pressure. Aviation safety programs build a formal habit of assessing and documenting risk before it becomes an accident. You manage maintenance priorities, training records, flight hours and budgets the way every officer manages property and people. Working disaster missions adds coordination with civilian agencies and controllers who do not use military language.
Aviation is one of the strongest translations available, and many Guard aviators already fly for airlines, hospitals, utilities or law enforcement. Flight hours, instrument experience and command time support a civilian pilot career, though the ratings and paperwork involved are their own process. The leadership and program management side opens aviation operations, safety management and program management roles on the ground. State emergency management and federal agencies value officers who have run real disaster air missions. Serving part time is exactly how many pilots build both careers at once.
Officer - College Degree Required, Flight Qualified. This is the catalog's listed requirement, not an individual eligibility decision. Confirm the current standard and any exceptions with the service.
A civilian can pursue this specialty through an officer accession path, subject to eligibility and assignment. Confirm the current status of this specific classification with an official recruiter.
Catalog sources consulted: 2026-09-26. This is not an entry-by-entry verification date. No record-specific verification date is recorded. Occupation audit evidence reviewed: 2026-09-26; this does not re-verify every requirement.
Official branch occupation evidence
Occupation identified. This occupation was identified in the cited source. This does not verify requirements, benefits, or a current opening.
Official occupation evidence · reviewed 2026-09-26
Confirmed. Catalog evidence is not an inventory of open contracts.
No dated public inventory confirmed a currently open recruiting contract for this role. This does not mean there are no openings. Confirm current eligibility and offers with an official recruiter.
Advertised — National Guard, as of 2026-09-28Deployment likelihood: Moderate*
* Estimated. Rank progression and specialty-pay eligibility are illustrative assumptions. Deployment likelihood, when shown, is inferred from similar specialties in the branch and career field, not a published specialty deployment rate.
Descriptions may change. No military role is free from risk of injury or death, including non-combat work. Catalog review dates do not establish current openings or re-verification of every requirement.
Recruiting signals reflect what each branch published on the dates shown. They are not offers, and they do not mean a contract is open for you. Eligibility depends on your ASVAB scores, medical qualification, security clearance eligibility, and ship date. Confirm everything with an official recruiter. See our Disclaimer and Terms.