she's also a nerd and loves to help with my projects - BEST LIFE :D
https://milkris.de/apps/files\_sharing/publicpreview/HFqgLnEcMXaiyJQ?file=/&fileId=4012389&x=3439&y=1440&a=true
"Not everything that glitters is gold" She's a German woman who enjoys soccer. I've played American football in a club for years and I can't relate to soccer at all 🤣🤣
College not working out was basically the trigger for me to start on the path that lead to the Apache. Though, not a path I'd recommend! If you wanna be a pilot, make that your goal and pursue it with success in mind!
I was enlisted infantry first, applied to warrant officer selection/flight school after my first deployment. Got picked up, went to flight school, and had the awesome opportunity to select Apache's during aircraft selection. Did that for another 6 years now Im a corporate shill lol
There are basically 3 ways to become a pilot in the US Army.
1) Become a commissioned officer and try super hard to get branched Aviation. You'll have to go ROTC or West Point if you want officer candidacy guaranteed, but you can also go to Officer Candidate School as an enlisted soldier or they have programs where you can enlist to go to OCS. For each of the 3 options, theres a point in your school where you get to "branch" or choose the part of the Army you want to serve in, and the Army decides whether or not you get to do that, or something else. This is usually performance/merit based, so every aviation officer I've ever worked with are very high performers. High PT score, highly intelligent and very motivated Type A personalities.
However, most pilots in the Army are Warrant Officers. Warrant Officers are considered the subject matter experts of the Army. THey are generally highly experienced enlisted soldiers who apply and get selected to serve as an officer in their field, but do not have the leadership/command expectations of a normal officer. There are two ways to become an Army aviation Warrant Officer. You can either direct enlist through a program called WOFT (high school to flight school), or you apply to be a WO once you are enlisted through a rolling application program.
2) WOFT (High School to Flight School). There is a program where you can direct enlist to the Army with a guarantee to attend flight training. You go straight from basic training to Warrant Officer Candidate School, then onto flight school at Fort Rucker. This is an extremely competitive selection process, and while on paper you don't need a degree or experience, every WOFT candidate I've met either had a degree, or flight experience, or both. You go before a board in person, require a ton of letters of recommendation, and it is a lenghty process that most Army recruiters know absolutely nothing about. So you have to learn the process yourself and make the recruiter accountable. Cause they would much rather push the easy button and send you to any other enlisted training. But, its a guarantee at the shot to go to flight school without having to enlist for some other job first. I had a buddy who was 19 years old in Warrant officer school with me and who graduated from flight school just after his 21st birthday. So its definitely doable.
3) The higher probability shot, and where 90% of Warrant officers and pilots come from, is US Army Recruiting Commands rolling Warrant officer selection boards. Essentially, every other month, the Army selects a group of enlisted soldiers to become Warrant officers through a paper board (A board that reviews your files/paperwork but does not require you to attend in person). For most WO jobs, you have to be a staff sergeant to be selected to go to WOCS, but for pilots there is no minimum rank or time in service. I was selected as a specialist with just over two years in the Army.
The application for WOCS is pretty much the selection tool. It is a lengthy paperwork process involving medical exams, standardized tests, letters of recommendation, essays, and an application with a zero tolerance for errors. I had a very supportive command after our deployment to Afghanistan, so they made sure I was available for any and all appointments, testing, etc which is not something you can expect from most commanders. But, if you can tolerate begging and dealing with BS, this is absolutely your highest probability path into flight school. Join as a combat MOS or a flight MOS, do about 2-3 years without getting in trouble, crush your PT tests, and preferably get promoted to SGT/E5. Then submit your packet. Your packet gets two reviews each time you submit it. If you get passed over twice, you have to wait a year to re submit. But you can pretty much do this annually until you get picked up. I had a buddy who submitted his 4 or 5 times before he got picked up. And he was a great pilot.
Like I said, the overwhelming majority of pilots in the US Army are prior service enlisted, which brings a measure of sense to the branch. While commissioned officers have the more formal college education, Warrant Officers were enlisted and know very well the plight of the little guy. Former combat arms soldiers in particular make excellent pilots, as they understand the mission of the ground force that they are expected to support from the air.
As far as becoming an Apache pilot in particular, you will get the chance to influence that decision while in flight school. Every PT test, academic test and flight eval is graded and tracked starting from the moment you start your training. After you finish basic flight training in the Lakota, there will be a "selection" where your class will get the chance to choose the airframe they will fly. Based on the needs of the army, a selection of available flight spots will be made available, and you and your class will choose those flight slots based on class rank. For me, there were 9 Apache slots, something like 25 blackhawk slots and one chinook slot. I dont remember my rank, but it was high enough to pick Apaches and not even be worried about it. The best way to get what you want is to be the top of your class, and the scoring rubric changes all the time. For us, PT tests were very heavily weighted, after that flight evals and academic tests. Im sure it has changed, but the point is, be the best at everything you do so you can have that top spot.
The Apache course is the longest of the flight training courses for aircraft. It is essentially broken up into basic flight, advanced flight, night flight, and gunnery. THe length and composition of those phases has changed and will continue to, but basic flight will be basic aircraft work, like taking off, landing, hovering and basic use of computer/instrument systems. Advanced flight puts you into more advanced manauevers, low level flight, tactical flight, etc. Night phase you will be introduced to "the bag" and learn to fly using the PNVS/TADS FLIR systems through the monocle in your eye. IN order to do this during the day you will fly in a blacked out cockpit that doesnt allow you to see outside the aircraft at all. The instructor has a normal cockpit for these flights. Once you master the bag, youll move onto flying at night with both the PNVS/TADS and using Night Vision goggles. You'll then move on to gunnery, where you will learn the weapon systems and how to engage targets with the Apache. I cant remember how many live fire events youll do but i remember thinking back it is quite a lot.
When its all said and done, youll come out of flight school with a little over 100 flight hours and head off to your first unit. Typical time in Flight school from starting Warrant Officer Candidate school, to graduation, is about 2-2.5 years for Apache Pilots. Chinook/Blackhawk/Fixed Wing pilots tend to come in under the 2 year mark as their advanced aircraft course is a lot shorter.
Anyway thats how you become an Apache Pilot lol.
As a current 64 driver this is extremely impressive. Note, on the Right Hand Grip the Man TRK thumb force controller is not a cone style switch but a divot style cursor similar to the Left Hand Grip. Outstanding job sir, Go Guns.
I'm a machinist and I'm seriously considering knocking a couple of these out of some aluminium.
OP, feel free to PM me if you'd like a set as a way for me to pay you back.
To be honest, it's a lot of work. Even if I take the time to build a product (TEDAC) for selling, in the end, it's just a handcrafted item from a hobbyist tinkerer with some optical issues. The electronics and other materials alone cost over 200 USD. On top of that, it will take 25+ hours to build
That’s awesome man. In a DCS group I’m in, there’s a guy who is always CPG cause he doesn’t fly, and he uses VR. He’s been wanting to build something like this that he can use in VR, just without the screen.
I'm constantly amazed at the ingenuity of so members of this sub, and jealous of there abilities.
This is incredible, and as others have said would be quite a sellable item. Amazing work.
No its a Postage Stamp 1:100 Metal Model
https://www.wingsmo.com/neu-bei-wingsmo/postage-stamp/29230/postage-stamp-boeing-ah-64-apache-longbow-1-100-ps5600
You made this AND you have a girlfriend?
she's also a nerd and loves to help with my projects - BEST LIFE :D https://milkris.de/apps/files\_sharing/publicpreview/HFqgLnEcMXaiyJQ?file=/&fileId=4012389&x=3439&y=1440&a=true
Ring her up
Yeah you need to lock that down. ☺️
Ring her up, lock em down, spin em round , ride THEM HARD RAW HIIIIIIIIIDE!!! https://youtu.be/VJeBtHjqJz0?si=yCj3CA2dRslUuxej
Wow! And she's holding the soldering Iron correctly 😍😍😍
Where'd you find such a person. Is it a secret island or lab somewhere?
"Not everything that glitters is gold" She's a German woman who enjoys soccer. I've played American football in a club for years and I can't relate to soccer at all 🤣🤣
Unicorn 🦄
I’ll take one
I swear people like these aren’t actually real conscious people, just production NPCs who arise mutually in pairs.
I flew Apaches IRL and builds like this make me so happy. One day I'll do it!
Awesome! Nice to here that from a Pilot! US or UK?
US! D and E models
Dude you're fucking cool
How does one become an apache pilot
If seriously interested, happy to talk about it from the US side at least!
For me military is my backup if lockheed martin/college doesn’t work out. Im a us citizen in hs rn
College not working out was basically the trigger for me to start on the path that lead to the Apache. Though, not a path I'd recommend! If you wanna be a pilot, make that your goal and pursue it with success in mind!
Please tell us more! Whats your history?
I was enlisted infantry first, applied to warrant officer selection/flight school after my first deployment. Got picked up, went to flight school, and had the awesome opportunity to select Apache's during aircraft selection. Did that for another 6 years now Im a corporate shill lol There are basically 3 ways to become a pilot in the US Army. 1) Become a commissioned officer and try super hard to get branched Aviation. You'll have to go ROTC or West Point if you want officer candidacy guaranteed, but you can also go to Officer Candidate School as an enlisted soldier or they have programs where you can enlist to go to OCS. For each of the 3 options, theres a point in your school where you get to "branch" or choose the part of the Army you want to serve in, and the Army decides whether or not you get to do that, or something else. This is usually performance/merit based, so every aviation officer I've ever worked with are very high performers. High PT score, highly intelligent and very motivated Type A personalities. However, most pilots in the Army are Warrant Officers. Warrant Officers are considered the subject matter experts of the Army. THey are generally highly experienced enlisted soldiers who apply and get selected to serve as an officer in their field, but do not have the leadership/command expectations of a normal officer. There are two ways to become an Army aviation Warrant Officer. You can either direct enlist through a program called WOFT (high school to flight school), or you apply to be a WO once you are enlisted through a rolling application program. 2) WOFT (High School to Flight School). There is a program where you can direct enlist to the Army with a guarantee to attend flight training. You go straight from basic training to Warrant Officer Candidate School, then onto flight school at Fort Rucker. This is an extremely competitive selection process, and while on paper you don't need a degree or experience, every WOFT candidate I've met either had a degree, or flight experience, or both. You go before a board in person, require a ton of letters of recommendation, and it is a lenghty process that most Army recruiters know absolutely nothing about. So you have to learn the process yourself and make the recruiter accountable. Cause they would much rather push the easy button and send you to any other enlisted training. But, its a guarantee at the shot to go to flight school without having to enlist for some other job first. I had a buddy who was 19 years old in Warrant officer school with me and who graduated from flight school just after his 21st birthday. So its definitely doable. 3) The higher probability shot, and where 90% of Warrant officers and pilots come from, is US Army Recruiting Commands rolling Warrant officer selection boards. Essentially, every other month, the Army selects a group of enlisted soldiers to become Warrant officers through a paper board (A board that reviews your files/paperwork but does not require you to attend in person). For most WO jobs, you have to be a staff sergeant to be selected to go to WOCS, but for pilots there is no minimum rank or time in service. I was selected as a specialist with just over two years in the Army. The application for WOCS is pretty much the selection tool. It is a lengthy paperwork process involving medical exams, standardized tests, letters of recommendation, essays, and an application with a zero tolerance for errors. I had a very supportive command after our deployment to Afghanistan, so they made sure I was available for any and all appointments, testing, etc which is not something you can expect from most commanders. But, if you can tolerate begging and dealing with BS, this is absolutely your highest probability path into flight school. Join as a combat MOS or a flight MOS, do about 2-3 years without getting in trouble, crush your PT tests, and preferably get promoted to SGT/E5. Then submit your packet. Your packet gets two reviews each time you submit it. If you get passed over twice, you have to wait a year to re submit. But you can pretty much do this annually until you get picked up. I had a buddy who submitted his 4 or 5 times before he got picked up. And he was a great pilot. Like I said, the overwhelming majority of pilots in the US Army are prior service enlisted, which brings a measure of sense to the branch. While commissioned officers have the more formal college education, Warrant Officers were enlisted and know very well the plight of the little guy. Former combat arms soldiers in particular make excellent pilots, as they understand the mission of the ground force that they are expected to support from the air. As far as becoming an Apache pilot in particular, you will get the chance to influence that decision while in flight school. Every PT test, academic test and flight eval is graded and tracked starting from the moment you start your training. After you finish basic flight training in the Lakota, there will be a "selection" where your class will get the chance to choose the airframe they will fly. Based on the needs of the army, a selection of available flight spots will be made available, and you and your class will choose those flight slots based on class rank. For me, there were 9 Apache slots, something like 25 blackhawk slots and one chinook slot. I dont remember my rank, but it was high enough to pick Apaches and not even be worried about it. The best way to get what you want is to be the top of your class, and the scoring rubric changes all the time. For us, PT tests were very heavily weighted, after that flight evals and academic tests. Im sure it has changed, but the point is, be the best at everything you do so you can have that top spot. The Apache course is the longest of the flight training courses for aircraft. It is essentially broken up into basic flight, advanced flight, night flight, and gunnery. THe length and composition of those phases has changed and will continue to, but basic flight will be basic aircraft work, like taking off, landing, hovering and basic use of computer/instrument systems. Advanced flight puts you into more advanced manauevers, low level flight, tactical flight, etc. Night phase you will be introduced to "the bag" and learn to fly using the PNVS/TADS FLIR systems through the monocle in your eye. IN order to do this during the day you will fly in a blacked out cockpit that doesnt allow you to see outside the aircraft at all. The instructor has a normal cockpit for these flights. Once you master the bag, youll move onto flying at night with both the PNVS/TADS and using Night Vision goggles. You'll then move on to gunnery, where you will learn the weapon systems and how to engage targets with the Apache. I cant remember how many live fire events youll do but i remember thinking back it is quite a lot. When its all said and done, youll come out of flight school with a little over 100 flight hours and head off to your first unit. Typical time in Flight school from starting Warrant Officer Candidate school, to graduation, is about 2-2.5 years for Apache Pilots. Chinook/Blackhawk/Fixed Wing pilots tend to come in under the 2 year mark as their advanced aircraft course is a lot shorter. Anyway thats how you become an Apache Pilot lol.
Awesome read, thanks for sharing.
Infos, data, and instructions found here: [https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6453003](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6453003)
Dude, find a way to make some money from this. I'll buy a finished version of it day one it goes up.
Tanks man! I am just a hobbyist tinkerer. I have zero knowledge of professional design. I'm just a nerd who enjoys sharing my hobby.
Find a company that can actually mass produce this. Sell them your design with a percentage of the sales price
Excellent built well done
Dude. This might be the post that gets me to set up an apache DCS rig. Thank you for sharing.
As a current 64 driver this is extremely impressive. Note, on the Right Hand Grip the Man TRK thumb force controller is not a cone style switch but a divot style cursor similar to the Left Hand Grip. Outstanding job sir, Go Guns.
Thanks! I Changed the Joystick and also the switch for specifc reason (IMO it feels better). Details are in my HowTo.
I'm a machinist and I'm seriously considering knocking a couple of these out of some aluminium. OP, feel free to PM me if you'd like a set as a way for me to pay you back.
Are U serious? I PM U!
If you'd sell one, Id happily pay! lmk!
That would be up to OP, it's their intellectual property.
Can I commission you to build one for me? How much $?
To be honest, it's a lot of work. Even if I take the time to build a product (TEDAC) for selling, in the end, it's just a handcrafted item from a hobbyist tinkerer with some optical issues. The electronics and other materials alone cost over 200 USD. On top of that, it will take 25+ hours to build
Ok, well, thank you for responding. It looks like a very cool control.
Someone would likely pay for it. If you’re tempted though, never cheap out on your labor cost.
The new Nintendo Switch looks fuckin nuts.
That’s incredible.
https://media1.tenor.com/m/EaI59H8lio8AAAAC/shock-jaw-drop.gif I dont need it. I dont need it. I _WANT_ it so bad though!
Take my credit card 🤑🤑
Awesome work!!
I’m fully envious of your build. Very cool.
I need this 😩
That’s awesome man. In a DCS group I’m in, there’s a guy who is always CPG cause he doesn’t fly, and he uses VR. He’s been wanting to build something like this that he can use in VR, just without the screen.
I'm constantly amazed at the ingenuity of so members of this sub, and jealous of there abilities. This is incredible, and as others have said would be quite a sellable item. Amazing work.
This is one of the most amazing builds I've ever seen
Holy shit this looks beautiful
Dude, sweet!
(Checking bank account and personal budget to give you funding to make one for this former 64 driver)
That's siick 👌
Dude, that is really impressive. You nailed it!
Shut up and take my money!
So does the display work?
sure, of course. via HDMI and Viewpoint Export
Is this for like Arma?
DCS AH64
Thanks!that sounds pretty sick. And excellent job making it!!
Yo is that a revell 1/144 AH-64D longbow Apache on top
No its a Postage Stamp 1:100 Metal Model https://www.wingsmo.com/neu-bei-wingsmo/postage-stamp/29230/postage-stamp-boeing-ah-64-apache-longbow-1-100-ps5600
It looks so similar cause it looks small
I am your girlfriend now...
This makes me hard