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Eligibility Checklist

Before you apply, make sure you meet the basic role requirements. You'll find detailed information on the <a href="?tab=ways-to-join">Ways to join</a> tab.

Become an Army officer
You can choose to become an officer in the Army via Direct Entry and earn a salary while being trained at the Royal Military College - Duntroon (RMC) in Canberra, ACT.
Who it&rsquo;s for:&nbsp;Year 12 graduates or qualified professionals.

Officer Entry: Royal Military College – Duntroon (RMC)

You'll be paid while you train, and on completion of your Initial Military Training and Employment Training, you’ll earn at least:

Training

Your starting salary

Trained

Your salary once trained

In the Army you'll be paid a good salary from day one regardless of your age, experience or qualifications.

Officer Entry: RMC - Duntroon

After you&rsquo;ve graduated from the School of Army Aviation as a Category D Pilot, you&rsquo;ll be posted to an Aviation Unit and continue training and aircrew development in accordance with the unit role specific training and assessment program. You should achieve categorisation progression to Category C (mission qualified co-pilot) in the first 12 months of aircrew development while in the regimental environment. Progression to Category B (mission qualified aircraft captain) will normally occur in the following 12 to 24 months. A Pilot Category is awarded to identify your ability and competency to Captain an aircraft in a specified environment whilst performing specified duties.
Promotion to the rank of Captain (CAPT) will normally occur after 4 years as a Lieutenant (LT) and you can expect a minimum of 8 years in an operational flying role. 
There are 2 career streams for an Army Pilot. 
<ul>
 <li>Generalist &ndash; pilots described as Generalist Officers, Lieutenant (LT) to Lieutenant Colonel (LTCOL) with complementary technical skills and or experience. You'll be employed in one of the following roles:
 <ul>
 <li>regimental pilot </li>
 <li>command and supervisory appointments </li>
 <li>staff appointments. </li>
 </ul>
 </li>
 <li>Specialist &ndash; specialists are Pilots, from CAPT to LTCOL who have developed deep aviation skills and knowledge and have been selected to this stream. You&rsquo;ll be employed in one of the following roles:
 <ul>
 <li>flying instructor </li>
 <li>test pilot. </li>
 </ul>
 </li>
</ul>
Aviation Officers also continue training and development in accordance with the Army All Corps Officer Training Continuum. 
 
<div class="divider-y" style="--margin-y:24px;">&nbsp;</div>
National Qualifications 
The ADF and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) have agreed on the following milestones for the issue of civil licences as shown:
<ul>
 <li>PPL (Helicopter) and Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) (Helicopter) &ndash; Basic fixed wing flying and Rotary Wing Training may contribute to the award of civilian (CASA) licences and endorsements, including Private Pilot Licence (PPL), Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL) and Instrument Rating (IR). 
 For more information, visit the CASA portal to find out what&rsquo;s required to transfer military flying training against the issuance of a CASA licence. </li>
 <li>
 ADF pilots are eligible for issue of Flight Instructor Rating (Aeroplane) (FIR (A)) if they are a graduate of the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) or Royal Air Force (RAF), Central Flying School. </li>
 <li>
 ADF pilots may be eligible for issue of a Flight Instructor Rating (Helicopter) if they have successfully completed a recognised Qualified Flying Instructor course from within the Defence Force of Australia, Central Flying School of RNZAF and RAF. As a precursor, they must hold a current and valid CASA CPL (H) or ATPL (H) as well as having accrued 400 hours flight time in a helicopter. </li>
</ul>

Earn a fully funded degree
Originating from a unique partnership between the ADF and the University of New South Wales (UNSW), ADFA offers world-class education plus cutting-edge military and leadership training at our Canberra campus. In addition to being expertly trained in the art of leadership and management, you'll undertake a degree in Arts, Business, Science, Engineering or Computing.
Who it&rsquo;s for:&nbsp;Those wanting a fully funded world-class degree from the University of New South Wales (UNSW). You&rsquo;ll earn a salary while you study and graduate HELP-debt-free.

Officer Entry: Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA)

You'll be paid while you study. On completion of your degree, Initial Military Training and Initial Employment Training, you'll earn at least:

Your salary while studying

Officer Entry: ADFA

After you&rsquo;ve graduated from the School of Army Aviation as a Category D Pilot, you&rsquo;ll be posted to an Aviation Unit and continue training and aircrew development in accordance with the unit role specific training and assessment program. You should achieve categorisation progression to Category C (mission qualified co-pilot) in the first 12 months of aircrew development while in the regimental environment. Progression to Category B (mission qualified aircraft captain) will normally occur in the following 12 to 24 months. A Pilot Category is awarded to identify your ability and competency to Captain an aircraft in a specified environment whilst performing specified duties.

Promotion to the rank of Captain (CAPT) will normally occur after 4 years as a LT and you can expect a minimum of 8 years in an operational flying role. 

There are 2 career streams for an Army Pilot. 
<ul>
 <li>Generalist &ndash; pilots described as Generalist Officers, Lieutenant (LT) to Lieutenant Colonel (LTCOL) with complementary technical skills and or experience. You'll be employed in one of the following roles:
 <ul>
 <li>regimental pilot </li>
 <li>command and supervisory appointments </li>
 <li>staff appointments. </li>
 </ul>
 </li>
 <li>Specialist &ndash; specialists are Pilots, from CAPT to LTCOL who have developed deep aviation skills and knowledge and have been selected to this stream. You&rsquo;ll be employed in one of the following roles:
 <ul>
 <li>flying instructor </li>
 <li>test pilot. </li>
 </ul>
 </li>
</ul>
Aviation Officers also continue training and development in accordance with the Army All Corps Officer Training Continuum. 
 
<div class="divider-y" style="--margin-y:24px;">&nbsp;</div>
National Qualifications 
The ADF and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) have agreed on the following milestones for the issue of civil licences as shown:
<ul>
 <li>PPL (Helicopter) and Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) (Helicopter) &ndash; Basic fixed wing flying and Rotary Wing Training may contribute to the award of civilian (CASA) licences and endorsements, including Private Pilot Licence (PPL), Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL) and Instrument Rating (IR). 
 For more information, visit the CASA portal to find out what&rsquo;s required to transfer military flying training against the issuance of a CASA licence. </li>
 <li>
 ADF pilots are eligible for issue of Flight Instructor Rating (Aeroplane) (FIR (A)) if they are a graduate of the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) or Royal Air Force (RAF), Central Flying School. </li>
</ul>
ADF pilots may be eligible for issue of a Flight Instructor Rating (Helicopter) if they have successfully completed a recognised Qualified Flying Instructor course from within the Defence Force of Australia, Central Flying School of RNZAF and RAF. As a precursor, they must hold a current and valid CASA CPL (H) or ATPL (H) as well as having accrued 400 hours flight time in a helicopter.

Key Information

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Discover upcoming events and experiences. 

Visit UNSW and begin your application to study a relevant degree.

As a Helicopter Pilot, you&rsquo;ll fly military aircraft in demanding and rewarding ways that require you to be the top of your field, possessing both technical and tactical understanding. Once qualified, you can expect to be employed flying your primary helicopter type, initially as a co-pilot and/or aircraft captain under supervision for the first 12 months. From this point on you will be trained and authorised to conduct more complex missions often as aircraft captain. 
This meaningful role is part of the <a href="/careers/joining/pathways?page-tab=army">Army Officer – Command career pathway</a>, where you&rsquo;ll learn the fundamentals of being a leader to a team of soldiers, including mentorship, influence, problem solving, decision making and much more. No leadership experience is required, and you&rsquo;ll be allocated to your specific role before you graduate from training.

This is an Army Officer – Command Pathway role. This means you will enter the Army to be trained as a General Service Officer. You will receive world class training that will build you from the ground up to command, lead and manage across a broad spectrum of environments within the Army and within a specialisation. 

The area of your specialisation will depend on your preference, performance and position availability. Within your first posting out of training you’ll apply these skills and likely lead a team of highly trained soldiers. As you progress in your career you will be exposed to development opportunities across a range of postings to prepare you for your next leadership roles. 

As a Helicopter Pilot applicant, if you score well enough during your aviation screening, you may be offered an ‘Aviation Cadetship’ as part of your appointment into the Army. This means you’ll be assured allocation into Helicopter Pilot training once you successfully complete RMC-D.

Army Officer - Command Pathway

You’ll learn how to tactically employ helicopters from remote and austere environments and from Navy ships as well as how to operate in mountainous terrain and remote areas. You’ll be qualified to fly with night vision devices and conduct low-level and formation flight by day and night. As you develop your flying experience, you can expect to be given supervisory and leadership roles to prepare you for command appointments with the Army.

Take on a flying role with variety and excellent leadership opportunities, in command of a high-tech helicopter tackling missions ranging from combat to disaster relief.

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Helicopter Pilot

Benefits you won't see anywhere else

You’ll enjoy the following:

Great salary from day one, which increases with experience

Generous superannuation of 16.4% – a huge 4.9% over the Australian standard

Help to buy a home, a subsidised home loan or rent allowance

Free medical and dental for you, and subsidised healthcare for you and your family

Fully paid training

Army Officer - Command Pathway

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