There are a lot of folks around leaving the Army aviation world after commencing/getting their basic B2/B1. It seems to the route of choice for some. 2yrs+ basic maintenance training, then a couple of years in trade on Lynx or wApache. Some get to spend a little time on Gazelle or Islander, but normally later on.
The best experience however is at class 1 level, after about 6 years total in the job. This is where all the good stuff starts to happen, although the workload increases exponentially!
Brilliantly though, there is also a new guy with a PhD in biology kicking around!!