Question for military pilots
04-13-2007 | 04:29 PM
#21
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Brown
More like 2400 sorties...we do a whole lot them without tankers. Which adds another 700+ hours.
And I wish we did a half hour debrief. Takes that long just to get the tapes cued. If we got credit for brief and debrief you'd have a 1000hours at the end of RTU.
I'm going to guess that for the average F-15/16 guy the average sortie duration is around 1.3-1.5, depending on how much time he's spent deployed. Adding .3 per sortie could add 250 hours (equivalent to an entire good year of flying in the fighter community).
And I wish we did a half hour debrief. Takes that long just to get the tapes cued. If we got credit for brief and debrief you'd have a 1000hours at the end of RTU.
I'm going to guess that for the average F-15/16 guy the average sortie duration is around 1.3-1.5, depending on how much time he's spent deployed. Adding .3 per sortie could add 250 hours (equivalent to an entire good year of flying in the fighter community).
Yeah but how many of them counted for anything that were without the tankers? By that I mean outside of training. Even the guys in Balad are refueling on their sorties. I assumed your average sorie duration would be a lot higher due to the fact that I've flown with a lot of fighters who ended up flying longer sorties than their tankers, both in OIF and at Kadena.
04-13-2007 | 04:52 PM
#22
Careful w/that axe Eugene
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: HOTAS...and a SWA gear lever
Yeah but how many of them counted for anything that were without the tankers? By that I mean outside of training. Even the guys in Balad are refueling on their sorties. I assumed your average sorie duration would be a lot higher due to the fact that I've flown with a lot of fighters who ended up flying longer sorties than their tankers, both in OIF and at Kadena.
For the record, I say those Night Air Refuelings in the Soup should get at least a multiplier of 6.9
04-13-2007 | 06:15 PM
#25
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Joined: Oct 2006
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From: 777 Capt
"For the record, I say those Night Air Refuelings in the Soup should get at least a multiplier of 6.9."
Wonder what kind of mulitplier should be used for those flights that ended with a blue-water, wx at mins, night carrier landing?
Wonder what kind of mulitplier should be used for those flights that ended with a blue-water, wx at mins, night carrier landing?
04-13-2007 | 06:24 PM
#26
Careful w/that axe Eugene
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 369
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From: HOTAS...and a SWA gear lever
Just kidding. Spent a night on the Teddy Roosevelt in the Persian Gulf way back. Went out to watch the night traps from the LSO platform. It was clear and a million, full moon, and geez...it got my heart rate up, esp the EA-6B. Think I've given kudos to the tailhookers in a previous thread somewhere, but hat's off to ya again anyway.
One nice thing about the boat vs Balad: No one's lobbing mortars at you while you sleep.
04-13-2007 | 06:42 PM
#27
Line Holder
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,106
Likes: 156
From: Big ones
xcorporate, thanks for the courtesy. No doubt there are a few who would gladly take you up on your offer.
Here's another vote for a multiplier for boom time. Also, there's probably a few 141, 130 and c17 guys who would argue that .3 per sortie is a light when considering backing, combat offloads, etc.
Here's another vote for a multiplier for boom time. Also, there's probably a few 141, 130 and c17 guys who would argue that .3 per sortie is a light when considering backing, combat offloads, etc.
04-13-2007 | 06:47 PM
#28
Guest
Posts: n/a
All you have to do is keep a logbook of your own and log block out to block in, then you don't need to do any kind of conversion at all.
Not all military services count flight time the same way either. The one I was in even changed their method at about my 15 year mark. Went from takeoff to block in to takeoff to 5 minutes after landing or block in which ever was quicker.
Go figure.
Not all military services count flight time the same way either. The one I was in even changed their method at about my 15 year mark. Went from takeoff to block in to takeoff to 5 minutes after landing or block in which ever was quicker.
Go figure.
04-13-2007 | 07:06 PM
#29
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From: 777 FO
Let's not forget a multiplier for when the flight kitchen gives you a coke when you SPECIFICALLY requested a DIET! Or they forget to put your sandwich in there. Man, I could go on and on...
Obviously, we all know why we add the .2 or .3, but it's fun to speculate on "alternate" reasons why. NVG max effort landings, heavy weight ARs on the backside of the clock, refueling helos at 500' AGL, low levels, a myriad of other things that different backgrounds do that's cool as hell and tough to do. Kind of funny that all the training I've had has led me to the point where I'm a**holes and elbows as a freakin' copilot on a CAT III approach in the simulator!
Obviously, we all know why we add the .2 or .3, but it's fun to speculate on "alternate" reasons why. NVG max effort landings, heavy weight ARs on the backside of the clock, refueling helos at 500' AGL, low levels, a myriad of other things that different backgrounds do that's cool as hell and tough to do. Kind of funny that all the training I've had has led me to the point where I'm a**holes and elbows as a freakin' copilot on a CAT III approach in the simulator!
04-13-2007 | 07:55 PM
#30
Careful w/that axe Eugene
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 369
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From: HOTAS...and a SWA gear lever
OK, I now think the biggest sortie conversion would have to come from Piddle-Pack ops, at night, in the WX, on the boom (drogue), while eating a box lunch, and changing out an NVG battery...right before you go back to the boat.
Not sure this would have worked for my SWA interview. They asked for my AF Form 5 (Flight Records printout) and they looked specifically at the sortie total and did a little .3 per sortie math (to check my own figures). Not sure they would have been crazy about me adding my own factor even if it had been for the aforementioned "hardest ever admin" sortie.
Not sure this would have worked for my SWA interview. They asked for my AF Form 5 (Flight Records printout) and they looked specifically at the sortie total and did a little .3 per sortie math (to check my own figures). Not sure they would have been crazy about me adding my own factor even if it had been for the aforementioned "hardest ever admin" sortie.
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