Converting military flight time - what a mess! Help!
 

So after hearing about 20 different ways of converting my military time and not understanding them I go to the old faithful reliable source - airlinepilotcentral.com forums. I mean I have heard all kinds of crazy ways to convert including programs that divide by Pi. Here is my info:

Since becoming an Aircraft Commander:

Primary - 350
Instructor - 665
Sorties flown - 361

Question: So with this info what is my total airline PIC time? I haven't included my other time (180) or my secondary (290) since some airlines won't let you include this time at all except for your total time. Any help would be appreciated!

Letsfly

There is no standard conversion. It varies from airline to airline, and sometimes is based on sorties and sometimes on hours.

There have been a couple threads on here in the past where people have posted the various conversion factors used by different companies.

APC has an Excel spreadsheet for making some of the calculations available for download here:

http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/o...Itemid,85.html

Here is the quickest and easiest way to log your time.

All time since upgrade is PIC
All time prior to upgrade is SIC
Your IP time can be put into your PIC time as well
Do not add in your Other time

Take your Form 5 to your interview with you and you will have no problems. Some guys will subtract 5% of there time since upgrade and put it into SIC as a wag for times they were not the AC.

I did this for my three interviews with Majors back in 1999 and got hired at them all, no one questioned my times.

I basically did the same thing as caddis. Here's a few rules I used:
All Instructor time was PIC. 90% or Primary and Secondary as an aircraft commander was PIC. Other time is other time--not in the seat. The rest is SIC. Most airlines also have conversions for military guys that allow you to add time (ex .2 per sortie or .02%). Check the info for the company you are applying with to make sure you know the conversion. Good luck!

What about evaluator time? For example, I just logged 36 hours of EP time on my 781s for a 10 day trip. Can I count that as PIC as well?

If you sign for the jet or are coded as an IP/EP you are responsible per 11-401 and I think you can log it. The tricky part is when you give an eval to a guy who signs for the plane and you just hop on. That is a bit grey. Since no airline can prove who signed for, I say call it PIC, just know that the airline answer is "did you sign for the plane?"

If there is no multipler for mil guys at a particular place(NJA has one but doesn't advertise it) I would suggest adding .2 per sortie to compensate for taxi time.

Bottom line, you will have to be able to explain it at an interview. I took the painful step of getting a new Jepp professional logbook when I got out and redid all 8 years of flying with taxi time added in, if asked, I would say that the time is logged IAW the FARS, when the acft is under motion. If an airline doesn't want that, they will specify on their website usually, just like PIC, Delta or United specifies PIC on their website.

no need for the logbook at most places, I took my AF flying history report and claimed 90% of MP other as PIC, along with all IP and EP time. Throw out all MC other and use the total time block for application total time. Worked at both interviews - total time companies spent looking at it about 6 seconds

Wonder what you were doing, a little OME fun? How do my brother? I counted all EP as PIC, since I felt like if anything hit the fan it would be my arse before the AC candidates. After a while I started logging EP time until the eval was complete, then I logged IP so it felt more legit. Either way, I would still count it as PIC. I too brought in my flying history report to my interview and had them look at it for about a minute. I brought in a logbook only for my civilian time.

S-bizzle, yeah a little OME fun. Although getting stuck for 3 days past an SRT isnt fun. At least I'm getting per diem rained on me straight up crunk style from ETAR vs OTBH. Holla.

Most of the bros in my squad have been doing the 90% MP other deal as PIC recently as well. Be careful out there and be able to explain yourself if they call you on including it.

I think this is a bad idea. All airlines know how we in the military log our time. If they don't tell you to add a conversion, don't add it... they probably do it on their own. And then you would have a double conversion, and have to explain why you can't follow directions, etc.

I interviewed with Delta, SWA, and AirTran last fall. I'm a fighter dude but here is what I and the heavy bro's I interviewed with did:

Solo time in SUPT (T-37 or T-38) is PIC, all IP or EP time is PIC, all time in the left seat for you is PIC (except that time you were flying a checkride with an EP on board, or flying an upgrade sortie with an IP on board, for example, my time at T-38 PIT was not PIC because I had an IP of record in my front seat every sortie, I also did not include my 8 hours of MQT as PIC because I had an IP onboard who was the IP of record, all of my F-16 time was PIC except when I had on IP onboard during some of the sorties at Luke). I did not bring a logbook of military time only brought the AFORMS Flying History Report and all of my Form 8 checkrides (only Delta wanted to see the Form 8's). I also brought my civilian logbook with my pre-AF cessna time. The interviewers flipped through it for about 10 seconds.

Like the other folks have typed, just be able to logically explain why any time you claim as PIC is truly PIC. I did not have anyone at any of the 3 airlines question my times at all.

Good Luck!

Buzz

Exactly right! DO NOT ADD TAXI TIME OR ANY FAKE TIME. SWA, FedEx, etc., advertise a military conversion additive. If the airline you are applying to does not advertise an additive, do not add one yourself!