Typical month in the life of a fighter pilot?
06-25-2012, 08:47 AM
#1
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Joined APC: Dec 2009
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Typical month in the life of a fighter pilot?
What's it like? For the sake of argument let's say there is no upcoming deployment.
How is it determined who flies how much? What do you do when not flying?
Drove past MCAS Beaufort this morning and saw all the jets parked and just started wondering.
thanks!
How is it determined who flies how much? What do you do when not flying?
Drove past MCAS Beaufort this morning and saw all the jets parked and just started wondering.
thanks!
06-25-2012, 10:19 AM
#2
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Joined APC: Jun 2012
Posts: 95
Lots of "it depends" but just in general:
If you're in the squadron, and not attached from another squadron/wing/agency, you'll likely fly three days a week. Four or more is possible, two days or less if times are lean. Usually only one sortie in a day, depending on the type. Sometimes you might hot-pit refuel and fly a second (or third) sortie but that's not generally the norm. Fridays usually involve less flying, and there will likely be a pilot meeting and weapons academics in there somewhere.
If you're new, and it's your first assignment, your goal is to upgrade to flight lead. Assuming no deployments you are looking at about a year and a half but this varies widely. Some guys upgrade inside of a year, some leave their first assignment as a wingman.
Scheduling determines how much you fly, and it's driven by monthly requirements. 10 a month for a new guy (USAF), 9 a month if you're "experienced". If the jets are healthy and there aren't outside factors, this is easy. Many factors (weather, upcoming deployments, maintenance, etc.) can change this in a hurry.
When not flying, you're planning, briefing, or debriefing a flight, particularly if you are in an upgrade program. Outside of that you are working an additional duty. Everything from keeping the popcorn and coffee made, the beer stocked and cold, building the flying schedule, tracking squadron currencies, building weapons academics, etc. Additional-duty creep is pervasive and now we are doing jobs that used to rate a full-time specialist, such as deployment manager.
Long days are the norm. If you're in an upgrade, 10 hours from the start of the brief to the end of the debrief is in the ballpark, even for a 1.5 hour sortie. This doesn't include any prebriefing or mission planning prior to that. Rarely shorter and I've seen them go much longer. If you are red-air for someone else, your day can be much shorter but any slop is spent on additional duties. If you find yourself with free time, you head to the weapons library to get smart on one of the many tactical things you've no doubt forgotten while doing your additional duties.
That's probably more than you were looking for, hope it helps.
If you're in the squadron, and not attached from another squadron/wing/agency, you'll likely fly three days a week. Four or more is possible, two days or less if times are lean. Usually only one sortie in a day, depending on the type. Sometimes you might hot-pit refuel and fly a second (or third) sortie but that's not generally the norm. Fridays usually involve less flying, and there will likely be a pilot meeting and weapons academics in there somewhere.
If you're new, and it's your first assignment, your goal is to upgrade to flight lead. Assuming no deployments you are looking at about a year and a half but this varies widely. Some guys upgrade inside of a year, some leave their first assignment as a wingman.
Scheduling determines how much you fly, and it's driven by monthly requirements. 10 a month for a new guy (USAF), 9 a month if you're "experienced". If the jets are healthy and there aren't outside factors, this is easy. Many factors (weather, upcoming deployments, maintenance, etc.) can change this in a hurry.
When not flying, you're planning, briefing, or debriefing a flight, particularly if you are in an upgrade program. Outside of that you are working an additional duty. Everything from keeping the popcorn and coffee made, the beer stocked and cold, building the flying schedule, tracking squadron currencies, building weapons academics, etc. Additional-duty creep is pervasive and now we are doing jobs that used to rate a full-time specialist, such as deployment manager.
Long days are the norm. If you're in an upgrade, 10 hours from the start of the brief to the end of the debrief is in the ballpark, even for a 1.5 hour sortie. This doesn't include any prebriefing or mission planning prior to that. Rarely shorter and I've seen them go much longer. If you are red-air for someone else, your day can be much shorter but any slop is spent on additional duties. If you find yourself with free time, you head to the weapons library to get smart on one of the many tactical things you've no doubt forgotten while doing your additional duties.
That's probably more than you were looking for, hope it helps.
06-25-2012, 10:30 AM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: FAA 'Flight Check'
Posts: 13,837
Originally Posted by JFS 3
Lots of "it depends" but just in general:
If you're in the squadron, and not attached from another squadron/wing/agency, you'll likely fly three days a week. Four or more is possible, two days or less if times are lean. Usually only one sortie in a day, depending on the type. Sometimes you might hot-pit refuel and fly a second (or third) sortie but that's not generally the norm. Fridays usually involve less flying, and there will likely be a pilot meeting and weapons academics in there somewhere.
If you're new, and it's your first assignment, your goal is to upgrade to flight lead. Assuming no deployments you are looking at about a year and a half but this varies widely. Some guys upgrade inside of a year, some leave their first assignment as a wingman.
Scheduling determines how much you fly, and it's driven by monthly requirements. 10 a month for a new guy (USAF), 9 a month if you're "experienced". If the jets are healthy and there aren't outside factors, this is easy. Many factors (weather, upcoming deployments, maintenance, etc.) can change this in a hurry.
When not flying, you're planning, briefing, or debriefing a flight, particularly if you are in an upgrade program. Outside of that you are working an additional duty. Everything from keeping the popcorn and coffee made, the beer stocked and cold, building the flying schedule, tracking squadron currencies, building weapons academics, etc. Additional-duty creep is pervasive and now we are doing jobs that used to rate a full-time specialist, such as deployment manager.
Long days are the norm. If you're in an upgrade, 10 hours from the start of the brief to the end of the debrief is in the ballpark, even for a 1.5 hour sortie. This doesn't include any prebriefing or mission planning prior to that. Rarely shorter and I've seen them go much longer. If you are red-air for someone else, your day can be much shorter but any slop is spent on additional duties. If you find yourself with free time, you head to the weapons library to get smart on one of the many tactical things you've no doubt forgotten while doing your additional duties.
That's probably more than you were looking for, hope it helps.
If you're in the squadron, and not attached from another squadron/wing/agency, you'll likely fly three days a week. Four or more is possible, two days or less if times are lean. Usually only one sortie in a day, depending on the type. Sometimes you might hot-pit refuel and fly a second (or third) sortie but that's not generally the norm. Fridays usually involve less flying, and there will likely be a pilot meeting and weapons academics in there somewhere.
If you're new, and it's your first assignment, your goal is to upgrade to flight lead. Assuming no deployments you are looking at about a year and a half but this varies widely. Some guys upgrade inside of a year, some leave their first assignment as a wingman.
Scheduling determines how much you fly, and it's driven by monthly requirements. 10 a month for a new guy (USAF), 9 a month if you're "experienced". If the jets are healthy and there aren't outside factors, this is easy. Many factors (weather, upcoming deployments, maintenance, etc.) can change this in a hurry.
When not flying, you're planning, briefing, or debriefing a flight, particularly if you are in an upgrade program. Outside of that you are working an additional duty. Everything from keeping the popcorn and coffee made, the beer stocked and cold, building the flying schedule, tracking squadron currencies, building weapons academics, etc. Additional-duty creep is pervasive and now we are doing jobs that used to rate a full-time specialist, such as deployment manager.
Long days are the norm. If you're in an upgrade, 10 hours from the start of the brief to the end of the debrief is in the ballpark, even for a 1.5 hour sortie. This doesn't include any prebriefing or mission planning prior to that. Rarely shorter and I've seen them go much longer. If you are red-air for someone else, your day can be much shorter but any slop is spent on additional duties. If you find yourself with free time, you head to the weapons library to get smart on one of the many tactical things you've no doubt forgotten while doing your additional duties.
That's probably more than you were looking for, hope it helps.
), but don't forget that in that Marine squadron you drove past - pilots are doing work in the Admin office, Intel office, Ops office, Logistics office, Safety office, IT office, Maintenace dept (and the many accompanying workspaces within Maintenance), and this doesn't include what would be considered 'additional' duties (squadron Historian, Public Affairs Officer, SACO, etc....), all of which don't take much time unless something special is afoot or a squadron inspection is upcoming and the different programs haven't been touched in months or years!I'd say that a 12 hour day was pretty standard in a non-deployed fleet squadron. MANY were longer, very few were shorter.
USMCFLYR
06-25-2012, 04:46 PM
#5
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Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: Walmart Greeter
Posts: 694
Like many open ended questions that are asked on this board one can do alot of their own homework by simply using the search function...chances are your question has been asked and answered many times either here or on other forums (airwarriors.com/baseops.net etc). I think you also need to do the research on different services. It goes without saying that being a fighter pilot in the Air Force, Navy or Marines will yield different experiences thus different opinions on what a day in the life or a month in the life of the same is like.
From a Navy perspective what you have read up above holds true for the most part. I will say that Navy and Marine Corps aviators in general will spend more time on ground jobs and less time where they need to be in the books studying tactics etc. This is simply due to the make up of a Navy/Marine Corps squadron being different from the Air Force. USN/USMC squadrons have OPS/Training/Safety/Admin/Maintenance all under one roof so those ground jobs are split amongst the ready room and a limited number of ground officers(non aviators). In a single seat squadron the same number of ground jobs are split evenly amongst essentially half the number of Officers as in a 2 seat squadrons. Simply said, you're busy with long days. You're constantly working towards your next set of qualifications which takes up alot of time(ref the 10 hour event above), then its time to get to that stack of blue folders sitting on your desk or answering your DH's emails.
The one thing that is different in a Navy squadron is the boat, it drives your workup cycle and what you do back on the beach even when you're not underway for work ups or cruise/deployment. You will fly more during workups than you will on cruise in most cases depending on what AOR you're flying in. Squadrons in Japan will typically fly more regularly and routinely than stateside squadrons but again that depends on where a squadron is in the workup cycle, which drives your daily/monthly routine.
Finally, ask 10 different fighter pilots and you're going to get 10 different answers. It isnt Iron Eagle or Top Gun. Each and every one of us who have lived in a fighter squadron day in and day out will tell you(I think I'm safe in speaking for the crowd) that your experience is what you make of it. If you go into it with the right attitude and reason for serving first, flying second and the right set of work ethic you will do well.
Good luck!
From a Navy perspective what you have read up above holds true for the most part. I will say that Navy and Marine Corps aviators in general will spend more time on ground jobs and less time where they need to be in the books studying tactics etc. This is simply due to the make up of a Navy/Marine Corps squadron being different from the Air Force. USN/USMC squadrons have OPS/Training/Safety/Admin/Maintenance all under one roof so those ground jobs are split amongst the ready room and a limited number of ground officers(non aviators). In a single seat squadron the same number of ground jobs are split evenly amongst essentially half the number of Officers as in a 2 seat squadrons. Simply said, you're busy with long days. You're constantly working towards your next set of qualifications which takes up alot of time(ref the 10 hour event above), then its time to get to that stack of blue folders sitting on your desk or answering your DH's emails.
The one thing that is different in a Navy squadron is the boat, it drives your workup cycle and what you do back on the beach even when you're not underway for work ups or cruise/deployment. You will fly more during workups than you will on cruise in most cases depending on what AOR you're flying in. Squadrons in Japan will typically fly more regularly and routinely than stateside squadrons but again that depends on where a squadron is in the workup cycle, which drives your daily/monthly routine.
Finally, ask 10 different fighter pilots and you're going to get 10 different answers. It isnt Iron Eagle or Top Gun. Each and every one of us who have lived in a fighter squadron day in and day out will tell you(I think I'm safe in speaking for the crowd) that your experience is what you make of it. If you go into it with the right attitude and reason for serving first, flying second and the right set of work ethic you will do well.
Good luck!
06-25-2012, 05:37 PM
#6
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Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: FAA 'Flight Check'
Posts: 13,837
Originally Posted by BDGERJMN
The one thing that is different in a Navy squadron is the boat, it drives your workup cycle and what you do back on the beach even when you're not underway for work ups or cruise/deployment.
Like a Tomcat crew once told me while living the good Marine life out at the Expeditionary Airfield in 29Palms during the summertime......[Man....this sucks! The only thing that is better than the boat is the fact that you have a beer tent!]
Now that is saying something!
USMCFLYR
06-25-2012, 07:14 PM
#7
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Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: Walmart Greeter
Posts: 694
Originally Posted by USMCFLYR
Now BDGERJMN......you didn't forget about those Marines sitting right next to you in those briefs did you???
Like a Tomcat crew once told me while living the good Marine life out at the Expeditionary Airfield in 29Palms during the summertime......[Man....this sucks! The only thing that is better than the boat is the fact that you have a beer tent!]
Now that is saying something!
USMCFLYR
Like a Tomcat crew once told me while living the good Marine life out at the Expeditionary Airfield in 29Palms during the summertime......[Man....this sucks! The only thing that is better than the boat is the fact that you have a beer tent!]
Now that is saying something!
USMCFLYR
06-26-2012, 04:31 AM
#8
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Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: FAA 'Flight Check'
Posts: 13,837
Originally Posted by BDGERJMN
Thanks for tightening me up! However, it is very possible for a Marine hornet pilot to have all of 26 traps total in his/her logbook at the end of a 20 yr career, 6 of those at night.
That was one of the bennies to going Marine!
I got to do it, but didn't have to LIVE it!
I had to qual twice in the Hornet.
After I was leaving -106 the second time I was suppose to head to -251 as the AMO which was still part of CAG-1 at the time. By that time it had been 7 years since I had been to the boat.
It is amazing what 1,500 hrs will do for your ball flying.
They got detoured to OIF instead and a 3-4 month stay in the unairconditioned tents of Al-Jaber, Kuwait.
USMCFLYR
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