Flight Hours

[ajpurvis]

I've spent the past few hours scouring this form so I wouldn't have to make a post of my own. Unfortunately my searching yielded almost no results.

Simply put, I want to fly. Which aircraft typically gets the most flight hours in the Navy? My dream plane is the F18, but I can't find a straight, or current, answer as to how much these guys fly per month.

What about F35's - does anyone know how much flight time those pilots are getting?

Generally speaking, do helos get more flight time than jets?

I know this is a lot of questions but I cant find any answers to them on here. Any help whether it be guiding me to the right thread or answering would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MGoBrew11]

Do you want flight hours just because you want to fly? Or do you want them to build time for a career at an airline after getting out of the military? Not all hours are created equal in that regard.

You'll get plenty of flying in no matter what community you choose. Helicopter hours don't translate to as much in the outside world, even for those helicopter guys/girls that get more hours than jet folks. It's still a blast either way.

 

[ajpurvis]

Do you want flight hours just because you want to fly? Or do you want them to build time for a career at an airline after getting out of the military? Not all hours are created equal in that regard.

You'll get plenty of flying in no matter what community you choose. Helicopter hours don't translate to as much in the outside world, even for those helicopter guys/girls that get more hours than jet folks. It's still a blast either way.

I want flight hours just because I want to fly. This has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. After my service I plan on falling back on my degree. What do you mean not all hours are created equal?

 

[MGoBrew11]

I want flight hours just because I want to fly. This has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. After my service I plan on falling back on my degree. What do you mean not all hours are created equal?

I mean that if you want a flying career on the outside after your military service, in general fixed wing hours will make you more money (think airlines).

If all you are concerned about is wanting to fly a lot, I would not base my community decision on flight hours. There is a lot more to career/community happiness than flight hours alone.

My advice to you is that you've got a long way to go to community selection, so focus on the closest alligator in the boat. Crush the ASTB/OCS/API/Primary and then it will be time to pick. You may have less of a choice than you think depending on your grades and what is available when you finish Primary. No matter where you end up, it is a fun career. Enjoy the ride.

 

[picklesuit]

Maritime.
We get 42% of CNAF flight hours...

 

[Treetop Flyer]

Try to decide what type of flying you’d enjoy. Just saying you want to fly whatever flies most makes no sense.

 

[Uncle Fester]

What @MGoBrew11 said. You’ve got a long way to go before you need to worry about pipeline or community selection. As you go through that process, pick your instructors’ brains about their communities and what they see as its pros and cons. You’ll start forming your own opinion. Meantime: worry about those closer alligators.

 

[ajpurvis]

Maritime.
We get 42% of CNAF flight hours...

When people say Maritime they’re referring to the P3 or P8 right?

 

[ajpurvis]

Try to decide what type of flying you’d enjoy. Just saying you want to fly whatever flies most makes no sense.

I disagree. I’ve had a few Engineering internships and shadowing opportunities throughout my time at university. Cubicle life bores me to absolute death and a 9-5 in civ div makes me want to bash my head into a wall. Flying an aircraft for the Navy excites me, I don’t really care whether it’s fixed or rotary (but I’d like to know who gets the most time in the sky).

 

[Treetop Flyer]

I disagree. I’ve had a few Engineering internships and shadowing opportunities throughout my time at university. Cubicle life bores me to absolute death and a 9-5 in civ div makes me want to bash my head into a wall. Flying an aircraft for the Navy excites me, I don’t really care whether it’s fixed or rotary (but I’d like to know who gets the most time in the sky).

You can disagree all you want but you don’t know what you’re talking about. Getting the most flight hours can mean a lot of different things. It may mean flying once a week flying in circles next to a ship or trailing an antenna. It may mean flying most days doing BFM and dropping bombs. No matter what platform you may eventually get, you’ll still get plenty of time at a desk.

Even if arbitrarily getting the “most” flight hours was a valid thing to hope for, no one can tell you what platform is best for that. It will vary greatly based on the health of the community and your timing for deployments. So feel free to disagree, but your desire doesn’t make sense.

 

[Brett327]

but I’d like to know who gets the most time in the sky

There is no definitive answer to that question, only generalities. There are so many variables, most of which are completely out of your control, that it's really not a question worth asking.

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

Simply put, I want to fly.

Generally, you will get more hours in the maritime community than flying jets. Between being in the VTs and now VR, I know people from every community and that seems to be the case. Obviously if you were flying P-3s when 39 of them were red striped for structural problems in 2007, that wouldn’t have been the case. I flew P-3s from 2010-13 and left with 1,250 hours in model. Timing and deployment cycles do make a difference.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

If the OP’s only goal is to fly, why not go Army Warrant?

 

[ajpurvis]

You can disagree all you want but you don’t know what you’re talking about. Getting the most flight hours can mean a lot of different things. It may mean flying once a week flying in circles next to a ship or trailing an antenna. It may mean flying most days doing BFM and dropping bombs. No matter what platform you may eventually get, you’ll still get plenty of time at a desk.

Even if arbitrarily getting the “most” flight hours was a valid thing to hope for, no one can tell you what platform is best for that. It will vary greatly based on the health of the community and your timing for deployments. So feel free to disagree, but your desire doesn’t make sense.

That's fair and it sounds like an answer to my question is forming. Everyones flight time is different, but expect to spend plenty of time out of the cockpit. I expect plenty of desk work but my question forms from talking to a Marine pilot. He told me at times he only gets a couple hours a month... So I was hoping to avoid a situation like this. And I know, I know alligators and all. Its still important to know what lies at the end of the road though.

It is confusing to me that an aviator thinks my desire to fly doesn't make sense. Do you enjoy what you do?

 

[ajpurvis]

If the OP’s only goal is to fly, why not go Army Warrant?

I know this is completely irrational, but I have no desire to be in the army/Air Force. I have my sights set on Navy or Marines and though I loved being a Marine, it can be a bit of a cult lifestyle.