Which Branch Allows Its Officers to Fly the Most?

[Odominable]

Because I didn’t get a response before, and to put a realistic lease on Marine aviation, some USMC experiences here are dated or jaded by community issues. I flew ~1200 TT in 4 years as a 2 pump legacy Cobra dude. 3 pump dudes were easily breaking 1400-1500 hours in 5 years or so during peak OEF. HML and VMM dudes were exceeding that due to manpower issues. The opposite of that is happening to young VMM bubbas now, because of overproduction (We suck at production management). At the time, VMFA was hurting because of MX.

As mentioned above, timing and platform are everything. I haven’t checked the MAW hotboards in a minute, but last I checked the vast majority of guys are exceeding 900+ during their first tour.

As an additional skid data point, in almost exactly seven years of flying the Z I was a few shy of 1700 in model. Mind you that was heavily skewed toward the second half of that period as a WTI and one of only a handful of NSIs at the FRS (which I would NOT recommend 🤣). But that was pretty representative of dudes who stayed DIFOP with senior quals. I’d submit that HMLA hotboards are probably some of the consistently healthiest from an average flight time perspective in the NAE. I have many complaints about the helicopter, but credit where it’s due, it’s proven easy to keep in the fight.

 

[wallythenycat]

This admiral has 5,100 "mishaps" hours:

Admiral John Aquilino

Adm. John Aquilino is a native to Huntington, New York. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1984, earning a Bachelor of Science in Physics. He subsequently entered flight training and

www.navy.mil

If my math is correct: 5100 flight hours over the 37 years that the admiral has been winged equals about 138 hours, which is less than 3 hours a week of flight. Isn't that rather paltry?

What does "mishap" hours mean anyway?

Finally, why does a 4 star admiral wear a flight suit unless he actually flies?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1524832811462455296

 

[wallythenycat]

Really sublime trolling on here Wally. It's really impressive. I looked back on your catalog, and it's <chef's kiss>

Thanks!

 

[exNavyOffRec]

This admiral has 5,100 "mishaps" hours:

Admiral John Aquilino

Adm. John Aquilino is a native to Huntington, New York. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1984, earning a Bachelor of Science in Physics. He subsequently entered flight training and

www.navy.mil

If my math is correct: 5100 flight hours over the 37 years that the admiral has been winged equals about 138 hours, which is less than 3 hours a week of flight. Isn't that rather paltry?

What does "mishap" hours mean anyway?

Finally, why does a 4 star admiral wear a flight suit unless he actually flies?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1524832811462455296

He probably hasn't had any regular flying in a long time, which means you really can't use your math they way your are trying to use it.

 

[Brett327]

Like what, Brett?

Studying the HAVOC Manual.

 

[Brett327]

What does "mishap" hours mean anyway?

It means that you should re-read the source material.

 

[Odominable]

This admiral has 5,100 "mishaps" hours:

Admiral John Aquilino

Adm. John Aquilino is a native to Huntington, New York. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1984, earning a Bachelor of Science in Physics. He subsequently entered flight training and

www.navy.mil

If my math is correct: 5100 flight hours over the 37 years that the admiral has been winged equals about 138 hours, which is less than 3 hours a week of flight. Isn't that rather paltry?

What does "mishap" hours mean anyway?

Finally, why does a 4 star admiral wear a flight suit unless he actually flies?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1524832811462455296

He’s a four star who commissioned in the mid eighties, he hasn’t flown routinely since the Bush administration. And it’s mishap-free flight hours.

 

[ea6bflyr]

This admiral has 5,100 "mishaps" hours:

Admiral John Aquilino

Adm. John Aquilino is a native to Huntington, New York. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1984, earning a Bachelor of Science in Physics. He subsequently entered flight training and

www.navy.mil

If my math is correct: 5100 flight hours over the 37 years that the admiral has been winged equals about 138 hours, which is less than 3 hours a week of flight. Isn't that rather paltry?

What does "mishap" hours mean anyway?

Finally, why does a 4 star admiral wear a flight suit unless he actually flies?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1524832811462455296

How many hours do you have?

I think you’re being an armchair quarterback.

A. He has more time in the service and in the air than you ever will.

B. mishap FREE meaning he’s not ever crashed or ejected.

C. He’s an Admiral, and he’s EARNED the right to wear a flight suit.

 

[wallythenycat]

I have 5101 hours.

Why so sensitive?

 

[wallythenycat]

He’s a four star who commissioned in the mid eighties, he hasn’t flown routinely since the Bush administration. And it’s mishap-free flight hours.

Bush Sr or Bush Jr?

 

[Brett327]

I have 5101 hours.

Why so sensitive?

You're 22 years old. That seems improbable.

 

[wallythenycat]

Army warrants, definitely!

I flew as much or more as a warrant than I did in the Navy through O-3. I never flew as an O-4. As for longevity, I flew my last flight as a CW4 just 10 months shy of my 60th birthday. In that month (January 2023) I conducted two MTP evaluations and an instrument evaluation. I was producing Xs just two weeks prior to my retirement.

There is more to a career than maximizing flight time, but only flight time can be considered 100% enjoyable by most military pilots. In other words, flying is the part of a military pilot's career that can universally be accepted as enjoyable and rewarding...with very few exceptions. In MY opinion, only about 50% (at best) of the other stuff could be considered rewarding. Some of it was down-right distasteful, stressful, or otherwise degrading to my quality of life. Kicking out some of my detachment soldiers for refusing a vaccine that later turned out to NOT be a vaccine was possibly the low point in my career. A lot of other things, mostly in the last 3-5 years, tie for second lowest.

But YES, you will fly more as a warrant than a regular commissioned officer, especially as your career gets longer in the tooth.
View attachment 39725

Awesome, Rob.. how did you go from officer to warrant?

 

[wallythenycat]

You're 22 years old. That seems improbable.

I started in the womb.

 

[cfam]

@wallythenycat
You’re trolling and this thread is done.

Also, you’ve asked the same flight time style questions in multiple threads, and also asked plenty of questions that can be answered with a simple Google search. If you’re actually interested in flying in the military, then take a bit of initiative and do some basic research.

Expect any future threads you create to be automatically locked/deleted unless you’re asking a legitimate question that you haven’t already asked repeatedly/one that can’t be answered by searching the forums.