wsain Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Could someone tell me how many flight hours I could expect to end up with at the end of a 6-7 year tour of duty in the active duty Army? It seems I could only find the total time for the reserves or the Guard. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLHooker Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 More than 1, less than 10,000. There are SOOOOOOOO many variables it's not even funny. What airframe do you fly? Where did you get stationed? Are you a Warrant Officer, or are you Comissioned? How many times did your unit rotate into 'Theatre'? Are you easy to get along with? yata yata yata... There is NO way someone can answer this question the way it was posted.... CHAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsain Posted June 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2008 That makes sense. Do you fly rotary outside the Guard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLHooker Posted June 28, 2008 Report Share Posted June 28, 2008 I'm assuming that question is aimed at me, so my answer is no. I would love to, and I will eventually when I have either enough money to go get my RW CFI or deploy and get enough hours that way. Why do you ask? CHAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsain Posted June 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2008 FLHooker: I'm trying to decide if it is a good idea to go active duty Army (assuming I pass the exams, tests, and boards) and pursue an aviation career that way, or go Guard or even civilian (don't like the financial side of civilian). I've got some time to think about it, about a year, and if I'm able I would like to fly after the military right away. I've got one more year of college, ppl, and am prior Air National Guard. Talked to the recruiter, he says that assuming all the testing and exams go well, I just have to pass the pilot board and I'm in. So why did you go Guard? What made you want to fly helicopters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmfish Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 (edited) I think it's safe to narrow the range a little bit (no offense FLHOOKER). Depending on airframe, annual minimums are between 90 and 120 hours each year. Add a deployment or two (500 -1000 hours each), and I think it's safe to expect - again considering all the factors the FLHOOKER mentioned - between 500 and 2000 hours total over a 6-7 year period. It is true that AD pilots build more time than Reserve pilots, but not by much - and sometimes not at all. Both have the same minimums and requirements, so it's entirely possible for a Reservist to fly more than an AD pilot. Also, there are plenty of full-time opportunities for Reservists, and also a part-time Reservist can volunteer for TDY stints. Of course, Reservists also deploy overseas, and over a 6-7 year period, you could easily find yourself in Iraqistan twice. Personally, I was a commissioned National Guard pilot. I logged 150 hours at flight school, and for the next 2 years, I logged about 150 hours each year as a "Guard Bum" (an unemployed, 23 year-old able to volunteer for extra duty, missions, training, etc.). Once I got a "real job" and I became more senior in rank (re: staff), my flying slowed down to a crawl. After 10 years, I had about 1000 hours total time. Really, you should base the AD/Reserve decision on your career goals and life situation rather than your desire to build time. If your goal is to become a helicopter pilot in the civilian sector, consider that it may take less time reaching your goals by not going through the military. I guess I'm also saying that the military - Active or Reserve - is a huge, life changing commitment. Don't make this very important decision based exclusively on the numbers. Edited July 1, 2008 by palmfish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLHooker Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 None taken palmfish, I was taking a SWAG on it really. The reason I joined the Guard actually was... believe it or not Hurricane Andrew way back in the day. I was living in South Florida, saw everything, yata yata and liked it. However, I've wanted to be a Military Helo pilot since I was able to point and say CHOPPA! Just for the simple fact that it truly excites me you don't need a stinkin' runway, or airspeed, etc... As for the Guard, I love being in the Guard. Doing my civilian job, taking days off to go fly. In my humble opinion, and it's not for everyone, it's great for me. I don't fly enough to get an awesome job anytime soon just flying part time... CHAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmfish Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 None taken palmfish, I was taking a SWAG on it really. The reason I joined the Guard actually was... believe it or not Hurricane Andrew way back in the day. I was living in South Florida, saw everything, yata yata and liked it. However, I've wanted to be a Military Helo pilot since I was able to point and say CHOPPA! Just for the simple fact that it truly excites me you don't need a stinkin' runway, or airspeed, etc... As for the Guard, I love being in the Guard. Doing my civilian job, taking days off to go fly. In my humble opinion, and it's not for everyone, it's great for me. I don't fly enough to get an awesome job anytime soon just flying part time... CHAD I believe it - I think many of us joined the Reserves for altruistic reasons. I'm glad things are going well for you. You know, in many ways, you have the best of both worlds. You get to fly helicopters on a regular basis, but you're not tied down to a full-time gig. There's a lot to be said for having the freedom to pursue a civilian career completely removed from your military occupation. Personally, I enjoyed being a "part-time" pilot. I was a Guard Bum for several years after flight school, and up until 2006, I did not fly at all on the civilian side. When I did start flying for a living though, flying part-time in the Reserves quickly became a chore and source of anxiety. Some people have no problem doing it, but not me - career, family, and the Reserves were just too much for me to have a happy balance. I retired from the Reserves earlier this year and, although I miss the brotherhood at times, overall I couldn't be happier. Take care and Happy Hooking! Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLHooker Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 When I did start flying for a living though, flying part-time in the Reserves quickly became a chore and source of anxiety. Some people have no problem doing it, but not me - career, family, and the Reserves were just too much for me to have a happy balance. AGREED!! It is not an easy task for everyone to take the time off during the week, weekends, etc to get the min hours taken care of. It's not as easy as it appears on paper. However, when I escape from my daily grind, I can't help but smile pullin' pitch on 'big ugly'. CHAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danr_657 Posted November 7, 2009 Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 I was a Chinook Flight engineer flying for five years of my 6 year contract i got about 1350 hours. 1000 of those hours were during deployments (2) which totals up to 24 months of deployment i have about 700 hours under NVG's if you’re a pilot you don't fly as much (1/2 - 1/3 as much as the enlisted crew members) the first few years out of flight school can be hard for pilots to get flight time because of other people being ahead of you on the units progression schedule or because the unit is deployed when you get there and have to wait for them to return before you can start flying this is just my experience and observation of the Chinook world and Blackhawk world not sure of what goes on in the rest of Amy aviation. for me this is why i never became a pilot in the army but i was already a civilian private pilot for fixed wing when i joined so i got to see both sides of aviation first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wopilot Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 I did my 6 years, 64D's, 2 deployments and came out with about 550 PIC, just over 1000 TT. Depends on who you deploy with, what you fly, and what collateral duty you hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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