Active duty pilot life.

[Rob1341]

I was wondering if anyone could comment on what life is like once at your new unit. Just wondering about what a typical day as an army pilot looks like. My primary question I suppose is do you still get family time. I understand that while in training free time is limited but what do hrs look like once at your unit. I understand that there are still schools and training things that will take you away but I'm just referring to a typical work week.

[I3uller]

I was wondering if anyone could comment on what life is like once at your new unit. Just wondering about what a typical day as an army pilot looks like. My primary question I suppose is do you still get family time. I understand that while in training free time is limited but what do hrs look like once at your unit. I understand that there are still schools and training things that will take you away but I'm just referring to a typical work week.

I can't comment on the Warrant aviator life but as a an enlisted guy, if you're not deployed and not on an extended field training exercise you usually have plenty of free time. PT is early in the morning around 630am or so but you're usually released from work around 5pm and have the rest of the day to yourself. Weekends are typically free as well. Granted you have to understand that you can get deployed and staying late at work definitely happens but for the most part I had plenty of time off during my prior service.

[Velocity173]

I posted an example schedule on another thread but can't find it. Here's what a typical non flying day will look like:

 

0630-show for Co PT

0730-PT ends

0900-Show for work and sit around drinking coffee

0930-Attend whatever aviation class that you've already been taught 100 times before

1030-Work on your never ending additional duties

1130-Go to lunch

1300-Return from lunch and start planning for tomorrows sim scenario

1500-Go to BTL or BDE for numerous BS things

1630-Go help crew chiefs tie down aircraft

1700-Wait around for PL to dismiss you for the day.

 

Obviously this is a hypothetical schedule but it should give you a glimpse of what a typical day could look like. Depending on how micromanaging your PLs are you may find time during work to take care of personal stuff. Some Warrants have the art of disappearing down to a science.

 

At any rate, in a non deployed, non FTX day, you'll be pretty much on family time after 1700, sometimes earlier on Fridays.

[Rob1341]

Thanks for the info, definitely helps paint a picture I'm really just trying to figure out what exactly I'm getting into. For some reason I've just been under the impression that I would never see my family. I've never been in the military before so any info helps.

[Rob1341]

Velocity,

Are flying days similar just with the addition of pre and post flight briefs? Also how often do you have ftx days approximately?

[Velocity173]

Velocity,

Are flying days similar just with the addition of pre and post flight briefs? Also how often do you have ftx days approximately?

[UH60L-IP]

I'm very big on family/personal time. Aside from deploying, which should be an obvious extended period of time away from home, I get a lot of family time in.

 

A typical hour by hour schedule was posted above and that's about right. Many units, including mine, have a rather lax PT policy - that is, if you do well enough on regular PT tests you can skip PT..... just show at 0900.

 

Let's be honest, the PL (platoon leaders) are generally new and don't know much about what warrants do on a daily basis. That's why it's easy for warrants to disappear. It's not that we're trying to not be here (well, sometimes) but there is also simulator periods to attend, various additional duties (comms officer, NVG custodian, ALSE, arms room, etc), and actual flying - which can be afternoon or evening show times. That means that most days are not typical.

 

As a warrant, you are generally expected to fulfill your duties, do the right thing, and be around when needed. If you need to go do something administrative, or even personal, go do it but don't abuse the liberty of not being treated like a child. I can say that I'll take off during the middle of the day from time to time just to go watch my kid's dance practice. I also stay late on other occasions to help in places that aren't necessarily my responsibility.

 

Now, when you first report to your new unit right out of flight school you'll be expected to be around more because you don't have a lot of additional duties. Make yourself available to others who might need assistance, help preflight, and be in the company area studying.

 

In my mind it comes down to this. When you are deployed you are working non-stop, or at least away from home non-stop. So when you are at home do your job but take advantage of the family time as well. You are not a slave to the Army. You will likely find that you have more time with the family in the Army than you do in most civilian jobs.

[UH60L-IP]

Velocity,

Are flying days similar just with the addition of pre and post flight briefs? Also how often do you have ftx days approximately?

 

I know it wasn't directed at me but, FTX is not very often - a few times per year for a few days at a time. You might go out of state once in a while for a longer period for specialty training, i.e. HAATS.

 

Flying days - you show up at your assigned flight time (generally scheduled by the instructor pilots), do your thing, and then either hang around if there are things to do or go home. An example: 1200 show for a 1430 departure. Preflight and flight planning at 1200, take off at 1430, land around 1800 or so. Post flight is done by 1900 and the work day is over so go home.

[Velocity173]

Yeah your schedule is much different on a flying day. Say you have a day / night training mission practicing air assaults with the local infantry unit. You might be assigned the day portion. This might be like a 0600 show for a 0800 take off. You might be gone for a few hours until say 1300. Get back post flight, debrief, and hangout. Night guys might come in at 1600 to pick up the night portion because you'll be out of duty day at 1800. Brief them on how the day evolution went and then head home. If you were assigned the night stuff well then like I said, you'll have like a 1600ish show and then probably be out the door around midnight.

 

Of course during your flight days the nonessential BS stuff during the day doesn't happen. You're generally left to concentrate on the flight. This also goes for continuation or eval flights as well. You might show a little before the posted time because you might have some BS additional duty stuff to take care of but that's really up to you. The AMC or your PC will assign you what planning duties to do. You and your PC will generally split preflight unless he's lazy and tells you to go and do it. Generally the crew chiefs have looked it over pretty good before you arrive anyway.

 

FTX and CTX stuff will vary depending on how aggressive your unit trains. Generally you can expect to be away from home at least 1 month out of the year for that stuff. Everyone gets their time in the sand box either at Bliss or Irwin. You'll also get a chance to get eaten by Mosquitos at Polk during JRTC. If you go to Germany they have their own FTXs as well.

 

You'll have plenty of time with family though. With no deployments in the foreseeable future, you should be home by dinner on most days. I suppose there will be rare weekend flights (VIP unit) but generally you be left to spend it with family.

[akscott60]

My troop is not conducive to the stereotypical disappearing WO. At least my commander is very good at letting you leave at 1530 if you are done with duties for the day.

[SBuzzkill]

Yeah, it all depends on the unit and where you are at in your road to war. Our old commander didn't care when we were and weren't there as long as the work got done. He allowed us warrant officers to police our own. Generally, we all were around simply because somewhere there was work to be done. If not, we were outta here!

 

Nowdays, not so much. He wants people to be around regardless of what is going on. We still get out early on Fridays for the most part.

 

As for FTXs and all that stuff, it's going to be hard to say what's in store for people now that our future is cloudy. I know that we have some field training coming up that's going back to the basics.

 

Oh and for flying days everyone seems to be mentioning a normal hour flight schedule. There are a lot of oddball schedules you could get put on, especially during a gunnery or something like that. Midnight preflight for a 0200 to 0500 range time. 1900 preflight for a 2100 goggle flight. 0200 preflight for a STX that will take you night into day. 1000 preflight for a 1200 to 1600 cross country. ETC.

 

Not to mention the 24 hour staff duty tours, weekend courtesy patrols, guard duties, all that good stuff.

 

On the flip side, we get 30 days leave per year with plenty of chances to take it. I get more 3 and 4 day weekends than I ever thought possible and it's not that hard to put in a pass on non-holiday weekends as long as nothing is going on.

 

I am currently sitting in the office waiting for an eval flight. Been at work since 1300 helping to move our office from one building to another.

Edited April 4, 2013 by SBuzzkill

[DMoss]

Nice insights here, guys. Can anyone break down a flight school day during the different phases? (Probably asking a lot here but thanks in advance!)

[akscott60]

Primary?

 

0345 show for a 0430 bus to the flightline.

0530 flightline starts

Get back to rucker by 1130

Academics at 1300 till complete, around 1500ish

Afternoons are the opposite

Repeat.

 

Instruments?

 

Academics for a few hours a day. Sim building showtimes will vary per class master schedule. Its not as intense as Primary.

 

BWS?

Minimal academics. Fightline is mornings or afternoons. Bus is used until the last couple weeks.

 

58 course.

0630 show. Done by 1130ish.

Academics at 1300 till complete. Academics are IMI (computer) so they are at your own pace. Many weeks of the course will have no academics, so you are on half days unlike your buddies flying 60s who suffer the whole course. Haha

[CharyouTree]

 

0630 show. Done by 1130ish.

Academics at 1300 till complete. Academics are IMI (computer) so they are at your own pace. Many weeks of the course will have no academics, so you are on half days unlike your buddies flying 60s who suffer the whole course. Haha

 

This has changed. 60s are now front loading academics, then going to the flight line. Once every week or two there's an academic day, where you don't show up to the flight line at all. Just academics.

 

It's made a big difference...

[akscott60]

Thats good to hear man. Your 60 is complicated. Haha

[SemperGumby]

I still have about four months to go here in Rucker but are there any Apache pilots in the forum? I'm coming from a Marine Corps Infantry culture (where an new E-2 would stand at parade rest when addressing an E-3) to Army Aviation. What's the customs and courtesy expected from a brand new W-1 coming into the unit?

[UH60L-IP]

I still have about four months to go here in Rucker but are there any Apache pilots in the forum? I'm coming from a Marine Corps Infantry culture (where an new E-2 would stand at parade rest when addressing an E-3) to Army Aviation. What's the customs and courtesy expected from a brand new W-1 coming into the unit?

 

Well, I can speak from my own experience coming out of flight school (a while back) and for the new WO1's that have arrived in the last several months. For the record, I'm also a former Marine as are several other pilots in my company (there's a lot of former Marines flying in the Army). There's a lot more to include and someone might chime in but here's a few basics.

 

When you arrive in the first few days you can expect to have a few jokes at your expense. It is not meant as demeaning so much as it is a way to feel you out. I was immediately greeted with a -10 test. I knew my 5 & 9's so it wasn't a big deal. However, about 2 minutes into my diligently working on the test they grabbed it from me, tore it up, and started laughing. No doubt it was designed to see if I was humble and to see if they could get a rise out of me. I was and they didn't.

 

Your first job at your new unit is to study. You aren't likely to have many additional duties upon your arrival so when you arent busy helping out you better have your nose in the books. Everyone is watching what you do and deciding whether you are worth the company's time. As far as helping out, don't wait to be told to take the trash out and to sweep the floors. Yes, it is your job. You may be the fridge fund guy but treat it seriously. I have seen, and personally recommended, people for better things based upon the seemingly small things. I have also gone against them because they won't do anything, including the little things, without being told. Some WO1's look for a reason to not be there. Some WO1's will come out to help pre-flight without being asked. They are around when an MTP needs a PI, and offer assistance everywhere. Some will just leave at the end of the day. Some will ask those still behind if they could use any help before they ultimately step out the door. Some WO1's walk by the simulator sign-up board that has open slots. Some WO1's ask the IP's if there's any problem taking several available simulator slots. Guess which one gets progressed first by the already overworked IP's?

 

Yes, when you first arrive you should throw out a "Sir" or "Ma'am" from time to time. You don't have to be all proper about it and it doesn't have to be every other word, but they are respectable words nonetheless. Give it a little bit of time being professional at your new unit and the guy you refer to as CW4 Smith will be Joe before you know it. You'll just know when. Use your professional common sense when it's your company CO (at least for the first few times) and especially for your BN brass.

 

As a former Marine you should have some sense about customs and courtesies. Don't forget them. However, give it a few days and you can relax a bit - not take a vacation from doing the right thing, but relax nonetheless. WO1's are not treated poorly, assuming they act beyond their rank. Warrants, old and new, are pretty friendly with each other if you are worth your weight regardless of actual rank.

[Hotdogs]

I will add to this later on.

[SemperGumby]

It goes in line with what I'm often told, then and now, "mouth shut, ears open" and "do your job." It stands true that somethings are just "common sense military life."

 

I do appreciate the guidance.

[SBuzzkill]

I'm a Cav guy but I just spent the past year in a mixed airframe task force. Everything UH60L-IP said is very accurate. Get there, know your sh*t, listen, accept whatever duties they assign to you and take them seriously. If your one job is to make coffee, then treat that coffee pot like a damn espresso stand. They're going to mess with you so take it in good spirits.

[Velocity173]

Yep, what UH-60 IP said. I found that except for the red tape, which is typical of a large organization, the Army is really quite similar to the Marines. PT, inspections, field time, MREs, tents, sweat, dirt, guns,etc, etc. All the things you did in the Marines only a little better office and quality of life now.

 

Only advice I'd give is not to bring the Marine stuff to work with ya. What I mean by that is, don't be the guy who always says "Well, when I was in the Corps we did it like this..." No one wants to hear how things were done in the Corps. If you do that, those around you will get the feeling that you still wished you were in the Marines. Nothing wrong with telling stories and being proud of your Marine heritage, just don't try and force that way of life on your new Army Aviator buds. Good luck.

[electron_si]

Yep, what UH-60 IP said. I found that except for the red tape, which is typical of a large organization, the Army is really quite similar to the Marines. PT, inspections, field time, MREs, tents, sweat, dirt, guns,etc, etc. All the things you did in the Marines only a little better office and quality of life now.

 

Only advice I'd give is not to bring the Marine stuff to work with ya. What I mean by that is, don't be the guy who always says "Well, when I was in the Corps we did it like this..." No one wants to hear how things were done in the Corps. If you do that, those around you will get the feeling that you still wished you were in the Marines. Nothing wrong with telling stories and being proud of your Marine heritage, just don't try and force that way of life on your new Army Aviator buds. Good luck.

 

 

x2 on this. We have a former Marine and all he says is how it was back in the Marines. Everyone gets sick of it.

[GraphiteBlur]

That shouldn't be a problem for me... Cause all I ever hear from other branches is how little they think of the Air Force, so it will be my little secret. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about competitiveness, but in the end we are on the same team and I admire anyone who has the tenacity to serve.

[SemperGumby]

I completely agree with the sentiment about "back in the day stories." I am more concerned about learning as much as I can with this new career.