Army Cutting 10 BCTs; Army Aviation Unscathed... For Now

[ftxag76]

What are your priorities?

That's of a personal matter.

[Velocity173]

Nothing wrong with planning for life outside of the Army. You're not going to be in forever and when the music stops, you better have a chair. I agree, it's not something to worry about. Concentrate in the task at hand and everything will work out in the end.

 

Priorities will change as well. In flight school we were all about picking a duty station that flys the most hours. When you're a young WO1 that's what you think about, not because you want hours for a job but you simply want to fly. Years down the road and you've got your hours and experience it becomes more of a job and your priorities change. It's still an enjoyable job but you just aren't bugging your SP to go fly like you did when you were a WO1. At that point your priority now becomes how can I avoid my PL today and where are we going for lunch.

[ftxag76]

I appreciate that. I think you understand where I was going with the questions.

 

Also It's not that I am concerned about a civilian job or getting enough flight time for a job afterwards. It more of having the facts on the table and I appreciate everyone on here sharing there experiences that's not commonly available.

[akscott60]

Thinking you are going to get 2000 hours in your 6 year commitment is folly. With no wars, think minimums. Mine are 140 per year, and I am looking at a deployment in 6 months.

 

Even with that I am looking at maybe 1500.

[Fliesbecauseracecar]

The truth is that like everything else in the Army budget, flying hour budgets are cyclical and based on the current needs of the Army. As the current wars die down, less money is available for training. The army flying hour minimums for a line aviator which is where every warrant officer pilot should be until late in their career, are 70 hours semi annually, of which 12 can be simulator hours. In a tight budget as we are in currently, you can expect to get 58 hours every 6 months, especially as a junior guy. It was like this in the 90s as well. The caveat to the sim time is the 58 guys don't have an approved sim, so they get all 70 actually in the aircraft.

 

As you progress however and make PIC, there will be more opportunities for hours, as you are now more than just a sandbag/assistant. Then you track. Tracking Instructor Pilot will net you the most hours, and lots of night flying. However this also means through the normal garrison work week, you can expect to come in around lunch time or a little after, and land late at night. Nice for avoiding the BS, not nice for seeing the family during the week. Maintenance test pilot is a lot of hours of work, and not a lot of flight hours. I am one of those. And you will learn to hate line pilots (ok not really, but its fun to complain). Often we are designated FAC 2, which means my minimums are 50 hours in 6 months. I usually get more, but not as many as an IP. I also get the fewest on deployments, but log more duty hours than almost anyone else. If I logged time like the FAA, from start to shutdown, it would be a lot more. Our average pilots this deployment will have logged around 400-450 hours this deployment of 9 months. I will have logged about 250.

 

I have around 50 months total deployed over 10 years, 1 deployment as a regular PI, 1 deployment of 15 months as a PIC, and 2 as an MTP. My total flight time over 10 years in the army as an AH guy is 2800. My combat time is 1800.

 

Also, plenty of AH guys get out and fly civilian. Good friend of mine just got out last summer with just under 3K hours and had gotten hired on to an EMS operation in the last month he was still in the army.

 

You may not build hours quickly, but if you can handle the army life and take it seriously, there is nowhere else I know that you can get paid a decent salary, perform an essential job, and build your hours all at the same time. That said, if building hours is your primary goal, this is not the job for you.

[SBuzzkill]

My bad, got outside my lane.

 

On the topic of minimums unfortunately in my unit the discussion has turned from "how can we get the money for flight time" to "how can we get a blanket waiver for everyone?" I imagine others are saying that same thing at their pilots' briefs.

Edited June 30, 2013 by SBuzzkill

[Fliesbecauseracecar]

If the out of my lane was in reference to my post, that was not my intent. Was just giving my experience, not directed at anyone. Waivers will be a fact of life this year and probably next for units not preparing to deploy or deployed. Just the way things work. It will most likely last a couple of years, and then stabilize at minimums or slightly above for untracked line pilots until the next big event. Exceptions are out there, VIP Hawk units will continue to fly, flight hours will be available to guys in the LUH programs at NTC and JRTC if the Louisiana guys make that switch from 58 A/C. Hopefully along with the waivers discussions are discussions on how to most productively use those hours, i.e. no 1 hour traffic pattern flights just for night currency, but instead take that one hour and do some real training with it, while conducting reset.

[zaurus]

Money is overrated.

But QOL isn't.

[Velocity173]

My bad, got outside my lane.

 

On the topic of minimums unfortunately in my unit the discussion has turned from "how can we get the money for flight time" to "how can we get a blanket waiver for everyone?" I imagine others are saying that same thing at their pilots' briefs.

We had a redeployment waiver that covered everyone. Thankfully only had to use it on my staff guys. 30 hours semi-annually was a problem for a few of them. The waiver expired 6 months after we got back. After that we simply had to handle each situation IAW AR 95-1.

[ftxag76]

 

During our in brief to BCo CW5 Reese made mention of another CAB being stood up now and -64 reserve units getting closed down sometime in the near future.

quote]

 

I was talking to the 158th and they said they plan on transitioning from 64D to 60s in 2016-2017

[Ardo09203]

Any of y'all think the USAR units might be getting more flight time? Hate to say this but engineers in the Oil&Gas are making 90-100k right outta college.

 

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but coming from someone that lives in South LA, and works in the OG industry. I can confirm that 90-100k is a negative. I don't know a single engineer that makes that out of college ( I work for an OG engineering firm) I know plenty of guys that make $60-65k, and only 2 that make $90+. The 2 that make bank are both PE's and act as SR. Project Mgrs, and get a commission on hrs billed.

[2ndGen]

One of my best friends is a Drilling Rig Supervisor for Exxon Mobil, they pay 100K + outta college.

[Ardo09203]

One of my best friends is a Drilling Rig Supervisor for Exxon Mobil, they pay 100K + outta college.

 

I stand corrected....Most offshore guys do make bank, I guess I thought ftxag was referring to desk jockeys like myself!

[2ndGen]

Not necessarily, but the kind of drilling Exxon does, ie, either deep water offshore, or dangerous places. EOM doesn't even drill in America anymore because they are tired of getting super taxed.

[Joe_P148]

It's not all doom and gloom out of flight school we never know where the current global climate will take us. If you want to take your career seriously and possibly deploy, I'd get into one of the go to units I.e 101, 82nd or 160th after you build up some time. Even during the wars out PIs were only logging 100 hrs a year = minimums. Just don't show up to your unit and expect to be asking for flight hour waivers or extensions.

[ftxag76]

Last month, the Congressional committee voted Wednesday to end service-specific camouflage in an amendment that would push the military toward creating joint combat uniforms by 2018.

[akscott60]

Yup. They were called BDUs.

 

 

Sigh. Such fraud, waste, and abuse.

[ftxag76]

Just bring back the one piece (pickle suits) and ill be happy

[2ndGen]

Just bring back the one piece (pickle suits) and ill be happy

Like x 1 million

[Joe_P148]

lol, i'm done sweatin my nutz off in that thing, ABDUs are cool though..

[SBuzzkill]

Yeah I don't really want a one-piece. I like the A2CU and multicam is pretty sweet compared to UCP.

[Velocity173]

With the one piece you're eventually gonna get the sleeves wet in some nasty porta-potty. It's gonna happen. You'll look cool doing it though.

[d10]

I went a full year wearing a one piece every day and never had an issue with that.

[ftxag76]

+ those single piece have double zipper