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AF Fighter Rumors

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psysicx

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 14, 2003
Posts
2,252
There are a lot of rumors about fighters pilots working 12 hours six days a week.Can someone tell me how long you work on non flying and flying days.I know it depends but I am just trying to find some truth to it.Also are you glad that you choose fighters over heavies?

Thanks
 
Work hours

You will work 12 hour days. Maybe not 6/week, but most likely 5/week. Flying, or not flying, you will do the same. It is a hard life, but, as the others have said, I wouldn't trade the last 21 years for anything. I have a scant 2 weeks of tactical aviation flying left before I trade in my g-suit and helmet for a tie and a pubs bag. The flying is outstanding, nothing can beat it. The fastest I hit the break was in Thailand, 600+ kts, 500' agl, right over a Thai pilot graduation. Needless to say, my Thai wingman were heros at the grad party. Very uplifting thing to have 2 Vipers scream overhead whilst standing in formation getting your wings. OUTSTANDING! The work is long, it's hard, it will get you very tired, then, you'll play very hard on the weekend. Good luck, Stash
 
As Nike says, Just Do It. I don't think there is anything in this world that can match the absolute rush of being a combat-ready fighter pilot in the latest hardware.

Patmack, I'm glad to hear it's going well! Wait until you start ACM, there's nothing to touch it.
 
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Fighter Memories

Hey Patmack, this is not a slam, we were all where you are - but, I want you to take a snapshot of what you are doing right now. I want you to remember what the coolest thing about "tactical" aviation is right now. The reason I say that is because it is completely impossible for you to realize what you will be doing in a couple of years - no matter how many stories your IP's relate to you. You just can't comprehend until you get there - just like you just can't comprehend the volume of information you will need to master and the reason for the 12 hour days until you get there.

Again, I am not slamming you in any way. In a couple of years you will be thinking of that 8 v 8 or 8 v X that you just fought, with the 500' AGL ingress - rooting your way through the valleys, reacting to the threats, staying visual (the most important part of the ride for the wingman), trying to maintain some form of global SA through your radio and radar and RWR - finding the target in the vicinity of your TOT and getting your weapons off after your 30 degree pop HALD delivery, doing your safe escape while looking for the impacts, egressing like a scalded ape - then getting radar SA on a red air dude and pressing into an ACM engagement with your lead while Tally-Visual (the ultimate goal of any wingman) - getting the quick ID and kill in less than 30" and less than 180 deg. of turn - then pressing with the rest of the egress until back in good-guy land. Then, if you're lucky - hit the tanker (or do an engines-running ICT) and doing it all over again. At that point, you'll look back to your Meridian (or Corpus, wherever you are) days and say that you knew that it was going to be good, but you had absolutely no idea how good.

Congrats on getting where you have gotten (I did an exchange to the Navy as a VT-3 IP - so I know how both luck and skill go into your drops) and good luck on the rest of your trip into this club of military tactical aviation. It is truly one of those, "you have to have done it to understand it" kind of things.

P.S. I transitioned to fighters after flying heavies for the AF for 5 years, and I still found out that I didn't completely grasp what I would eventually experience in tactical aviation.
 
12 Hour Days

If you're in the Nav and underway (on a carrier not in port), the days can be MUCH longer than 12 hours. Plus, there are no weekends while underway...everyday is Monday. Work is always within 1100'. You might fly twice in three days depending on where the ship is/is going. While transiting, you will spend countless hours planning contingency ops. Plus, as a new knucklehead, you'll be immersed in the multiple syllabi to become wingman/section/division qualified. Oh yeah, as a Naval officer in a single seat squadron, you'll also have at least two ground jobs to manage, some of which involve leading (read: father figure to some) 40-60 enlisted folks. The work hard/play hard ethic definately applies. When the ship is in port, there is ample time to let off steam.

Having said all that, I cherish my 10 years (1.5 underway time) and wouldn't change a thing.
 
Psysicx--Life Quiz 101

Psysicx,

Hello, you’ve started an interesting thread. I don't know if you’re AF, Navy, or Marines...but it looks like you're getting a "joint experience"...try and get credit for that:rolleyes: .



Here's my experience so you know where I'm coming from: 3,600+ hours of flying, 1500+ instructor/evaluator hours of both students and instructors, 150 combat hours over IRAQ in the F-15C locking up and running intercepts on Mig-25s, Mig-23, and Su-25s. I went through AF UPT, then was a Flight Commander, Chief of Standardization, Evaluation, and Training, and later Assistant Operations Officer at Whiting Field NAS VT-3. I feel like I have a fairly diverse perspective.



I'm teaching Aviation Psychology at the Air Force Academy and if I can't be at the pointy end of the spear anymore...the next best thing is to train your replacements.



Bottom line: You can fly things Big, Fat, and Slow when you're Old, Fat and Gray. This is your only opportunity to fly a Fighter. Put yourself in the rocking chair test when your 80 years old, sitting on the front porch sipping lemonade (hopefully laced with Jeremiah Weed) looking back on your life reflecting on your victories and "not-so-good" decisions of your life. You don't want to have any regrets. Less than 1% of the population ever get the chance to be a fighter pilot--don't give up that opportunity lightly. The consensus of those of us who have done it is: The view from the top is worth the price you have to pay to get there!



You may spend 12 hours at work--so what! Working at the Academy as an instructor and gum-shoe clerk who gives a crap about motivating and training my replacements, I no kiddin' work 12-18 hours/ days...way longer and harder then I ever did as a bro in a fighter squadron (at least then we had the "12 hour rule" to somewhat protect us). But it's not about how many hours you spend...it's about the calling...the quality of hours you spend. Do you want a task you feel you have come close to mastering (you can never totally master any flying task) after a year or two working at it--just can't do the takeoff or shoot the ILS much better than that. Or do you want a job where you will never be "the man"? There is always room for improvement...you can always do it better and you love striving for perfection. If the latter is the case...you will enjoy and thrive in the fighter community. If you are a true professional and go the heavy route, you will still always challenge yourself to do better and then mentor and teach others to do the same...but you'll probably find the mission in fighters is more diverse and tougher to ever master.



My wife has said on several occasions, “Thank God, you’re happy and being challenged at work—you’re a way better husband and Dad then if you were a typical 0730-1630 kinda guy”. If I was a heavy guy in the AF, I would have been deployed way more than the 90 days per year (did I mention Red Flag, Green Flag, WIC support, Maple Flag, WESP shooting live missiles where you can take your wife to Vegas/Panama City with you as part of your "bad deal"?). Each weapon system is a little different, so you need to do your research before choosing (if you have a choice) and know your options before going into your chosen career field. I had a friend who fly both KC-10s and F-15s. His family preferred the fighter lifestyle because it was more predictable and he was TDY a lot less. My opinion: if you fly a fighter or a bomber, you are at the pointy end of the spear blowing up a lot more sh!t and doing more challenging missions than the rest of the "fleet". But never forget that everyone on the team is important, "No one kicks @ss, without Tanker gas". Everyone on the team is essential...do the best that you can...and decide which role on the team you want to play given your options. Then strive to become the best aviator you can be in whatever weapon system you end up in.



I've taught a lot of Leadership courses at the Academy and worked with a lot of individuals as a personal mentor. The greatest satisfaction you will have is if you reach your full potential. What a shame if you fall short of that.



I wish you perseverance in your time of difficulty reaching your full potential. Always remember, a day with air under your @ss is better than a day without air under your @ss!

Speed
P.S. When the day comes that you are Old, Fat, and Gray like me...give me a call--I'll be at Southwest:) .


 
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If you are already worried about how long your workday is going to be, I am not sure you have the burning desire to fly fighters that is really needed to pull yourself through training. Myself and most of my squadron mates were willing to even give up vacation if we could get a bigger piece of the action when we first joined the Air Force. Of course wife/kids change your priorities a bit, but without a burning desire you are going to have a tough time making it through.

Good luck with your decision :)
 
Best flying job you could ever have. Sometimes the days are long and the deployments drag on. You will not get nearly as many hours as a heavy driver but the hours that you do get are priceless. Would do it all over again.
 
Thank you all for the responses.I am not worried about how many hours I am going to work.There are lots of rumors and was just trying to get some real info.I have also been in contact with a Viper driver and it sounds awesome.


Thanks again
 
Army View

I can't say I know exactly how you feel but I know what it is like to control something very powerful. As an Army helicopter pilot I have worked with Air Force joint projects before and admire the skill and long range planning the Air Force makes in developing missions. I have only one statement: Don't get too cocky and hit the right target. Other than that, Give'em Hell.
 
Speed's comments are outdated. The current world of the fighter pilot is 90 days in the desert--90 days home--90 days in the desert--90 days home--etc. The desert sucks! In the desert, especially if you are an Air to air type...you'll fly around, hit the tanker, fly around, go home. You'll never shoot squat.

Have fun on the boat for 6 months----that gets old especially if you have a girlfriend/wife/children at home.

Nice TDYs to Florida, Nevada, Japan, Korea, and did I mention the desert?
 
Keep them coming,I love to hear about all of this.As far as 90-days to the desert then 90 days at home and then 90 days back to the desert is unture.Right now there changing it to a 20 month rotation where you will spend four months in the desert and then back home.
 
psysicx said:
Keep them coming,I love to hear about all of this.As far as 90-days to the desert then 90 days at home and then 90 days back to the desert is unture.Right now there changing it to a 20 month rotation where you will spend four months in the desert and then back home.
The AEF rotations are 120 days starting this month.

If your timing is right you could be flying real world CAS in just over two years from day 1 of SUPT.
 
TalonDriver how did you like flying the Buff?It seems like it gets a bad rap but mostly from people who never flew it.
 
psysicx said:
TalonDriver how did you like flying the Buff?It seems like it gets a bad rap but mostly from people who never flew it.
I loved it! I was a prior BUFF nav before going on the UPT and enjoyed the mission. I was operational when we moved from a full on nuke mission to the current conventional one...although the stench of SIOP still lingers.

I think it gets the bum rap because it's at the bottom of the food chain in the fighter/bomber track and because of it's age. Although there are a lot of training jets here that are just as old or older than the H model.

The BUFFs are doing the OEF CAS thing as we speak.

There's nothing like killing bad guys and eating your sandwich at the same time :D
 
psysicx said:
Keep them coming,I love to hear about all of this.As far as 90-days to the desert then 90 days at home and then 90 days back to the desert is unture.Right now there changing it to a 20 month rotation where you will spend four months in the desert and then back home.
Right. As a heavy Guy if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you. expect 180 days plus until GWOT is concluded.
 
I never said that for the heavy guys.The only guys that see there familys on the heavy side are C-5 and C-21's.But those usually go to the top of the class.
 
TalonDriver are the Buffs still deploying out of Diego and are they doing 3 month deployments?Also I think that getting paid to fly any aircraft would be awesome.
 
all I am saying newbie is that you will be in less than desirable places for the majority of your AF career. No matter the platform, pointy nose or not. There is no safe haven these days. If you would like to join, by all means do. Just realize what you are getting into. More than half of AF JSUPT classes go heavies, antything from RC's to KC-10's. If you are serious about serving more power to you. We need some balls thruout the force. But be willing to serve in whatever you are assigned, Cause we may not all kill at the pointy end, but we are all in this thing together.
"just kidding missle weenies, you may be called soon enough to neuter IRAN."
 

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