Coast Guard

[BSeals71]

Hey,

I just had a question for the Coast Guard pilots out there or if anybody knows. What is your average monthly schedule like for your aircraft?

Days off?
Days away from home?
Average work hour days?
Vacation?

I was just curious. Any help would be greatly appreciated Thanks!

 

[MaxTorque]

I'll jump in and say you may be starting off on the wrong foot here. A tour in the CG much less a career is not something you should consider based on work rules verses say a regional or corporate gig... This would be akin to walking into a corporate department interview coming from a 121 job and asking right off the bat - "I'm not gonna have to clean the airplane am I?"

Having said all that - conditions for CG personnel - both officer and enlisted - are pretty darn good: 30 days paid vacation a year. Reasonable crew duty limitations, etc. But there are are also significant requirements: a duty schedule, no notice deployments, and occasionally "ORDERS" - execute a mission without regard to time off, impact on your tee time, whatever.

But if you are looking for top quality training, great equipment, exciting flying, highly motivated quality coworkers, and an opportunity to serve your country, military aviation is tough to beat.

Forgive me if I am being reactionary, but your query struck a nerve. Absolutely you should conduct research so you have an idea of what the requirements are, but I would venture to say that few people choose military service for the cushy schedule. All the branches are trying to ensure that they maintain balance within the requirements facing the nation. They must to survive in an all volunteer environment. Can you raise a family and have a life while in the military - absolutely. Is it different than a 9 to 5 at company X, most definitely.

MT

 

[sardaddy]

Well, what max torque said. But here are some specifics. Of course some can change depending on where you are and what type of airframe you fly.

"What is your average monthly schedule like for your aircraft?"
If you are asking about how much we fly each month, we generally average about 25-30 hours a month.

"Days off?"
We get two days off a week during normal operations. If you have a duty day on a weekend you get a weekday off.

"Days away from home?"
If having to spend the night on base for duty counts in your question, then about 6 days a month. That does not include TAD/TDY trips.


TAD, TDY, and ship deployment times vary greatly from station to station. There are airstations that require pilots to pull duty at two stations doubling their duty times, and there are stations that take a lot of ship deployments and the pilots are gone over 180 days a year.

So it depends.

"Average work hour days?"
8-10 hours a day unless you are on duty. Then you are there about 24-30 hours straight over 2 days depending how the unit runs their duty schedules.

"Vacation?"
30 days a year. Just like everyone in the military.

 

[JungleJett]

Hey,

I just had a question for the Coast Guard pilots out there or if anybody knows. What is your average monthly schedule like for your aircraft?

Days off?
Days away from home?
Average work hour days?
Vacation?

I was just curious. Any help would be greatly appreciated Thanks!

Who gives a $hit..you would be flying in the military. I have gone a month without any days off, spent a ton of days away from home, worked 22 hours days and vacation...huh? I would not trade any of it!

 

[sardaddy]

"Who gives a $hit..you would be flying in the military."

I would hope anyone seriously considering joining would care. Why go in blind when you don't have to.

 

[JungleJett]

"Who gives a $hit..you would be flying in the military."

I would hope anyone seriously considering joining would care. Why go in blind when you don't have to.

In my opinion, those are the wrong question to ask when it comes to joining the military. Go into a recruiter and ask those questions and see what happens. It would show me the person is really not interested in the role and demands of a military life.

I have some more questions worth asking:

What time would I really have to get up?

What time is breakfast, lunch, and dinner served?

Is PT optional?

Can I wear a flight suit from day one?

What if the unit deploys, do I have to go?

Do I get a free iPod if I join now?

Most know that military duty is demanding and you pretty much lose control over most aspects of your life. If you dont know that, you have not been watching the tele.

I am not sure how things go for the Coasties, but we expect the unexpected. Life is good sometime and sometimes it sucks. Sometimes you deploy and do little, sometimes you deploy and work your a$$ off. At the end of the day and career, you look back are pretty proud of what you done. But you already know that.

 

[sardaddy]

If you really think those questions are the same as what he asked, then this conversation is doomed.

Most know that military duty is demanding and you pretty much lose control over most aspects of your life. If you dont know that, you have not been watching the tele.

So with that said why do you think Bseals doesn't already know that? Nothing in the post said this was the first round of questions in the quest to be a military aviator. These same questions are asked by candidates every time I give a DCA interview. In fact if the candidate didn't ask, I would truly question what the candidate is basing his decision on when deciding to join. Does one just sign up for a program because the name sounds cool? I hope not. Going in blind isn't the honorable thing to do it is the stupid thing to do. Minor questions like that help one get an understanding of what to expect. Silly questions like you posted were just that, silly.

I am not sure how things go for the Coasties, but we expect the unexpected. Life is good sometime and sometimes it sucks. Sometimes you deploy and do little, sometimes you deploy and work your a$$ off.

Oh, I didn't realize life was so different in the other services. I must have been sleeping my first ten years. But now that I am in the Coast Guard I have found we just walk around anticipating nothing and blind luck helps us make it through those 0200 launches from out of the blue.

You say expect the unexpected and when this poster is trying to find out what to expect you try to shut him down. Kind of counter to what you do isn't it?

In your opinion What questions are suitable to be asked? Do any of these make the cut?

Can I sign up for twenty years right off the bat?

Are there any ways to make it harder?

How do I make sure I never know what will happen next?

Can I just sign my name on a contract and have you surprise me with what you put down?

Questions are a good thing. Max torque made a good point of saying one shouldn't base a choice on a work schedule alone. I totally agree. But it sure is nice to have that piece of the puzzle when making the decision.

At the end of the day and career, you look back are pretty proud of what you done. But you already know that.

Yep, 18 great years and the whole time I have asked what could be expected next. There is nothing bad about asking questions.

As they say, forewarned is forearmed.

 

[JungleJett]

Oh, I didn't realize life was so different in the other services. I must have been sleeping my first ten years. But now that I am in the Coast Guard I have found we just walk around anticipating nothing and blind luck helps us make it through those 0200 launches from out of the blue.

You say expect the unexpected and when this poster is trying to find out what to expect you try to shut him down. Kind of counter to what you do isn't it?

In your opinion What questions are suitable to be asked? Do any of these make the cut?

Can I sign up for twenty years right off the bat?

Are there any ways to make it harder?

How do I make sure I never know what will happen next?

Can I just sign my name on a contract and have you surprise me with what you put down?

Questions are a good thing. Max torque made a good point of saying one shouldn't base a choice on a work schedule alone. I totally agree. But it sure is nice to have that piece of the puzzle when making the decision.



Yep, 18 great years and the whole time I have asked what could be expected next. There is nothing bad about asking questions.

As they say, forewarned is forearmed.

First off, I was not implying that the CG is "different" than the rest of the services. I really do not know how things go for you guys. You do not normally fall under the DoD, so I assume there are some differences....?? It was not a jab at the CG. Do not take it personally...

I have seen a ton of guys come into military expecting one thing and finding something else. They DID NOT ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS when they visited with the recruiter. I did not ask the right questions.

Now, when I talk to someone who is considering the option, I give them as much info as possible about the good and the bad about serving. If someone were to walk up to me and ask the questions BSeals did, I would question their motivation. There must be an overwhelming desire to serve in the military and believe in its mission and in my opinion, word days, work hours, vacations should really not be a paramount concern.

Here are some questions I would ask:

Deployment rates (He/She did ask this questions)

Mission types for different aircraft.

Opportunities to travel.

How much flying can I really do.

I may have been a bit harsh on BSeals and I will apologize. We need people that understand that the current weather in the military is sometimes sunny and warm, snowy and cold, cludy and raining, or Mother Nature letting us have it with all her might. You WILL take what you get and press on. Lets not sugar coat it.

Load Clear!

 

[BSeals71]

Who gives a $hit..you would be flying in the military. I have gone a month without any days off, spent a ton of days away from home, worked 22 hours days and vacation...huh? I would not trade any of it!

That’s good to hear. I’m glad you enjoy the military. I’m looking forward to it. Just as Sardaddy said, personally I just want to have all my questions answered before I join.

 

[BSeals71]

I have seen a ton of guys come into military expecting one thing and finding something else. They DID NOT ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS when they visited with the recruiter. I did not ask the right questions.

Now, when I talk to someone who is considering the option, I give them as much info as possible about the good and the bad about serving. If someone were to walk up to me and ask the questions BSeals did, I would question their motivation. There must be an overwhelming desire to serve in the military and believe in its mission and in my opinion, word days, work hours, vacations should really not be a paramount concern.

Here are some questions I would ask:

Deployment rates (He/She did ask this questions)

Mission types for different aircraft.

Opportunities to travel.

How much flying can I really do.

I may have been a bit harsh on BSeals and I will apologize. We need people that understand that the current weather in the military is sometimes sunny and warm, snowy and cold, cludy and raining, or Mother Nature letting us have it with all her might. You WILL take what you get and press on. Lets not sugar coat it.

Load Clear!

Thanks MaxTourque & Sardaddy,

Yes… I understand where all of you guys are coming from. I do not want to seam like I’m starting off on the wrong foot either. I apologize. Most of my questions have been answered, just a few that pop up every now and then.

Joining the military is not something I’d do to “Just cuz it seams cool” or for any other ego reason. I would ONLY join to serve my country, regardless of the work schedule.

No problem… JungleJett. Thank for the additional thoughts. To be honest I had no clue how a typical work month was like for the Coast Guard.