What planes do Tier-1 pilots fly?

Hi Dewd!

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Helishits are for peasants, nobody goes to Flight School to be selected for rotary wing training.

I know naval aviators can fly regularly up till about O-4 or so, which means 10-15 years depending on what deployments they take and what aircraft(s) they fly.

Helo guys and transport guys get a shit ton more hours than jet pilots, I’m curious how many hours CV-22 pilots will get compared to other airframes.

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Test pilots

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It costs $169,000 per flight hour to fly the b2 spirit.

Fuck off, plenty of pilots want to be helo pilots above all else
>fly double-triple the hours of a jet guy
>fly low and fast and map of the earth, no racetracks at 25,000ft for hours
>versatile and important jobs such as MEDEVAC/CASEVAC, VERTREP, CAS, troop insertion/extraction, logistics, recon, tank hunting, etc. depending on the platform and branch
>similar resume to jet guys once it comes time to compete for an airlines job, as helo drivers fly the same trainer aircraft and can go get supplemental flying very easily to pad their resume
>can go fly helicopters OR fixed wing for police/fire/gov agency/private sector unlike everyone else who can only do fixed wing

Modern helicopter flying is the closest thing to the dogfighting of old, as piloting skill translates directly to your mission (unlike modern jets where guided weaponry and onboard systems do a lot of the heavy lifting for missions, still skillful but less direct input)

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Cough it up, paypigs!

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I ended up getting tankers. I just got the new one so that's pretty cool. It's not really what I wanted out of UPT but the community is great, the mission is important, and the lifestyle is relatively comfy. It's all luck and timing.

It depends on what route you go. Usually by the time you're O-4 or O-5 your flying time is pretty pathetic compared to what it once was.

hey

>pilots want to be helo pilots above all else
youtube.com/watch?v=8TcJZr4HBtI#t=1660

What about Helicopter Pilots, specifically HH-60's? I'm looking to cross train into being a pilot.

Glad you like your community. Gotta love the (somewhat) more spacious cockpit, right? Plus all that multiengine time will be fantastic if you want to go to the airlines and make beau ceup $$$

What’s the USAF’s stigma/opportunities for switching communities? Could you hop over to bombers or another community if you wanted to, and would it kill your career to do so? In Naval Aviation switching pretty much ends your career because pilots who switch won’t have the experience/qualifications to keep promoting, AFAIK they explicitly tell people who want to switch “this will end your career” in more complicated words.

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>The really bad ass ones will take 5th gens,
Why do they send them to the easiest platforms to fly?

Why would you want to fly something that does not want to fly? Are you trying to follow the most fucked up path on purpose?

>In Naval Aviation switching pretty much ends your career
What if they retire your platform, are you screwed? What happened to the F-14 guys?

The Air Force has HH-60s that the helo jocks usually want to fly, but from what I hear at helicopter training usually only the top guys get the pavehawk and the rest usually end up flying Hueys on missile duty. If you really want to fly HH-60s I'd go Army.

The spacious cockpit is real comfort, for sure. Switching communities isn't too difficult, but you'll never be "one of them". For instance after your first assignment you can usually train over to AFSOC and fly their spooky stuff, or apply to programs to crosstrain to other heavy jets like C-17s, C-130s, etc. It is rare but once in awhile they offered a bomber crossflow, and they still have the U-2 competition. As far as I know it's impossible to go into a fighter once you've already have the heavy stink.

That's the one that everyone wants it because it's sexy. In reality, the KC-135 is one of the most difficult planes in the Air Force to actually fly, but no one wants it because it's not sexy.

Drones

I’ll watch that when I get home, but something worth noting: the Army and USMC helo communities are a bit different than the USAF and USN communities. Army and USMC help drivers tend to be gung-ho on supporting the guys on the ground, and their platforms echo that sentiment- pretty much every helicopter in both branches can and are used in combat roles with armament of some kind. For example, the USMC and USN both fly the CH-53/HH-53, however the USMC uses their Super Stallion as a heavy combat transport (everything from sling loading artillery to dropping off marines into combat) while the USN uses their Sea Stallion to resupply ships, drag mine sleds, and ferry people as needed.

US Army and USMC helo pilots both have a variety of gun slinging combat airframes to select, whereas only a few USAF helicopters have combat roles and very, very few USN helicopters are armed, let alone used to ferry grunts through the thick of it.

Doesn’t mean non-combat flying isn’t dangerous- flying military helicopters is a very dangerous job with or without people shooting at you- but it’s typically a different type of pilot that pursues USMC helos than one that pursues USN helos.

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1. Because those are the most expensive platforms and are a significant investment, so they want the best pilots to fly them to get the most out of them
2. Those are super capable platforms and very complex even with how advanced they are. You want a really talented, hardworking, intelligent pilot to fly those because that pilot will push himself to master that platform, and the combination of great pilot and great airplane will form a formidable asset
>It’s like putting your best race car driver in your fastest race car, or giving your best sniper the most accurate rifle
Plus the high caliber of pilots will then become instructors on that platform and teach students how to maximize that platform’s performance

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See

You might want to look at the USMC, they’ve got Super Huey’s (aka UH-1Y Venom) and the AH-1Z Viper instead of Blackhawks and Apaches, you get to operate off of ships and land bases instead of just land bases, plus you can compete for USMC jets and C-130s if you decide you don’t want to go helos.

Army:
>enlist and try to get chosen for flight school, fly helos as warrant officer
>get college degree via ROTC, commission and fly helos
>get college degree, apply for OCS slot, commission and fly helos
>can fly as either warrant officer or officer
>only options are helicopters or small section of fixed wing support aircraft

USMC:
>enlist, try to get selected for OCS, compete for flight school, then go fly
>ROTC, academy, or OCS then fly
>have to be officer to fly
>literally every platform is high tier-
>Fly Vipers, hunt tanks, kill infantry, dogfight nearby enemy aircraft and support grunts in combat
>Fly Venoms, light logistics and support grunts in combat
>Fly Super Stallions, heavy logistics and support grunts in combat
>Fly F-35Bs, dogfight and support grunts in combat
>Fly Ospreys, logistics and support grunts in combat (currently no guns other than rear door gunner but possible rocket pods down the road)
>Fly MC-130Js, do every mission a C-130 can do and strap on Hellfires to support grunts in combat

USAF:
>enlist, try to become an officer, then fly
>ROTC, academy, or OCS then fly
>have to be officer to fly
>can fly everything but carrier aircraft
>Unlike army or USMC you won’t directly support grunts unless you fly attack, multirole fighter, or helo in combat role

USN:
>same entry as USAF, need to be officer to fly
>can fly carrier jets, tilt rotors, fixed wing support platforms, and helicopters
>most platforms are armed and do valuable jobs, but if you don’t fly fighter jets or SH-60S Seahawks with specops you won’t be flying into the jaws of death for a living
>still incredibly rewarding, but less likely you’ll end up in combat

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Typically pilots stick with communities for their career. F-14 guys drive fighters, so they would switch to the F-18 when the F-18 phased out the F-14.

What’s really interesting is when a community ceases to exist- such as the attack pilot community (last attack jet was the A-7 Corsair II) or the twin rotor community (last USN twin rotor was the H-46 Sea Knight), typically those pilots transfer to either the airframe that’s replacing their old aircraft or to a similar platform still in service. Ex. The A-7 guys would probably switch over to the F-18, and the H-46 guys would switch to the Osprey (direct replacement) or another USN helicopter (like the Seahawk or Sea Dragon).

The Navy likes to slow the feeder to squadrons of aging aircraft while retiring those aircraft over a longer period of time. That way they don’t waste money training new pilots for an airframe they’d only fly for a couple of years, and the active duty guys can finish their careers with that airframe if they want. It also helps to slowly phase out aircraft while the new airframe goes through its “teething” phase (when all the kinks and bugs are getting worked out) so they have a backup if need be.

The most recent example of this for the navy is the H-46 retiring in the 2000s, the C-2 retiring right about now, and the CV-22 being fully introduced by the next couple of years.

I figured fighters would be impractical to switch over too, but bombers or the U-2 makes sense seeing as you’re getting multiengine time. Would that be something you are considering, or are you content with being immersed in your current community?

Also are you driving KC-135s? If so damn that’s one hell of a ride

I wanna fly for the USAF. How do I be successful besides get good grades?

First learn to speak the english language.
Then go to college and get good grades in Engineering. If they have AFROTC ezpz. More pilots coming out of USAFA and AFROTC than OTS.

Just wanted to thank everyone in this thread for the wealth of info. I'm waiting on the Navy to give me the green light and send me to OCS, I want to fly the 60 but would be okay with almost everything else. These sorts of threads are motivating

Stats? I'm slogging my way through engineering school and I'm gonna be real fucking close to the age cutoff, so it looks like Muhreens are my only option.

Thanks.
Do they care about involvement in stuff like sports, clubs, and research?

If you're already in AFROTC they'll tell you what they want, usually it's leadership within the unit. If you're going for OTC it's GPA, AFOQT, and anything else, in that order. Research doesn't really matter, clubs they're looking for you to hold leadership roles and go to conferences and stuff, sports they want you to be a leader as well. What you did in high school doesn't matter unless you're like an Eagle Scout.

56/6/7/7 so it looks like I'll make it this time around. Marines sounds cool but the Navy offered a guaranteed spot at Pcola so that's who I'm going with. You can always get an age waiver

Not a prior so no such luck. GPA is the biggest hurdle, probably ending up with like a 2.7ish. Having an August birthday doesn't help, so I'd have to ship in April/May/1st week of June or I'd turn 27 in Newport.

how much do they actually care about being an Eagle Scout?

It's not mandatory but it's another feather in your cap with the AFROTC scholarship board or the OTS board.

It'll be tight man, but if you start on that package ASAP it could happen. Navy is doing a board in May so that would be tight and not likely. 2.7 GPA ain't the best but the military is hurting, and if they're taking people that have 5's in their scores, then they'll let you slide if your numbers are higher

Not at fucking all if you have any sort of civic service to your name. Thy gave more credence to my highschool than my eagle-ness.

What's the typical turnaround for PROREC-Y to showing up in Newport? I have two more years which is why I'm gunning hard for PLC, I don't know what my chances of getting selected 18mos out are but if having a contract prior to Christmas would be pretty cool. Also considering applying FO-only since everybody applies for both but puts 1370 first.

Are you an Acadamy Grad? My dad was class of '85. He flew KC-10s for most of his career. He was on the front patrolling the Saudi/Iraq border doing refueling missions during the Persian Gulf invasion. When 9/11 happened he was scrambled up into the air and patrolled the southeastern coast in 12/12 shifts for a week and half. He flew KC10s for 15 years then went to MacDill to fly Gulfstream Vs for 4 star generals as his last assignment. He flew those for 5 more years before retiring and transitioning to the civi world. He's actually flying a g550 to Taiwan right now as I write this.

My dad did 22 years and he flew right up to the end. He was about to pick up O-6 though and apparently that is when you become a desk jockey, which is why he retired and went to the civilian world. He wanted to keep flying

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Why would you need to be tier 1 to fly a plane that can't be shot down? Most bombing missions are just flying straight to a target and then straight back. You just sit back and make sure you have enough fuel each way.

It could be very short (the class immediately following your PROREC) or months, all depends on what seats are available

Tier 1 pilots fly the planes we as civis know nothing about

Real chads go Security Forces
> stays on comfy AF base
> cool beret, everyone thinks you're special force
> gets to bang the pilot's wives and daughters

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You mean Test Pilot School grads?

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And sometimes that's more exciting than it sounds
youtube.com/watch?v=PBJ99bIhAVk

>In reality, the KC-135 is one of the most difficult planes in the Air Force to actually fly
Is that because of the refuelling operation or because of weight and weight-variability issues?
Or is it just a brick?

It must be the fuel sloshing around

Even reservist make fun of security forces.

Real bastards go into Aircraft MX for Heavies.
>Roll into a different job every 3-5 years
>Want to fly? Apply for the FCC position and fuck the boomer while making the DOD pay for your drinks
>Want an office job? Apply to work at the MXG and laugh at the crew chiefs working in the rain.

We have the lowest cut off scores for E-6 because everyone is a functional alcoholic.

>security

I'd laugh, but I met a guy who did it on Okinawa. Poor dude was so drained and despondent, I really hope he found happiness and purpose. I tried to cheer him up and when I called him a devil dog, he seemed so ashamed.

Security is where dreams die

If the f35 is a panther the f22 is a goddamn tiger

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I love how this dude supposed to be a secret agent who "back-engineers alien spacecraft", but he only made a one-month paycheck from McDonalds, lol.

Not to their face.

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why would he lie then and do all this shit to himself? he gained nothing from it, lost even

>fighter and heavy flying together
>fighter pilot radios:
>"hey check this out"
>proceeds to barrel roll
>heavy pilot:
>"that's pretty cool, but get a load of this"
>heavy continues flying straight for a few minutes
>"cool, huh?"
>fighter:
>"???"
>heavy:
>"I just stretched my legs, made some coffee, and went to the bathroom"

>that stance
impressive

>look up and see a failed PJ or TACP
You don't even have to use words you just look at them.

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>2nd LT user?
>I’m security

>great pilot and great airplane will form a formidable asset
That thing can't even do the Cobra maneuver.