Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Baseops Forums

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Featured Replies

Sure, until your next assignment is to Grand Forks.

Touche. If by Grand Forks you mean McConnell (no more tankers at GF).

I hadn't heard about USAFE giving up their tankers. You sure they simply haven't been tasked by TACC to fight the war from France?

  • Replies 83
  • Views 51.2k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Most Popular Posts

  • This. I'm sure it applies to any airframe, queep aside. Getting to fly airplanes and do the Lord's work around the world is not a bad thing.

  • thecloser2144
    thecloser2144

    My 2 cents...if you want to get an airline job after you get out or any flying job after 10 years I would suggest this..... C-21....get a lear type rating KC-10 get a DC-10 type rating E-4 get a

  • ColoradoAviator
    ColoradoAviator

    For -17s: Slightly less but still busy. Somewhat fewer days away from home than in the previous decade. Still last minute, emergency scheduling which makes it hard to plan life. Many folks find out

Hey Folks,

I'm filling out my dream-sheet out of T-1s in the near future, and was looking for an update on the ops tempo out of the different heavy airframes. Specifically: KC-10s, C-5s, and C-17s, but all others are greatly appreciated as well. What's the good/bad/ugly about your airframe, lifestyle, and ops tempo? Thanks!

C5 depends whether you go to travis or dover. ops tempo last year had its waves, expect probably 2 trips a month, 1 deployment for the tour (either mc12 or caoc most likely), the airplane is fun to fly and the creature comforts are great....the c5 still breaks though, whether that is good or bad is up to you.

Thread Revival...

This thread's a year old, just wondering what's changed and if I'm on the right track. I'm submitting my T-38 dream sheet in a week and wanted to find out how many total days (TDY and deployed) you can roughly expect to be gone per year. I got a lot of good gouge from this site and my IPs as well, about the total numbers. I just want to see if I’m giving my wife an accurate picture of what she can expect from each airframe from those currently in the MWS. I know that for most jets it varies but I’m just trying to give my wife a rough idea. Can anyone let me know if I’m on the right track and how the TDY's will play into you're overall time away? Thanks for the help!

Most Fighters: 6 mo. deployed then back for a year (TDY’s?)

B-1: 6 mo. deployed then back for a year (minimal TDY’s?)

B-52: 4 mo. deployed then back for a year (minimal TDY’s?)

C-17: Varies a lot -- gone over 2/3 of the year between TDYs and deployments

C-5: No deployments, but gone 1/2 the year due to the added maintenance issues when TDY

E-3: Gone roughly 40 days a year (TDYs?)

E-8: Gone roughly 180 days a year (TDYs?)

KC-10: Gone 2/3 the year with TDY’s and deployments

KC-135: Gone 2/3 the year with TDY’s and deployments

RC-135: Gone roughly 180 days a year? (TDYs?)

C-21: ??

In the Buff you can expect 6 month deployments soon with roughly a year back. In that year back you will have 1-3 exercises or inspections per month of the NORE/NORI, CORE/CORE, NSI flavor. We now send our people to both bases to participate in these.

Touche. If by Grand Forks you mean McConnell (no more tankers at GF).

I hadn't heard about USAFE giving up their tankers. You sure they simply haven't been tasked by TACC to fight the war from France?

Not sure about that one. Know a guy that just got an assignment to EGUN. Leaves in the next 6 months.

1-3 exercises or inspections per month of the NORE/NORI, CORE/CORE, NSI flavor.

1-3 per MONTH? That blows - how long does each on typically last?

  • Author

Don't know what CHS or TCM are ops tempo wise, but at the smaller -17 bases, you can expect two 4-7 day trips a month with two 2 month deployments a year.

How are the C-130s looking nowadays? Still four months out eight months back?

1-3 per MONTH? That blows - how long does each on typically last?

2 days to a week usually over weekends.

My 2 cents...if you want to get an airline job after you get out or any flying job after 10 years I would suggest this.....

C-21....get a lear type rating

KC-10 get a DC-10 type rating

E-4 get a 747 type rating and an ATP for free....

After 10 years get out and get a Fed ex job and finish your military in the guard....

My 2 cents...if you want to get an airline job after you get out or any flying job after 10 years I would suggest this.....

C-21....get a lear type rating

KC-10 get a DC-10 type rating

E-4 get a 747 type rating and an ATP for free....

After 10 years get out and get a Fed ex job and finish your military in the guard....

Or do 20 and retire to Costa Rica and surf everyday.

Or do 20 and retire to Costa Rica and surf everyday.

Yeah if you can stomach it that long...

Yeah if you can stomach it that long...

True, every job has its good and bad. You just have to figure out how much you can handle. Like my neighbor who got out in 01 and went to DAL. Even though he liked his job he thought being a civilian pilot would give him better QOL. It was true but it didn't last long.

Scoobs, shhh.

Nice, yeah its all about QOL.....i've been in the guard flying for over 10 years and its things have really begun to go downhill. Nobody ever says "boy, its so much better today than it used to be.".....it should be the type of job that you never want to leave...but its quite the opposite now.

Nice, yeah its all about QOL.....i've been in the guard flying for over 10 years and its things have really begun to go downhill. Nobody ever says "boy, its so much better today than it used to be.".....it should be the type of job that you never want to leave...but its quite the opposite now.

Yup...it's definitely not the same anymore, EVEN in the Guard. Unfortunately, modern day politics has caught up with us as well.

E-8: expect 2-3 60 day deployments per year, with some TDYs, but not many. Local flights 3-4 times per month.

Are E8's their own MWS or is it just a one tour gig?

  • 8 months later...

Can somebody please let me know what the ops tempo is like for a Guard/Reserve KC-135 unit? Thanks in advance.

  • 1 month later...

Was curious if the current C-130 ops tempo is still 4 months on 8 off? Also if anyone can provide an idea for the tempo for AC,HC, and MC. Thanks!

Baronhazel: Latest news from the C-130 world, expect 6 months on, 12 months off. More to follow as that pans out with all the 10 year commitments coming due.

AC, HC, and MC all depend on events as they transpire worldwide. From what I've witnessed friends go through (I'm not in AFSOC) there is no such thing as a "stable" ops tempo for AFSOC. They do try to make it somewhat consistant (60 on 60 off is what I've heard recently)...but they're employment tends to be much more dynamic than AMC and ACC.

FF

Edit: grammer, and yes, you read that right. 6 on, 12 off.

Edited by FourFans130

AFSOC is in a time of transition WRT deployment tempo, but i've not yet had less than a 1:1, and usually been around a 1:2.

Not quite the airframes you asked but I've been gone 43% of my time so far in AFSOC. That's about to get a little bit worse with the new AFSOC-wide deployment changes. The plan on paper is 1:1 with a few exceptions and real life never works out as well as the plan on paper. My buddies in gunships have generally been gone a little less, dudes in MCs more.

Yup...it's definitely not the same anymore, EVEN in the Guard. Unfortunately, modern day politics has caught up with us as well.

Big fokin "2" on that one. It's just another springboard job now. A place you're grateful to have gone thru but that you're really not gonna miss...

Was curious if the current C-130 ops tempo is still 4 months on 8 off? Also if anyone can provide an idea for the tempo for AC,HC, and MC. Thanks!

Yokota is pretty calm, you might fly 5 hours a month and you will have to fight for a 2 month deployment , which may happen once while you are here. You are probably gone a few days every few months. Just FYI incase you were pondering base choices for 130s.

Yokota is pretty calm, you might fly 5 hours a month and you will have to fight for a 2 month deployment , which may happen once while you are here. You are probably gone a few days every few months. Just FYI incase you were pondering base choices for 130s.

Is this just for copilots or does this include new ACs as well?

Create an account or sign in to comment

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.