Pilot Life

[CuryOsity]

After reading through these threads for a week or so, there seems to be many unfavorable aspects to being a military aviator such as long hours, large amounts of time away from home, random schedules etc... This brings me to two questions:

1) Is being a pilot worst than, the same as, or better than what you expected?

2) Do the pros outweigh the cons?

Obviously these are opinion based questions. Just some things I'm curious about, thanks in advanced for the input.

[Techsan]

1. Same as

2. Yes

Pilots love to bitch, it's what we do best. I'm willing to bet 90% will answer yes to #2. The other 10% are "flying" UAVs @ Cannon.

[herkbum]

1. Better

2. Yes

[KWings06j]

1. It sucks when your on the ground but life gets damn good the moment you step. There's a lot of non-flying queep that has to be dealt with day to day but you'll get a lot of that in any career field. The difference is that rated types (pilots/navs/enlisted aircrew/etc) have to deal with all that queep in addition to there actual job instead of it being there job. We also don't need someone telling us we're warriors or without us the war doesn't happen or whatever the latest BS spin is. We know where we stand, what we do, and how it effects the mission.

2. Absolutely! Pilots bitch about stuff because we're sick of doing finance, mpf, and just about everyone elses job for them. We have enough crap to do without adding on other peoples lack of work ethic. Plus, on a psychological level, complaining lets you get issues off your chest and out in the open. It's a proven stress reliever so long as it isn't taken to the extreme.

[Jaded]

I wouldn't recommend this job to my children.

[CuryOsity]

I wouldn't recommend this job to my children.

May I ask why?

[bagasticks]

May I ask why?

because you can't keep them out of the good scotch, when they're home on leave..

and..

1. same as

2. yes..

[Guest]

I wouldn't recommend this job to my children.

May I ask why?

A fighter pilot moved into the neighborhood and the preacher stopped by the fighter pilot's house to deliver some of his wife's famous biscuits. He rang the doorbell and the fighter pilot's 10 year old son answered the door. The boy was holding a Playboy in one hand, a scotch in the other and had a hand rolled Montecristo Cuban cigar in his mouth.

The preacher was a bit taken aback and asked the boy if his father was home.

The boy took a long pull off the cigar, drained the rest of the scotch, looked sideways at the preacher and said "What the fuck do you think?"

[Murph]

1. Better

2. Yes

I flew commercial before joining the AF and hated it. It's not even fair to compare military tactical flight with most other civilian options.

[Flare]

1. The lame parts are worse than I expected (blues, CBTs, etc), but the flying is also better than I expected.

2. Hell yes!

[Champ Kind]

The lame parts are worse than I expected (blues, CBTs, etc), but the flying is also better than I expected.

Very well put. And without the need for a novelesque rant.

[Danger41]

I think one benefit to being a military aviator is that there are different ways of going about that career. Being a fighter pilot is much different from being a cargo pilot which is much different from being a helo pilot. You just have to match up your personality with what mission you choose.

Whenever people ask me if I enjoy being a pilot I tell them that it "beats working for a living". Best job in the world (for me).

[Chida]

I, personally, was sold a bill of goods. I signed up for 16 years as an 18 year old, and was told I would fly for a living. I had no idea that after the academy and after flying training that flying would be only 1% of what I did. It's a raw deal. Don't do active duty, go guard!

[Karl Hungus]

1. Pilot - way better than I expected. Active Duty- infinitely worse than I expected.

2. Sometimes.

[Spur38]

1. Yes, Especially if you are able to go from active duty to the Guard.

2. What cons? All I rember is the good shit....no time to dwell on the bad shit......

[MooseAg03]

1. It's better, just the other day my co-pilot and I were talking about how nowhere else would an organization hand the keys of a $200 million airplane to a couple of 29 year old pilots with combined experience of less than 2000 hours. In the airlines you have to have tons of experience to be in charge on the larger airframes. Plus our flying is a lot more exciting at times. I second that the other crap we have to deal with isn't so great, but you learn how to ignore it as much as possible - or you just come bitch about it here.

2. The pros do outweigh the cons, and the only cons I can really think of at the moment is our high ops tempo and all of the deployments. One can only imagine what our lives would be like in the heavy world if we hadn't been fighting these wars for the past decade. Maybe we'd actually get to fly somewhere other than the desert.

[hindsight2020]

1. Better

2. Yes

I flew commercial before joining the AF and hated it. It's not even fair to compare military tactical flight with most other civilian options.

Except, not everybody gets to fly cool shit in the military. So the devil really is in the details. I have zero PIC time in a helo, and that shit looks way cooler than 69% of the flying we do in the MAF side of blue. I can do more fun shit with an experimental single engine prop job than the majority of airframes out there. You mean to tell me there's a fucking difference between flying for Kalitta and breaking in a C-5 for a living? Other than actually getting shit delivered @ Kalitta of course? Not everybody gets what they want on drop night. Not hating on the heavy dudes either. My prior MWS was crew, I'm all about the crew concept to shoot the shit with, break on TDY with, fuck get out of the office with. It's one of the more brotherhood-building aspects of the job (ie. none of the shoeclerk bullshit that actually promotes people is..). But frankly, outside the paycheck, it ain't something I would forego the civilian liberties for, especially if I can swing around in a 74- and bang the regional FAs on layover ( can't do that with the chikie mx troop or loadie, without spinning that career revolver) for a days pay and no tertiary office symbol job. And I agree with you.. commercial flying is the pits if you don't live in-domicile.

I wonder if you'd feel the same way if you were contractually obligated out of the cockpit on a RC plane job with no possibility of tactical follow-on. Or perhaps if you weren't lucky enough to drop the tactical airframe you enjoy and had to fly something akin to the flying you did as a commercial civi bubba. Bet that CFI gig at Riddle would sound pretty sweet then. Diffrn' strokes I guess..

Edited March 27, 2012 by hindsight2020

[Prozac]

In the process of leaving the AD for the Reserve side. Sick of the BS and, frankly, unwilling to continue to make the sacrifices necessary to continue moving up in the AD world. That said, I would not trade my experiences for ANYTHING.

[joe1234]

1. same

2. yes and no. it's by far better than any other job in the military, but any other job in the military and i'd be out by now. i'd take a boring desk job and my freedom after 4 years than 10 years of indentured servitude as a pilot. being able to fly is enough for some people...I just want more out of life.

[Guest]

But frankly, outside the paycheck, it ain't something I would forego the civilian liberties for, especially if I can swing around in a 74- and bang the regional FAs on layover

Technique only.

[Murph]

I wonder if you'd feel the same way if you were contractually obligated out of the cockpit on a RC plane job with no possibility of tactical follow-on. Or perhaps if you weren't lucky enough to drop the tactical airframe you enjoy and had to fly something akin to the flying you did as a commercial civi bubba. Bet that CFI gig at Riddle would sound pretty sweet then. Diffrn' strokes I guess..

The man asked for an opinion and I gave it--sorry if me liking my life offended you.

[sky_king]

1. It sucks when your on the ground but life gets damn good the moment you step. There's a lot of non-flying queep that has to be dealt with day to day but you'll get a lot of that in any career field. The difference is that rated types (pilots/navs/enlisted aircrew/etc) have to deal with all that queep in addition to there actual job instead of it being there job. We also don't need someone telling us we're warriors or without us the war doesn't happen or whatever the latest BS spin is. We know where we stand, what we do, and how it effects the mission.

Seriously? Do schools not teach these words anymore?

[KWings06j]

Seriously? Do schools not teach these words anymore?

This isn't an official document, a professional email, or anything else that actually matters. It's an internet forum. Yes, you're right, I should have used the proper spellings but did it really degrade from the message? What's more distracting, the few errors from simply not caring about grammar on a message board or the chain of posts undoubtedly to follow complaining about it?

[Techsan]

People using your, you're, there, their, and they're wrong is a pet peeve of mine too. Even if its on a forum or text msg.

[scoobs]

Lets add another quesiton.

Would you go have gone Reserve/Guard instead?