average flight hours!

[pilatus]

just saw on another forum there a thread about average hours flown by pilots and then i was wondering what is the average amount flown by our pilots and how does it compare to NATO average flight time which is about 160-200hours a year?i understand some pilots may fly more hours than others like for instance MATS pilots!

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi there
Those NATO flight times of which you speak, tend to refer to fast-jet hours only.A lot of air forces keep smaller aircraft for their pilots to maintain proficiency, when the fast stuff is unavailable.I remember reading somewhere that a pilot with "only" 140 hrs/yr on a fast-jet was regarded as not front-line ready....An Air Corps pilot could fly as little as a couple of hundred or as much as 5-600 hrs per, depending on his aircraft type and his posting, especially if he has a busy ground duty or is posted out on a course.More than once, AC pilots have had their ratings lapse as a result of ground duties or other events and have to be rerated all over again. Anyhow, their schedule is completely unlike a civil roster, so there is no guarantee any flight may happen on any given day.
regards
GttC

[pilatus]

wow thats alot of hours!so imagine what it would be like for those air arms that fly around 80hours a year per pilot if even that i.e ex soviet bloc countries!

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi there
Think about it.If you carry out two Casa 6-hr patrols per week, and maybe a few hrs in the Beech to renew your MET rating, you'd easily clock up more than 300 hrs/yr. Same for the Defender pilots and the MATS pilots. Even the Cessna pilots clock up decent flight hours.As for the fast jet pilots in other countries, they have smaller aircraft to maintain their IR/ME proficiency.Apart from that, a fella with only 80 flight hours /yr is not much good to his Air Force, is he?.
regards
GttC

[Fouga23]

Quote (GoneToTheCanner @ 20 Oct. 2005,11:02)

Apart from that, a fella with only 80 flight hours /yr is not much good to his Air Force, is he?

Unles you're a Belgian Air Component pilot

[pilatus]

they have a higher rate of flight hours than that!surely?

[Fouga23]

If I remember correctly, average F-16 hours per pilot are something like that overhere. cost saving and all that

[John K]

They would have simulator time as well though, unlike Air Corps pilots, unless they've got Flight Sim 2004!

[Fouga]

well the IAC have the PC-9M simulator!

[pilatus]

how realistic is the pc9simulator?i remember gerry ryan from 2fm said he got a go in it and he thought it was amazing!how many hours do pilots do in it for training?