OPNAV 3710 chapter 11. Dictates they log 48 hours a year as special crew time. To me, that screams out for someone to shove all the base flight surgeons in the back of a C-130 a couple times and saying,"THERE! You're DONE!"
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CORTRAMID West T-34 flight
- Thread starter a-6intruder
- Start date
OPNAV 3710 chapter 11. Dictates they log 48 hours a year as special crew time. To me, that screams out for someone to shove all the base flight surgeons in the back of a C-130 a couple times and saying,"THERE! You're DONE!"
Friend of mine just cut a big ass check to pay back flight pay because he was unable to make the mins to keep it - unfortunate. We've got 1310/1320 seagulls who ought to get their flight pay cut due to excessive snivels/leave/general suck. I think you want flight docs flying. You want them in the ready room and you want them to know your ready room...
Harrier Dude
Living the dream
By riding around in the station C-12 for hours at a time. They're great guys, and 9 times out of 10 they'd rather be seeing patients, but they're required to get the hours.
I always thought it was funny that they are required to do what is essentially the same thing as flying commercial. Sit there, don't touch anything.
Sometimes they come up front, but we're not doing a whole lot more than they are anyway, so they just chill out and read a book.
Makes sense for Yuma folks, but I wonder how one does it out on USS Boat on deployment. Either way, I have known mostly cool flight docs, and they had their priorities very straight.....most importantly to try their hardest to make us healthy while still keeping us on the up side of the medical chit. My current flight doc jumped through some hoops he didn't need to, after I was a dumb dumb and assumed that I could get an upchit same day as my physical...after waiting until the wed before my annual expired.
We call them "Choppers."
I don't know what it says now, but back in the mid-90s 3710 said that in multi piloted aircraft, Flight Surgeons could operate the aircraft in all phases of flight with an IP in the other seat. Our Quack used to fly pilot trainers with his share of takeoffs and landings.
As part of their initial FS training, they used to do primay through soloing too.
A-6 you should get your daughter on here. Would be awesome to have another Vandy girl. Your son too, though odds are he doesn't remember me.
No kidding? How was that discovered? I've never seen the flight hour folks talking with the money folks!
Harrier Dude
Living the dream
Evidently that's changed. We're only allowed to have them at the controls above something like 5k'. Not in the landing environment, for sure.
I think it's kind of stupid, but quite honestly they're not missing much and don't really seem to care. Some of them get rides in the family model F-5s from time to time, but it eats up about 3 hours of their day to get a .7. Same with bagging two seat Harrier rides when 203 is in town. Plus that has the added joy of getting added to the 2MAW authorized to fly list. That requires a pint of blood, copies of your high school and college transcripts, endorsements from your chain of command, a lock of Christ's hair, and a notarized letter from the Pope........and three weeks to process.
They'd rather spend 4 hours getting a 3.0, read a book, and eat blueberry French toast on some boondoggle.....I mean important support mission.
Most assuredly...I recall a couple "safety pilot" hops I flew while IP'ing with VA-122 A7 RAG at Fallon/Yuma deployments...1967-68 era. Always had T-28s available as taxi's for personnel & parts...and safety flights.
Fellow IP, former A4 pilot, 'Nam vet busts thru min alt still in a 45 degree dive...at night! I screamed my guts out 'til he bottomed out...no more said! Scared the life outta me.
Yeah they can. And while it's possible, with hours stretched so thin these days, I've never seen it happen during my time. But that being said, our Doc has served as an actual contributing crew-member on MEDEVACs and SARs where he's been in the back to assist a patient, so in a very small niche, they serve a purpose flying.
But on a whole other note, I agree about having them fly, having them be a welcome and known part of the wardroom. Our doc is mostly like any other JO and hangs out/goes drinking with the wardroom on weekends, at squadron events, party buses etc.
48 hours? That's more than I flew in GA all of last year. Sad, but true. Where does this 48 number come from? 1 hr a week minus thanksgiving and christmas or something?
Bitch all you want. Pilots only rate 100.
Probably a pissed off YNC or admin type. There was a message that came out several months ago that said each and every flight doc would be required (paraphrasing here) to audit their logbooks and submit flight hour summaries endorsed by their ISIC. You know, we can save money by taking back flight pay for our docs - never mind the billions spent on developing shitty non-functional uniforms.....grrr - btw - one of the lowest points in my naval career, I had to finally buy NWUs this week. moving on....
Flight docs on a carrier (usually wearing the air wing patch) can fly with just about anyone they have survival training for. My roommate (CAG flight doc) flew with the EA6B, guys he flew in the back of Rhinos, flew with the helo guys (though helo SOPs vary and have some inconsistent rules about who can fly up front and when), and probably could have flown with the Hummer guys had he chosen to do so. Problem is those guys (there were two CAG flight docs) stood A LOT of duty underway and getting four or five hours away for a 1.5 was often hard to do.