Day in the life of a Coastie pilot

[PropStop]

Would any of you Coastie pilot types be willing to share what it's like in that branch of the service, as a pilot? I'm very interested in transfering to the CG when my contract is up (not for a while yet), specifically to fly helos, though I wouldn't mind C-130's either.

Thanks in advance!

 

[zab1001]

(Keep in mind, the USCG DCA program is only accepting prior service folks who already have rotary experience. Rumor has it they may be opening fixed wing up a little in the near future. Anything is possible though)

 

[USCGaviator]

Would any of you Coastie pilot types be willing to share what it's like in that branch of the service, as a pilot?

Are you talking about things like duty assignments, deployments, average number of flight hours logged, collateral duties, etc.?

 

[Brett327]

I'm very interested in transfering to the CG when my contract is up (not for a while yet), specifically to fly helos, though I wouldn't mind C-130's either.

Another deployment takes its toll.

Brett

 

[PropStop]

Are you talking about things like duty assignments, deployments, average number of flight hours logged, collateral duties, etc.?

All of that, the whole Enchilada so to speak

I know where the sites are, i'd like to stay in the NW.

 

[sardaddy]

Good evening. I'll try to shed some light on the subject as I love to see new pilots come into the fray.

You say you know where the stations are so I will skip that. Everything else I write is in general terms there are always exceptions.

You will usually be assigned to an air station for four years. Unless you are USCGaviator, then you just stay in one spot almost your entire career. See already an exception.

While there you will be a duty standing pilot. You will stand about 5-8 duties a month and each duty period is 24 hours straight. You don't have to stay up the whole 24 hours but you must launch within 30 minutes from notification of a case.

You will fly about 25-35 hours a month conducting different types of missions including SAR, LE, and training missions.

Deployments vary from location to location but most pilots do one or two, two month deployments over the four year period. At some stations pilots will do at least double that.

Normal weeks are your typical M-F working 8-4 type hours with the occasional duty thrown in. Which gives you ample time to conduct your collateral duties when you are not flying.


That is pretty much it in a nutshell. Coast Guard aviation is the best kept secret in the military. I have seen and done more in the Coast Guard than I ever imaged was even an option in this service. I started six years ago and haven't wiped the smile off my face yet.

Good luck if you choose to go down this path.

 

[Physicx]

Wow 8-4 sounds nice. If you do 3 yrs on a cutter then go to flight school does your commitment start after you get your wings? Or does the 11 yrs change since you didn't go right away?

 

[USCGaviator]

If you do 3 yrs on a cutter then go to flight school does your commitment start after you get your wings? Or does the 11 yrs change since you didn't go right away?

The CG recently released a Flight Training Solicitation Message that stated:

ALL APPLICANTS COMPLETING FLIGHT SCHOOL AS A RESULT OF THIS PANEL WILL INCUR EIGHT YEARS OF OBLIGATED SERVICE IN ADDITION TO PREVIOUSLY OBLIGATED SERVICE​

Here's the link to the message if you're interested. It also lists age requirements, visual acuity standards, etc.: ALCGOFF 186/05 : FLIGHT TRAINING SOLICITATION

Hope this helps.

 

[PropStop]

It sounds great. I really would like to fly more often, but for shorter periods of time (P-3 missions tend to be LOOOOONG) and doing more interesting things.

Now if I can just convince them to take fixed wing aviators...

Thanks a lot Sardaddy!

 

[Elder]

I think SARDaddy speaks of a helo perspective.

I was prior enlisted.. was an E-6 and went over 10 in OCS. Did 4 year staff tour then picked up for flight school after eye surgery. Only winged last March, qual'ed as Co in August, and coming up on 17 years of service.

As a C-130 co-pilot, I've been standing an average of 1 in 4ish duty. As with helos, we stand a 24 hour watch, ready to launch within 30 mins. There's also the ever enjoyable ODO - desk duty.. 12 hours during the week, 24 on the weekends.

During Hurricane Katrina and Rita, I flew several times into New Orleans deliverying supplies and personnel ... from St Louis, MO even out to Sacramento, CA.

I've RO1N'ed in Puerto Rico, Antigua, St Louis and Sacto.

Longest crew day I've had was 19 hours - that day I think I had 9.2 flight time.

This past Sunday, we called in our back up crew so the ready crew (the ac, crew and myself) could fly them out to Antigua. After 4.5ish hours to get out there, the back up crew took the plane another 1000 miles east to locate two women that were stranded atop their capsized row boat. We remained in Antigua overnight to rest. The backup crew located the women and vectored in a good sam to recover them. The backup crew flew another 1000 miles back and landed. Refueled and we flew everyone home. The backup crew was in that plane 20 hours - flew over half of it.

More info: http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060117/NEWS0501/601170321

Interview with CAPT of ship who rescued: http://archive.wgnradio.com:8080/ramgen/wgnam/Spike/audio/atlanticrace060116so.rm

I'm not really sure what SARDaddy meant by "You will usually be assigned to an air station for four years. Unless you are USCGaviator, then you just stay in one spot almost your entire career. See already an exception." People move around. Enlisted, not so much, O's.. yeah.

If you're flying P-3s I would imagine it would be hard to come in and go helo's.. not impossible, but I would think hard. I personally would like to see about 6 more 130 pilots at my unit.

I've flown everyday I have been at work this month.. Sounds great, but when you have to prepare for to give training, OER, do the unenjoyable CMCO job and other projects tossed at you, it can make things difficult. Don't get me wrong, I love missions.. but the training flights? More fun than flight school, but get old after awhile. Granted, the unit I'm at is the largest Air Station in the Coast Guard.. normally with 6-7 C-130's and 9 HH-60's. 500+ people.. busy.. ugh.

Oh, and 130 deployments? Usually a crew will do a 2 week L/E deployment in Central/South America.. and sometimes GITMO.

When were not doing trainers or saving people, my unit is patrolling the Florida Straights - looking for migrants and vectoring in surface assets to intercept.. about 2 weeks ago, we chased a boat with 5 people up onto the beach.. they hit the sand at about 30 kts..



I absolutely love it..

 

[USCGaviator]

I think SARDaddy speaks of a helo perspective.

He does.

I'm not really sure what SARDaddy meant by "You will usually be assigned to an air station for four years. Unless you are USCGaviator, then you just stay in one spot almost your entire career. See already an exception." People move around. Enlisted, not so much, O's.. yeah.

He meant to take a shot at me (a glancing blow, nevertheless, a shot was taken). 16 of my 24 years have been spent in the CG. Of those 16, I've spent the past 12 years assigned to the CG's Aviation Training Center as an Instructor Pilot (3 consecutive tours). This is obviously an extreme example of "geographic stability" and in no way reflects the normal assignment process of CG Officers. In fact, I know of no other Officer that has stayed in one place for this length of time (geographic diversity for CG pilots is viewed in a positive light when it comes to your career).

As a CG pilot (O-1 to O-4) expect to move every 4 years (or 3 if OCONUS). Additionally, PCS moves occur during the summer. The CG does this so that you don't have to yank your rugrats out of skewl in the middle of the year and listen to them boohoo for 3 straight days as you travel cross-country to your new duty station.

Anyway, this is what SARKiddy meant....

 

[BRM21o]

Is there any age limit for transfers from other services? I.E. can a Navy helo pilot do his 8 years then switch over?

 

[E5B]

Does the CG still knock prior service pilots down to 0-2? That would be a huge pay cut going from 0-3E >14 back down to 0-2E.

USCG is awesome. Those guys see action daily! Many times I've considered doing 'the switch'.

 

[USCGaviator]

Is there any age limit for transfers from other services? I.E. can a Navy helo pilot do his 8 years then switch over?

Here are the current age and TIS requirements:

• Be between the ages of 21 and 34 (as of September 30, 2006)
• Have not more than 10 years active duty

Check out the following site for all the specifics:

** Coast Guard Direct Commission Aviator Program

 

[USCGaviator]

Does the CG still knock prior service pilots down to 0-2? That would be a huge pay cut going from 0-3E >14 back down to 0-2E.

The following information is taken from the link I listed above.

"The DCA program can only accept applicants with rotary wing experience at this time.

Those applicants who are selected to the DCA program, all Warrants and O-1's and O-2's will be commissioned in the Coast Guard as Ensigns (O-1). All O-3's and above will be commissioned in the Coast Guard as Lieutenants Junior Grade (O-2)."​

I work with several guys that were O-4s or O-4 selects when they transitioned to the Coast Guard and entered as O-2s. None of them express any regrets.