# Mission type and flight time



## DesertFox (12 Nov 2010)

I was just hoping all you current and former pilots could share about the types of flying and number of flight hours in a year for the different aircraft. I know the “basic” role each aircraft preforms but I was more wondering exactly whats it like flying that particular aircraft and what you do with it. I have heard some really interesting stories about the kinds of flying that is done from piecing together from various posts and other sources but it would be nice to have a single thread that talks about this kind of thing


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## aesop081 (12 Nov 2010)

CP-140 can be anywhere from a 3-hour pilot trainer to a 12-hour+ surveillance mission ( my longest mission was 12.5 hours long). 6-hour crew trainers or exercise flights are very typical. Annual flying hours vary greatly ( depends on the unit, your level of qualification and how busy you like to be) but around 400 a year is about right. Myself i get between 500 and 600 each year.

Flights can be anywhere from high-altitude ocean surveillance/overland ISR  to 300 feet down chasing submarines and a multitude of other missions.

I know you asked for pilots but since the CP-140 is a crew airplane, its not much different for a pilot than it is for me.


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## Zoomie (12 Nov 2010)

Flying hours vary greatly. They range from 150 (CF-18) to the mid 600s (Aurora). If you average 300-400 hours you are having a good year. 

The actual flying varies per machine. C-17s and Polaris fly long boring routes across the world.  TACHEL flies low in support of the land forces. SAR pilots fly off script and rely heavily on their skills to adjust to changing situations.   This is just a small snap shot of what we do - it certainly is not Westjet.


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