# SeaKing Pilots



## scoles (6 Aug 2004)

Hey guys, I noticed there was at least one current pilot thats flying the seaking right now, and I wondered, Do seaking pilots stay on the ships for the entire time the navy crews do? If so, what other duties, if any, are there besides flying the seaking, and how much flying per day would u do on the ships?


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## Ex-Dragoon (6 Aug 2004)

I've only seen our SeaKing crews stay around maybe for a year or so...sometimes only for a deployment. Inch would be better suited to answer what secondary duties they do.


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## vauban (6 Aug 2004)

I believe all aircraft in the Canadian Forces are flown by the Air Force, and basically loaned (not really, but kind of) to ships, along with their crews, for individual missions.


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## Inch (6 Aug 2004)

Aircrew are only on the ship for deployments or exercises.  If we're not embarked on the ship, we're in Shearwater doing proficiency flying like practicing sonar dips and stuff like that.   A flying tour is 4-5 years and it's at one sqn, after your first flying tour you're posted to either the training unit (406 Sqn), the other coast or even out of the MH community all together. It all depends on your preference, I could request to go TacHel after I've done my first tour on Sea Kings, I won't necessarily get it but I could ask for it.

For duties, we're strictly aircrew, we don't do ships watch or anything like that.  For flying, if your helo is serviceable, you alternate doing 2 missions one day and 1 mission the next day, over the course of a 6 month deployment (assuming good serviceability) you get around 450 hrs of flying.  There's 2 aircrews and an assortment of techs in a Det, each aircrew is 2 pilots, 1 TACCO, and 1 AESOp.

All aircrew and aircraft belong to the air force, we're sent as detachments to the ships for deployments or exercises.

Cheers


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## Ex-Dragoon (6 Aug 2004)

vauban said:
			
		

> I believe all aircraft in the Canadian Forces are flown by the Air Force, and basically loaned (not really, but kind of) to ships, along with their crews, for individual missions.



Thats not what he asked though.


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## vauban (6 Aug 2004)

scoles said:
			
		

> Do seaking pilots stay on the ships for the entire time the navy crews do?


It sort of answered this. Sorry.


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