Time away from home for Pilots, ACSOs, and Aerospace Control Officers.

[Koldness]

How much time away from home do Pilots, ACSOs, and Aerospace Control Officers spend?

After receiving their wings, how much choice do new pilots and ACSO's have in choosing what aircraft they serve in?

If forced to serve on a ship (serving on the Sea King), how much time at sea do pilots and ACSO's spend (excluding deployments)?

(The reason I ask is I have a wife and 3 young kids and I don't want to miss too much of their lives being away all the time.)

I've heard different time lengths from different people regarding pilots/ACSO's serving on a ship. Excluding deployments, some say 100 days per year, some say no more than 200 days per year, and another has said 300+ days per year. And the recruiting centre simply tells me "it depends" without giving me any numbers.

Anyone have any clearer answers? Thank you kindly!

 

[bradley247]

They're right, it depends.

There are too many variables to give you any meaningful answer, as it will be different for every single aircraft you could fly. I'm on the air mobility side of things and I was away from home about 250 days in the past year, while my buddy is an instructor and is home almost every night.

I can only speak for the pilot side of things, but if you want to be home a lot, it may not be the job for you.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

If you are concerned about being away, you might want to look harder at AEC than the 2 aircrew positions.

 

[mariomike]

how much time do pilots spend away from home 
https://army.ca/forums/threads/36338.0

"You will be gone from home a lot.  In the last 7 months, I have been at home for 19 days.  On average, you can expect to participate in 3-4 3-4 week exercises per year, plus the odd small 1-2 week deployment.  Roughly 3-4 months away from home a year."
http://army.ca/forums/threads/103289.0

"My dream has been to fly, but family is more important.  What length of time can I expect to be away from home if I get selected for fixed wing (any fixed wing - search and rescue, transport, instructor, fighter, patrol, etc.)?"
http://army.ca/forums/threads/94311.0

"And how much more time would a pilot be away from home than combat arms?"
http://army.ca/forums/threads/113867.0

"how family life can vary for a pilot in the CF. ... What occupations tend to be deployed or away from home more often?"
http://army.ca/forums/threads/12744.110;wap2

"Some things I came up with are being away from home for a long time, not being in a controlled work environment, and not being guaranteed to fly the aircraft that you want to fly."
http://army.ca/forums/threads/111579.0

Lots of topics about "away from home" for Pilots.

 

[Ostrozac]

"You will be gone from home a lot.  In the last 7 months, I have been at home for 19 days.  On average, you can expect to participate in 3-4 3-4 week exercises per year, plus the odd small 1-2 week deployment.  Roughly 3-4 months away from home a year."
http://army.ca/forums/threads/103289.0

Note that particular answer was 1: specific to the fighter community and 2: before the fighter community got involved in a multi-tour bombing campaign in the middle east. Many CF-18 pilots are spending more time on the road these days.

But as stated, the answer will vary widely by airframe. The experience of a SAR Squadron is different from VIP Challenger which is different from Tac Hel.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

It's also not just bomb trucks involved in the current op, and aircrew are involved in ops support.  Busy times. 

 

[mariomike]

Note that particular answer was 1: specific to the fighter community and 2: before the fighter community got involved in a multi-tour bombing campaign in the middle east. Many CF-18 pilots are spending more time on the road these days.

I searched "away from home" Pilot. The discussions above are just the "tip of the iceberg". The OP can read a sampling of them.

 

[Ostrozac]

I searched "away from home" Pilot. The discussions above are just the "tip of the iceberg". The OP can read a sampling of them.

Yes, but searching old threads brings you old information. Current information is that the RCAF is committed to a long-term expeditionary war, and expeditionary wars require time away from home.

Will the war still be going strong by the time the OP finishes the pipeline? Well, based on my knowledge of the Middle East, my guess is probably yes.

 

[mariomike]

Yes, but searching old threads brings you old information.

Ok. You can search a "Customised date range". As recent as "Last Hour" only, if you wish.

 

[Loachman]

Yes, but searching old threads brings you old information. Current information is that the RCAF is committed to a long-term expeditionary war, and expeditionary wars require time away from home.

That may also depend upon the results of the next election. Old information has a habit of becoming new again. The only constant is that there is no constant.

There are simply too many variables to predict with any certainty, and the amount of annual "away time" may vary considerably over the course of one's career.

 

[George Wallace]

Yes, but searching old threads brings you old information.

Here is some very old information, published long before there was the internet: "The Earth is round.  The moon revolves around the Earth.  The Earth revolves around the Sun."

Just because information is old, does not mean that it is no longer valid.

As Loachman has pointed out, the situation may change in any direction at any moment.  What is old, may become new again (as if we haven't seen a rash of that recently.).  Situations are constantly developing that demand change for the way operations are conducted by the CAF. 

 

[bradley247]

He does bring up a very good point, there is a whole lot of outdated info on this site, and updated info isn't being posted because people are constantly being slagged for posting it or asking for it.

It's not fair to compare the nature of our planet to a career as an Air Force pilot. The earth has always been round, but since the 'so you want to be a pilot' thread has been started, the selection process has changed, the curriculum for every single pilot training course has changed, we have gone to war three times and have whole new fleets of aircraft.

He is asking about the life of a Sea King pilot, but that answer will be totally different now compared to a few years ago given the increasingly dire state of the navy. I think it's a totally valid question.

 

[Koldness]

I think I understand now in more detail what "it depends" means and what to expect. It seems the unpredictable nature of a military job is part of the excitement (and sometimes frustration) of the military lifestyle. Thank you all for your input, search suggestions, and links!