I am in flight training and I wondered about all of those people that become military pilots in wartime or otherwise. I know that civilian flying hours never expire and a civilian pilot’s license never really expires either although it can be revoked or suspended. What happens to all of that military flying time/training after the pilot get out or even while in the militray and just wants to take a friends Cessna for a spin?
Sorry about all of the spelling errors. I am working on a laptop that I am not used to.
I can only speak for the Air Force here.
When you graduate from UPT and get your wings, you are eligible to take a “Military Equivalency” test with the FAA that will get you a Commercial/Multi-engine/Instrument ticket. It’s a written exam, and pretty much a non-event.
When you get your ticket, it will say “Airplane Multi-Engine Land” on the back. You will still need to get some sort of endorsement before you go flying around in a Cessna, but it’s not that big of a deal.
Note that a lot of people never go to the “trouble” of getting their FAA license. They do all their flying in the military, plan on retiring from the Air Force and never bother with it. On the other hand you have guys like me who ran into the local FSDO to get obscure type-ratings added to my ticket (L-300 anyone?) whenever I could.
I’ve heard several civilian flight instructors talk about their experiences with military pilots who they taught to fly small Cessnas, and for many it was not a trivial undertaking. Pilots who have learned on large fast aircraft often are all thumbs when it comes to flying a lighter, slower airplane in a tight traffic pattern. It definitely requires a different “feel”.
But most of them will develop expertise much faster than your average student pilot, so they will get their endorsement after just a few hours of duel instruction.
And of course, the written test will be a breeze.
Ah, it’s a 1920’s-style “miliray.”
Dueling with 1920’s style milirays?
That might be true of jet aircraft but I never noticed any difference between flying a Martin B-26 and a Cessna 150. In fact, post-WWII we had a bunch of liason planes which were Pipers, Tayors and Stinsons that we flew all the time with no special instructions in transitioning from B or A 26’s.
Active duty USAF pilot training students typically have a private pilot license that either they paid for individually, or the AF paid for in a program called IFT. In my experience, US Navy students are afforded 25 hours of civilian time prior to attending military undergraduate flight training. As pilot141 noted, after graduating one is eligible for the Commercial/Multi-Engine/Instrument certificate upon passing a written exam. In order to add commercial single-engine airplane privileges, you then need a checkride with an FAA or designated examiner (IIRC, this is the same as with any category or class add-on such as glider, helicopter, balloon, etc). A copy of the Airplane Commercial Practical Test Standards spells out what is specifically required, but you can also find it in the FAR, Part 61 I believe.
To specifically answer your second question: regardless of the pilot’s military background, he or she must have an FAA pilot certificate for the category and class of airplane in which he or she desires to take his or her friend for a spin in. For a Cessna 172, that would be Airplane Single-Engine Land. He or she would also need to have a current FAA medical certificate (the military physical, though perhaps more rigorous, is insufficient as I understand it), and a current biennial flight review (the military pilot could use a passing military instrument checkride as a BFR if it occurred within the previous 24 months, also in the FAR).
Good luck with your flight training, by the way!
Navy is more or less the same as AF. Upon getting “winged” you need to pass the written FAA exam, and they accept your final Navy checkride as equivalent to an FAA check ride. You get your commercial instrument ticket along with a single engine land rating, and either a multi-engine land rating or a helicopter rating. I’m not sure if the jet guys still get the multi-engine rating. I think it depends on what they flew in the training command.
When I wanted to take people flying, I typically had to do a check out with a pilot from whatever FBO I was trying to rent a plane from. Usually that consisted of “Oh you’re military?” followed by a single lap in the pattern and a thumbs-up.