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To: safisoft
Tanker and cargo aircraft pilots in particular will accumulate a high number of flight hours.

In addition, the calculations for flight time for military and civilians are different. Military flight time is usually from takeoff to landing while civilians add taxi and ground movement.

22 posted on 06/15/2026 5:58:10 PM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: T.B. Yoits

Some of that is true, but civilian pilots still fly many, many, more hours in a career.

The missions are not the same, but civilian pilots fly more consistently, more often, and have longer careers in the flight deck. I have 40+ years in the airline and trained both seasoned and new pilots at the airline. Currency is a key factor in how airline pilots have a superior safety record. We just do the job more.

Military pilots in general are motivated differently - they don’t get paid more for carrier progression like airline pilots do, so the incentive to fly “bigger” and “more often” isn’t there as much. I loved trining military pilots when they came to the airline because they quickly grasped that they could make a lot more money if they wanted to fly more.


29 posted on 06/15/2026 7:37:13 PM PDT by safisoft
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