What Age Did You Hit 10 000hrs?

[FO Gyro]

Just out of curiosity, was just wondering, not that grand total hours are too important at this stage, what age most of you hit 10 000hrs grand total.

Please be honest in giving your age (in years and months) when you hit the 5 digits. It might mean digging out your logbook to check.
It would be interesting to find out what the youngest age is for anyone on this forum to hit the 10 000 figure.

Just for fun, how about a little competition here for the youngest to reach the 10k figure?
:D :D :D

[Q4NVS]

At 01:12am, with 4 Goldbars on each shoulder, sleeping in the Crew Bunk while cruising @ M0.78... ;)

Nope, that wasn't me :=

[CJ750]

This all depends as the previous reply implies, whether these are 10 000 hours flying or :E "bunking":E (Overseas Routes / Long Haul). There is a big difference. I would also like to know how many take-off's and landings some aviators have done if they have scored 10 000 hours or more by "bunking". Is "bunking " really flying.........that is the question.:}

[Solid Rust Twotter]

CJ750

After a certain point I don't think the hours really matter. It's more about types and experience. The guy logging hours while bunking probably doesn't need them and doesn't give a rat's arse in any case.

About halfway there myself and never had an aviation job working inside SA except for the odd freelance night freight trip. Everything else has been external contracts.

[FO Gyro]

Maybe sectors should be counted as well?

It's always been a contentious issue: how can a long haul pilot log hours when a third of the time is normally in the bunk? In fact, how can you log hours when the autopilot is on, and on a very quiet route, you only make a radio call every 30 minutes, or even no radio calls if the aircraft is fitted with FANS. Where does it all end when you should or shouldn't log hours? I have 500 hours on microlights and gyroplanes. I would say in terms of hand on polling, and the time at the controls, those hours are equivalent to maybe 5000 hours in an airline environment, using a quick calculation.

Getting back to my poll, where are all the 10k guys out there, or aren't there any?

[forkingfishing]

I think most of the guys/gals with 10k plus hours dont waste their time on this forum, because they already have good jobs, heard all of the moaning and negative comments somewhere before the www was around and are probably playing golf or enjoying spending time with their kids after long trips away.

Dont worry, if you carry on you'l too get their someday.:ok:

[Romeo E.T.]

I think most of the guys/gals with 10k plus hours dont waste their time on this forum, because they already have good jobs,

Not so....................:= := := :=

OK.. so much negative comments and no posting to the topic, I'll step up!

10K on the 25th Jan 2003 (also the same day that the first "big Airbus" 'worshond' for SAA arrived and made an earthquake landing)

Age 39 years and 4 months +/-

[FO Gyro]

Romeo E.T. thanks for starting off. Looks like a lot of the more guys with fewer hours prefer to moan and complain more. Why all the negativity? You guys are in a privileged position to be flying, no matter where you are. Every day we defy gravity. That in itself is magic, and should inspire you to have a positive attitude.

[Rude Boy]

How about 10 000 sectors? That might seem more satisfactory for those concerned about relative work done per hour flown. We may all be surprised at how many (or few) pilots have hit this milestone.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Just a question for FO Gyro:

Do you have family connections in SAA or were you an AA candidate? You seem very chirpy and by inference, quite young to have attained your current position. Most folks on here would like to be employed by SAA or one of the other airlines but as circumstances make that difficult we spend our time in the less savoury side of the business. If we appear to be somewhat less than enthusiastic about living in a third world hole somewhere while subsidising your generous package, please don't let it bring you down....:E

[FO Gyro]

No SRT, I did it the hard way, borrowing money to do my Com, washing aeroplanes for the boss, and was a delivery boy before I was allowed to do any flying (this with a Com and twin rating). I most certainly didn't get any help getting into SAA, took me 3 interviews, like quite a few folk out there, and by then I had quite a bit of jet time, so I didn't just scrape my way in. I know it seems impossible getting into SAA now though.

There seems to be a form of bitterness and sarcasm on this forum for those that have been lucky and had a few lucky breaks along the way. I try to place a posting about when the guys out there reached the 10k mark, and all I get is poor wit and jealousy! How about answering the question I put out there.

Maybe the one post was right that all those that have high hours, coundn't be bothered using forums like this where personal attacks seem to be the order of the day.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

You'll notice I did answer the question. Not there yet but slogging away. Probably got more than 10000 sectors if you take glider tugging, paradropping and short sectors in the bush (up to 17 in a day) into account.

Hope springs eternal for that airline job one day....:ok:

[FO Gyro]

Also hope you get that break one day.

Just hang in there and enjoy the real flying. Taking off, engaging the autopilot at 200 feet, flying for 12 hours, and then disconnecting the autopilot at 500 feet isn't real flying anymore. That's why I fly gyroplanes in my spare time. Got to still do the real flying thing....

[Ketek400]

If you don''t have 10 000hrs then do not comment. The person who started the topic asked a simple question. This could be very interesting! I only have 4200 so still looking forward to the 10K.

[FO Gyro]

I agree. Just answer the question, without all the sarcasm.

When I look at my age vs. hours, and I look at how many hours a lot of the old toppies have at SAA before they retire, I reckon I will have many more than them (not that it really means anything, except for the fact that we work a lot harder now than they did when they were halfway to a third through their career). Some retiring Captains have 22-25000 hours. I reckon I'll maybe hit 30 000. Admittedly, a lot of them sat in the SAAF leaving there after 10 years with only 1000 odd hours. Civilan pilots working hard do that in a year and a half or so.

[forkingfishing]

hey at least the ball is rolling now, 10k March 12 2004, 35 back then.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

If you don''t have 10 000hrs then do not comment....I only have 4200 so still looking forward to the 10K.

Eh?:confused:

[FO Gyro]

Looks like Forkingfishing takes the lead! Anyone else?

[ByAirMail]

This is an old topic of debate. Personally I like to count sectors. Bunk time is worthless. Some guys would remember the heated debates in the bar in Grooties and Ondangwa........Vlammies, Transport and Chopper Jocks all in one bar. Vlammies do 15 hours a month @ Mach+. Herc and Transall 80 hours @300kts a month. Choppers hand and feet low level N.V.G. Bosbok and Kudu single man cockpit load etc......

Just remember that when you go for that all important sim. check ride with the new company they want to see you perform as per your logbook, so cheat yourself to the low side and fly to the high side.

Being more productive, definately, Ask the old Capt. about trips to Aus. in the early '80s. Something like a 10 day trip, with only one Sydney - Perth shuttle, the rest of the time was spend playing golf.

If I was recruiting hours would not be as important as "where and how" was the hours accumilated. What S.R.T is doing in Dark Africa is real hard work with many challenges and threats.

An instructor in the curcuit..hmm after a 1000 hours of B.U.M.P.F how steep is the experiance curve.......sorry of the subject of 10000 hours I guess.

[madherb]

Got to 10k at 49; about 7500 of those were chopper hours - took bloody ages. No more to come - 13k and that's it. I'll watch the action as SLF from now on.

Safe flying.

:):)

[tinpis]

How about 10000 flight attendants? :E

[Beta Light]

Now there is a challenge!

[prospector]

Why not go for 30,000hrs. I know of two people in my circle who have hit that number, neither of whom was involved in long haul airline work. One of them broke I believe seven aeroplanes on the way, but he died in his bed. The other still going.

[SIC]

You're welcome to my logbooks - I don't have the energy to count sectors, bunk time, autopilot time or trans pacific FANS ( dont do a thing for 10 hours) time. Lets rather discuss pay per hour - something most of us actually care about.:rolleyes:

First ever paid flying hour I got R 75 ( before tax )
Now I get about R 500 an hour as an FO for Intl Airline. Still not enough - guess it never will be!

[soggyboxers]

About a hundred years ago, just after my 100th birthday - well it feels like that anyway :{

[tinpis]

Who bothers keeping a log book?:uhoh:
Pay book is all yer need.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Got to keep a logbook so I can wave it at potential employers at interviews in hopes of getting a real job some day.

It's a pain in the nethers though, and losing a couple of hundred hours when my flight bag was nicked in your backyard didn't help either, Tinny....;)

[Rat Catcher]

10k on 1-6-2001 age 34
:cool:

[bianchi]

10K - 01-01-05 age 36 ,and it still means nothing !

[saywhat]

9789.3 hours to date, hope to make 10K by my 40th.

[Fah Kin Su Pah]

Heard of about 2 SAAF guys that's about 50 hrs away from the big 10k.
They both can't see any more, have only one leg, lost 3 fingers in their 4th marriage, can't breath without an oxygen machine replaced with nicotine, have about 17 children. 2 they know of and 1 they might know of.
They both have a combined age of 357, and hope to make 10k during the soccer world cup in 2010. And that's not just talking about money.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

CB is about six hours short of 10000 on C206s with a TT of 16000 odd. Anyone out there who owns one who'd be willing to let him eventually get there?:ok:

[Phone Wind]

Hours after a while mean nothing. Fixed wing long-haul pilots and helicopter pilots on the northern North Sea usually get a lot of hours, but most of them are just sitting there monitoring the autopilot or FMS on long boring legs. Fixed wing short haul pilots and helicopter pilots on long-line, logging and shuttle operations, on the other hand get lots of stick time and sectors. Guys in Nigeria in Escravos regularly fly more than 500 sectors a month in aircraft with no autopilot. It's handling time, not hours that matter IMO.