Army Army Flight surgeon course - private pilot’s license

[turkish]

Does any part of the flight surgeon course count towards earning a private pilot’s license? I’d assume the physical would, but wondering about the didactic and/or “stick time”.

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[deleted480308]

Army course doesn’t have stick time really

 

[Cooperd0g]

The FAA will only count a military flight physical as a 3rd class for designated pilots. Not for flight officers, air crew, flight surgeons, student pilots, etc.

 

[TheGoose]

I had some legit stick time in the simulator. About an hour or two. Giddy up

 

[Cooperd0g]

I think “legit stick time in the simulator” is an oxymoron. Correction: “legit stick time in the simulator” is an oxymoron.

 

[flightdoc09]

Can't speak for the Army course, but I know the Navy course (which has much more/actual stick time) doesn't count towards a private license. If the ground classes are anything like the Navy's, you will likely get lots of information about weather, ATC, different classes of air space, aerodynamics, etc., that'll be useful in getting a private license, but won't actually count towards anything.

 

[DeadCactus]

Not a single minute. You'll get good some good information on aerospace medicine and a lot more on how to fill out forms. Flight exposure is minimal and largely to familiarize you with the concepts than to teach you how to fly.

 

[Cooperd0g]

Can't speak for the Army course, but I know the Navy course (which has much more/actual stick time) doesn't count towards a private license. If the ground classes are anything like the Navy's, you will likely get lots of information about weather, ATC, different classes of air space, aerodynamics, etc., that'll be useful in getting a private license, but won't actually count towards anything.

This isn't accurate for counting flight time. If you have a legitimate student pilot's license and your instructor is a CFI then you can count the time as under instruction time in your civilian log book. If you are already a licensed civilian pilot then you can just count it as SIC time in your civilian log book.

 

[TheGoose]

I think “legit stick time in the simulator” is an oxymoron. Correction: “legit stick time in the simulator” is an oxymoron.

I guess the sarcasm font didnt jump out

 

[Cooperd0g]

I guess the sarcasm font didnt jump out

Ha ha, sorry, I’ve met too many flight docs where that would not have been sarcasm.

 

[d2305]

They had the option to solo in the Navy, but not anymore.

 

[flightdoc09]

This isn't accurate for counting flight time. If you have a legitimate student pilot's license and your instructor is a CFI then you can count the time as under instruction time in your civilian log book. If you are already a licensed civilian pilot then you can just count it as SIC time in your civilian log book.

Oh, yeah. Didn't think about that. But now that you mention it, I have heard of flight surgeons doing this at their squadrons. Haven't heard of it happening while at Pensacola, but that just must be because they haven't started their license yet.

They had the option to solo in the Navy, but not anymore.

Do you know when this ended? I think it was in the 70's/80's. I haven't met a single flight surgeon that remembers. I met one gentleman in his late 70's/early 80's at the O-Club in Pensacola who said he remembers flight surgeons soloing when he went through primary.

But they've been cutting back on our flight time more and more. I get why, but I've been able to use my time in the cockpit to know when pilots can fly and when they should be downed.

 

[Cooperd0g]

Oh, yeah. Didn't think about that. But now that you mention it, I have heard of flight surgeons doing this at their squadrons. Haven't heard of it happening while at Pensacola, but that just must be because they haven't started their license yet.

It does happen some in Pensacola. I am a civilian CFII and I would sign off on NFO students civilian log books if they were civilian student pilots or licensed pilots and I gave them stick time. Same for NFO instructors.

Do you know when this ended? I think it was in the 70's/80's. I haven't met a single flight surgeon that remembers. I met one gentleman in his late 70's/early 80's at the O-Club in Pensacola who said he remembers flight surgeons soloing when he went through primary.

But they've been cutting back on our flight time more and more. I get why, but I've been able to use my time in the cockpit to know when pilots can fly and when they should be downed.

I am not 100% certain, but I think flight surgeons soloing ended sometime in the late 90s or early 2000s. Up until 2016 flight surgeons vision standards were still that of Class I because of the solo requirement, but due to cutting out too many potential candidates and being low on flight surgeons, they have reverted to Class II standards.

 

[d2305]

I knew a aviation examiner type that wasn't a flight surgeon @ Millington in *95. His wife wouldn't let him fly, so I guess they were still flying then.