logged hours in RL

[halb]

you know just the other day I was thinking about the amount of hours we have logged in planes of choice in AH2 and then started wondering what kind of hours in RL the pilots were logging during the war.  does anyone know what these guys were logging?  how many hours did they have before deployment (training time) and without sounding morbid what was the life expectancy of a fighter or bomber pilot, etc?  
over,
halb

[CAP1]

Originally posted by halb
you know just the other day I was thinking about the amount of hours we have logged in planes of choice in AH2 and then started wondering what kind of hours in RL the pilots were logging during the war.  does anyone know what these guys were logging?  how many hours did they have before deployment (training time) and without sounding morbid what was the life expectancy of a fighter or bomber pilot, etc?  
over,
halb

i had read a lot that american pilots were sent into combat with around 500-600 hours......i think some raf pilots were up with as few as 400...i don't know how intense their training was either.....
as for life expectancy......i don't know....but i'm sure someone here might have an idea.......

<>

[Ack-Ack]

I don't think there is a real P-38 driver that has logged more hours that I have in the virtual Lightning.


ack-ack

[Saxman]

Average life expectancy was generally only a few missions.

[BlauK]

Originally posted by Ack-Ack
I don't think there is a real P-38 driver that has logged more hours that I have in the virtual Lightning.


ack-ack

But do we have any virtual Lightning pilot who is still virtually alive?
If so, how many hours have they logged so far?

[Lusche]

Originally posted by halb
 how many hours did they have before deployment (training time)

At the beginning of 1944, a new transferred German fighter pilot had usually about 160h training flight time. Only a part of it in actual fighter planes, of course.
After horrendous losses inflicted by the American escort fighters in spring 1944 (and ever dwindling allocations of fuel), new pilots had app. 112h flight time (2h gliders, 50h on light training planes, 50h in fighter school (mostly adnvanced trainers & old fighter models), and 20h at a frontline training squadron.
With less and less fuel even that numbers were gradually reduced.

[BaldEagl]

I don't know but sometimes I feel like I've logged a few too many hours in real life.  

[BMathis]

My grandfather (Mom's Dad) Denver C. Lamp had nearly 500 Combat hours.

He flew in both Theaters. B24s and 25s over Europe flying out of North Africa and Sicily. And A-26s in the Pacific (From Okinawa ---> Japan).
We actually have gunsight picture footage from an A-26 night raid into Japan. You can see the tracers... Just crazy he made it out alive.
Pa.

My Dad's Dad, Bruce Mathis was a trainer for bomber-navigators and bomber pilots in Hondo Tx. He had nearly 5, 000 hrs before being discharged from the Army Air Corp (Air Force). Said he flew "every day, all day."

Bruce!

Brandon

[Hawk78th]

 to those who flew in WWii---!


 Halb...here's a link that I thought was PERFECT for what you were asking.

 It's the   Spitfire "Ace" Google" video's... there are 4 parts ....so watch all four.
 You'll see a very Rare Tandom seat Spitfire, flow by the owner. .......SHE's  Quite the Aviator.

 Quite a story... and who wouldn't want to be in this " Noob" who actually flew the Spitfire


 Spit Fire Ace

[Guppy35]

I have the logbook of a wartime RCAF Spitfire pilot.  He went to his first Squadron and had his first flight December 9, 1941

He had 208 total flight hours when he left 53 OTU and became operational.  Of those 208 hours, 143 were solo hours and 66 of them were in Spitfires.

His last WW2 Operational flight was August 16, 1944 in a Spitfire IX.  He was sent back to Canada at that point having been overseas roughly 3 years.

His total flight hours when he was sent home to instruct on Harvards were 895.45 hours.

His operational hours were 329.35

Of his flight time he had:

133.40 hours on Hurricane Is
1 hour in a Hurricane IIb
42.35 hours in Spitfire Is
31 hours in Spitfire IIs
24 hours in Spitfire Vbs
28 hours in Spitfire IXs
249 hours in Spitfire XIIs
180 hours in Spitfire XIVs


I figure his totals would be fairly typical for a wartime Spit driver.

[zorstorer]

That is an awesome find dan for letting us in on that

[DamnedRen]

1,000 hours domestic or 1,200 hours international

[P47Gra]

Grandpops Log book consisted of 400 hours actual combat time.  Left service with 1500 total hours.  Never touched an airplane until he was 70 when I first recieved my Commercial Pilot Rating.  Didnt take him long before he was doing split S's in the RV.

JUGMAN

[SteffK]

Check this link out...

Some went into combat after just 10 hours of solo flying and without ever having fired their guns.

Scares the Cr4p out of you!!!

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by SteffK
Check this link out...

Some went into combat after just 10 hours of solo flying and without ever having fired their guns.

Scares the Cr4p out of you!!!

A bit misleading in that this is in reference to some of the pilots who were hurridly trained and joined squadrons in the Fall of 40.  Johnnie Johnson went to his first squadron about that time and had 19 hours on Spits if I recall.  Much like the LW later in the war, the RAF was needing pilots in the cockpit as at that point there was no tomorrow if they lost.

Of course the Poles, Czechs, Norwegians etc also were going operational and had more time

So yes guys went into combat with few hours, but keep it in context of the entire B of B.