Encl. (1) to COMDTINST 3710.5A
DERIVATION OF AIRCRAFT EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS
1. Many terms used to define Aircraft Employment Standards are consistent with terms found in
the Abstract of Operations Reports Manual, COMDTINST M3127.7 (series). This Instruction
was developed with the idea of maintaining compatibility between the two.
2. Factors used to form the standards include training, logistics and maintenance requirements,
temporary additional duty (TAD), leave and liberty policy, and nature of intended deployment.
Currently the standards pertain to shipboard deployments of helicopters and Days Away from
Home Station (DAHS) for all aircraft. This Instruction will be updated, as these standards are
further refined.
3. The standards recognize several categories of aircraft based on their operational tasking: (1)
three-helicopter units assigned to a geographic area based on search and rescue (SAR) coverage
requirements, tasked to maintain a single continuous rapid response (B-0) capability; (2) four-
helicopter units assigned to a geographic area based on SAR coverage requirements, and tasked
with a single continuous rapid response (B-0); the fourth aircraft assigned to these units is
designated as a scheduled mission aircraft, capable of deploying for up to 200 days; (3) five-
helicopter units assigned to a geographic area based on SAR coverage requirements, and tasked
with a dual continuous rapid response capability (2xB-0); (4) seven helicopter units assigned to a
geographic area based on SAR coverage requirements, and tasked with a dual continuous rapid
response (2xB-0) capability; and (5) units resourced to support special mission requirements such
as Polar Operations Division (POPDIV) or Alaska Patrol (ALPAT). Variations of these categories
exist; units not included in one of the categories above are listed separately.
4. For helicopters, 10 DAHS per aircraft are calculated as a minimum to allow for land based
operations, ferry flights, aircraft broken away from home base or other operations away from
parent air station. For fixed wing aircraft, 30 DAHS are calculated for a three aircraft unit, with
an additional 200 days for units with one scheduled mission aircraft; 100 days each for
additional scheduled mission aircraft.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
1. Days Deployed Aboard Ship (DDAS). The number of days an aircraft is deployed aboard a
ship. Emphasis is placed on deployed aboard a ship where the helicopter is attached to the
cutter. Supporting the cutter from a land based facility, completing a shipboard touch and go
pattern, or even performing a shipboard refueling sequence do not, in themselves, constitute a
DDAS. When operational necessity requires that DDAS limits be exceeded, schedules in the
succeeding year should be decreased so that a unit's two-year DDAS average will not exceed
the limit.
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