Originally Posted by
StandardBrief
The company minimums are not to be confused with the contract minimums. DCMA 8210 dictates the bare minimums. L3 has been holding the the most lucrative ISR contract for years and will not likely risk losing it by hiring PICs with the bare minimum of hours in case something happens. In my opinion, L3's contract is the most demanding and involved form of ISR for the pilots (the pilots who care anyways). There is a lot of responsibility for someone hired directly to a PIC position and chief pilots will not hesitate to send someone home who can't make the grade through training.
I agree we want the best most experienced PICs for a critical mission such as this. Not at all like say flying boxes to an outstation and back 5 days a week rinse and repeat. If I were hiring for these companies I would like to have a line out the door of 5000 hour pilots with 1000 in type with multiple deployments to choose from. That said if ever there was an industry subject to the laws of supply and demand it's aviation. Like being a deployed "10" and back to my real world "5" (in the aviation world maybe)
Realistically a lot of us wouldn't have even been looked at a few years ago. We should rightfully expect to start as an SIC make the training and learn from the guy in the left seat. Then and only then take over as PIC. Having been that guy on the ground this pilot DOES care.