Originally Posted by
Thruster
He’s always offended. Just look at his post history, he chirps at everyone who has a question about air attack.
I'm not offended in the least. Were I offended, I'd have said so, because I'm very capable of speaking for myself, to say nothing of contributing to the subject. What have you contributed here?
Speaking from several decades of experience on the subject is not "chirping." Should you care to contribute the same, give it a shot. I'd love to hear it.
Originally Posted by
cashewchop
I merely asked why every govt fire pilot job had the requirements for 90 days on the line in wildlnd fire, and how to meet this requirement if you already were established in a pilot career. The answer from a current FS pilot recruiter was, "this was added in the 2000s because too pilots were coming here to get their "time" so they would qualify for the airlines, then leave".
I then asked how one could accomplish that while maintaining a full time pilot job.
Answer" well, any way you can to get that 90 days.
Options I threw out were, sign up for an entry-level wildland gig in the summer while you take a break from flying, get on with a FS contractor that does firefighting/ lead plane with aircraft, or volunteer at your local/dual vfd and hope you are available during a big fire so you can start counting the 90 days..... (College credits in wildland fire wouldn't meet this requirement)
These were all deemed to be acceptable by the recruiter.
You won't be able to find a leadplane position to gain experience, period. Those are open only to the specifics of the vacancy announcement. If the vacancy announcement calls for a specific value of wildland fire experience, then you must have it, and lead positions are primary firefighter jobs.
You can find air attack positions without fire experience, as these are typically the entry level positions, as previously stated, for firefighting. Those are a good place to get your toe wet. From smaller operators like Bridger Aerospace to larger operators like Ponderosa Aviation, they frequently have pilots that return year after year. There are other operators like Baker Aviation that have their own pilot and owner who has been in the business for decades, with tanker and other experience. Not a lot of turnover, but unless you're able to get a rare tanker position, then air attack is the best avenue for someone looking to get in. Air attack positions do not require 90 days of line firefighting experience; the 90 days is a federal requirement, unique to federal vacancy announcements. Air attack positions with private operators (contractors) require the minimum carding requirements, which are the equivalent of ATP minimums. The applicant must meet 135 requirements, must have mountain experience ("typical terrain"), and must have 25 hours in type (which is often obtained during training).
Air attack platforms orbit the fire at least 1,000' above other aircraft, and serve as airborne eyes in the sky, a communications platform, and typically carry a government employee or ex-employee called an "air attack" or ATGS (air tactical group supervisor), who has two decades or more of fire experience on the ground. The ATGS is the one that does the fire work over the fire; the pilot generally orbits and talks to ATC where appropriate. Most all else is handled by the ATGS. At times, when the fire gets busy, the pilot may become involved in coordinating airspace, talking to inbound or outbound tankers, news helicopters, fire helicopters, or other functions. The ATGS does everything else, and is the experienced firefighter on board.
For someone looking to enter aerial fire, a few seasons of air attack are a good introduction to how wildland firefighting works, from the air. A number of air tanker pilots have an air attack background, and there are a lot of air attack pilots out there who have been doing that same role for a long time, too.