Originally Posted by FDXFLYR

I haven't looked into it for years now, but a while ago the Maryland State Police hired civilian helicopter pilots to operate their fleet of dauphin helos. They were crewed with an EMT (maybe paramedic)-qualified, road-experienced trooper as their partner. The stated reason they hired non-cop pilots was that they wanted the pilot to focus on flying, not what's going on below citing some accidents years ago in which cops-turned-pilots flew into immoveable objects (towers, guide wires) because they were focused on the ground activity they were supporting.

Not sure if they still do that or if it's a good gig, but it might be something to consider. I believe they have fixed-wing aircraft as well, though I don't know if they use non-cop pilots for them.