Are they still hiring direct into Aguadilla?

What are the chances of getting to JAX on the P3 eventually?

I applied with what I hope is a competitive resume. 6,000 total time, 2,000+ TPIC, leadership positions. What’s the normal frame of time it takes to hear back?

From what I've been told, the P3 positions are given to those with prior Navy P3 time or other heavy military time. Also to those that have friends currently flying P3s. Not really much of a chance getting the P3 anytime within your first couple years at CBP AMO.

It sounds like most fixed-wing new hires are being sent to fly UAS. You get to fly a C206 occasionally to maintain currency, but otherwise you're flying the MQ9. Transfers take 3-5 years, and even then it can be tough to get a king air spot.

If you want to fly an actual airplane your best bet is PR on the -8s and king airs down in Aguadilla. If you have rotor time you might be able to get a location where you can fly both FW and RW.

TLDR; if you only have a fixed-wing cert, you're pretty much going to be flying drones.

OMG over 5800 views to this thread in a week! Things must be getting fugly out there. To all applying, don't get so wrapped up with your specific quals and think HQ will match them to a location. You could have a gazillion rotor hours with no airplane tickets and still fly the pred! The 5 or so garden spots are where 90 plus % of where the newhires will go. Yes, it is possible to be redirected at the last minute to another location not listed but very unlikely. Apply, stay the course and see what is offered. Good luck!

Thanks for the replies... I keep reading mixed info. Is Aguadilla still being assigned to new hires?

from a recruiter:

Duty Locations:

Fixed wing applicants are currently being offered - Sierra Vista, AZ, Laredo, TX, San Angelo, TX
Dual Rated and Rotor wing applicants are currently being offered - El Paso, TX, Laredo, TX, San Angelo, TX, Sierra Vista, AZ, Yuma, AZ

Note: The final location preference will be gathered following the polygraph and confirmed after the flight assessment. Due to the extremely high influx of applicants, and the disruptions of COVID, we are unable to provide a single location selection at this time.

Note - I am an applicant so others might have more data. I just had a conference call they do for applicants yesterday.

As far as qualifications - the recruiter told me a month or so ago if you meet the basic qualifications, you're in. No worries about trying to be more competitive. Aguadilla is not available for the remainder of the FY since they don't have money to move people there. You have to have the "I'm just happy to be here" mindset. They told me since I'm typed in the UH60 with PC time, plus ASEL and AMEL, I have more options, but most airplane only guys are going to the UAS. Who knows though. We could get down to selection day and all they have are UAS locations. Unlikely, but possible. I'd still take the job.

Off the wall question, how does CBP: AMO view seniority? I've heard plenty of stories about highly qualified aviators applying vs. low time guys, does it matter who comes aboard first? Say 3 or so years down the road and an opportunity arises and Person A has 3 years of service, low hours and Person B has 1 year of service but high hours and assuming all other aspects are somewhat similar, who gets the slot? How do Directors go about it?

Kind of a food for thought thing because if it is based on experience and not seniority, if you're a low time dude, I feel like there won't ever be the availability to transfer out of UAS.

Diver can chime in here also, but the answer is really all of the above. Time, skill set, reputation, politics all play a role. I don’t want to say good ole boy network because the current leadership, in my view, has done a good job of leveling the field to the extent possible. But relationships certainly matter. AMO is an extremely small, tight knit community. Everyone knows or knows of everyone else after just a few years in. It’s not the 121 seniority system, or the military. AMO is definitely unique.

AMO doesn't really consider seniority. There are no seniority numbers like in the airlines, so generally speaking your AMO reputation will be more important than who came onboard first. This is a small organization within CBP and DHS so read into what you will.

No one expects you to stay at your initial "new hire" location. So I'll add one more word of advice. Once you're a mission-qualified pilot at your first duty location and you decide you want to put in for a transfer, do yourself a favor and visit the branch/unit you would like to transfer to. 1) a face to the resume and application goes a long ways, 2) learn about their mission (each location is different), and finally 3) make sure you could see yourself working there/living there for a few years.

Good luck.

If you guys know any P-3 drivers in Jax please PM me.