Firefighting pilot
06-10-2007, 07:24 PM
#1
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Oct 2005
Position: Trying not to crash
Posts: 1,260
Firefighting pilot
Just looking for ways to build multi time, and there is very little info regarding who to call for info on becoming a fire-bomber pilot. Anyone have any ideas where I can find good information? Thanks!
06-10-2007, 07:39 PM
#2
Line Holder
Joined APC: Dec 2006
Posts: 79
Originally Posted by detpilot
Just looking for ways to build multi time, and there is very little info regarding who to call for info on becoming a fire-bomber pilot. Anyone have any ideas where I can find good information? Thanks!
06-10-2007, 08:01 PM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Spartan
Posts: 3,652
Originally Posted by detpilot
Just looking for ways to build multi time, and there is very little info regarding who to call for info on becoming a fire-bomber pilot. Anyone have any ideas where I can find good information? Thanks!
06-11-2007, 06:15 AM
#4
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2006
Position: Back in school.
Posts: 580
Unless you have an inside rec I think it might be a stretch to get any multi time during your first year of air attack. Most attack pilots that I know start in Air Tractors, Thrushes, or some other similar ag application airframe. Check out youtube and watch some of the videos posted... unless you are juicing for some adrenaline you may want to reconsider. At the same time... great pay and the pilots are definitely pros at what they do.
06-12-2007, 09:51 PM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2007
Position: ERJ Right
Posts: 541
Greetings,
I work for the USFS in CA.
Are you looking to getting into being a tanker pilot? Or a cheap and quick way to build multi time?
If you are looking for the later, right seating on a tanker is not the way to go. For a few reasons:
1. You are flying as SIC, and even though you are qualified in the aircraft, very little of the time flying is spent as you being the sole manipulator of the controls aka PIC time.
2. You don't fly all that much, only 6 to 8 months a year and maybe only 50 hours a month. You spend a majority of the time sitting around waiting for fires to happen.
3. Most airline pilots, and almost all profefsional pilots have a home base. As a tanker pilot your home base is the USA, as fires burn you move from base to base living your entire summer out of suitcase and a motel. Depending on which contractor you work for you either get 1 or 2 days off a week and you end up in whatever city you were last flying a fire out of.
If you are looking to be a tanker pilot, then right seating according to all the Cal Fire S-2 and OV-10 pilots it is the best way to get into aerial fire fighting.
The pay of a right seater on a Fed tanker is more per season then you would make in a year working as a regional FO. hour reqs. are only like 800 TT and 100 Multi. The trick is getting in. Usually to get a job at one of the three major tanker contrats. Aero Union in Chico, CA, Neptune aviation in Misoula MT, and Minden Aviation in Minden, NV you gotta have an inside reference.
Another route to take is to fly air attack (Observer) for a USFS contractor. According to the pilots at my base, they say the minimums are nothing more then Part 135 1500 TT etc.
The pilots I have talked to love their job. But it takes a special person to live their entire life out of a suitcase and spend a majority of their time waiting for fires. If you have any other question's hit me up on AIM tjm83ths02
I work for the USFS in CA.
Are you looking to getting into being a tanker pilot? Or a cheap and quick way to build multi time?
If you are looking for the later, right seating on a tanker is not the way to go. For a few reasons:
1. You are flying as SIC, and even though you are qualified in the aircraft, very little of the time flying is spent as you being the sole manipulator of the controls aka PIC time.
2. You don't fly all that much, only 6 to 8 months a year and maybe only 50 hours a month. You spend a majority of the time sitting around waiting for fires to happen.
3. Most airline pilots, and almost all profefsional pilots have a home base. As a tanker pilot your home base is the USA, as fires burn you move from base to base living your entire summer out of suitcase and a motel. Depending on which contractor you work for you either get 1 or 2 days off a week and you end up in whatever city you were last flying a fire out of.
If you are looking to be a tanker pilot, then right seating according to all the Cal Fire S-2 and OV-10 pilots it is the best way to get into aerial fire fighting.
The pay of a right seater on a Fed tanker is more per season then you would make in a year working as a regional FO. hour reqs. are only like 800 TT and 100 Multi. The trick is getting in. Usually to get a job at one of the three major tanker contrats. Aero Union in Chico, CA, Neptune aviation in Misoula MT, and Minden Aviation in Minden, NV you gotta have an inside reference.
Another route to take is to fly air attack (Observer) for a USFS contractor. According to the pilots at my base, they say the minimums are nothing more then Part 135 1500 TT etc.
The pilots I have talked to love their job. But it takes a special person to live their entire life out of a suitcase and spend a majority of their time waiting for fires. If you have any other question's hit me up on AIM tjm83ths02
08-14-2007, 01:01 AM
#9
On Reserve
Joined APC: Jul 2007
Position: GIV backseat
Posts: 19
Originally Posted by 3GreenKSNA
Greetings,
I work for the USFS in CA.
Are you looking to getting into being a tanker pilot? Or a cheap and quick way to build multi time?
If you are looking for the later, right seating on a tanker is not the way to go. For a few reasons:
1. You are flying as SIC, and even though you are qualified in the aircraft, very little of the time flying is spent as you being the sole manipulator of the controls aka PIC time.
2. You don't fly all that much, only 6 to 8 months a year and maybe only 50 hours a month. You spend a majority of the time sitting around waiting for fires to happen.
3. Most airline pilots, and almost all profefsional pilots have a home base. As a tanker pilot your home base is the USA, as fires burn you move from base to base living your entire summer out of suitcase and a motel. Depending on which contractor you work for you either get 1 or 2 days off a week and you end up in whatever city you were last flying a fire out of.
If you are looking to be a tanker pilot, then right seating according to all the Cal Fire S-2 and OV-10 pilots it is the best way to get into aerial fire fighting.
The pay of a right seater on a Fed tanker is more per season then you would make in a year working as a regional FO. hour reqs. are only like 800 TT and 100 Multi. The trick is getting in. Usually to get a job at one of the three major tanker contrats. Aero Union in Chico, CA, Neptune aviation in Misoula MT, and Minden Aviation in Minden, NV you gotta have an inside reference.
Another route to take is to fly air attack (Observer) for a USFS contractor. According to the pilots at my base, they say the minimums are nothing more then Part 135 1500 TT etc.
The pilots I have talked to love their job. But it takes a special person to live their entire life out of a suitcase and spend a majority of their time waiting for fires. If you have any other question's hit me up on AIM tjm83ths02
I work for the USFS in CA.
Are you looking to getting into being a tanker pilot? Or a cheap and quick way to build multi time?
If you are looking for the later, right seating on a tanker is not the way to go. For a few reasons:
1. You are flying as SIC, and even though you are qualified in the aircraft, very little of the time flying is spent as you being the sole manipulator of the controls aka PIC time.
2. You don't fly all that much, only 6 to 8 months a year and maybe only 50 hours a month. You spend a majority of the time sitting around waiting for fires to happen.
3. Most airline pilots, and almost all profefsional pilots have a home base. As a tanker pilot your home base is the USA, as fires burn you move from base to base living your entire summer out of suitcase and a motel. Depending on which contractor you work for you either get 1 or 2 days off a week and you end up in whatever city you were last flying a fire out of.
If you are looking to be a tanker pilot, then right seating according to all the Cal Fire S-2 and OV-10 pilots it is the best way to get into aerial fire fighting.
The pay of a right seater on a Fed tanker is more per season then you would make in a year working as a regional FO. hour reqs. are only like 800 TT and 100 Multi. The trick is getting in. Usually to get a job at one of the three major tanker contrats. Aero Union in Chico, CA, Neptune aviation in Misoula MT, and Minden Aviation in Minden, NV you gotta have an inside reference.
Another route to take is to fly air attack (Observer) for a USFS contractor. According to the pilots at my base, they say the minimums are nothing more then Part 135 1500 TT etc.
The pilots I have talked to love their job. But it takes a special person to live their entire life out of a suitcase and spend a majority of their time waiting for fires. If you have any other question's hit me up on AIM tjm83ths02
08-24-2007, 09:44 AM
#10
New Hire
Joined APC: Dec 2006
Posts: 6
Is there a reference list out there for the companies mentioned above? Has anyone had any experience with jumping further North the Canada and working the Fre fighting season there?
Cannot find previous references but there are a few companies on that side of the border - not sure what it takes to acquire work permit to work on the other side of the border ...
Cannot find previous references but there are a few companies on that side of the border - not sure what it takes to acquire work permit to work on the other side of the border ...
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