Air Attack/Tanker, Helo Pilots

[avbug]

Probably the biggest issue there isn't the skills, but the willingness to work. We don't see that from certain expeience-backgrounds. Face it, if you were told you have to hand wash your boeing every night before you leave the airport, fly it without air conditioning, and fly it into the conditions that we do, for an indefinite period with little time off, no stability, and that you'll be living out of the back of the airplane for the next five or ten months with five to fifteen minutes notice at any time to go fly, how excited would you be? If it's a radial powered airplane, you'll get dirty, burned, cut, poked with safety wire, and while the days of flying all day and turning wrenches all night are gone, you'll still be carrying tools and getting dirty. Ever spent the evening or morning scrubbing thick burned-on oil and retardant off of a DC-4 or C-130, then hand polishing and/or waxing it yourself?

Try it some time, and then you'll start to get an understanding of why those who live a shirt-and-tie have-everyone-else-do-the-work-for-you background isn't really conducive to flying an air tanker. No slight on anybody, but it's the truth.

Warbird experience isn't much of a shoe-in, and won't help someone upgrade any faster. Especially with the limited movement in the industry.

Yes, former ag pilots are good tanker pilots.But for some their IFR skills are poor to non-existent and many have VFR only type ratings so when you have to fly that P-2V, P-3,DC-7 ,etc., several hundred miles away in IFR conditions it'll be very helpful to have an airline or military pilot on board. They're a known quantity.

I don't know where you came up with that, but one couldn't get carded for fire if that were true. VFR-only? Not hardly. Part of every season began in a simulator for me, and part of training was always instrument work. VFR-only in low vis in smoke and haze? Not hardly. My first tanker type ride was a very solid IFR ride to ATP standards (engine-out circling, etc), as well as on the job working demonstrations with drops, emergencies on the drops, and so forth.

Very solid VFR skills are an absolute must, and tankers seldom operate under IFR...except for very long empty repositioning flights. However, I can't recall ever being on a tanker dispatch where having an airline pilot on board would have been of any benifit in any way, shape, or form. Thanks for the chuckle.

 

[Ill Mitch]

On duty here in beautiful Fresno. Been comfortably busy..

Fly safe

Ah...Fresburg. If I see any Tanker looking dudes at the Subway across the street, I'll buy.

 

[avbug]

I was in Fresno for about three months on a fire, once. But fresno is always sort of an "I spent three months there, one day," sort of place. It was a long three months. Just before we got sent somewhere else, I had a day off, and rode the bicycle I kept in the airplane to a shooting range across town. On the way back in the dark I was standing on the pedals going through a light when the chain came off and I came off with it when my foot slipped. I went through the frame, the wheel bent, and I did a face plant in the intersection. A car from the right tried to press the light and ended up stopped with it's bumper over me. Not a soul stopped to do more than stare briefly, and as I couldn't get up, I dragged myself and the bike clear of the intersection to the sidewalk.

I was unable to ride the bike, and had to carry it the remaining three miles back to the tanker base, in a considerable amount of pain. What annoyed me most, however, was the indignance that the drivers there held out in the intersection, acting quite put out that they were being delayed by someone injured in the intersection. Honking, yelling, and pushing forward with a fair amount of disregard, I had the distinct impression they'd have probably run over me if I hadn't dragged myself clear, quick enough.

 

[inline]

An Airline pilot would'nt make it past the first fire or two. Been proven....


Shall I go on?????

You do not know from wich you speak, so STFU!!!

There are lots of airline pilots flying tankers. And they do a good job.

 

[DC4boy]

Name One....

 

[avbug]

He's right. There are a few. But not "lots." Most don't make it.

 

[DC4boy]

I can think of two, and both have long paper trails.


On the other hand, I can think of a coulpe tanker pilots who have made a successful career out of the airlines.

Inline's statement was both ignorant and arogant.

 

[psysicx]

How many tanker units are there left since the forest service shut them down for awhile?

 

[avbug]

To which "tanker units" do you refer? All air tankers, multi engine air tankers, single engine air tankers, helitankers, tanker bases, government agencies fielding or contracting tankers, tanker companies, or pilots who get tanked?

 

[TDTURBO]

I was in Fresno for about three months on a fire, once. But fresno is always sort of an "I spent three months there, one day," sort of place. It was a long three months. Just before we got sent somewhere else, I had a day off, and rode the bicycle I kept in the airplane to a shooting range across town. On the way back in the dark I was standing on the pedals going through a light when the chain came off and I came off with it when my foot slipped. I went through the frame, the wheel bent, and I did a face plant in the intersection. A car from the right tried to press the light and ended up stopped with it's bumper over me. Not a soul stopped to do more than stare briefly, and as I couldn't get up, I dragged myself and the bike clear of the intersection to the sidewalk.

I was unable to ride the bike, and had to carry it the remaining three miles back to the tanker base, in a considerable amount of pain. What annoyed me most, however, was the indignance that the drivers there held out in the intersection, acting quite put out that they were being delayed by someone injured in the intersection. Honking, yelling, and pushing forward with a fair amount of disregard, I had the distinct impression they'd have probably run over me if I hadn't dragged myself clear, quick enough.

That's just one of a hundred reasons I hate California and NewYork, give me the midwest anyday.

 

[jbDC9]

You do not know from which you speak, so STFU!!!

Inline's statement was both ignorant and arrogant.

Umm, you're kidding, right? Your posts on this thread pretty much define the term arrogant.

 

[DC4boy]

Stating that an Airtanker pilot would'nt get past the first sim session is a pretty bold, arrogant statement.

Correct me if I'm wrong, and no I'm not kidding.

 

[Grumman guy]

you can take any tanker pilot and turn them into an airline pilot, the reverse would not be so !

 

[psysicx]

I guess I should have said when did they let tankers start flying again. I thought the forest service got rid of them. Did they realize that there a need for them. And do they have aircraft that are flown single pilot?

 

[avbug]

Certain heavy tanker operations were temporarily suspended (contracts illegally cancelled), and two types are no longer flying in service in the US. The C-130 and the PB4Y are not returning. Presently on federal contracts, P-3's and P2V's are flying, and certain douglas products are covering some state contracts, as well as CL-215's, and California is flying S-2's.

Single engine and helitanker contracts were never affected.

CDF operations (California) have single pilot operations, and SEAT (single engine air tanker platforms...Dromaders, Air Tractor's, and Thrush's) operate single pilot.

As for the tangent(s) to which this thread has digressed...why does the issue need to be an ego one? Positions aren't available, and the question was posed quite simply as to what backgrounds are most conducive to obtaining employment. The question was answered, and further detailed that employment presently is not possible...why do folks need to get their dander in an uproar?