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Movin' on up!

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Posts
187
Anybody know of any companies in the Pacific Northwest that will be looking to hire pilots for this fire season?
 
You can see my qualifications right here. I have a 7 on 7 off schedule which can be worked around. I know the money can be good during the fire season.
 
A guy at our company usually takes three months and goes and flys the fires. Itd be something I'd like to try next summer/fall.

Avbug from what I've seen 2500 and 1000 multi get you to minimums for some companies, or is it more connection based?
 
Go to www.airtanker.com or find an operator who is looking for air attack pilots. Dyn-Corp flys OV-10 and S2T's for the CDF but those seats are hard to come by and you'd have to be available for about 6 months out of the year...a 7n7 might not cut it. Commander Northwest out of Wenatchee hires air attacks.

Rewarding work tho...lot's of fun. You could also try Leading Edge/ERA for smokejumper ops.

Eric
 
Last edited:
Leading Edge/ERA.....I have heard about them but can't find info on the internet. Any suggestions? Lostdog65, thanks for the info.
 
I'm based in Bend, OR. Relief work would be great. That's probably closer to what I am looking for. I can commute to work anywhere in the West.
 
movin....I'll try to get that address for you when I get home tonight...I'll pm you when I find it.

Eric
 
Leading edge and Era hire experienced otter drivers that are usually already OAS carded. Kickin' cargo at 100 ft in the mountains is not a weekend job. It takes a few seasons in the right seat to do it. Commander NW is a great company and I urge you to try for a relief slot. However, your other 135 job does pose a slight problem. Fire contracts require 2 days off in any 14 days. Typically we work 12 on/ 2 off. Your travel days "commuting" count as days worked...so you'd have to really watch meeting both jobs required days off. Since these operators are seasonal, they can't afford to loose a contract because a pilot is in violation of his rest requirements.
 
moving2vegas....Thanks for the info. I talked to the DO for Commander NW yesterday and he askedme to send him a resume. Relief pilot would be better for me...I really work a 6on/8off-8on/60ff shift rotation, so I can work things out to have time off. Do you work for Commander NW?
 
B y the way, anyone have the phone number or address to Leading Edge and ERA?
 
Movin' on up! said:
moving2vegas....Thanks for the info. I talked to the DO for Commander NW yesterday and he askedme to send him a resume. Relief pilot would be better for me...I really work a 6on/8off-8on/60ff shift rotation, so I can work things out to have time off. Do you work for Commander NW?
Click to expand...


No...I work for another air attack operator. However, fire is a small family and I get to work with everyone at some point in time. I know commander NW is a quality operation that I wouldn't hesitate working for.
 
Second that on Commander NW...good guys. I know I said I'd get ERA's stuff but I can't find it...I know it's here. I'll try to locate it this weekend and post it. Like Movin' said, they are looking for qualified Smokejumper pilots but SIC on a Twotter or Casa ain't bad.

Eric
 
Hey,
I am looking for seasonal work out in the Northwest. I will have nothing but time in the next month. Just wondering if they hire an Ex-Airline guy.
 
Yeah...me too. Art Trask has my resume and I'll start bugging him in February!

Eric
 
Lostdog, how much fire environment time do you have?

If you dont have any, chances are slim. I would suggest a fed AA seat.
 
DC4Boy...I did five years as a Leadplane pilot and Smokejumper pilot with USFS in RDD.

I think I qualify. :)

Eric
 
My dream job #3 is to fly OV-10 for CDF or Forest Service. Who do I have to kill to get on with them?
 
Its a not a problem if dream job#1 is to be well paid semi-retiree who spends all day being a husband and parent for his wife and kids. Job # 2 is to fly around the world actually helping people who are starving and dying. Job#3 is to fly OV10s for CDF or Forest Service. Job#4 is my actual job. Job#5 is to #1-10 seniority wise at Southwest and do Job#1, maybe 2 and 3. Priorities, my friends, its all about priorities. So...since the first 2 and number 5 are kinda out of my reach right now, and I actually have #4, #3 is my goal.
 
You should probably stick with chasing the Southwest dream then. Aerial firefighting is one of those jobs you really must have a serious desire to do. Its not like anything else out there. It Takes a certain kind of person and pilot to do it or you will kill yourself.

Besides, no one should aspire to fly the OV-10 for CDF. It should be looked upon as a stepping stone to get to an S-2, wich is my #1 dream job.


Cheers
 
Yeah Brad...formerly known as Lead 51.

Grumman Guy and movinonup...good luck in your dreams of being an airtanker captain. Great work, fun guys but the way the feds are messing with the program, it'll take a lot of patience to survive. I hope they can get their act together and realize what a worthwhile program LAT's are...and Lead's...and ASM...etc., etc.

And right now there is an unofficial hiring freeze at USFS. They failed to replace me or one other guy who retired out of FOX and put the kibosh on the two new hires for FOX. Until they hash out what kind of aerial supervision module they want for whatever kind of airtanker program they are going to have in the future, Leadplanes and ASM's may become rare.

CDF on the other hand has an active aerial supervision program (OV-10's) and tanker fleet (S2T's).

Then again...there's always SEAT's!

Eric
 
OV10's would be awesome. You probably don't see a lot of movement in those seats. How do you get a job flying smokejumpers?
 
I had applied for the lancaster openings last year but they cancelled the vacancies as far as I know.

This fire season I will sit out and flying boxes as a captain in the Shorts out of SBA, and will try to be back into things next year, hopefully there will be more certainly in the future of aerial firefighting by then, and if there isnt, well at least I will have a fair amount of multi engine turboprop , so I will be more qualified for other jobs if everything goes to crap again like may 2004.
 

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