414Flyer
Down with Chemtrails!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2002
- Posts
- 4,948
Like others said, Air Attack is the best way to get into it. I would not however make any career decisions on trying to into USFS though as a lead plane pilot. USFS is pretty much clueless and have no direction on how they want their aviation side to be in the future, and they may just outsource it all.
10 years ago, it was not hard to get a USFS lead pilot job, they had more lead planes and it was not near as competitive as it is now, since so many major airlines were hiring. I know a guy who was hired in 97, he said he and 3 of his friends (all military) were hired with no interview. Now its more like 60+ resumes for an opening, and thats just if USFS doesnt just cancel the vacancies out of the blue.
As for the heavy airtankers, there are 1/3 the fleet there was in years past. I was hired as a copilot in 2004, then after a month in my dream job, USFS just cancelled all the contracts one afternoon. They knew for a while they were going to do it, but they didnt inform anyone else and let the companies put hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in the off season, getting their aircraft ready.
I would like to get back into fire at some point, but it is such a fickle industry, beholded to USFS and federal government, that I can not recommend that someone make career decisions based on trying to get into it for a career.
Now if you have a wife with a good paying job who doesnt mind you goofing off in the winter, and you are fine with just doing summer air attack, go for it.
10 years ago, it was not hard to get a USFS lead pilot job, they had more lead planes and it was not near as competitive as it is now, since so many major airlines were hiring. I know a guy who was hired in 97, he said he and 3 of his friends (all military) were hired with no interview. Now its more like 60+ resumes for an opening, and thats just if USFS doesnt just cancel the vacancies out of the blue.
As for the heavy airtankers, there are 1/3 the fleet there was in years past. I was hired as a copilot in 2004, then after a month in my dream job, USFS just cancelled all the contracts one afternoon. They knew for a while they were going to do it, but they didnt inform anyone else and let the companies put hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in the off season, getting their aircraft ready.
I would like to get back into fire at some point, but it is such a fickle industry, beholded to USFS and federal government, that I can not recommend that someone make career decisions based on trying to get into it for a career.
Now if you have a wife with a good paying job who doesnt mind you goofing off in the winter, and you are fine with just doing summer air attack, go for it.
