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Military pilots in fire fighting
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414Flyer
Down with Chemtrails!
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If you happen to have a large chunk of change sitting around, and time to set up 135 certificate and buy airplanes/helos, train pilots....sure
But do you really want to gamble a large sum of money on the whims of USFS/BLM? If you already had a 135 cert, airplanes, and pilots, that is one thing, but I certainly wouldnt go trying to set that up in hopes of getting fire work
But do you really want to gamble a large sum of money on the whims of USFS/BLM? If you already had a 135 cert, airplanes, and pilots, that is one thing, but I certainly wouldnt go trying to set that up in hopes of getting fire work
The federal government ran out of money this last fire season, with a lot of resources either unused, or severely cut back. I've received several budget proposals and prognostics for next year, and it doesn't look good.
A helicopter operator might have a chance. If you're looking to start a fixed wing operation, I'd say don't bother.
Either way, you really ought to get some fire experience working for someone else before you try breaking into the business.
A helicopter operator might have a chance. If you're looking to start a fixed wing operation, I'd say don't bother.
Either way, you really ought to get some fire experience working for someone else before you try breaking into the business.
Either or both, depending on for whom you work. The pay scale can be complicated. As an example, I flew an Air Tractor AT-802A Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) for one contract, and had daily availability pay, hourly pay, daily per diem, extended availability (overtime past nine hours), mileage, and maintenance pay (when performing aircraft maintenance).
Where it gets more complicated, especially for planning purposes, is determining the number of days you'll work, the number of hours you'll fly, the amount of extended availability you'll get, or where you'll be for the perdiem, which can vary considerably. None of these things can be predicted. I've had years that lasted ten months without coming home, and others where the season went a grand fifteen days before coming to a grinding halt. I've flown as little as 30 hours in a year, and had weeks when it snowed, or we sat in heavy rain, with no extended availability.
The pay varies widely too, between aircraft, employers, and one's own background and skill level (and certification), as well as what one is able to negotiate with the employer. A typical average starting wage (for an experienced pilot) for the first seasonw with a SEAT operation would be something like 375.00 daily, plus 375.00 per flight hour, plus 44.00 per hour each day after nine hours on duty (up to 14 hours max duty daily, so a potential of 5 hours extended availability), plus between 99 and 180 daily per diem, plus various wages for mx performed on the side and other duties, typically about twenty five bucks an hour or so. Mileage applies more to relief pilots who get an hourly rate enroute to do relief, plus mileage on the way, typically about 50 cents a mile, I think.
Bear in mind that I've seen operators in the same type aircraft pay as low as one fifty a day and one fifty a flight hour, and some pay more than what's cited above. These are only examples.
Heavy tanker wages vary considerably too. The best paid tankers in the industry presently are probably the CDF aircraft in California, making over six figures a season, and that includes the OV-10 platforms.
The flip side is you can spend ten years trying to find an available seat, and never get one...gettting employed in the industry is extremely difficult, and starting next year, willl probably only get more so as things scale back farther with more budget cuts, and fewer aircraft on the line.
Where it gets more complicated, especially for planning purposes, is determining the number of days you'll work, the number of hours you'll fly, the amount of extended availability you'll get, or where you'll be for the perdiem, which can vary considerably. None of these things can be predicted. I've had years that lasted ten months without coming home, and others where the season went a grand fifteen days before coming to a grinding halt. I've flown as little as 30 hours in a year, and had weeks when it snowed, or we sat in heavy rain, with no extended availability.
The pay varies widely too, between aircraft, employers, and one's own background and skill level (and certification), as well as what one is able to negotiate with the employer. A typical average starting wage (for an experienced pilot) for the first seasonw with a SEAT operation would be something like 375.00 daily, plus 375.00 per flight hour, plus 44.00 per hour each day after nine hours on duty (up to 14 hours max duty daily, so a potential of 5 hours extended availability), plus between 99 and 180 daily per diem, plus various wages for mx performed on the side and other duties, typically about twenty five bucks an hour or so. Mileage applies more to relief pilots who get an hourly rate enroute to do relief, plus mileage on the way, typically about 50 cents a mile, I think.
Bear in mind that I've seen operators in the same type aircraft pay as low as one fifty a day and one fifty a flight hour, and some pay more than what's cited above. These are only examples.
Heavy tanker wages vary considerably too. The best paid tankers in the industry presently are probably the CDF aircraft in California, making over six figures a season, and that includes the OV-10 platforms.
The flip side is you can spend ten years trying to find an available seat, and never get one...gettting employed in the industry is extremely difficult, and starting next year, willl probably only get more so as things scale back farther with more budget cuts, and fewer aircraft on the line.
I live in San Diego and there is an uproar about the lack of aircraft. That should be one thing that shouldn't be cut back. How many times do we have to go through these fires before they realize this. I don't know how people get any fixed wing flying jobs. They seem tough especially the SEAT jobs. Flying an OV-10 would be awesome. Helos don't seem to tough. The reason about pay was I know ground crews make all there money on overtime. Thanks Avbug.
"Helos don't seem to tough."
Have you ever thought about where the "Helo" is working? If anything slightly goes askew while working the side of a mountain side, above a scene which looks like Hell you don't come back. Lets say he crashes and survives the impact. He only has 7000' more feet to roll thru burning tree's. Sounds pretty reassuring dosn't it?
Helo work is dangerous, very dangerous. No room for anything to go wrong hour after hour after hour.
All tanker work, Seat's, Heavy, and Helo's is dangerous, probably the most dangerous work around in a aircraft, besides doing aircraft carrier ldg's in bad wx day after day, night after night.
Have you ever thought about where the "Helo" is working? If anything slightly goes askew while working the side of a mountain side, above a scene which looks like Hell you don't come back. Lets say he crashes and survives the impact. He only has 7000' more feet to roll thru burning tree's. Sounds pretty reassuring dosn't it?
Helo work is dangerous, very dangerous. No room for anything to go wrong hour after hour after hour.
All tanker work, Seat's, Heavy, and Helo's is dangerous, probably the most dangerous work around in a aircraft, besides doing aircraft carrier ldg's in bad wx day after day, night after night.
There was never a lack of aircraft for those fires; there was wind in excess of the limitations of the aircraft.
What you have is the usual california whining and winging. People put their lives on the line to what they did, and as always, it's never good enough.
What about all the idiots who let the brush grow up under their redwood decks, elected not to have defensible space around their homes, and didn't build in preparation for the fires that are inevitable throughout Region 5 (southern california)?
Same crying and whining that we hear every year. Nobody is satisifed until pilots start dying, then they complain that it wasn't safe enough.
What you have is the usual california whining and winging. People put their lives on the line to what they did, and as always, it's never good enough.
What about all the idiots who let the brush grow up under their redwood decks, elected not to have defensible space around their homes, and didn't build in preparation for the fires that are inevitable throughout Region 5 (southern california)?
Same crying and whining that we hear every year. Nobody is satisifed until pilots start dying, then they complain that it wasn't safe enough.
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