South American Spraying?

[psysicx]

What kind of flight time do you need and how often do they hire.Do you rotate to the US ever?And do you have any links on it?

 

[moving2vegas]

What kind of flight time do you need and how often do they hire.Do you rotate to the US ever?And do you have any links on it?

When will people learn aviation is not about flight time, it's experience. East Inc and dyncorp look for experienced ag pilots, usually with a military background to do this work. "What kind of flight time do you need" since you won't list your qualifications, the answer is more than you have. Those guys have more time sleeping in their plane than most people on the board have flying. They almost never hire and when they do you won't hear about it. You do rotate out and they usually require you to speak spanish. As far as links, it's a covert paramilitary operation...good luck finding a bunch of info.

 

[psysicx]

How often do they hire non mil pilots?I bet its a tough place to get into.

 

[psysicx]

Okay after doing some research I found an ad for pilots from 1998.

SEATS/JOBS AVAILABLE
Highly experienced Ag pilots for year round positions. Based in Florida, will work in Central and South America. Qualifications: Commercial, Instrument, second class medical certificate. Must be proficient as a solo IFR pilot, with minimum 1500 hours of fixed wing ag time, 300 hours of which must be in turbine agricultural aircraft, 200 hours in the past 12 months. Spanish Required. A new, highly competitive, compensation package. Send resume to: EAST, Inc (Chuck Miller/Greg Smith) PO BOX 254302, Patrick AFB, FL 32925 (407) 783-9860, FAX: (407) 799-3933

 

[avbug]

Danger is where you find it. Folks in that program have been doing that work in various capacities for over 20 years. Don't believe everything you read in the cartoons. It's an ag job; it's crop dusting. It's also a state department program administering foriegn policy. It's not a covert paramilitary operation.

And once more, unless you missed the first few times, there are no openings. Thats no, as in none, nada, zero, nein.

Military is not preferred, ag is preferred, and very few military pilots have ag experience. Pilots there have very substantial ag experience. Preferred are pilots who have experience in mountainous terrain, and not a lot of folks have mountain ag experience, as it's mostly a flat land endevor. That narrows the field even more. Also required are ag pilots with mountain experience who have instrument skills; this narrows the field to a handfull of pilots...when screening does take place, it's the instrument checkride portion of the screening program that knocks most applicants out of the running.

Ag airplanes are unstable by nature, and the checkride is conducted in a conventional gear ag airplane in full gear. You cant' really trim up these airplanes, and you fly a full instrument checkride, as well as demonstrating dispensing operations.

Speaking spanish is a big plus...guess how many have mountain ag experience who fly instruments who speak spanish? Not too many.

Add to that a preference for non-citizens and other than blue passports. That really narrows the field, and makes for a multinational and multicultural collage at screenings for applicants.

All of which is beside the point, because one more time, there isn't any hiring in progress. The 1998 ad that was posted has changed considerably, is no longer published, and none of the numbers apply. It's a business where if you're wanted, you'll be contacted. The program selects you, not the other way around.

 

[avbug]

You've been reading too much fiction.

One a month? Not hardly. No longer using them? Not hardly? Using the A-10? Your friend is a "big wig?"

Apparently so.

The primary platform is the Air Tractor AT-802, modified.

You asked your friend if he would get you a job? Are you not the person who is terrified of low level flight, and who publically recently posted, repeatedly, over and over, that towing banners is dangerous? You, the person who fears towing banners, wanted a job in Colombia flying for INL?

Since you're so in tune with the program, for credibilities sake, where is the training being done?

While you're thinking about that one, why don't you post a link to one of those advertisements for A-10 pilots with crop dusting experience?

 

[troy]

So the program selects you, kinda like "Men in Black"!----Sweet!

 

[avbug]

Not exactly. It's a crop dusting job with few openings, and is not currently hiring. If that's "sweet" to you, so be it.

 

[moving2vegas]

I suppose the cartoons remark was aimed at me. Whatever. I've never seem an ad for any company hiring for this operation. My info came directly from the mouth of a dyncorp OV-10 pilot. As far as paramilitary...those pilots work directly with the US and colombian military including close helicopter gunship support. As you said, it's run by the DOS and (as you said) it's been running for over 20yrs. The CIA ran it back then. Doesn't get more paramilitary than that.

 

[414Flyer]

I have seen occasional ads in trade-a-plane for those positions. Yep, gunship support so they can immediately get your butt outta there if something bad happens.

A-10s? Never heard that either. I think its still OV-10s, they train at Patrick AFB I believe, I have seen the Ayres/AT training in ABQ before.