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Originally Posted by Heath  Sweet! Where are you based? What airframes do you fly? Can you give us a typical "day in the life" of MikeD? I know its different at each base, but give us a feel for a typical work week at your base.
Any good gouge for the interview process?
Greatly appreciate any info you have to offer! |
Based in Tucson. Flying nothing right now since I'm an activated Reservist right now for the next 6 or so months. Coming back from that, I'll be in the Blackhawk.
A day in the life is showing up for your 8 hour shift. You do shift brief and prep for your local patrol flights, about 2 a day; or if you're not flying as pilot, you might be doing other duties. For example, the Citation guys will fly as co-pilot, AC if you're qualified, and/or radar operator in the back...again, if so qualified and depending on the day. Other guys who are CFIs (and this is at my base) and designated as instructors may go out in the C-210 and instruct the BP trainee pilots, who are building hours. Other guys will go out on sorties in the Citation for training or patrol flights. So depending on qualification, there are any number of things you can do.
The interview is at OK City at the training facility there. It consists of an oral board with about 4 IPs and an HR guy...a personal interview. The next board is one-on-one with one of the IPs and goes over aviation stuff...FARs, etc. Passing those, you go on to the flightline at Wiley Post airport for your flightcheck in either a C-210 or an A-star helo, depending on your quals. They're only looking for basic airmanship here, not how proficient you are in the particular airframe; primarily proficiency in contact and instruments; meaning for the 210, you'll take off, go to the practice area, perform a few contact maneuvers, then return to OKC for a couple of instrument approaches, and that's about it. Again, are you proficient at the flying, not necessarily at the particular airplane. Big thing to make sure you have is the 100 hrs in the past 12 months, which I don't think is a problem for most here.
UAV stuff....well, they're hiring for that too.