U.S. Customs and Border Protection (AIA/AEO)

[if4not]

Anybody here an actively participating Guard/Reserve pilot? I've got a couple friends who are/were, and am getting different opinions on the difficulty of being an AIA and being a usefully contributing member of a squadron. I'm especially interested in input from any fighter guys, due to our currencies being based on a monthly sortie count instead of based on keeping currencies.

Is it CBP policy to be generous with time off for partcipation, or is it an office by office policy? Downtime would amount to 5ish days a month, with one or two of those days being on a weekend.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by if4not

Anybody here an actively participating Guard/Reserve pilot? I've got a couple friends who are/were, and am getting different opinions on the difficulty of being an AIA and being a usefully contributing member of a squadron. I'm especially interested in input from any fighter guys, due to our currencies being based on a monthly sortie count instead of based on keeping currencies.

Is it CBP policy to be generous with time off for partcipation, or is it an office by office policy? Downtime would amount to 5ish days a month, with one or two of those days being on a weekend.

Yes. And as with anything else, it depends. Mainly it depends on which Branch you're at, and what kind of Reserve/Guard airframe you're in (ie- do you have a large Letter of Xs requirement? CMR/BMC requirements?). Now, a Branch can't stop you from taking your military leave to go on Reserve duty or to deploy, voluntarily or involuntarily; but I think you're asking if it's frowned upon or not. Again, depends on the Branch. As with any other federal job, you're allocated 120 hours/year of military leave (if a Reserve/Guard guy) to use as you wish in addition to your regular leave accrual. Anything beyond that would have to be LWOP (Leave without pay).

The other big factor is your own personal time: If you have a Reserve/Guard gig where you have a large currencies or sortie requirement, and worse, if you have to commute to get to it (ie- not in the same town as your CBP gig or at least not close), then the tough part will be having any time to yourself per month. Some fighter units, where you have to do the equivilent of nearly 2 weekends/month in order to get a BMC/CMR sortie count; you'll spend most of your time per month working, with very little time off between the two jobs.

[blee256]

Originally Posted by MikeD

Yes. And as with anything else, it depends. Mainly it depends on which Branch you're at, and what kind of Reserve/Guard airframe you're in (ie- do you have a large Letter of Xs requirement? CMR/BMC requirements?). Now, a Branch can't stop you from taking your military leave to go on Reserve duty or to deploy, voluntarily or involuntarily; but I think you're asking if it's frowned upon or not. Again, depends on the Branch. As with any other federal job, you're allocated 120 hours/year of military leave (if a Reserve/Guard guy) to use as you wish in addition to your regular leave accrual. Anything beyond that would have to be LWOP (Leave without pay)..

So you can double dip for about 3 weeks?Do they pay a differential at all, for deployed members?

Originally Posted by MikeD

The other big factor is your own personal time: If you have a Reserve/Guard gig where you have a large currencies or sortie requirement, and worse, if you have to commute to get to it (ie- not in the same town as your CBP gig or at least not close), then the tough part will be having any time to yourself per month. Some fighter units, where you have to do the equivilent of nearly 2 weekends/month in order to get a BMC/CMR sortie count; you'll spend most of your time per month working, with very little time off between the two jobs.

You're starting to scare me. if all goes as planned. haha

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by blee256

So you can double dip for about 3 weeks?Do they pay a differential at all, for deployed members?

If you're using your mil leave/leave time, yes. No differential that I know of.

You're starting to scare me. if all goes as planned. haha

It kind of sucks.....seeing some of the guys that are in this very boat.

[if4not]

Thanks for the info.

[if4not]

I saw a bullet on the news crawler that said the new budget is supposed to make big cuts in "homeland security." Has anyone heard rumors of what that might mean?

[BillErvin]

The first thing is they're not going to continue funding the border fence

[aviatortolle]

Well, Got my conditional offer for CBP a lil over a week ago and got all the paperwork filled out. Had to send it by FedEx. The paper alone weighed 3.5 pounds so that was not cheap to send in.

Now its time for the waiting game.

[Heath]

I'm with ya. Fortunately, with my airline discount it only cost me $6 for fedex overnight.

[SpiraMirabilis]

Originally Posted by Heath

I'm with ya. Fortunately, with my airline discount it only cost me $6 for fedex overnight.

One of the best airline benefits.

[PhilosopherPilot]

Hi Mike, long time no chat...

I've just gotten my NOR back with a grade of 11, and a score of 89. I take it that isn't very good, from what I've read on this thread. Do the selections of locations affect how likely it is that I'll get a call? I would have selected way more than 3! (I'm currently flying an RJ in the right seat, with no PIC experience. I have 2000 hrs total, with about 1300 turbine, etc.)

The main thing I'm concerned with is that my significant other has a job where she cannot move too much, maybe once every 5 years or so max. The good part about her job is that it makes her the breadwinner, but it makes my job selection a little harder since I have to be sure that my job doesn't limit her career.

I don't really care where I get assigned if I get a job, as long as it is not on the northern border. I just need to stay somewhere for a while if I drag her along with me. If I were to be reassigned, is it possible to TDY, or commute, or the like?

Oh, and will the CPB train someone in rotorcraft if they have the interest? I have a little time in helicopters, but no ratings yet.

I've been looking at this job for a long time, and I finally took the plunge. I have always had a strong law enforcement interest, and I think this job will fulfill the flying as well as the LE interests I have.

Thanks for the great info!

G

[aviatortolle]

Originally Posted by PhilosopherPilot

Hi Mike, long time no chat...

I've just gotten my NOR back with a grade of 11, and a score of 89. I take it that isn't very good, from what I've read on this thread. Do the selections of locations affect how likely it is that I'll get a call? I would have selected way more than 3! (I'm currently flying an RJ in the right seat, with no PIC experience. I have 2000 hrs total, with about 1300 turbine, etc.)

The main thing I'm concerned with is that my significant other has a job where she cannot move too much, maybe once every 5 years or so max. The good part about her job is that it makes her the breadwinner, but it makes my job selection a little harder since I have to be sure that my job doesn't limit her career.

I don't really care where I get assigned if I get a job, as long as it is not on the northern border. I just need to stay somewhere for a while if I drag her along with me. If I were to be reassigned, is it possible to TDY, or commute, or the like?

Oh, and will the CPB train someone in rotorcraft if they have the interest? I have a little time in helicopters, but no ratings yet.

I've been looking at this job for a long time, and I finally took the plunge. I have always had a strong law enforcement interest, and I think this job will fulfill the flying as well as the LE interests I have.

Thanks for the great info!

G

You can find all the answers to your questions and much much more here:

http://www.aptap.org/forum/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=12

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by PhilosopherPilot

Hi Mike, long time no chat...

I've just gotten my NOR back with a grade of 11, and a score of 89. I take it that isn't very good, from what I've read on this thread. Do the selections of locations affect how likely it is that I'll get a call? I would have selected way more than 3! (I'm currently flying an RJ in the right seat, with no PIC experience. I have 2000 hrs total, with about 1300 turbine, etc.)

89 is commendable, nothing wrong with that score. It does help somewhat if you put a number of locations more than just a few, or you can get lucky with just a few as I did.

The main thing I'm concerned with is that my significant other has a job where she cannot move too much, maybe once every 5 years or so max. The good part about her job is that it makes her the breadwinner, but it makes my job selection a little harder since I have to be sure that my job doesn't limit her career.

I don't really care where I get assigned if I get a job, as long as it is not on the northern border. I just need to stay somewhere for a while if I drag her along with me. If I were to be reassigned, is it possible to TDY, or commute, or the like?

You really need to live in the area you're assigned, if only for the daily shift work. It'd be very difficult to do anything else, IMO. TDYs happen here and there, but are based on need (those other than training).

Oh, and will the CPB train someone in rotorcraft if they have the interest? I have a little time in helicopters, but no ratings yet.

G

Depends. Depends on the need of the particular branch you're at. If there's a shortage of fixed-wing guys, or too many helo guys, it'll take a while. If the opposite is true, then same logic. It usually takes a while and a little seniority to make that happen since it's a large investment. One guy at my branch didn't get it until 7 years in, and there are other guys waiting.

[blee256]

Originally Posted by PhilosopherPilot

Hi Mike, long time no chat...

I've just gotten my NOR back with a grade of 11, and a score of 89. I take it that isn't very good, from what I've read on this thread. Do the selections of locations affect how likely it is that I'll get a call? I would have selected way more than 3! (I'm currently flying an RJ in the right seat, with no PIC experience. I have 2000 hrs total, with about 1300 turbine, etc.)

The main thing I'm concerned with is that my significant other has a job where she cannot move too much, maybe once every 5 years or so max. The good part about her job is that it makes her the breadwinner, but it makes my job selection a little harder since I have to be sure that my job doesn't limit her career.

I don't really care where I get assigned if I get a job, as long as it is not on the northern border. I just need to stay somewhere for a while if I drag her along with me. If I were to be reassigned, is it possible to TDY, or commute, or the like?


G

The application will only let you check 3 locations. If you try to pick more than that, it will let you know and not let you continue.

I had a guy in my crashpad that got on with one of the northern bases. He was explaining to me the mobility clause. He was led to believe that, the CBP doesnt like forcing people to move, generally it goes to volunteers first. He said its because if they force someone to move, they have to pay for moving expenses, but also because of retention.
I hope thats the case. MikeD/bill ervin, would you agree with that statement?

How long did it take after you submitted your application to get your NOR?

good luck, G!

[PhilosopherPilot]

Originally Posted by blee256

The application will only let you check 3 locations. If you try to pick more than that, it will let you know and not let you continue.

Yes, that was what I noticed. I tried to check more!

How long did it take after you submitted your application to get your NOR?

good luck, G!

I applied on May 6, and I got the NOR on May 14 I believe. It was pretty fast.

We'll see what happens. I noticed that another opening didn't open up on May 15, when the last one closed. I wonder if that means that they aren't going to hire any more after this posting is filled?

Thanks for the luck. I think I'll need it.

G

[Heath]

Word on the street is that there's a hiring freeze due to budget cuts. That's just street rumor but from some decent sources. What I heard was if you're in the pipeline, they're still moving you through, but no new announcements for a while.

You heard anything about that Mike or Orville?

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by Heath

Word on the street is that there's a hiring freeze due to budget cuts. That's just street rumor but from some decent sources. What I heard was if you're in the pipeline, they're still moving you through, but no new announcements for a while.

You heard anything about that Mike or Orville?

Yeah, I heard about the budget cuts coming, but not their relation to hiring or not.

[BillErvin]

Originally Posted by blee256

The application will only let you check 3 locations. If you try to pick more than that, it will let you know and not let you continue.

I had a guy in my crashpad that got on with one of the northern bases. He was explaining to me the mobility clause. He was led to believe that, the CBP doesnt like forcing people to move, generally it goes to volunteers first. He said its because if they force someone to move, they have to pay for moving expenses, but also because of retention.
I hope thats the case. MikeD/bill ervin, would you agree with that statement?

How long did it take after you submitted your application to get your NOR?

good luck, G!

The FBI and DEA move you around just because. CBP doesn't move you around too much, unless there is a really urgent need, and the choice to move is usually your own after your first assignment. If you put in for a new job down the road, the announcement will usually say if its a paid move or not, most are.

[les]

Hey everyone!

I'm new here. Been keeping up with the thread for a month or so and decided to join and be helpful and also get some questions answered by some folks that sound like they know what's going on. I've also applied for the AIA position. I'm a SEL guy and hope make it to the San Antonio station. I've already received my NOR (took 7 days) and am now just waiting.

I've been corresponding with a few contacts that are stationed at different locations flying Citations. They've been able to keep me informed and guide me along. At this point, I'd like to keep up with this discussion, post anything I hear, and maybe ask a question now and then.

Can anyone tell me what to expect in the interview/checkride for SEL?

Thanks guys,
Les

[Heath]

It was REALLY laid back. For the flight portion, just a basic inst ride, steep turns, stall, VOR app to missed, hold, ILS back to OKC and you're done.

The technical portion was basic part 91 stuff. Look over your AIM, airspace requirements, runway signs & markings, sectional and NOS charts,etc, and you'll do fine.

For the HR interview, its your standard "tell me about a time" questions.

Everyone is super friendly and it was not stressful at all, really a pleasant experience.

One word of advice, rent a car or drive there. You're responsible to get yourself from the station to the airport and back on a schedule and its too far to walk.

Best of luck,

[les]

Thanks Heath! That's GREAT info.

Do they give the same checkride for single engine? And are you required to use NOS charts? What was the attire?

By the way, what station are you going to? I'll keep you updated and may ask some more questions since you just went through the process.

Oh yeah, what was the time frame from application to NOR to interview to hire?

Les

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by les

Thanks Heath! That's GREAT info.

Do they give the same checkride for single engine? And are you required to use NOS charts? What was the attire?

By the way, what station are you going to? I'll keep you updated and may ask some more questions since you just went through the process.

Oh yeah, what was the time frame from application to NOR to interview to hire?

Les

Same checkride for S/E. They'll provide the charts you'll need (just an approach plate). Dockers and a collar shirt would be appropriate......not underdressed at all, but still comfortable.

[Heath]

Originally Posted by les

Thanks Heath! That's GREAT info.

Do they give the same checkride for single engine? And are you required to use NOS charts? What was the attire?

By the way, what station are you going to? I'll keep you updated and may ask some more questions since you just went through the process.

Oh yeah, what was the time frame from application to NOR to interview to hire?

Les

Same checkride for all fixed wing guys, its in a C210. Yes, you'll use NOS charts. For attire, I wore a nice suit to the interview and changed into dockers and a golf shirt for the flight portion due to heat, etc.

I haven't gotten a location yet, won't know that till my BI clears, hopefully around Sept-Oct.

I applied in Oct, got my NOR in Jan, a call for an interview two weeks later in middle of Jan. Interview was March 10th, conditional offer of employment first part of May.

[les]

Thanks for the info guys (MikeD, Heath). Lot's of great info.

I'm only flying part time VFR now and so I'll need to fine tune my instrument flying and study the regs.

Does the examiner act as crew to help out with the unfamiliar airplane and area or am I on my own? I guess I could study the area beforehand if I know what airport it's at (OKC?).

Here's a question: do you guys think it would be overkill to get my ATP whilst I'm waiting? It will refresh my instrument flying, I could find a C210 to train in (if I get a SEL ATP), gets me in the "checkride" mode, and it might look good to the interviewer. OR I could just do some instrument flying in a cheaper airplane. I already need to fly some approaches, what a great time to do the extra push and get the rating.

Les

[Heath]

The checkairman will tell you speeds, tune radios on command, basically do anything you ask him to on command. They know you're not familiar with the plane and are just looking for basic instrument skills and airmanship.

Personally, I'd save my money. I don't have an ATP and got the offer. For inst review, if you can get a little time in a 210, that could only help. Otherwise, do what I did to refresh on the 6-pack scan (currently fly an all-glass ERJ), fly approaches on the mooney on flight simulator. The cockpit's setup the same, and the approach speeds are the same. I wouldn't get too bent out of shape, though. As long as your instrument skills are up to par, you'll have no trouble.