Becoming an Airtanker Pilot
Unless you are an Airtanker Captain returning from a sabbatical, or extended vacation, you will be hired as a Co-pilot (or a Flight Engineer on the C-130). Consequently, this description of the airtanker pilot profession will be addressed from that perspective.
First let’s examine the industry briefly. The industry (large airtanker) is made up of ten companies, eight of whom support 44 airtanker contracts administered by the Forest Service for the Departments of Agriculture and Interior. Several companies also support airtanker contracts for the States of Alaska and Minnesota. Aircraft generally start on contract in late February, with the latest contracts typically ending in mid-November. For the past several years, the industry has had crews activated during the “off-season” period as well. The “average” contract starts the beginning of June and ends mid-October, roughly 4 ½ months long.
Most operators start putting their staffing needs together during the off-season, (November-April) so that’s when you should target your search. Crew training starts early in the year and continues into the springtime. Ideally all hiring is completed by then.
All aircraft, with the exception of the C130’s, operate with a two-man crew (Captain/Co-pilot). The C-130 requires the addition of a Flight Engineer. This translates to 44 Co-pilot positions available in the entire industry; not counting spare crews a company may operate in order to allow for crew rotation in extreme fire seasons. Thus, there are a limited number of positions to begin with, and in view of a generally slow attrition rate, the actual number of co-pilot seat openings each year is small. Unfortunately, this has led many well-qualified men and women to lose interest in pursuing employment in the industry.
Best advice; don’t give up. Send your resumes, be patient, professionally persistent, and continue to improve your aviation and technical skills to become a more competitive candidate. Other aviation/ technical skills that can set you apart from other candidates are A & P certification, low level flying experience such as crop dusting, instrument experience, ground firefighting experience, and flight instructing. A broad knowledge and experience base is a major asset.
The minimum aviation experience requirements specified in the Forest Service contract to be eligible for hiring as a Co-pilot are (also listed in the Pilot Requirements section of this web site):
800 hours Pilot-in-Command (airplane)
100 hours within the preceding 12 months
FAA Commercial certificate, instrument and multi-engine ratings
Class II medical certificate, valid through contract period
Current Flight Review (FAR 61.56), valid through contract period
These are minimum requirements. Some companies may have more stringent minimums. The more you exceed the minimums the better your chances of being hired. Experience in large aircraft (over 12,500 #), specific make and model experience, radial engine experience or turbine experience (depending on the equipment where the opening is) are positive attributes.
Basic Job Description, Schedule And Lifestyle Issues
The basic job description of a Co-pilot is to assist the Captain in the safe, efficient operation of the aircraft. Specific ground duties could include washing, pre-flight, servicing and basic maintenance tasks. Company record keeping, onboard spares inventory and good customer relations are also required. Co-pilots have specific flight duties and responsibilities, from flight planning to post flight inspection.
An airtanker, while initially assigned to one operating tanker base, is considered a National asset. This means that while you may be assigned to Boise, ID as your primary contract base, the National Interagency Coordination Center could dispatch you to another tanker base if the fire situation at that area calls for more aerial assets. The relocation could be for an undetermined time depending on fire activity. You may never see your “assigned” base again that summer. This is where a crew’s flexibility and ability to adapt become important. It is essential that crews remain professional and courteous to the customer throughout the fire season. Flight crew performance and their ability to satisfy the customer are critical to a company’s future efforts to win follow-on contracts.
Airtanker crews work a six-day on, one day off schedule. The day off is scheduled at the beginning of the contract and generally doesn’t change. If you have Wednesdays off, that typically remains the case throughout the contract period except for a few limited exceptions.
Duty hours are a minimum of 9 hours a day up to a maximum of 14 hours a day, depending on the fire danger conditions. During the “standby” hours, you will be at the airtanker base and ready for dispatch, much like fire engine crews at station houses. Hobbies are encouraged, within reason. Flight hours are limited to 8 hours a day, but it generally takes all 14 available hours to reach 8 flight hours since crews usually do not start flying when first reporting in the morning and flight time is lost to periodic refueling, and the reloading of retardant on each evolution.
There is no guarantee of when (or if) you’ll go flying or where you’ll end up when you do launch. If a dispatch is received, the airtanker is to be airborne to the incident within 15 minutes, not withstanding delays for flight planning for out of the area flights, ATC delays, etc. This mode of operation drives a couple of lifestyle issues that are sometimes hard for crews to adjust to. For example, a crew may have rented an apartment or a hotel room, or towed a house trailer to their assigned tanker base. They can be dispatched at any time to relocate to another base. The assignment may be for a day, week, or indefinite, depending on the progress of the fire activity in the dispatched area. The schedule can play havoc with “plans” (and food left in the refrigerator), and often lead to double expenses (your lodging at your assigned base and your hotel room where you were dispatched). Additionally, the stress on families from the separation and uncertainty of your location can present challenges.
While the pay and benefits vary between operators, you can estimate that you’ll make (gross wages) between $35,000 - $45,000 over an average contract and fire season. Your pay consists of standby pay and flight pay. The standby pay is fixed, but flight pay can fluctuate greatly based on the severity of the fire season. Generally the more you fly, the more you make. It is all up to Mother Nature and beyond anyone’s direct control. There have been years that many airtankers flew over 300-350 hours. There have also been years that some airtankers only flew 50-60 hours. Moreover, some airtankers may fly more than others because of the varying fire danger from one region to the next.
How long will you be a Co-pilot? Generally speaking, when you get hired in this Industry you start at the bottom and work your way up. Depending on your experience, your ability and attitude, and the operator’s need, you should expect to be in the right seat for a minimum of 3-5 years. The realistic average is probably closer to 8-10 years. There are no guarantees.
The information provided in this short summary of the life of an airtanker pilot has been realist and straightforward to allow you to make an informed decision on whether this is the profession for you. The airtanker pilot is one of the most challenging, rewarding, fulfilling flying jobs that exist. It requires superb aviation skills, dedication and courage. There is no room for hotdogs, thrill seekers or short timers. If you want a rewarding flying career, the airtanker pilot is where you want to be.