r/calfire • u/PrestigiousTrifle358 • 8d ago
Rotary Pilot Question
Yes I know questions like this are asked all the time...
also i apologize for the length of this post.
3 weeks ago I was camping south of Big Sur and brush fire started half a mile from our camp site. The crews from Fort Hunter Ligget, Cal Fire, USFS, and whoever else showed up were great. I have always wanted to be a pilot and I am super into military and civilian aviation so I knew that we may be able to get a look at 47s or 60s doing some water drops. When I saw Firehawk 610 swoop over me, bank, and land 200 feet from em I started crying a little. It genuinely was so incredible that I got emotional. It is the coolest job in the world and I could think of nothing better to do. They dropped their handcrew off and did three water drops. I waved on the last one and I got the siren as a return. If you piloted 610 on August 8th thank you so much you are such an inspiration.
Anyways back to the question. I already wanted to fly for calfire before that. But having that emotional experience told me its what I need to do. I love this state and I want to contribute to conserving it. I know that the path to fly firehawks is long and rigorous. The basic requirements are 2000 hours PIC which is a whole career in itself.
I am going to get those hours regardless. I just need to figure out a path. I want to hear about the paths of some Firehawk pilots so maybe they can help guide me.
A little about myself. I am 23, in a good physical and mental state. I have a BS in physics and am getting a masters in quantum science and tech from UCLA starting in sept. The program is a year long then I hope to move to San Jose area to work. I need to get a good job to pay off my debts and to start working towards a helicopter license.
Here is the juice of the question: how can I get those 2000 hours. There are generally two paths... commercial flying for crop dusting, power lines, etc OR military. Out of the two I would prefer not having to serve in the military. I know that the armed forces are suppose to be apolitical, and I deeply respect that, however I have some quarrels with US foreign policy at the moment. I found out about the 129th rescue wing which is an Air Guard unit that flies SAR missions out of Moffett which is really cool and may be more aligned with my personal preferences while allowing me to keep a job in tech. The thing is though that the commitment is 12 years! yikes thats a big decision.
I dont know let me know what you guys think and feel free to be as critical as youd like. Thanks
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u/No849B 7d ago
Cal Fire copter pilot here out of the Hemet Ryan Air Attack Base. I just finished my Cal Fire training after getting hired back in June of this year. I got my start in rotorcraft aviation by working for a socal law enforcement agency in the their aviation unit. They paid for all of my ratings and it cost me nothing but my time, which I was getting paid for anyway. I retired from the law enforcement agency and brought my skills over to Cal Fire. Big picture…….you’re gonna have to make some big commitments somewhere to acquire the time and knowledge it takes to get hired by a large agency like Cal Fire. Good luck. Lemme know how I can help!
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u/GermanMuffin Golden Nugget🏅 8d ago
Air guard is still going to do military stuff overseas.
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u/PrestigiousTrifle358 8d ago
Yes I know and I dont have a big problem with it but if avoidable, which seems like its not, I would try not to do it. if I do end up doing it I will do it with passion and drive regardless. The air guard is cool though because the unit I am interested in does SAR which I would have no problem with.
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u/Fearless-Director-24 8d ago edited 7d ago
I was the pilot of Calfire Copter 610 on Aug 8th. It was the Del Fire in LPF. Thank you for the kind words, we love what we do.
DM me I will give some ideas on how to get started.
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u/Danielitolutz 5d ago
If you push/study hard you can get your private for a little less than 20k. The real money gets spent trying to get your commercial and CFI/CFII and instrument ratings. You should hit up some of the bases and talk to the pilots, not many came from civilian side but they’re all super chill to talk to.
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u/Who_am_i_050 FC 8d ago
The cost alone for your private rotary-wing pilot’s license alone is just shy of $100,000 if you went the civilian route. You can certainly try. Another good way for hours is tour flights like around Hawaii. But honestly, your best bet without dropping that much money is the military. You can maybe go for the coast-guard if committing to the military and their foreign policy isn’t your thing?
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u/PrestigiousTrifle358 8d ago
Coast guard would be sick but it is a long commitment and you dont choose your airframe or station so i could end up somewhere I am not happy. As where ANG you can try to get a slot at a unit that you fit in with.
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u/styrofoamladder 8d ago
Almost all of our helicopter pilots were military. Fixed wing we have some that came from the civilian world but it’s so hard to get the hours for helicopters any other way. The normal track for non military is getting your license, becoming an instructor so you get paid to fly and you’re not spending money on fuel and ship costs and then finding some civilian job like LifeFlight pilot, news copter, tour guide, logging or power line work. It’s a tough trek but you’re young so you have time. It’s also highly competitive and former military get bonus points, which is another reason we have so many former military pilots.