Flight Training - June 2020 - 45

ADVANCED PILOT CAREER SPOTLIGHT

HOT SPOTS

MIKE COLLINS

FIREFIGHTING PILOTS LIVE
ON THE EDGE

WHAT DO YOU DO when you're an aerobatic pilot and airshow season is
over? U.S. champion and National Aviation Hall of Fame pilot Patty
Wagstaff applied to be a pilot for DynCorp International as part of a
team of aerial firefighters with the California Department of Forestry
and Fire Protection (CalFire). You'd think her thousands of hours, time
in many types of aircraft, and aerobatic airshow experience would get
her a leg up in the aerial firefighting industry, but no. She had to complete the rigorous application process and prove her mettle just like any
other candidate. Wagstaff flew three fire seasons for CalFire piloting the
North American Rockwell OV-10A Bronco as a lead pilot for air tankers.
"Tanker flying is edgy because you are low and in the smoke in
places you've never been before," Wagstaff told Air & Space magazine
writer Debbie Gary. "Everything is totally different down there; trees
sticking up everywhere, flames, and no perspective. When there is a lot
of wind, it can be really ugly too, but it's cool."
Air tanker pilots drop fire retardant from fixed- and rotary-wing
aircraft to suppress and contain wildfires. Fire season extends across
the United States from June until October, beginning in the southeast and ending on the west coast. California has recently seen some
of the worst wildfires in its history, and it hasn't been easy in Oregon
and Nevada either. Private fire-fighting companies such as Neptune
Aviation in Montana and Aero Air in Oregon are contracted by the U.S.
Forest Service. Pilots, smokejumpers, and firefighters are termed "official national assets" by the U.S. government. Aircraft used by federal
and state agencies include the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Grumman
S-2T, Air Tractor AT-802, DC-10, MD-80, and the granddaddy of them
all, the Global Supertanker Boeing 747-400.
Both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft are used in aerial
firefighting. In 2019, EAA AirVenture honored aerial firefighters

BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER

QUALIFICATIONS
High school diploma or GED; postsecondary education in fire engineering preferred.
Minimum of 800 hours; some employers
require as many as 1,500 hours as well
as 25 hours in make and model. EMT or
paramedic training also may be required.
Mountain flying school beneficial.
BENEFITS
Hone those skills-you'll be flying low and
slow in rugged terrain. It's a high-risk
profession, so staying calm and cool is key.
DRAWBACKS
Deploy on very short notice. For 200 hours
in the air, pilots may spend 1,200 to 1,300
on standby, according to the Associated
Aerial Firefighters. In fire season, there will
be 10- to 12-hour days in the heat of the
summer; six days on, one day off; and you'll
never know where the next fire will strike.
PAY
The average annual pay for an air tanker
pilot ranges from $70,000 to $100,000.

with an aerial firefighting demonstration, with air
tankers performing a mock fire drop. FT
julie.walker@aopa.org
AOPA.ORG/FT

http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT

Flight Training - June 2020

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