Comments on: UAV Pilot Shortage & Military Intelligence

By: sonadavinci

sonadavinci — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:27:08 +0000

Like many unemployed pilots with a desire to help my country, I’ve been extremely interested in trying to get into UAV’s for any agency using them for any one of the dozens of missions they are well-suited for. I’ve got 3500 hours and varied experience in pistons, corporate jets, a VLJ and several multiengine turboprop models, and a significant chunk of time as a civilian CFI before that.

But it seems to be a closed club: Must be a former military pilot, must have a SECRET or TS clearance, must have previous UAV experience, etc. I’m now in my early 50′s and paid a lot of dues to get what I have after finally escaping a fallback career as an Architect, and I don’t want to let aviation just slip away. I’d be ecstatic to fly a UAV.

So to hear now that there’s a UAV shortage really grinds my beans. It’s always very easy to rationalize the opinion that only a military pilot could fly a UAV when that’s your background. That used to be the mantra for the airlines, decades ago…(nidan_01@yahoo.com)

By: Thomas @ UAVpilot.org

Thomas @ UAVpilot.org — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:32:31 +0000

Not sure if my first post actually submitted, but I’m excited for where the UAV community is headed. While it might be a difficult time for pilots while we grow through these growing pains, eventually the process will be streamlined, and UAVs are really penetrating and spreading over the market in all sorts of interesting ways.

UAV pilots, from now into the future, will always be in demand, if not a growing necessity.

By: UAV Next Step: Autonomous Aerial Refueling - Jetwhine: Aviation Buzz and Bold Opinion

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:49:28 +0000

[...] previously discussed (See UAV Pilot Shortage & Military Intelligence, UND Plants Seed of No-Pilot Airliners, and No-Pilot Aircraft Go Vertical & Hover) it may [...]

By: Dillon

Dillon — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:08:13 +0000

Ok, i work on the intel side of the UAV community and i once had a question as to why pilots need to be flying UAVs, and after having it explained it makes sense. Being in a cockpit, and actually flying, gives you a sense of awareness of other people in the air. If you are in a stack of 10 planes, you really dont want some 18 year old kid who’s never been in that kind of situation bringing the entire stack down because he wasn’t paying attention. Essentially, its a matter of the lives at stake of maned aircraft, and if you’ve never flown, you will never have that kind of situational awareness. Now, as far as fighter pilots being douchebags with an over-inflated sense of self worth, thats a topic for another discussion.

By: Don

Don — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:14:04 +0000

PS: This could be as good as UAVEPEDIA if I dont have the answer to your question?
“Just a minuite”
I ask someone who does know and get back to ya!
High Regards All
Don
Rocket Guy

By: Don

Don — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:05:50 +0000

Looks to me we have to many wooses out there!
Get into to this discussion, no one here bites?
But what we will do is target you +- 3 METERS FROM 50 MILES OFF MOVING IF YOU CANT BAT IT AROUND WITH THE REST OF US. Now thats accuracy compaired to your Fathers hand while getting a good ass whipping.Mine was all over the map!

Just got out of a meeting with a bunch of brilliant young men one hell of alot smarter than me and this snowball is starting to rool.
“Frequency spectrum radio analyzer radar geeks”.
“GoGo Gadget tinker & build pinnocio coocoo clock guys”.
Camera servo gimbal SLR back-lighting appeture junkies.
Man this place is more littered than Davey Jones’s Locker with tech fields.
Anyway keep them remotes flying boys I’m a 55 year old adrenelineaholic and like flying upsidedown. Got serious questions..Post it!

By: Norman

Norman — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:58:39 +0000

PS – thanks for that Don, many lines – I like it…

By: Norman

Norman — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:56:24 +0000

Don’t you find that passions get in the way of $ and cents? The USAF trained more UAV pilots last year than it did fixed wing pilots, why should that matter?
The UAV is here to stay and a the new skill-set required to serve that platform is the one that will be used to determine selection criterion.

The guys advising the recruiters should be UAV qualified and experienced with the talents to select and train, not ex-flying generals with excellent war stories and a bunch of vested interests.

This is a new field, let’s not call the artillery to ask how we should select aviators nor necessarily use aviators just because they fly to define the development pathway of the UAV.

By: Zoran

Zoran — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:35:20 +0000

I think it’s time for the military to upgrade their UAV screens to 3D. Pilots would wear high quality 3D glasses/goggles (possibly nVidia), which might be unusual at first, but it would be far worth it because the pilot would have a much more realistic view. Basically the video feed would go into some sort of a splitter and then into a 3D projector or a 3D TV. It would be stupid not to try this :)

By: Don

Don — Thu, 13 May 2010 04:18:41 +0000

Keep an open mind Gents, there are many sorted aircraft out there and they are multiplying like fish. Old High School buddy once told me that one needs many lines in one’s business to survive.
I can’t believe that this net isn’t humming like a hornet nest with input.
Norman we have just accomplished the same thing you are now doing in the US where we are also considering a little play ground for wheeled vehicles. I’m not saying you should do this and have no intention to keep your feet on the ground what i am saying is….You have alot of water around the UK, how about that also.you know unmanned water diver. Any way just crunched the nose on my RC jet this morning and yes it’s being glued for the third time. I’m planning to fire a few rockets from it by using an additional speed controller on a seperate channel for the 2.5 volts that I need.
Argh tech stuff..sorry..
This is the hunt for the lost UAV pilots Article The holy grail. I’m with UAN grab a pair pilots by an RC giant scale and try it out! “Futaba” has a great simulator for $199 Learn to not crash there first

By: Norman

Norman — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:54:51 +0000

UAV flying as a career.

No squadron boss wants anyone on his team that doesn’t want to be there – nay live for the opportunity to be there. The skill-set required for UAV ops is related to fixed wing flying but often unique in its demands. The UAV aviator must be proud of what he does and well motivated, not using the job as a run-through post before he gets to ‘proper’ aviation.

Current and retired aviators of all flavours have a great role to play in the development of the role, but they would be the first to admit that this is a new game and the qualities it requires are subtly different to those we use as bird-men who’s feet leave the ground.

As ever, an open mind and a willingness to allow what they have learned elsewhere to inform what they do is essential.

ATB,

Norman
-Currently setting up a civil UAV operation in the UK.-

By: Uan

Uan — Tue, 11 May 2010 03:17:17 +0000

Agreed Don. Like here in Malaysia, we practice something different as we here try to make things as easy as possible. So the Uav pilot just assist on take off and landing where there is another operator to take care of and monitor the airspace. We work together as this is much easier to do as training for new pilots do take time. Uav pilot can also help on the payload operation as the controls are similar of an Rc.

By: Don "Rocket Tech"

Don "Rocket Tech" — Mon, 10 May 2010 09:08:22 +0000

This is a vast wide open passage for every skill in the book.
I personally have been assisting and involved with getting flight data transfered to all the groups that require such information.
Pilots are scarce and like Uan said…you gota spend a little of your own money on RC’s..crash and glue a bit until you can read the wind for take off and landing.
Once it’s in the air atomatic flight takes over on the bigger uav’s and thats where real pilots come in with all the background they have reading the airspace knowing the rules and monitoring the gages. A little piece or slice for everyone. As a tech I can understand the competition between the pilot groups. Smart pilots will compliment one an other and share flight information as techs.
Ground Control is an enormous trade in itself and the more gadgets we strap on this bird…The more specialists will be needed to keep it all going… Rejoice Pilots there is plenty of work for all applications.

By: Uan

Uan — Sun, 09 May 2010 10:09:54 +0000

Just my 2 cents… I have been involve with UAV’s for the pass few years. Piloting these machines are fun actually but comes with a very big responsibilities. But what i see here is not really a big problem. To me, UAV pilot will have to train on RC models too. Its the basic of all for UAV training. Flight Sim guys would have to fly RC too.. In some case, the basic is always left out. Combine them and you will get a skillful UAV pilot. But then again, its not for everyone sad to say…

By: Don

Don — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:13:10 +0000

Hey Rick,
When you find a Tiger Shark XTS pilot send him my way when you are thru if he needs a job…

By: Rik Hall

Rik Hall — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:18:52 +0000

We are currently making a documentary for the History Channel US, and looking for retired UAV pilots. If Dan or anyone else with experience of flying UAV’s is interested in talking to us and hearing more about the programme, please contact me at rik.hall@octoberfilms.co.uk Many thanks

By: No-Pilot Aircraft Go Vertical & Hover | RENT-A-PLANE

No-Pilot Aircraft Go Vertical & Hover | RENT-A-PLANE — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:24:39 +0000

[...] And it seems to work well in fixed-wing aircraft that fly high in the controlled airspace (see UAV Pilot Shortage & Military Intelligence and UND Plants Seeds of No-Pilot Airliners ). But down in the dirt and among the trees [...]

By: No-Pilot Aircraft Go Vertical & Hover - Jetwhine: Aviation Buzz and Bold Opinion

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:14:13 +0000

By: eric s

eric s — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:08:07 +0000

Thanks for being a dick whoever edits this blog I found my information elsewhere.

By: UND Plants Seed of No-Pilot Airliners | RENT-A-PLANE

UND Plants Seed of No-Pilot Airliners | RENT-A-PLANE — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:20:16 +0000

[...] to point out that, right now, the military is the primary career opportunity for UAV pilots (see UAV Pilot Shortage & Military Intelligence), but let’s be honest, the no-pilot airliner is just around the [...]