As the U.S. Air Force bolsters its fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles in coming years, it faces a fundamental change in the way it recruits, trains and uses its pilots.
The service has about 100 heavily armed Reapers and Predators, long-flying surveillance and attack planes whose pilots remain earthbound, far from the battlefield.
In coming years, the military plans to add 270 more planes and more than double its roster of pilots, from 450 slots to 1,110 in three years, according to Lt. Col. David DuHadway, who helps develop personnel policies for Air Force officers.
That will make the unmanned pilots a dominant group of pilots in the Air Force, second only to F-16 fighters and bigger in number than those who fly C-17s, the military’s workhorse cargo plane, DuHadway said.
This rapid change means the Air Force must figure out how to attract a new batch of pilots whose primary mission calls for staying on the ground, DuHadway acknowledged in an interview last week.
"People are attracted to a career in flying," DuHadway said of the Air Force’s traditional recruitment for pilots. "Being a pilot is kind of its own draw."
But with the creation of a new career path for the drones, military officials must consider ways to transpose the Air Force’s "off-we-go" mantra to a "here-we-stay" attraction.
"These are all very legitimate concerns," DuHadway said in a phone interview from the Pentagon. "We have some work to do as to how we are going to attract more people to this field."
Already, the Air Force is doubling its efforts to train drone pilots. It will open two new training centers early next year, producing 300 qualified unmanned drone pilots during a four-month period, up from 150.
The service also is working out the details of permanent career track for drone pilots, DuHadway said.
In coming weeks, the Air Force will begin recruiting 20 officers — who are not pilots — for a test program to see what it will take to teach them to fly the drones. Ultimately, these non-pilot officers may make up a sizable part of those who fly the Air Force’s fleet.
The planning is in the very early stages, DuHadway said.
Officials have yet to figure out what to call the job, what pay incentives can be offered, what wings the officers will wear, what medical standards are needed, and whether or how they will qualify for flight pay, he said.
Officials have decided, for now, not to recruit enlisted airmen into the mix, he added. Currently, enlisted airmen are trained to fly much smaller, "micro-air" vehicles, such as the Desert Hawk and the Scan Eagle, which are mainly used for surveillance, he said.
The larger Predators and Reapers are a different breed of drone. They can fly medium- to high-altitude missions for up to 14 hours, with wing spans between 48.7 feet for the Predator, and 66 feet for the Reaper. They come equipped with laser-guided and Hellfire missiles, and it’s ultimately up to the pilot to determine whether to fire, DuHadway said.
"There’s a real airplane flying in the sky," he said, and that presents one of the challenges in bolstering the numbers of drone pilots.
Currently, the Air Force rotates its traditionally trained pilots into three-year assignments to fly the drones. Because there are now only about 400 pilots available for 450 slots, those assignments often stretch into four- and sometimes five-year jobs, he said.
Using traditional pilots to fly the drones meets current Federal Aviation Administration regulations for flying the aircraft, he said. But with this new program, the Air Force wants to recruit officers from other career paths — public affairs, intelligence, personnel, support — and train them to fly drones.
"We have to find out what it will take to develop a different pipeline," DuHadway said. "We’re looking to cast a broad net."
But that means working to meet FAA standards without a traditionally trained pilot, he said.
"We need to solve that," he said.
Recruitment for the test program of 20 officers will begin this month. Candidates will be chosen, in part, based on aptitude and medical tests, DuHadway said.
What happens next will be largely based on the lessons learned from this test program, he said. It also will depend on coming up with a recruitment tool to bring more people into the UAV pipeline, he said.
Last week, DuHadway listed some of the advantages of this new career path. For the Air Force, it makes sense to have a pool of pilots whose main job involves one or two pieces of aircraft. That job stability means more knowledge and expertise in the equipment, and better training and mentorship for leaders, he said.
For the officer, flying from the ground can have advantages as well, DuHadway said. The Predator and Reaper sorties flying in Afghanistan and Iraq now are driven from teams at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada.
That means a drone pilot at war can fly a mission and go home for dinner, he said. "They are in the fight on a daily basis and they are seeing their families more," he said.
There may be another sell to this new breed of pilots, one that reflects the overall change in the Air Force as well, DuHadway said.
"They are on the leading edge of something," he said. "This is a significant part of the Air Force’s future."
Wanna fly? Safely, from the ground?The Air Force is looking for non-pilot officers interested in piloting unmanned aircraft. Ten officers will be selected for a program beginning in January, followed by 10 more for a program beginning in April.
To volunteer, officers must complete the basic aviation skills test by Oct. 31 and submit applications by Nov. 3.
Officers who serve in combat systems, electronic warfare or weapons systems, or who serve as panel navigators or air battle managers are eligible to compete if not currently in training, awaiting training, or previously eliminated from undergraduate pilot training. Non-rated line officers are eligible.
Other requirements include:
Rank of captain with four to six years’ commissioned experience by Jan. 5.Younger than 30 as of Jan. 5Minimum scores on the Air Force officer qualification test for pilot should be greater than 25. Combined pilot and navigator composite scores should be greater than 50.Two years time on station by July 1.No previous military pilot training experience.Those who meet the criteria must complete Air Force Form 215 and electronically forward it to specialflyingprogram@randolph.af.mil by 4 p.m. CST on Nov. 3. Group or squadron commanders (do not use a higher level) must provide recommendations on the form. No other documentation will be accepted as part of the application process.
For more information about testing locations, see the Pilot Candidate Selection Method. For questions, contact the Pipeline and Training Assignment Branch at 210-565-2330 or DSN 665-2330. Individuals can also contact the 24-hour Air Force Contact Center at 800-616-3775.
— Source: U.S. Air Force
