Need some guidance for a recent Embry Riddle Grad...any current/retired UAV Pilots here? Recruiters?

This message is cross-posted in the Aviation, Deployed, and Military Forums.

Seasons Greetings, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or are enjoying whatever holidays you and your family celebrate. If you are .mil thank you for your service. If you are Active Duty, and are abroad, I'm sorry you are away from your family during the Holidays I hope you and your brothers make it home soon and safe.

I am posting this message to try to help out a young family member who is getting ready to start his career as a pilot. My cousin who is like a little brother to me just graduated from Embry Riddle with a Major in Aeronautics and Minors in UAV and Aeronautical Science. He currently holds a PPL and Instrument Rating and will have his Multi-Commercial complete by Mid January. He has Around 200 hrs logged in Single Engine and around 100 in Multi and has taken classes in robotics as well.

He really wants to get into UAV's but does not know exactly where to begin. My guess would be to got he military route, but I have no .mil experience/knowledge in the UAV arena so I can't help him. Would the Air Force be the best branch?

I guess I am looking for any advice to give him so he can get on the right track. I am really proud of him and want to help him any way possible even if it's by soliciting information from strangers on an internet forum. I understand that OPSEC may forbid you from sharing too much, but he wants to get to where you are now and any advice or insight on what you may have done differently would be priceless to him

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide.

Honestly, all the branches have their own UAV programs running right now. Some better than others. .mil would be the best bet if he wanted to fly them, otherwise look at Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, L3 and Northrop Grumman off the top of my head if he wants to design or improve on them.

There's a few Air National Guard/AF Reserve units that have transitioned to UAVs recently. My guess is they have some openings (ie less competition for a slot for your cousin) since those units might have a few disgrunteled pilots that up and left after the switch. Of course he'd have to be willing to relocate.'

Predators at Ellington Field, Houston, TX is one unit that comes to mind that fits the bill.

Beale AFB, CA has a reserve Global Hawk squadron, not sure how full they are.

I'm a Army UAV Operator (15W) currently in Afghanistan. The Army operates mainly Shadow UAV's, along with the Hunter, Warrior A (Predator), and ERMP (Grey Eagle, like newer version of the predator). For what ever reason they changed the name for it between the army and AF, but the same platform. If i were him, and he is going to go .mil, id suggest air force if he can get in writing their MOS for it. He would be an officer, make more money than i do, do the same job, fly a bigger UAV. Army side we are enlisted, money isn't as good, plus we all learn the Shadow platform and you have to just get lucky that they pick your AIT class to then go on and learn either Hunter or ERMP.

With his aviation degree and stuff though he might be better served going straight into the civilian sector. I know there is a lot of other big companies working UAV's now days but the big one that runs everything on my platform is AAI. We have a few of them assigned with us that do all the major repairs and stuff on our equipment. Also, there are the GoCo teams, .gov Contractors that do the EXACT same job that i do....but get payed more and don't spend as much time out here as us. A few of them are prior .mil with UAV's, a good chunk of them are just regular civilians that have aviation backgrounds.

Funny how he went to Aviation school and now wants to do UAV's, and im doing UAV's and now want to go to an aviation college lol.

Hope some of that makes sense. Any other specific questions let me know.

EDIT: Also forgot to throw in, going National Guard could be a good gig too. We have a few attached to us now that joined the guard, went to school for UAV's, then got hired by AAI. So they make good money on the civilian side, get called up to deploy, deploy with the system, get more of the GI Bill to pay for schooling, then when deployment is over, back to making good money civilian side again!

Im a Navy Reservist and a UAV pilot and Maintainer deployed to Afghanistan all I will say is clearence clearence clearence.....if you aint got one dont bother applying for a job on the civilian side. Join the Military and get one.

Good call. I forgot about clearance as it just kinda came with my job lol. Im not sure how hard it is to get civilian side but i know ive had lots of people tell me to push for my TS before i get out.

Probably a good idea if you want to work gov't contract stuff...

Thank all of you for the insight. I am going to show him your posts and get him signed up here so he can ask you guys any specific questions he may have.

Thanks again.

Just pm me or post here and ill help any way i can! UAV's are interesting and a big part of whats to come in aviation, army has just kind of burned me out of them though.

I'm a rare breed, a civilian UAV operator. Not much fun but it pays well.

My recommendation would be to encourage him to get out of any aviation related 4yr degree. He needs to have a backup plan just in case something causes him to exit aviation. Get a degree in business management or better yet, some kind of engineering.

IM sent.

I am an 11B and I am an operator for the RQ-11B and RQ-16. Granted my UAVs are Considered either a Small Unmanned Aerial System, or Micro Air Vehicle depending on which one. I went to a 2 week class for each of these systems and I have logged over 120 hours in the 9 months I've been deployed. Mostly on the Raven, the T-Hawk is just too much.

I know Honeywell is recruiting more Instructors for the T-hawk and Aeroviroment Inc hires instructors for the Raven and Puma.

No offense but being a qualifie Raven operator is like being a finalist on publishers clearing house. In my opinion you need to get into a Level 2 or higher UAV, Scan Eagle, Shadow, Predator, Reaper, or Global Hawk.

No offense taken, I'm just saying that I know that Aeroviroment and Honeywell are hiring for Instructors and Engineers. I know I'm not really a UAV operator. I do know some Raven operators that left the Army and went to work for Lockheed Martin flying civilian UAVs.

Edit: I do find myself thinking of reclassing to 15W sometimes....

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