How stable/recession proof is ISR flying?

James331

James331

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James331
As they say, asking for a friend.
 
I would think very recession proof. In fact, have a friend who went from single pilot, recession proof King Air EMS flying to dual pilot King Air ISR flying. Obviously a bump in pay with that.

Only thing I’d worry about is the proliferation of drones that have replaced some of the traditional manned ISR missions. Still gonna be plenty of work for the MC / RC guys in the future but I think the growth in that field will taper off a bit.
 
Velocity173 said:
Only thing I’d worry about is the proliferation of drones
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Velocity173 said:
I would think very recession proof. In fact, have a friend who went from single pilot, recession proof King Air EMS flying to dual pilot King Air ISR flying. Obviously a bump in pay with that.

Only thing I’d worry about is the proliferation of drones that have replaced some of the traditional manned ISR missions. Still gonna be plenty of work for the MC / RC guys in the future but I think the growth in that field will taper off a bit.
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Sounds like a familiar situation.

How did he like going from EMS to ISR?
 
James331 said:
Sounds like a familiar situation.

How did he like going from EMS to ISR?
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Well I think he’d rather be home vs being out of the country 6 + months out of the year but he seems to enjoy it. I think all along he really wanted the ISR gig when he got out of the Army, he just didn’t get picked up right away. He’s still looking at the airlines also. I think he’s the type that’s never really satisfied where’s he’s at and is in constant search of the grass being greener.
 
From what I’ve heard, you gotta go with the right company. Minimal complaints from what I can tell. Some guys love it, and the pay is good. Living conditions are much better than they used to be. I would have considered it at one point but with kids, 2 months is too long.
 
I've flown with a few guys that used to do it. Company providing the contract makes huge difference. In all cases you will be staying in E3 equivalent housing which is two dudes two bed two wall lockers and community bathroom if you even get that much.
 
Until our politicians careers are in jeopardy because of our military activities you can bet it will last until the end of American society. There are to many people getting rich for it to end on its own.
 
mtuomi said:
Short for - flying a King Air in countries that likely end with -stan, making mid-range airline pilot salary and being on tour months and months at a time.
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Depends on how you deal with taxes can make it more than mid range, also months and months off at a time.
 
ISR isn’t necessarily military related in **** hole parts of the world either. ISR aircraft are used for drug ops, crop monitoring, mapping etc. Some pilots have a pretty good lifestyle vs living in a trailer and eating at a chow hall in Astan. Even DHS uses ISR. Friend flys PC12s for Customs. They’re always looking for pilots.
 
When I looked into it several years ago, the companies selling point was no bullet holes in a single plane last month. They had me until I saw one of the planes, an OV2 that was being repaired after it took a little damage while parked on the ground.

The time was Ok, 6 weeks on, 6 weeks off with 1st class travel arrangements to wherever the person needs to go. Living arrangements on an airbase with one room, one bed and A/C. The company was Ok with pilots trading time to get 12 weeks on, 12 off. Pay was 24,000 for each 6 week tour. This was 11 years ago.

I am always up for a little adventure.
 
Does nobody else see the irony in James looking for a job in the ISR world... for his friend...

Either way, best of luck. I know a couple guys who did it. They enjoyed it, but eventually moved on to greener pastures.
 
Sluggo63 said:
Does nobody else see the irony in James looking for a job in the ISR world... for his friend...

Either way, best of luck. I know a couple guys who did it. They enjoyed it, but eventually moved on to greener pastures.
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Lol! I was thinking the same thing. Mr anti military industrial complex himself going to the dark side. $$$ has a way of changing employment views.
 
Velocity173 said:
Only thing I’d worry about is the proliferation of drones that have replaced some of the traditional manned ISR missions. Still gonna be plenty of work for the MC / RC guys in the future but I think the growth in that field will taper off a bit.
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Same as I tell new, young, nervous about job security pilots in the aerial mapping world...

Unlike the rest of technology where things get smaller/lighter, in our world(s) the sizes stay the same (or even a little beefier in regards to the newest lidars), just the capabilities get better. And with the sizes all the sensors are, widespread civilian operated drones with sensors of that size are a long way off.

It's an industry where the average aircraft age is often measured in decades. Way cheaper for the contractors to put meat in the seat of an old King Air, Skymaster, Caravan, OV-10, and all the other fossils they fly than to buy a whizzbang drone of that size and still need humans supporting it anyways.
 
With the big guys, is there much instability with contracts?
 
Alot of mixing anyways among them. If Company A loses contract to Company B, Company B will need to spin up quickly and hire furloughed guys from A.
 
James needs to stick to single pilot type operations. And I wouldn't suggest anything that is connected with military or government.
 
Same question as on ARFcom, and same answer.
 
James331 said:
Do you think people who work in the food industry always like everything on the menu?
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The hypocrisy of that statement. Let's remind the gallery of the cast of absolutist aspersions you have done ad nauseam on here in the past over the inability to cherry pick what portions of the national defense policy uniformed personnel may personally agree with and which portions they may not, and to reject military service outright if the answer isn't 100% buy-in for the person involved. Now you're in the position of looking at profiting from the military industrial graft, and you wish to be given the very maneuvering space to carve out exceptions to that moral absolute, a practice you've criticized others for. Good for the goose, good for the gander brother.

So unless you're going to offer up an "Alex Jones Defense", aka the notion your musings on here are ultimately fake trolling and not reflective of your opinion in private life, or merely a stunt to garner attention (or in Jones's case, entertainment profit), at which point your position is merely fraudulent, then your prior positions on here remain hypocritical in light of this newfound interest in the military industrial graft. Or, you could acknowledge the hypocrisy of your position, recant your absolutist hardline stance regarding national defense policy "cherry picking", and then we can take you seriously again. It's really not that complicated.
 
hindsight2020 said:
The hypocrisy of that statement. Let's remind the gallery of the cast of absolutist aspersions you have done ad nauseam on here in the past over the inability to cherry pick what portions of the national defense policy uniformed personnel may personally agree with and which portions they may not, and to reject military service outright if the answer isn't 100% buy-in for the person involved. Now you're in the position of looking at profiting from the military industrial graft, and you wish to be given the very maneuvering space to carve out exceptions to that moral absolute, a practice you've criticized others for. Good for the goose, good for the gander brother.

So unless you're going to offer up an "Alex Jones Defense", aka the notion your musings on here are ultimately fake trolling and not reflective of your opinion in private life, or merely a stunt to garner attention (or in Jones's case, entertainment profit), at which point your position is merely fraudulent, then your prior positions on here remain hypocritical in light of this newfound interest in the military industrial graft. Or, you could acknowledge the hypocrisy of your position, recant your absolutist hardline stance regarding national defense policy "cherry picking", and then we can take you seriously again. It's really not that complicated.
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I don’t think you were picking up what I was laying down.

There are things I don’t like about the military industry as I have mentioned. There are things I do like that they do.

Ya need a less wide brush.
 
James331 said:
I don’t think you were picking up what I was laying down.

There are things I don’t like about the military industry as I have mentioned. There are things I do like that they do.

Ya need a less wide brush.
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Oh come on James. It’s been quite clear in what you been putting putting down in your anti-military / MIC comments. Because of $$$, you now have no problems helping those that kill, in your words, “goat farmers.” It’s that simple.
 
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Man a guy asks a question and everyone loses their mind :eek:
 
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To get a TS clearance, these posts in this forum will 100% be part of their investigation. Just sayin'...
 
mtuomi said:
To get a TS clearance, these posts in this forum will 100% be part of their investigation. Just sayin'...
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Good, Ive been 100% pro America, pro constitutional, perhaps I didn’t always hero worship some of our dumb decisions but that’s just because I read history, and it’s not like I’m running for the foreign policy PR department.

So what exactly was I over the line?
 
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