Law Enforcement Fixed Wing

Corpsmaide

Corpsmaide

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Jul 17, 2012
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Virginia beach
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Corpsmaide
Hello, my name is Leonard. I never formally introduced myself to the board. I am currently on hiatus from law enforcement to finish my degree and private cert, and additional ratings one day. Great info on this board! Thanks to all!

I just wanted to know if there were any LE pilots (fixed)...no offense to the rotors, on the board. I think it would be neat to mix both of my passions in one career. So any advice, insight, pros, cons, please advise! Thank you
 
Hey Leonard, first welcome to POA, second we do have a few LEOs and ex LEOs on the board that fly fixed wing but I think they are all doing it as an avocation rather than for work. If I'm wrong they will chime in.

Mostly I've seen fixed wing use for traffic control / speed enforcement and looking for grow operations. Not sure what the use might be in Vabeach. I'd think your airspace is so full of mil ops that it would be kind of tough. Look forward to hearing more from you.
 
Years ago we shared a hangar with the State Patrol. I knew some of the pilots who have probably retired since then. At least in Colorado you had to be hired as a regular trooper first. The aviation slots were pretty hard to get as there were not very many openings and people stayed until retirement. It seems like these guys used the airplanes for traffic patrol and transportation for state employees and and officials. They also did some unusual things. I can remember seeing a 182 outfitted with a bunch of antennas for tracking animals. I seem to recall them having two or three 182s, a Cessna 340 and a King Air 90.
 
I know Ohio has airborne fixed wing (182 I think) LEO. I've had a nice chat with one on 122.75. Mostly they're keeping an eye on the interstates.

The Wisconsin SP also have some Cessnoid I saw at Oshkosh one year. The officer and I were playing with the VASCAR unit they have the trigger switch on the yoke even.
 
On the FED side ICE has it's own airforce. Unfortunately they are currently inundated with former military types looking for work there and as luck would have it they get preference for hiring (as it should be IMHO).
 
My agency has fixed wings, but you need a commercial and instrument, plus the fleet is small and spread around the country. My goal is to get those in the next year or two and hope there is a pilot slot available.
 
Art VanDelay said:
On the FED side ICE has it's own airforce. Unfortunately they are currently inundated with former military types looking for work there and as luck would have it they get preference for hiring (as it should be IMHO).
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One of my students from the university is a pilot with CBP, and the closest he ever got to the military was CAP, so that background isn't that essential. Good news is he started out on Citations; bad news is he's now flying drones. And in case anyone asks, yes, the pilots are gun/badge/handcuff-carrying Federal LEO's, not just pilots.

Also, the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transport System (JPATS, aka "Con Air" -- even the US Marshal Service uses that term) run by the US Marshal Service has fixed-wing LEO pilots.

OTOH, like the US Army, the Maryland State Police require rotary wing qualifications, with fixed wing flying as an additional duty for a hand-picked few.
 
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Our club was founded by an Iowa trooper who had a commercial certificate and flew for the State Patrol, and I've talked a few times to one of the current troopers.

The patrol has seven planes scattered about the state. That's not a lot of planes. And the number of pilots is commensurate. So there's probably not a lot of turnover. Our club founder started as a regular trooper and then he got assigned to a plane.

The planes years ago were supercubs that were replaced by 172s. The one I see most often now is a very nice 182 with Garmin 1000. The aircraft was purchased using drug forfeiture funds and the FLIR was purchased using a federal grant. I'd guess that with the cost of avgas and planes nowadays, it's no longer possible to justify purchasing the planes based on the revenue generated by speeding tickets, but if they buy them from drug forfeiture funds, then they'll do it.
 
I know the Washington State Patrol uses fixed wing aircraft for traffic enforcement. I'm sure they are regular WSP officers flying the planes. Just listen for "Smokey x" on the radio. Smokey 3 was returning to KOLM while I was driving home from work yesterday and I heard him talking to the tower. :D
 
Sounds like you already have your LE credentials, that should put into a somewhat better position when it comes to looking for those jobs, at least within your state.

The airborne speed enforcement is on the decline as it is not very cost effective (compared with just putting up an automatic camera and having the computer spit out citiations). Most states have pretty much abandoned it due to the high personnel cost (3 officers instead of 1) in addition to operating a plane rather than a patrol car.

The Virginia ABC does some flying, don't know whether they use state patrol aircraft or whether they have their own. I believe the PA state patrol has Cessna 206s, they sold a bunch of 10,000hr 182s a couple of years ago. In some states, the DNR has their own aviation division (e.g. the FL wildlife commission). Counting geese, looking for poachers who 'shine deer' at night etc. Sounds like more fun than clocking motorists or looking for pot plants.

http://myfwc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2468/~/becoming-a-pilot-for-the-fwc.


My CFII retired from a career flying for the state. His education was the seminary, not the military.
 
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Ron Levy said:
One of my students from the university is a pilot with CBP, and the closest he ever got to the military was CAP, so that background isn't that essential. Good news is he started out on Citations; bad news is he's now flying drones. And in case anyone asks, yes, the pilots are gun/badge/handcuff-carrying Federal LEO's, not just pilots.

Also, the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transport System (JPATS, aka "Con Air" -- even the US Marshal Service uses that term) run by the US Marshal Service has fixed-wing LEO pilots.

OTOH, like the US Army, the Maryland State Police require rotary wing qualifications, with fixed wing flying as an additional duty for a hand-picked few.
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The Con Air pilots are not LEO's. They are hired on as regular pilots.
 
Natural resource law enforcement primarily with the US Fish and Wildlife Service but also with the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management provides opportunities to fly. Vast majority of ranger-pilot or agent-pilot positions are in Alaska though.

I've been steeped in aviation at work for fifteen years as a flight manager, aviation safety manager, supervisor and crewmember but never as PIC.

As a ranger, agent, biologist etc. with collateral pilot duties you generally need your CSEL, instrument rating, and 500 hours with some minimal amount of night and actual IMC logged, coming in. Training begins from there.
 
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Ghery said:
I know the Washington State Patrol uses fixed wing aircraft for traffic enforcement. I'm sure they are regular WSP officers flying the planes. Just listen for "Smokey x" on the radio. Smokey 3 was returning to KOLM while I was driving home from work yesterday and I heard him talking to the tower. :D
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Oh, and the WSP is advertising on TV for people to join them. Included in the advertisement was aviation. My son (who once considered criminal justice in college) says that WSP is the lowest paying law enforcement outfit in the state. I understand that they didn't fill their last class in the academy. Low pay and high standards. But, you do get to work in God's Country. :D
 
Fwc in florida as mentioned has opportunities. Speaking with a recent officer of theirs they require dual qual. Rotary/Fixed
 
I know Phoenix has openings. My better half was thinking of joining the reserves in hopes of getting in as a 210 pilot once he hits their time requirements. Their positions don't seem to be filling as quickly.
 
I believe the largest aviation budget in the federal government is the DEA. They fly everything they confiscate, including a lot of Air Tractors. All the agencies I have talked to have the same philosophy: they train officers to be pilots and not the other way around.
 
St. Louis County Police have a 210 (I think) that they "commandeered" from the Spirit Airport administration. But apparently it hasn't been seen, let alone flown, in over a decade, since apparently they lost the keys, and don't even know which hangar ti's in.
 
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