New experiment for UAV Pilot Qualification.

[SMOC]

"Voluntolds"......... Nice, I've never heard that before but that's probably a good term for certain situations.

Another question is how long will we need UAV pilots? Seems to me like every episode of Futureweapons I watch, they talk about autonomous UAVs being the next greatest thing. Just point and click the mouse and the machine does that rest. Not sure where a "pilot" fits into that equation. "Operator" might be a more accurate term.

Either way it just seems kinda silly to put these folks these folks through UPT if they never leave the ground after that. I guess you have to get the "voluntolds" from somewhere and UPT grads certainly have the flying qualifications.

BTW, I'd love to have a civilian UAV operator job right now. Beats sleeping in crappy hotels and eating bad food all the time.

I'm not sure, but believe Globalhawk fits into the category of an autonomous or nearly autonomous UAV. I don't believe it's nearly as controlled as Predators and Reapers are by human users. I do know that the FAA has cleared Globalhawk to file its own flightplans for use in civilian corridors. I can't speak to how IFR clearances are done.

You also hit the nail on the hit regarding UPT to UAV pilots. For those who are in the ANG or USAFR and are going to be UAV pilots, they are spending a year out of life learning how to fly manned aircraft only to spend the remainder of their career(foreseeable future anyway) armchair piloting. This is both a waste of resources and time. For the AD counterpart, at this point pilots continue to rotate in and out of UAVs and manned so it is necessary to finish all of UPT. As mentioned earlier in this thread, the first 10 officers are to become part of a test program to determine a better way to make UAV pilots. Essentially, I believe it will end up that they to IFS and instead of going to UPT they'll go to UAV school. Even if they go to WOs, I still think IFS to a UAV schoolhouse would make the most sense.

There were openings for non military UAV operators sometime over this past year. But I believe they call for military UAV experience. This will be a lucrative industry to enter for people with UAV experience.

[GZR_Sactargets]

Here are some items from a quick web search about UAV pilots.

http://www.uavm.com/uavregulatory/pilot ... ctors.html FAA Factors and discussions

http://www.flitejobs.com/aviation_jobs_ ... php?id=228 General Atomics job listing

http://www.cnjonline.com/news/cannon_21 ... ilots.html Pilot concerns about UAVs

[GZR_Sactargets]

From AF Daily Report 13 Oct 08

An Extra Incentive: The Air Force is holding out an additional carrot to entice upcoming pilot training graduates to volunteer for unmanned aerial vehicle duty: A second chance to be selected for fighters at the end of their UAV tour. According to Maj. Randal Walker, part of a team sent to Laughlin AFB, Tex., to explain the Air Force's new plan to send 10 percent of its pilot-trainee crop to fly UAVs for three years and then to move into manned aircraft, those pilot training graduates who initially are slated to go into airlift or tanker aircraft might instead get fighters or bombers. "I'm not promising anything," said Walker from the Air Force Personnel Center, but he noted that the aircraft track identified at completion of specialized undergraduate training will not necessarily be binding three years later, when service needs may have changed. Air Combat Command's UAV branch chief, Lt. Col. Race Bannon, emphasized the cutting-edge aspect of UAV operations, saying it's "not slowing down." He added, "One day, I believe we can expect to see entire [unmanned aerial system] wings; there will need to be commanders for those wings and squadrons." The Air Force unveiled its plan to rapidly increase the number of UAV operators last month and just last week issued basic criteria for another part of the plan, taking non-pilot candidates. The service expects to double the number of UAV pilots, now about 450, over the next couple of years. (Includes Laughlin report by SSgt. Austin May)

[GZR_Sactargets]

From AF Daily Report 12 Nov 08
First UAV Familiarization Course Nears: The Air Force will begin the first-of-its-kind unmanned aircraft systems fundamentals course Nov. 21 at Randolph AFB, Tex. The four weeks of instruction, hosted by the 563rd Flying Training Squadron, are designed to provide combat familiarization for 10 newly winged graduates of undergraduate pilot training who have been selected to proceed directly on the path to learn how to operate unmanned aerial vehicles without first having extensive experience flying manned aircraft. The course comprises 100 hours of class work and simulator work. "It simulates the real-world ground combat and air combat environment," said Lt. Col. Scott Cardozo, 563rd FTS director of operations. The Air Force leadership announced in September the new policy of taking a portion of the service's UPT graduates and inserting them directly into UAV training as part of a larger initiative to bolster its cadre of UAV operators. To do this, it is also creating a new career field under which active-duty officers from various technical and non-technical backgrounds—but without prior flying experience—are trained to fly UAVs. (Includes Randolph report by Sean Bowlin)