So how do you become a police or law enforcement helicopter pilot?  This is the question I see posed in forums and on web pages across the web.  Such a question has many answers due to the fact that every agency in the U.S. (and probably the UK) are slightly different.  They are different because their budgets are different, and each has it's own set of policies and procedures that have been developed over the past 30-40 years.  One department may decide to organize an air unit in a particular way for budgetary reasons, such as hiring a civilian pilot or contracting both the actual helicopter and pilots from a private company.  Then they would simply add the sworn law enforcement observer, (also know as Tactical Flight Officer).

Other agencies may choose to hire a very experienced civilian pilot, but require him or her to complete a police academy (which can be as long as 6 months) and complete initial patrol training on the streets.  In other words they take an experienced helicopter pilot, make him or her a police officer, then put them into the air unit.  I met a pilot recently with the Arizona Department of Public Safety who was hired just this way.  He already had years of experience flying helicopters in the Coast Guard and other places.

The most common method by far, particularly among large agencies, is to select their Observers/Tactical Flight Officers from their experienced and often veteran law enforcement officers.  They then choose from their successful TFOs to place you into pilot training.  This is exactly the path that lead me to becoming a pilot in my department's aviation unit. 

Let's take a brief look at what it's going to take to become a police helicopter pilot.  If you have spent any time on this site then you have probably already heard me say that it is going to be a long term goal, if you are just starting out.  That is if you are just starting out as either a law enforcement officer, or as a helicopter student pilot.  Either way it is a worthwhile goal that is very rewarding for the person who is willing to work for it.  But let's look at some examples.

I recently received an email from one of my former civilian flight instructors who is currently flying complex IFR certified helicopters for Pacific Helicopters Inc. in the Gulf of Mexico.  He mentioned that the Sonomish County (Ca.) Sheriff's Office was hiring a civilian pilot.  Their requirements were, 2000 hours of turbine (engine) helicopter time, 200 hours of long line time (slinging items from beneath the helicopter), 300 hours of mountain flying experience and 100 hours of unaided night time experience.  Though he is flying medium lift, complex helicopters on IFR missions, he does not yet have the experience they are looking for.  Now another police agency may ask for a different level of experience, but this is a current example of a law enforcement agency looking to hire a civilian pilot. 

But for the student pilot just starting out we have to back up and look at how you land that first helicopter flying job.  Most civilian helicopter pilots will obtain their private, IFR (instrument rating) commercial, and CFI (certified flight instructor) ratings, as well as what is call "double II" and that is their instrument instructor rating.  That is a lot of ratings at a significant cost (think of a student loan for about $50,000).  The instrument instructor rating is not mandatory but many student pilots do go on to get this rating.  The student pilot normally then becomes an instructor, often at the same school where he or she studied.  This is their first actual flying job. 

Most helicopter companies require you to have 1000 hours of Pilot in Command flight time before they will hire you, (I'm sure there are exceptions but this seems to be the norm).  Why 1000 hours?  I have heard that this is what the aviation insurance companies prefer.  It is only at this point that most pilots will begin building their turbine engine time because up to now virtually all of their student and instructor time will be in piston engine helicopters.  Now there will be variables to everything I say here but this will give the young student pilot who is just starting out, some idea of what it is going to take to land a job as a police pilot (in the U.S.).

Now let's look at the sworn law enforcement path to becoming a police helicopter pilot.  As previously stated this is by far the most common way in which someone is selected into a police aviation unit.  But let's be realistic.  A young person whose dream it is to make a living as a helicopter pilot, does not normally want to put their flying career on hold for 10 years while working as a police officer and waiting for a spot in the aviation unit, (although this could be a very smart approach, look for a future article on this).  At the same time, most rookie police officers and deputy sheriff's are probably not even thinking of the aviation unit on the day they are sworn in.  I certainly wasn't. 

So let's say someone decides to take the sworn path to becoming a police pilot.  How long can he or she expect to wait for a position, and what are some of the other considerations to this approach.  The first consideration is that you could spend 20 years on a department and may never be selected for the aviation unit.  There are no guarantees, even if you have aviation experience or are already a helicopter pilot.  On most agencies you are going to have to compete for these positions.  In other words there is a selection process where points are given for seniority, experience on the department, etc., and then ultimately an interview.  Certainly some weight will be given to aviation experience, and a some aviation experience may be mandatory on some agencies (such as a private fixed wing license).  But my point is that most agencies learned long ago to look at much more than your aviation experience or ratings.  Your personality, your ability to make decisions under pressure, your reputation as a quality employee, your work ethic, is all very important.  I can tell you right now that no one cares what kind of a pilot rating you have or how many helicopter flight hours you have if you can't get along with your fellow officers, (this is much bigger than you could possibly imagine, more on this later). 

In my case I had 15 years on the department when I began interviewing for a spot in our aviation unit.  It took me three interviews over a period of five years before I was selected.  The person with the least amount of time to be selected to our unit (in recent memory) had about 12 years on our department, but was in fact a former military helicopter pilot.  On our agency only two years of patrol time is required before you are eligible to apply to the unit, but the reality is that you are most likely going to need 10 to 12 years of experience to score high enough to be selected.  I have seen and heard of other agencies where officers have been assigned to the air unit in as few as 7 years. (I am sure there are some with less). 

Keep in mind that on my department no previous aviation experience is required, therefore anyone with a few years on, can be your competition.  If you are a sworn officer on an agency where they require you to already be a pilot, fixed wing or helicopter, then your competition is less and you may see shorter wait times.  But also remember, there has to be a position available in the unit.  The larger the agency, the larger the air unit, the more movement which results in more opportunity.  There are too many variables to consider in this one article, so look for many more articles on this subject in the near future.  This should however give anyone wishing to become a police helicopter pilot a starting point with which to begin building their plan. 

See you soon!

Let’s be honest, if you are already a professional-civilian, helicopter pilot and have been looking for a flying position with a police agency, then you in all likelihood will have as much information on the process as I.  We both know (as previously discussed) that it is going to take a considerable amount of experience and years to land that position.  Also, we have discussed that the civilian path to becoming a police helicopter pilot is probably the least common way, but those positions are certainly out there. This section will probably be most informative for the student helicopter pilot considering a career as a police pilot, or a young person about to enter helicopter pilot training who would one day like to become a police pilot.

It is my goal to provide the best information I can to anyone whishing to become a police pilot.  Therefore I will continue to search out and gather information and data and share it with you here.  As I develop information from agencies who hire or are looking to hire civilian pilots I will make it available to you.  I would also encourage anyone with specific information they wish to share, to post it in the form of a comment.

And if for some reason I have not made it clear before now, I emphatically support and extend best wishes to all persons seeking a position as a law enforcement pilot, whether civilian, military, or law enforcement!  Though many people in the industry may have opinions on which organizational structure (civilian pilot or L.E. pilot) is best, that is not the purpose of this site. Further, the best organizational structure for any agency is the one that works best for them.

With that said, many of the articles in this section (How to become a Police Helicopter Pilot) are going to focus on the Law Enforcement path, since it is the most common way someone becomes a law enforcement pilot.

I do want to leave you, the civilian pilot, with a thought.  As a new or young pilot you could probably think of doing nothing else except flying helicopters.  You worked very hard, got your ratings, got your 1000 hours and are working as a professional pilot.  Giving this up to be a police officer is the farthest thing from your mind.  But what if we jump ahead three or five years. You still enjoy flying and you don’t want to completely give that up, but for some maybe it’s time to take another look at the law enforcement path to that police flying job.

Now I’m not trying to be a recruiter here, I am just pointing out an option.  Some of the same things that led you to become a helicopter pilot may now lead you to find police work interesting. A sense of excitement, adventure, and challenge are common to both professions.  In fact the personal characteristics that make you a good pilot will probably make you a good officer as well.  When you factor in the stability, and generally good pay of being a law enforcement officer it may make sense to some.

Do your research and find an agency with a fairly large air unit, and maybe one that requires you to already be a helicopter pilot, (thus reducing your competition later on).  The last time I checked the California Highway Patrol requires officers to obtain a private helicopter rating before being selected as a pilot.  So, you spend a few years chasing bad guys on the ground while instructing in helicopters on the weekends (if you chose to do so), until that position in the air unit opens up.  Could that be the best of both worlds?

Lastly, if you have zero interest in becoming a law enforcement officer then I would in no way encourage you to do so.  It’s not a job for everyone.  The bottom line is that it may be an option for some professional pilots who have gotten a few years of flying under their belt and are looking for further options, or to help pay off those student loans.

Regards, djk

The aviation unit of most law enforcement agencies is considered a specialized unit, as are units such as the SWAT team, Bomb Squad, Homicide, Narcotics, etc. Apply to any specialized unit on any department in the country and you will likely come under fairly heavy scrutiny during the selection process.

In addition to your knowledge of police work and the particular skills you may possess your attitude, personality, reputation and people skills are all going to be considered at some level. Every specialized unit of every agency in the country has at some time or another had a member that simply could not get along with the other members of the unit. They just have a bad attitude, personality, or people skills. When selecting a new member of the unit, they don’t want a repeat.

I will go out on a limb and say that this is probably more true with SWAT teams and Police Aviation Units that just about any other unit. I can assure you that if you happen to get on our SWAT team and for some reason, develop a bad attitude where you can’t get along with other people in the unit, you will be gone almost instantly. There is not a SWAT commander anywhere that is going to let a problem employee stay in his unit. The aviation unit is no different.

Both units depend heavily on the unit members being able to work together in a cohesive manner in order to safely accomplish the mission. No one wants to go into a SWAT situation with an angry team member covering their back, and no one wants to be stuck in a cockpit with an abrasive partner they can’t talk to. Additionally, these units are too small for the sergeant to be trying to work the schedule around two people who refuse to work together.

Think this is not really that important? Are you wishing I would move on to the really important stuff that is going to get you into the air unit? Develop a bad or negative reputation on most departments and you will never see the inside of the aviation unit, even if you are already a helicopter pilot.

To better illustrate my point, a police aviation unit in California was completely shut down recently by the Chief, after years of in fighting between unit members came to a head. After an internal investigation a full one half of the unit was permanently re-assigned to patrol.

If you are a young member of a law enforcement agency and aspire to one day become part of the aviation unit, or any other specialized unit, guard your reputation like a bag of gold.

Are you always arguing with your sergeant, dispatch, and patrol partners? Or are you a leader who rises above the petty arguments and brings something positive to the team? Are you developing a reputation of someone who is lazy and afraid to handle certain calls, or do you have the reputation of someone who is always willing to step up to the plate, jump right in and get things done? Now as long as we’re conducting a self evaluation this one is critical. Do you have a reputation as someone with sound judgment and good decision making abilities, or are you starting to develop a reputation of someone who is always screwing things up?

Sorry to be so blunt, but this is the cold hard truth. Before you key the mike and chastise the dispatcher for a perceived mistake, think about who is listening. It may be the aviation unit commander, whom next week you will be trying to convince that you are the perfect person for that opening he has.

Note- This is a fairly long article, but you came here for information so here it is!

Strategic Planning:

This article could be considered a strategic planning session on how to eventually land that position as a police helicopter pilot. There are some definite do’s and don’ts when it comes to applying and interviewing for such a position. Much of what we will discuss can be applied to any agency, for a couple of reasons. First these are general strategies, tips, suggestions, and ideas. Second, it doesn’t matter what agency you work for you are going to be dealing with humans, and human nature, in your quest to land that position. So let’s get started!

First I think we must be very honest with ourselves. There are always going to be more people standing in line for a position in the air unit than positions available. So it is a reality that your best efforts and strategies may not ever result in you being selected for such a position. One of your first strategies should be to conduct an honest self evaluation.

Now I am not encouraging you to sell yourself short, or to under estimate your abilities or self worth. But, how are you performing in your current position? Are you someone who is truly respected by your co-workers? Do you have a reputation as a hard worker? Everyone has a reputation, what is yours? As I mentioned in the previous articles, your reputation is probably your greatest asset. In most cases it is more important than any aviation knowledge or experience you already have, (we will discuss minimum requirements in a moment).

Here are some descriptors of a good reputation; you are a “hard worker”, your are “squared away”, “you have your act together”, “you can walk and chew gum at the same time”, you are friendly and easy to get along with, “he/she seems like a sharp guy/gal”. I have never heard anyone say “we want the smartest person for the job”. Common sense, good judgment, ability to “think on your feet”, ability to multi-task, hard worker, and easy going are all excellent traits to have going for you. Do be positive and set your goals high, but also be well grounded.

Minimum Qualifications:

Your very first strategy should be to learn the minimum qualifications for that particular position. For example my agency requires a minimum of 2 years patrol experience and completion of department probation. That’s pretty much it. No previous aviation experience required. Other agencies may require you to go out on your own and obtain any number of aviation ratings. For example it is my understanding that the San Diego Police Department requires you to have a fixed wing IFR rating before even being considered for selection. Minimum requirements are just that. If you don’t meet them now, then you will need to get to work until you do meet them.

Something else to consider however is the amount of experience and skills necessary to be competitive for the position. In other words the minimum qualifications for my agency are 2 years patrol, but no one gets into our unit with 2 years on the department. Remember you are going to be competing for these positions with other members of the department. Typically there is a rating system to rate applicants for the years on the department, positions they have held, etc. These points are then combined with interview scores to give an overall rating. On most agencies there is still some discretion given to the unit commander on who is selected. The unit commander is not always forced to take the person with the highest score, but rather select from the top two or three names.

I don’t believe there is anyone presently in my unit that had less than 10 years on our department before being selected. That is just how long it is going to take for you to be competitive. Look at it as time to plan and prepare!

Go on a Fact Finding Mission:

I was told by a sergeant early in my career that you should attempt to learn as much as possible about any position you are going to apply for. This is certainly true with a position in the helicopter or aviation unit. What does the job entail? What does the person in that position really do? What are the desired qualities of a person in that position? (My agency publishes a list of desired qualities with the job announcement).

What are the positive and negative aspects to the job? Don’t think for a minute that a position in the air unit is all fun and games, and doesn’t have frustrations and challenges like any other job.

Over a period of time you should endeavor to talk to as many people in your department’s aviation unit, as possible. You should at some point interview the supervisors of the unit, and ask them exactly what they are looking for in a candidate.

Ask what you can do to improve your chances of being selected. Then do what they suggest! In doing this you are obviously going to visit your department’s aviation division on more than one occasion. But hold on, huge note of caution ahead!

But before we get to that note of caution, let’s talk about “time” and “timing”. Most if not all of these strategies are going to work best when spread out over a period of years vs. a few weeks, (that being the few weeks being that time between the job announcement and the interview). The better candidate is going to be quietly working his or her plan over a period of time. He or she is not going to suddenly decide after 10 or 15 years on the department that he wants to be in the air unit and race around trying to become the best candidate in 3-4 weeks. Don’t misunderstand, certainly you can develop an interest in the aviation unit after 15 years on your agency and be an excellent candidate, but that deputy or officer that has been preparing for the past 10 years is probably going to have some distinct advantages over you.

I recall our lieutenant discussing a candidate for a position in our unit, a couple of years back. Upon review of this deputy’s yearly evaluations, he noted that his very first evaluation on the department stated that the deputy’s career goal was to obtain a position in the aviation unit. That deputy is now a helicopter pilot in our unit.

Here is that note of caution I mentioned.

Be Very Careful not to Become a Nuisance:

I have mentioned repeatedly that good judgment is a must have quality of anyone assigned to a law enforcement aviation unit. Your judgment, good or bad, will start to shine through from your very first contact with anyone in your department’s air unit. Repeated phone calls, emails, just showing up, or hanging out at the air unit, (particularly uninvited) is not a sign of good judgment. A misguided campaign of self promotion could be a sure ticket to anyplace except a position in the police aviation unit. Let common courtesy, common sense, and a strong sense for what is reasonable be your guide.

There is an old saying that “it is better to stay quiet and let people think you are stupid than to open you mouth and confirm it”. Become a nuisance and you will have accomplished nothing more than convincing the very people you wish to impress, that you in fact are a poor decision maker with poor judgment. Sorry for the brutal honesty but sugar coating this will benefit no one. Remember too, this is true with any specialized unit, not just the aviation or helicopter unit.

With that said, you do need to get to know the supervisors and officers already assigned to your aviation unit. Do go and introduce yourself, be a little bold, let them know who you are and that you want to be assigned there. Just do it within reason!

Go Get Some Skills:

A tactical flight officer on a helicopter is a patrol officer, make no mistake about. The best TFO is going to be the best patrol officer. One of the most common calls for a helicopter crew is to assist in a search for a suspect. Understanding search techniques, perimeter containment, etc., are important skills to develop. A great way to hone your patrol search techniques even further is to become a K9 officer.

The role of the K9 officer and the TFO are closely related on searches. Officer Jack H. Schonely is a LAPD pilot who is nationally recognized for his expertise in suspect searches. Jack spent many years as a LAPD K9 officer before being assigned to the air unit, and is the author of the book Apprehending Fleeing Suspects (available from Amazon.com). This is a great illustration of the close connection between the K9 officer and the TFO.

As stated above, on my agency you are assigned points for your experience, using a scoring system called a matrix. For example, you not only get points for a certain number of years on the department, but for taking on extra duties and responsibilities, such as Field Training Officer, Canine Officer, SWAT team, etc. There is nothing wrong with aggressively going after your goals, gaining the necessary skills and experience as part of the process.

What is the most common route to the aviation unit on your department:

Almost a full 50% of the people currently assigned to our aviation unit were selected directly from the SWAT team. A couple of these individuals, who are now our sergeants, came over from the SWAT team 15-17 years ago. So this is nothing new. That also means that the other 50% were not selected from the SWAT team. So why is this?

There are likely a number of reasons. On our agency the SWAT team falls under the same command as the air unit. In other words the SWAT team Captain is also the Captain of the air unit. An officer or deputy on the SWAT team is very likely going to have all of the desired qualities that the air unit is looking for in a new TFO. You don’t get onto the SWAT team by being mediocre.

On your department, where are the majority of officers assigned, when they are selected as a new TFO? Do most come from patrol, K9, or detectives? Can you identify a reason why most new TFO’s come from this particular assignment. This may give you additional insight as to where to focus your efforts in building the necessary skills to become the best candidate.

Though we have talked about the SWAT team, and K9 officers, I was never assigned to either unit before being assigned to our aviation unit. I did however have about 14 years of straight patrol experience, with another 6 years of field experience divided between the COPPS unit and Special Purpose Patrol Deputy on an Indian Reservation.

Final thought:

I am going to finish this article with one final tip. Don’t trick yourself into thinking that you can go out a get some aviation experience, and that will somehow make up for weaknesses in the areas mentioned in this article. In most cases this is a flawed approach, and a costly one. I understand the desire to try to make yourself stand out from the crowd, (yes you want to try to stand out as much as possible). But I will simply refer you back to earlier parts of this article. Ask supervisors in you air unit what you can do to improve your chances, then do it. If they tell you to go and get a certain helicopter or fixed wing rating, then go for it. I am just saying that you may be sadly disappointed if you go out and do this on your own, and find out that it did not help you at all.

Hope you find this information useful. Good luck!

Part III is going to be my catch all article for now. Any other hints, tips, or thoughts I can come up with on this subject will be added to this article.

Fitness:

One subject that I have not addressed yet in the series of articles is physical fitness. As law enforcement officers we know that ideally we should strive to maintain that level of fitness we had upon academy graduation, right? Sure some of us go on to become marathon runners and compete in triathalons, (I'm not one of them) but for many of us the years and pounds canadd up.

This point is pretty straight forward. If you want to become a member of your department's aviation unit, you need to get slimmed down, and in excellent shape for a number of reasons.

First let's look at pure perception. Let's say you have two candidates interviewing for an opening in the air unit. Both have virtually identical experience, both do excellent on the interview, both are well liked and come with excellent references, but one is 70 lbs heavier than the other. Do you want to guess which one gets the position?

Whether it is fair or not, the more fit candidate is very likely going to be percieved as the better, more prepared, and more qualified candidate (again all other things being equal.) One could probably argue that you are not serious about securing a position in the air unit, if you have not bothered to get yourself into shape physically.

Other specialized unit's such as the SWAT team have no qualms telling a person they need to be in excellent physical condition before applying.

The bottom line is that if I am trying to make a positive impression on the interview board, the Air Unit Commander, etc., I don't want to show up 50 or 70 lbs overweight. I want to show that I have a certain amount of self discipline, motivation, and a desire to be in at least good physical condition.

Remember also, many agencies are flying helicopters that are already loaded down with a significant amount of extra equipment and weight. Even most small turbine powered helicopters do not have unlimited power. Depending on the specific aircraft, temperature, altitude, etc., 50 lbs could be the deciding factor on whether or not you have enough power to complete the mission.

In our unit, you could at any time find yourself on a hiking trail, in 110 degree weather, carrying a litter with an overweight, overheated, hiker who has succumbed to the weather. It's best to not become a victim yourself in these situations.

The positive side of all this is that now time is on your side. We know that for many of you securing a position in the air unit is going to be a long term goal. We already know that for most agencies you are going to need somewhere between 5 and 10 years to be competitive, so you have no excuse to not be in excellent physical shape when your interview comes around!

RESEARCHING POLICE HELICOPTER UNITS:

Let's say you want to do a little research on which police, sheriff, state or federal agencies have their own aviation unit,. Is there a master list somewhere? There is not really a public list that I know of, but there is something that comes close.

The Airborne Law Enforcement Association http://www.alea.org/PhotoGallery/default.asp has a public section on their website which includes an extensive photo gallery, by agency, listed in alphabetical order. The majority of police aviation units do not have a dedicated website, but most have submitted photos to ALEA of their aircraft. It is one of the largest photo galleries of police helicopters on the internet.

Nothing wrong with using this list as a research tool to discover which agencies have there own air unit.  It is not all inclusive however, I do not there are some agencies with an air unit who do not have photos posted there.  Good luck with your research.