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| Pilots Despise Flying UAVs |
| 2012-08-13 |
| Strategypage. Interesting look inside Drone World... UAVs have become where the action is. There are more UAVs in action over Afghanistan and other war zones, than all other air force combat aircraft. So, if you want to see some action, you need to be a UAV driver. This has not been enough to lure many fighter pilots away from their "fast movers." The UAV operators, especially those who are not pilots are not considered the equal of the pilots. This despite the fact that flying manned combat aircraft is now far safer than it has ever been. For a combat pilot who owns a motorcycle or sports car, they are probably safer overseas flying combat missions over Afghanistan than at home, because there is much lower risk of death or injury from motor vehicle mishaps. Most of the medals awarded to air force personnel for combat in the last decade have gone to enlisted airmen who volunteer to spend a year with the army in the combat zone, to help with support jobs. The air force was under a lot of pressure to keep paying TDY pilots flight pay and to award medals usually reserved for success in flight operations. While UAV operators undergo a lot more stress than pilots (because the operators "fly" a lot more each month) the operators are still working from the ground, not an airborne cockpit and so are not given awards and bonuses due real pilots. But the fighter pilots forced to do a three year tour with UAVs don't regret it. While the duty is often tedious, UAV operators do eight hour shifts, and you are focused on the ground, where the enemy, and the action, is. Instead of a cockpit, UAV operators sit in front of multiple flat panel displays (showing system status, maps, chat room discussions with troops and other operators, and video from the cameras), and interact via a joystick, rudder control and a keyboard. While UAV operators sometimes (in about three percent of missions) fire Hellfire missiles, most of their work is more like a detectives' stakeout, watching for suspicious activity, and passing on video, and observations, to the ground troops. Some air force pilots are attracted to UAV duty because they see this as the future, but most existing pilots see it as not what they signed up for and the majority leaves as soon as they can. The air force then has to train another TDY pilot, who will also leave after three years, and take their experience with them. That will only end when enough pilots decide to become 18Xs and are joined by a sufficient number of non-pilot operators. Meanwhile, the army already uses NCOs trained specifically for UAV operation, while the air force insists all operators be officers. The army has no operator shortage. The air force is under pressure (both from within, and outside, the air force) to allow NCOs to be career UAV operators. But it will probably stay with officers or, as the army does with helicopter pilots, using warrant officers (officers who concentrate on their technical specialty, and not command duties). |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #15 real reason: cockpits are kinda cramped. |
| Posted by: USN, ret. 2012-08-13 23:36 |
| #14 Personally I would like to see "non pilots" flying UAVs. A UAV pilot doesn't need the top notch physical conditioning that a fighter jock does. Nor does he/she need 20/20 vision, for example. I realize that UAV pilots need pilot training for things like being aware of the airspace around the vehicle, etc. But slugs like me could pilot a UAV, with training. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2012-08-13 23:07 |
| #13 The sensor operators are enlisted. Officer pilots is a cultural thing in the USAF, not unlike the preference given to academy grads. |
| Posted by: rwv 2012-08-13 21:51 |
| #12 I imagine they will rethink some things and end up with specialists (non-pilots) flying UAV. We might get some kind of UAV useful in aerial combat, those would still need pilots but the normal drones we have now? Sort of overkill having a pilot. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2012-08-13 14:55 |
| #11 The Navy needs minesweepers, but no one wants to captain them I liked it, but it's not a viable career path; the surface ASW community is like the fighter-jock union in that regard. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2012-08-13 13:38 |
| #10 While UAV operators undergo a lot more stress than pilots (because the operators "fly" a lot more each month) the operators are still working from the ground, not an airborne cockpit and so are not given awards and bonuses due real pilots. Certainly there must be a significant amount of workload stress due to extended vigilance and monitoring for UAV operators but it just doesn't seem like the pucker factor is there for UAV operators as compared to fast movers or helicopters pilots in combat. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2012-08-13 12:14 |
| #9 So, who said that only a certified pilot can fly a UAV? The Air Force senior command (which IIRC was relieved in part because of foot dragging in getting the program running, replaced by a Transport Driver rather than another Fighter Jock.) |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2012-08-13 08:31 |
| #8 Flying UAVs may suck, but getting shot down and captured by mujahadeen would suck a lot worse. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2012-08-13 07:59 |
| #7 So, who said that only a certified pilot can fly a UAV? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2012-08-13 07:35 |
| #6 Nothing is more rewarding than sitting in front of a big screen and watching a UAV such as a Warrior Alpha, Tiger Shark, or other platform (flown by crusty old contractors or tech-savy young 25 year old geeks), conduct an ISR (Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnisance) mission, spot and confirm an enemy force, and gain approval for a pair of A-10's to come it and take care of business. Keeping the UAV aloft and orbiting during and after the strike permits great BDA (bomb damage assessment) and lots of 'HIGH-FIVES' in the TOC (tactical operations center) as well. My personal A=10 preference? The 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS) the famed Flying Tigers of course. Hat tip and a crisp salute to those lads. When it comes to ISR and kinetics, it's an all of the above approach. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-08-13 06:25 |
| #5 We've seen this sort of prestige-chasing before. Until manned fighters are completely replaced, which I don't think will happen, we'll need both. But both sides nee some sense of reward. I remember that A-10 Warthog pilots felt as though they were falling behind in the promotion race. The troops on the ground appreciated them though. The Navy needs minesweepers, but no one wants to captain them. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2012-08-13 06:21 |
| #4 As usual, MOS BS. DA Branch lack of anything. Mindless |
| Posted by: newc 2012-08-13 02:47 |
| #3 "The mission would depend on the mission. " I meant the grade would depend on the mission. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2012-08-13 02:33 |
| #2 Pilot on a bomber with multiple crew is different from bombardiers. Pilot is the command authority over all the crew. Bombardier might fly the plane briefly, but he isn't in command of crew. The mission would depend on the mission. A recon drone could be an NCO. A recon drone with a weapon should have an officer in charge but could be a warrant officer. When we evolve to the point where we have unmanned aircraft of the size a capability of an F-15, it should be a commissioned officer. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2012-08-13 02:32 |
| #1 "Those who are not pilots are not considered the equal of pilots" > Reminds me of the USAAC/USAF's "PILOTS-VS-BOMBARDIERS" controversy during WW2. High Prestige, plus entitlement to higher Rank + Pay Scale. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-08-13 00:13 |