Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA/RPV/UAS/UAV)

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I was curious why they don't give predators with a follow on at assignment night. And I hope to god, along with many of my peers, there will be a follow on. So if you are a general reading this... take note Morale will improve drastically.

I received a email about two days ago that the air force is looking for about 55 soon to be LT's and 10 alternates from rotc to begin the new UAV pipeline which will then cease the pulling of pilots out of UPT completion. Its about a 10 month pipeline which includes IFS and 40 hrs of T-6 sim followed by UAV core training. so i ask, any of you non rated folks out there like myself considering this?

Hello everyone! I figured I'd finally attempt to get acquainted with the community rather than just lurk the boards endlessly. I came into the service last year as one of the first 18X officers behind the beta classes for the RPA pipeline. There is not a lot of information on what potential and impending 18X'ers will face in the training process, outside of the guys that got non-vol'd or didn't go through the entire program. I figured I would at least cast the thread out there and attempt to shed any light on questions others might have on it. I'm by no means an expert, but finishing up the training program here at Holloman right now, I'm pretty fresh out of the Randolph …

Without getting into specifics, what is the basic schedule like during the 4 month school at Holloman? Particularly looking for the average duty day/class length. Thanks.

The whole story I am so glad I receive flight pay to deal with a 40+ year old airplane, preform emergency ground egresses on a regular basis, have a high potential to get shot at, spend months away from home, etc. That flight pay is nice, and makes it all worth it. Wait... You're going to give NON-RATED Pred drivers WHAT?!?!?!?!?

I recently got selected for Reserve RPA pilot training. I noticed that the threads with information on what training is like are a little dated. Would anyone be willing to share what their experiences at the courses at Pueblo, Randolph, and Holloman were like? Or has not much changed?

Hello all, I'm interested in applying for a rated board and selecting RPA. In order to get a good idea of what life that would lead to, I have a few questions: 1. Is it true that RPA pilots deploy less than others? I'm also considering ABM which deploys about 6 months a year. Is the tempo about the same? 2. Do RPA pilots usually work 12 hour days, have 24 hours off, then do another 12 hour day? What does a flying schedule look like? 3. Can RPA pilots get flight hours? Thanks.

Gentleman, After reviewing the forums I believe that most of the information I'll be asking in this post is several years old and, thus, almost certainly out of date. In an effort to gather sufficient information to make an informed decision about RPAs (information that my recruiter either a) doesn't have for b) isn't sharing) I'm hoping to find some answers here. I'll write my questions in a bullet format to make answering easier. If you feel that a particular question was answered in a previous thread (and that the information is still current and relevant), please let me know and I'll remove it. 1) Several threads have indicated that RPA training…

https://www.boston.com/business/news/2013/02/13/pentagon-creates-new-medal-for-cyber-drone-wars/D265C91RrHasLVzjFNdz6J/story.html

So I've been doing some research and found out about the URT course. Does this mean there are plans to stop taking UPT grads to fly drones? If so any idea when this is going to take affect or has it already. Sorry I'm a bit behind the curve here. P.S. Search function doesn't allow me to use 3 letter words and acronyms so I had to ask. -.-

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-redesignates-eight-mq-1-predator-units-as-attac-424122/ Green ink in the logbook now ....Attack in the title.....small steps to improve the RPA culture? Q to the RPA folks...will it? Cheers ATIS

I know there are a lot of contractor jobs out there but can anybody speak to opportunities in the civilian world after active duty for RPA pilots? Specifically- what the pay is and if the contracts are here to stay for the next 10-20 years? I may be transitioning from a manned mws to RPAs and am curious.

Hi

Guys, I know UAVs are not the favorite topic here on the boards, but I also know that many of baseops members have more experience dealing with them than on any other forum and can help. Would anyone know if there are any opportunities for someone interested in UAVs in the Guard or the Reserve? The ANG website lists a critical need for anyone willing to enter into ISR/UAV openings but websites are generally not the most reliable source for information, especially when there is no indication of what units or even states have that need. Some of the earlier threads on this board hinted that a few Guard units were supposed to be switching from manned missions to unmanne…

Just started reading about this yesterday.... And there's not much out there about it. Can anyone please shed some light on this field and what's different (if any) from a regular RPA pilot vs AFSOC RPA pilot? What's the difference in their missions etc? I read so far that there are 2 Special Ops squadrons currently active with RPAs: the 3rd and 33rd SOS. Both based out of Canon AFB in New Mexico, flying Predators and Reapers. I'm a civilian RPA select so please excuse my lack of info.... What are the pros/cons to being AFSOC RPA pilot? How do you get in? Is day to day life any different? Any incentives? I was interested in AFSOC (enlisted) after not getting …

So I just got picked up for RPA on the Active Duty board that dropped last week. I was wondering if anyone had any insight on a few questions I have. When will I find out and what will be the notification process for getting a date? Do I need need to do MFS if I already have a good 2U flight physical? Will I PCS to Randolph and then TDY to Pueblo for IFS or TDY en route from my current station? Any other helpful advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all, I’m anxiously awaiting the results of the current board and my wife and I are just curious, what the current status of the rpa pipeline is? Also, I cannot find any reliable gouge on ad bases for rpa. Where would we most likely be PCS-ing to?

Hey guys, any CSOs out there trying to crossflow to the UAS on this "very limited" time opportunity in December? Cheers, Thriller

Hey All, Heading out to RIQ next week...Had a couple questions. What are the hours during the week to expect? Are there any good study materials to look at before the class? What week do you start simulator work? Any other information would be great!! Thanks!

In case anyone was wondering, there is no specific age limit for entry Undergraduate Remotely Piloted Aircraft Training (URT). Based on a few changes recently, according to AFI 36-2105, Chapter 3, paragraph 3.1.1 spells out the age restrictions for persons seeking to enter UPT. Paragraph 3.1.1.3 adds an exception for URT candidates. "3.1.1.3. Exception for Undergraduate Remotely Piloted Aircraft Training: must meet maximum age for appointment in the various grades as specified in AFI 36-2005, Appointment in Commissioned Grades and Designation and Assignment in Professional Categories – Reserve of the Air Force and United States Air Force." Heading over to AFI 36-2005 tell…

How many applied this year and got picked up for RPA? Talked to the civilian POC at AFPC in 2013 and he said that 32 RPA slots went unfilled that year. Has anyone heard anything similar this year? What are our numbers this year?

I heard that they are going to fill UPT slots with RPA pilots now... Can anyone confirm? I thought all RPA pilots are going through URT now.

I'm working on a capstone project for my masters. Currently my research topic is to study the differences between working 8 and 12 hour shifts and how they effect fatigue, mishaps, quality of life, etc for predator ops. I'm not asking for folks to fill out a survey yet. I just need to know what schedules units are working 8s,12 and how many days on/off are in their work week. Private message me if you have time to help me out and I'll give you my NIPR email address. Thanks!