police PC12
 

how do you get a job flying the pc12's for the police? Is that a contract that is being operated by different aviation companies?

Get some hours, become a copper, work as a copper, put in for the program.

I've heard a rumour that they're looking at contracting out but at present I believe it's still done buy the folks in blue.

FRQ CB

Why would you work so hard to get the training, the hours then put it on hold while u join the cops and do ur time on the streets??

I think you'll find it's the other way round, most of the police pilots were police first then became pilots.

Reason for this is so that the pilot can function as a police officer when they get where they are going.

The only reason I mention doing it that way (hours, copper, apply) is that the cops I know who've tried to get into it say that they find it difficult to get a CPL and hours whilst working full time as a copper.

I am, however, only speaking from what two cop friends (both low hour PPL holders working in the bush) have told me. Take what I say on this matter with much more than a grain of salt.

I hope that somebody with more knowledge than me can answer your question more directly, Wildduke.

FRQ CB

Its a boys club mate, like most government jobs the position is already filled prior to them advertising it, but due to red tape they must advertise a position regardless. You see them pop up on AFAP occasionally etc and in the Australian.

None of the police air wing guys I know are cops, just pretty experienced pilots as far as i'm aware.

They have advertised previously for crew, with nothing about needing to be a cop already.

Besides, wouldn't that be kinda like becoming a doctor to fly in the RFDS? Bit of a convoluted route...like the Rev said...'one man, one job'.

All the guys driving for the western Australian Airwing are indeed police persons.
The particular one I know was a policeman with a PPL. he did the work gwtting his CPL and some hours while being a Detective. he then went through a pretty stringent application and selection process to get the job.
Hasn't stopped grinning since either. :ok: Another of the guys I know ended up as CP and I met him out bush as a traffic copper.... long before either of us had thought of flying. I guess he did the hard yards while being a copper as well.

Police Forces around Australia crew their aircraft from the ranks, or from contract sources, dpending on a number of factors. I know people who have followed both routes in different forces.

Whether one option is better than the other is moot, personally I believe that the highest qualified pilots should be employed as by far the greatest aspect of the job is the driving, and poloicing is a distant second, however, remember that you are dealing with coppers and it is difficult to get this message across to that type of minded person sometimes, as they can believe that they know more and are better at everything than mere 'civilians'

To be sure the WA coppers (and probably SA & QPOL) have a very wide range of territory to deal with and are more likely to need to pacify an unruly passenger, before during and after a flight, but metro forces are not so close to the coal face.

For info the folowing article was in the latest edition of Police Aviation News:

KANSAS:

officers from its ranks for pilot training or bringing in ready trained pilots.


HD

The Queensland Police Air Wing used to be staffed by serving Police but that policy was changed quite some time ago with all pilots now being civilians.

They don't have any PC12's but do have a Citation, Beech 1900D and a couple of Caravans.

They seem pretty busy, hear them on the airways quite a lot.

This has been done before, have a search through the archives. The QLD and NT you are not a sworn officers you are just given some sort of ancillary rank.

The WA police were sworn officers. You will have to spend a few years as a cop then apply to transfer if there is availability. The ATSB has suggested that they open up pilot recruiting to non officers to try and tap a wider experience base. Not sure if such a radical idea has been embraced by those in the west. They usually don't take to kindly to being told what to do those by those pesky people 'over east'!!

They need to listen
 

The W.A. police air wing lost some people in a C310 some years ago. The atsb report was damning and indicated that nearly everything was wrong about that operation.
It may be better now, but it needs continuous exposure and assessment by non police to ensure it does not slip back to what it was.
Maybe all police flying operations need that.

Pffffffft when pigs fly mate :}

Enter one Mr P Griffin.

The fixed wing and rotary sections of the WA Police Airwing are very different outfits, even located in seperate premises.

The WAPOL airwing has two seperate sections as has been pointed out already.

The rotary wing uses contracted civilian pilots with WAPOL crew in the back. You do however need some special (military) background for the Operational nature of the flying.

The fixed wing is all coppers for the full time flying, but they do have acces to at least 1 non WAPOL pilot who also operates as a check pilot and part time ferry pilot (european vacation again Pete:)

NT airwing is actualy a Public service airwing (just like QLD), but is almost exclusively used by the Police and courts. Last time they had a full time copper flying for them was when SS Hart was around. He left some time in 2001 to head the RFDS bid for the NTAMS contract.

As for which is best who knows both have thier good and bad sides.

The SA airwing which was started in 1972 has till now been crewed by Police. Due to the lack of Police with a CPL the first non Police pilot was employed 3 years ago. The job was advertised and required a high level of experence. Police work is nothing like charter work and requires a wide range of experance levels, with 70% of its work in the bush.

From what I have been told, it is Exactly like charter work. the 70% bush sounds like its less then the usual charter operator.
Could you explain your comment so we can understand the differences?.

Only difference between general CHTR and Police ops (in Qld anyway) is the pax often wear matching bracelets......:}

Qld Police Airwing kicked off in 1975 with a coupla ex-Army C180s, as part of the Qld Govt Air Wing. Since then, it has progressed through C210s, C402, B200, B350 and now has a C560 (PSU) & a C208 (PSQ) in BN, a B1900 (PSK) & a C208B (PSY) in CS, a C208 (PSV) in MA, and will soon have a BN2B-3, pilot & hangar in HID.

All pilots are civilian with no Police rank at all. This works on the premise that the role is highly specialised and technically demanding and is best managed by a person whose sole focus is the aviation task.

All ops are PVT.

Speaking with regards to WA Police op's..

The main reason that you have a police pilot, is that when you land you have a Police Officer who can be usefull.. Not a charter pilot who disappears to his rest area and is of no use.

Most of the country/bush work is to remote location with 2-3 man stations.. The reason for the flights vary but usually training. The police pilot can semi-run the station (answer phones etc) while the staff do there training.

I think you will find that the pilots have many 1000's of hours and vast experience. The issues of the past have been addressed.

You might want to have a look at the AS355 accident that the WA police had in the early 90's. It was a Police aircraft, with pilots supplied by a local helicopter company.