Flying 'Coastie'

With the economy still unstable, it seems almost a roll of the dice when deciding where to aim your career sights. Consider, however, that there is one flying career track that is stable with virtually no furloughs; no union versus management turbulence; no pay cuts or forced downsizing; and you usually can fly to your heart's content. Plus, the missions are critical to peace and security. It's the military.

What branch of the services? Navy or Marines? Sure, that's slick. You love the Blue Angels. The Air Force? Why not? Those USAF jet jocks lead a good life. Army is the way to go for future helicopter pilots. What's missing here? The United States Coast Guard.

"Coasties," as they are affectionately labeled, number approximately 40,000 with about 10,000 reservists. Known for their blazing orange-striped watercraft ranging from fast boats to cutters, Coast Guardsmen serve the U.S. citizenry close to home. On a typical day, the USCG, now an arm of the Department of Homeland Security, conducts 109 search-and-rescue missions, saves 10 lives, assists 192 people in distress, protects $2.8 million in property, and often seizes illegal drugs worth up to $9.6 million. Would it also surprise you that USCG aircraft fly 164 missions logging some 324 hours on an average day? That's a lot of flying for the nearly 900 Coast Guard pilots.

The USCG is generally regarded by the public as a seafaring service, but its ties to aviation are historic. The story goes that, on a sand dune at a place called Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina, a few "surfmen" from the local lifeboat station were called to add a little extra muscle during the prelaunch activities for the Wright brothers. The proof is in an old photo taken by a surfman named J.T. Daniels.

The first steps to a practical USCG air fleet were taken in 1915 when lieutenants Elmer Stone and Norman Hall, with the support of their commanding officer, Capt. Benjamin Chiswell, envisioned Coast Guard aircraft providing rapid assistance to vessels in distress. Today, the 20-plus USCG air stations spread throughout the U.S. coastal areas, the Great Lakes, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico are home to nearly 200 aircraft. Fixed-wing machinery includes the C-130 Hercules long range surveillance aircraft; the C-144A CASA medium surveillance airplane; and the venerable HU-25 Guardian. The Coast Guard also flies rotorcraft including the HH-60 Jayhawk and HH-65 Dolphin.

As far as a military lifestyle goes, the U.S. Coast Guard is very good. Not only are the bases secured firmly on U.S. soil, a flight officer's mode of living, pay, and benefits are downright cushy compared to those of a regional airline first officer. Consider: salary in the mid-$30s to start; 30 days paid vacation annually; life insurance; free health, dental, and vision care; monthly housing and food allowances on top of salary; tuition assistance and the Montgomery GI Bill; competitive selection for fully funded postgraduate school; retirement; and shopping privileges at military commissaries, exchanges, and PXs.

So, how to get there? Here are just a few avenues to a U.S. Coast Guard career.

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy: The four-year academic program located at New London, Connecticut, accepts about 250 young men and women into its program each year. Approximately 75 percent of the Academy graduates earn degrees in technical areas such as engineering, sciences, and mathematics. Appointment as a cadet is based solely on an annual nationwide competition including SAT or ACT scores, high school class ranking, community service, and leadership qualities. Graduates are on the path to officer status and, for those qualifying, to the flight deck of a USCG aircraft.

College Student Precommissioning Initiative: The goal of the CSPI is to increase the representation of minorities and women within the U.S. Coast Guard officer corps. The CSPI is a full scholarship program for students who have completed at least two years of college and who are attending four-year institutions with a significant minority population. A USCG recruiter can discuss specifics.

Blue 21 Flight Initiative: This is a truly innovative USCG program that is open only to graduates of colleges and universities with a minimum 25-percent minority population of U.S. citizens. The goal is to build greater diversity in the aviation community through targeted recruitment at colleges and universities with strong minority populations.

In addition to graduation from an approved school with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA, applicants must have achieved minimum scores on one of the following standardized tests: SAT-combined score of 1,000 or greater; SAT I-combined score of 1,100 or greater; ACT-composite score of 23 or greater; ASVAB-FT score of 109.

Pilot applicants must have at least one of the following: a degree in any engineering, aviation, aeronautical, or aerospace program from a qualifying four-year institution; an associate's degree in an aviation, aeronautical, or aerospace-specific program from a junior/community college accompanied by a baccalaureate degree in any major course of study from a qualifying four-year institution; a pilot certificate or technical aviation employment experience in conjunction with a qualifying accredited four-year degree in any discipline.

The applicant must successfully complete the Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) that tests personal knowledge in math, science, English, and aviation with a minimum academic qualification rating (AQR) of 4 and a pilot flight aptitude rating (PFAR) of 4. There are also physical examinations and security clearances to navigate.

Once accepted into the program, the applicant is guaranteed a flight training assignment upon completion of Officer Candidate School. OCS is a 17-week program where candidates can expect intensive classroom study in leadership theory, nautical science, piloting and navigation, firefighting, law enforcement, and Coast Guard history and organization. OCS is followed by 18 to 24 months of flight training covering basic ground school subjects, aircraft systems, and academics. Much of the flight training is accomplished at the Navy Air Command in Pensacola, Florida. Pilots who make it are committed to the USCG for 11 years.

Becoming a USCG pilot involves a tough qualification process that is highly competitive. Because the USCG is small, flying opportunities are rather limited but worth the effort. There are other avenues to a USCG career, both in the air and on the sea. Check them out with a recruiter or go online.

Wayne Phillips is an airline transport pilot with a Boeing 737 type rating. He is a B-737 instructor and operates the Airline Training Orientation Program in association with Continental Airlines. He is an aviation safety consultant in Michigan and speaker for the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.