UAV pilot interview

aa747

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone,

I have an upcoming interview for the position of a UAV pilot. My only experience so far has been in GA. Any ideas what I may be asked? What should I review about UAVs before going?

Thanks in advance.
 
Its with a civilian group. Posted here as I thought I'd get more input.

Thanks in advance.
 
I'm going to guess that, since UAVs are so new, and for many years have been confined to military-only operation, that they're not going to be looking for any particular level of knowledge about UAVs.
 
One thing to realize is that, in the unmanned ISR world, the pilot has very little to do with accomplishing the tactical portion of the mission -- that's what the sensor operator and (depending on the operation) the intel analyst are for. The pilot is simply ferrying the payload to the mission location and ensuring he is following the theater-specific admin rules of flying.
 
I would have a general knowledge of how the whole system works, because operating a UAV is MUCH more than just the aircraft. For example, what kind of UAV's does this company operate? This can give you a ton of information to start with.

There are Line-of-Sight vs Satellite radio links. Altitude range and endurance. Type of sensor suite and its effective range (probably classified but something to keep in mind when maneuvering the aircraft to collect different types of intelligence). How is the collected intelligence disseminated and analyzed, i.e. is your supported agency strictly an intelligence unit or a tactical team? You will need to be able to build a 3D picture of the airspace around your aircraft without your eyes. The radio and possibly an internet chat room will be how you get that information.

This is just a start. Do some research and find out what you can about your prospective airframe because UAV's are getting ever more diverse.
 
@ The Fez, thank you, much appreciated. I did look up the basics of UAV's before going in for the interview.

Hacker15e, thank you again, you were right - I was just asked personal details, details about my flying experience and thats it.
 
That's kind of cool. What kind of qualifications do you need to get into work like that?
 
@ Hacker15e, I fi nd out in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed!

exerauflyboy5, hope you wont mind, I wouldnt like to write anything before I know an answer.

kfrgflyer, thank you, I will definitely do that.

ZapBrannigan, the organization specified candidates with flying licenses and previous flight experience. I highlighted that on my resume, thats all. Dont know if anything else helped (i do have a college degree not related to aviation - no experience in the military)
 
One thing to realize is that, in the unmanned ISR world, the pilot has very little to do with accomplishing the tactical portion of the mission -- that's what the sensor operator and (depending on the operation) the intel analyst are for. The pilot is simply ferrying the payload to the mission location and ensuring he is following the theater-specific admin rules of flying.

Kinda like Mudhen pilots. You row the boat while your wizzo shoots the ducks!
 
Well if its ISR group or if your flying a Tiger Shark. I wish you the best.

My GA interview (which is 2 systems and many years ago), they didn't ask much about UAV's mostly about how you feel about living and working in certain hostile environments. How well you get along with others, what do you do when a general tells you takeoff and the wx is below mins (For manned airplanes..). Stuff like that. To me, it was like a big get to know you.
 
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