Mil CIV 2 Tips for the transitioning military helicopter pilot
MY MIL2CIV TRANSITION EXPERIENCE
By Jamieson Hicks A
s a kid I was able to tag along with a helicopter lift company that operated in the Chicago area for
many years. At times, I worked as the ground guy and helped the mechanic out as much as he could allow. So, my interest in aviation started early. In 1999 after high school, I joined the National Guard as an MOS 67N (UH-1 repairer). I was fortunate to attend AIT at Fort Rucker. At this point, I was not an A&P and really wasn’t thinking about it. The Army/ National Guard did not offer any type of crossover training. After I completed my training, I returned home and started working for a helicopter lift company as the ground guy and mechanic assistant. At this point, I enjoyed starting to work towards my A&P through the OJT path. I tracked all my maintenance events under the supervision of an A&P. I was fortunate enough that the base where I was working had other types of operations like Charter and ENG (electronic news gathering). But the base was downsized and I was let go.
In 2006, my enlistment was up with the National Guard and I chose not to re-enlist.
20 Mar/Apr 2025
In 2008, I started to volunteer at a Huey museum: American Huey 369. I was able to finish completing my required hours. I am grateful that I am still working with this amazing group of veterans and patriots. We fly two UH-1Hs, one UH-1B, and an H-13. We are currently building a museum to house all variants of the UH-1 / AH-1.
In February of 2013, I gathered up all my maintenance logs and received
letters
from the mechanics I worked under to verify the hours that I logged, and I made an appointment with my local FSDO so I could be approved to test for Airframe and Powerplant. At the time, I was required to have 300 hours of “OJT” on the major subjects of the airframe and powerplant. As the inspector reviewed my training, I learned that the military 67N training fulfilled the requirements to be able to test. In March of 2013, I went to Bakers School of Aeronautics. I completed the course and received my A&P.
My plan was to do 20 years at the fire department, then retire and find work as an A&P as a retirement gig.
In 2013, A good friend (a former Apache mechanic) and mentor was working for a HEMS program. The program was changing operators and the new contract called for two mechanics. I took the job working on a new EC145 (BK117 C2). It was my first job as an A&P — and a few years earlier than I expected! I spent five years with the program.
Something that I learned pretty fast was that civilian field mechanics have to do it all. In the military, there was the avionics shop, engine shop, rotor shop, etc. Sure, we had those shops at the main facility to call for help, but it definitely wasn’t the same. Another learning curve was the paperwork for Part 135, which is similar and yet different than military paperwork and base conformity inspections. Over the years, military aviation training comes into play.
Today, I’m working for the local utility company maintaining the 429 and 206L. We use the aircraft for patrol of electric and gas lines.
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