“It appears to be working quite well,” St. Dennis said of the new salary rates. Combined with increased online advertising in magazines such as Rotorcraft Pro, and attendance at aviation industry events like Heli-Expo and the HeliSuccess Career Development Seminar, AMO is seeing a rise in pilot applications. And AMO is one of the few organizations hiring pilots right now; airlines have furloughed or offered early retirement to thousands, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m hearing from (applicants) that they’re ready for
a lifestyle change,”
St. Dennis added. “I tell applicants,‘This job is about more than just flying.’” Air interdiction agents (pilots) get involved in task forces, work closely with Border Patrol and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, take on special duties such as firearms training, and serve as instructor pilots.
“There’s so much variety other than just the flying portion, and I think that’s a big sell,” St. Dennis said.
AMO pilot salaries are now highly competitive in the industry, St. Dennis
St Dennis joined AMO 12 years ago after serving in the military. He tried an EMS job first, but didn’t feel like it offered the variety and mission-oriented work he was seeking. He enjoys going home every day, too.
“I’m dual rated, but I have no interest in being an airline pilot,” St. Dennis added. “I like the autonomy and the amount of responsibility I’m provided.”
St. Dennis has worked the gulf mission out of New Orleans, at headquarters in D.C., and at the National Air Training Center in Oklahoma City. He especially loves the dynamic challenge of training new pilots one on one, then seeing them again for annual refreshers.
Someone might choose to be a firearms instructor, oversee secure communications equipment, or be a heavily engaged training officer with demanding administrative duties.
AMO accommodates the “high flyers” who fly 400 to 500 hours annually, too. “If someone wants to do their entire career as a line pilot, that’s perfectly acceptable and completely necessary,” St. Dennis said.
said. He just met a 22-year-old CFI who was hired on as an air interdiction agent at over $100,000. “He got the opportunity of a lifetime,” St. Dennis observed – but AMO gained something too. “He’s going to bring us a lot of energy and enthusiasm.”
With applicants on the rise, it’s unclear how long the special salary
rates will continue, St. Dennis said, so now is the time to apply.
AMO pilots get to train for a lot more than flying if they want, from tactical shooting to evasive driving to leadership development to interviewing and interrogation techniques.
“Our collateral
duties...are normally something you get to pick, and so it’s something you’re already passionate about,” he explained. “They have given me every last thing I’ve ever asked for. If you can come up with a class and show how it links to your job, odds are it’s going to be approved.”
AMO AND CBP STATISTICS
Air and Marine Operations within U.S. Customs and Border Protection uses air and marine assets to detect, interdict, and prevent terrorism and unlawful movement of people, illegal drugs and other contraband toward or across U.S. borders. It is the world’s largest civilian aviation and maritime law enforcement organization.
• AMO budget: $1 billion (FY2020)
• AMO utilizes 953 federal agents, 1,655 total employees, 234 aircraft, 315 marine vessels and nine Predator UAS operating from 74 locations.
• AMO’s diverse fleet of more than 100 helicopters include the EC120, AS350, UH-1, UH-60 and S-76.
• AMO employs 610 air interdiction agents (pilots), 329 marine interdiction agents and 319 aviation enforcement agents (primary law enforcement agents on aircraft).
• FY2019 recorded a large increase in CBP encounters with illegal entrants at 977,509 compared to 521,090 in FY2018.
• COVID-19 impacts on AMO: Flight hours along the Southwest border have increased 15 percent to provide more social distancing between crew members. For example in McAllen, Texas, AMO has added two shifts for an extra 40 hours of weekly flying. Encounters with illegal entrants have dropped, so pilots can focus more on the narcotics trade. Meetings and briefings are often virtual.
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