A young boy walks with Air and Marine Operations agents who are checking on residents outside of Ponce, Puerto Rico, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017.


Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection


Common applicant questions


One of the first questions AIA applicants ask is about pay and benefits, St. Dennis said. Besides the highly competitive pay with the special salary rates, agents start out with a minimum of 104 hours of annual sick leave, 104 hours of annual leave, a five percent match on their Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401K), and health insurance. A solid retirement plan is also an attractive benefit for AMO agents. The plan’s three components are the law enforcement retirement plan, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), and the Federal Employees Retirement System annuity supplement (FERS). With the 20-year law enforcement retirement plan, a retiring AIA pilot who has reached the $170,000 top salary level can earn a pension of $58,000 plus TSP and FERS annually for life.


44 May/June 2020


Applicants’ next question often relates to equipment, St. Dennis said. Helicopter pilots fly mainly the light-utility AS350. “The AStar is a fantastic helicopter, and it works quite well for our mission,” St. Dennis said. AMO also has a small fleet of UH-60s for heavy- lift missions. Fixed-wing pilots commonly fly the single-engine Cessna 206 or Pilatus PC-12, while maritime missions utilize the twin-turboprop King Air 350 or DHC-8. AMO uses the MQ-9 Predator for the UAS ISR work based in Grand Forks, N.D., Sierra Vista, Ariz., and San Angelo, Texas.


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