Hello all, I have been a police officer for nearly 5 years, I'm 29 and have no degree. There are 2 things I've always wanted to do for a career, one of them I'm doing now as a cop, and the other is fly professionally..... I never really had a preference as to what kind of flying until I got a job working around helicopters. If I could fly as a cop I would essentially have my holy grail job. My question is, what would be the best route to take to maximize my chances of being hired as a LEO pilot? I have considered quitting my current job, enrolling in an integrated flight school, working as pilot doing whatever I can to build hours, and then going back to an agency that has a flight division once I have 1500-2000 hours or so (I realize it would take several years). What are the chances an agency would take me on directly as a sworn pilot? Would I most likely have to work on the street again, and get in line, or could I just hop in the seat right off the bat? I haven't been able to find someone on here or anyone else that has taken this approach, which I assume is mainly due to the amount of time away from LE one would have to spend building hours, and the amount of debt one would accrue in the process. I don't want to go work for another agency just for the sole purpose of trying to get into their flight program. I'd have a better chance at winning the lottery and buying my own dang helicopter. Also, let me just add that the agency I work for now does not have a flight division. So I would have to quit my current job eventually anyways, regardless of the path I choose.
Hello all, I have been a police officer for nearly 5 years, I'm 29 and have no degree. There are 2 things I've always wanted to do for a career, one of them I'm doing now as a cop, and the other is fly professionally..... I never really had a preference as to what kind of flying until I got a job working around helicopters. If I could fly as a cop I would essentially have my holy grail job. My question is, what would be the best route to take to maximize my chances of being hired as a LEO pilot? I have considered quitting my current job, enrolling in an integrated flight school, working as pilot doing whatever I can to build hours, and then going back to an agency that has a flight division once I have 1500-2000 hours or so (I realize it would take several years). What are the chances an agency would take me on directly as a sworn pilot? Would I most likely have to work on the street again, and get in line, or could I just hop in the seat right off the bat? I haven't been able to find someone on here or anyone else that has taken this approach, which I assume is mainly due to the amount of time away from LE one would have to spend building hours, and the amount of debt one would accrue in the process. I don't want to go work for another agency just for the sole purpose of trying to get into their flight program. I'd have a better chance at winning the lottery and buying my own dang helicopter. Also, let me just add that the agency I work for now does not have a flight division. So I would have to quit my current job eventually anyways, regardless of the path I choose.