Why Drone Pilots Are Quitting Faster Than They Can Be Replaced:

a reply to: starviego

UAVs that we see all the time, like the Predator and Reaper wouldn't. There are a number that haven't been revealed, or aren't as well known yay were designed to operate in hostile airspace that will survive well enough.

originally posted by: hammanderr
The enemy is every age and sex.

Spoken like a true terrorist!

The long hours on end with collateral damage has to be traumatic. There are jobs everyday called Forensic Cleanup Technicians who go to scenes of homicides, suicides, accidents, etc. and get rid of the gore. Working at these places like Aftermath Services require workers only work like a few months at a time. They realize scooping up limbs and brain matter take a toll psychologically and offer counseling to these employees as part of the job. These drone operators are human too, so the turnover rate is understandable.

a reply to: UnBreakable

Peace through superior firepower

Before drones and joysticks, men and women behaved like true leaders and hero's, fighting the enemy eye for an eye.

Now we have sissy men and women playing video goes that kill Real blood and flesh with plastic buttons.

No honor. No real skill. No bravery. No guts, no glory.

Just a cheap shop from the other... pansy way to fight a war that is being manufactured by arms dealers and politics.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: ghostrager

The Predator and Reaper fleet currently flies more than 60 orbits, consisting of four aircraft in each orbit, which means that they need 2,000 pilots and sensor operators to man that. Each mission lasts hours, and can include a close air support element over troops in contact. The Air Force set an 8.5:1 ratio for pilots to missions, and are at 8:1 now. Those are long missions, even though they're sitting in comfortable chairs, they're looking at small monitors, trying to pick out tiny details for hours on end, going home, and doing it again, and again.

The Air Force is looking at making the Reaper a single pilot platform for some missions to reduce the manning requirement, as well as putting an auto land feature on board, similar to that used by other UAVs, which will reduce the manning further for some parts of the mission, and reduce a lot of stress on operators.

What an absolute disgrace and waste of taxpayers money.

I am so happy this has happened.

they gave us video games to make us unfeeling killers.
and it has failed.

oh well we Will now see AI's take over the killing.
AI = artificial intelligence.

originally posted by: MrSpad
It is also a crappy job for officers who want to actually pilot an aircraft. Drone pilots are at the bottom of the fly boy totem poll. Now they are going to allow enlisted pilots so that should solve any problems they have.

Many are civilians. I fly and teach drones and my company has about a 30% turnover rate. The reason is called working in Afghanistan, Iraq, Northern Africa etc. in crappy conditions for 8 months a year. I think we typically get 2 or 3 years out of a person then they say I have had enough and go on to something else.

There is also a big difference in hours logged between Drone vs Pilot. Drones are not that hard and to go to work and fly 6 hours is rather easy work. Since they work 7 days a week a drone pilot could log 1,000+ per year easy, Airlines pilot can fly 1000+ per year too, and a CFI would give his right nut to log 1000+ per year hehe. I flew 1000 years when I was in the Air Force but those hours dropped way off in between wars and after the cold war. I would get 800 -1000 on C-141s and the C-5 guys were lucky to get 10 hours per month.

originally posted by: Elementalist
Before drones and joysticks, men and women behaved like true leaders and hero's, fighting the enemy eye for an eye.

Now we have sissy men and women playing video goes that kill Real blood and flesh with plastic buttons.

No honor. No real skill. No bravery. No guts, no glory.

Just a cheap shop from the other... pansy way to fight a war that is being manufactured by arms dealers and politics.

How do you know? You have some expertise in bravery, guts and glory. Never mind you post doesn't even make sense...lol

a reply to: Xtrozero

The C-5 guys are lucky to get 10 hours a month...considering they are broke almost everytime they land..and try to take off...and preflight checks..

originally posted by: buddha
I am so happy this has happened.

they gave us video games to make us unfeeling killers.
and it has failed.

oh well we Will now see AI's take over the killing.
AI = artificial intelligence.

Much better to put feet on the ground so our young guys can go door to door. YES!

Check out the movie "Good Kill" It is a movie about a drone pilot (Ethan Hawke) and the day to day stresses of being one, mistakes made, family life because of it, etc. Wasn't a bad movie.


Pcg

originally posted by: ChuckNasty


The C-5 guys are lucky to get 10 hours a month...considering they are broke almost everytime they land..and try to take off...and preflight checks..

I think they gotten better over the years, but back in the 80s OMG. They would fly from Travis to Hickam then break for 3 weeks..lol We would then fly to Hickam and continue their trip on C-141s. I was out flying the world and my C-5 friend was lucky to get a 4 hour local for the month.

Old joke... What does it mean if you have three C-5s and only two are on jacks? The Air Base only has two jacks...

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Asktheanimals

Or when they're working 12+ hour days, for weeks at a time.

If it were only the hours then 7-11 cashiers would be quitting in droves too.
Lots of people work shifts that long with no issue.
It's isn't the hours but the concept.

originally posted by: pcgamer11
Check out the movie "Good Kill" It is a movie about a drone pilot (Ethan Hawke) and the day to day stresses of being one, mistakes made, family life because of it, etc. Wasn't a bad movie.


Pcg

My pred friend said it was actually realistic.

originally posted by: Asktheanimals

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Asktheanimals

Or when they're working 12+ hour days, for weeks at a time.

If it were only the hours then 7-11 cashiers would be quitting in droves too.
Lots of people work shifts that long with no issue.
It's isn't the hours but the concept.

When you are at one of these places there isn't much to do but work, they are on 12 shifts 7 days a week for 4 months, but they get paid hourly. This doesn't mean they are flying all that time, just at work. It isn't to bad because there really isn't any other place to go. Chow hall, gym, green beans etc, but work is also like a social center too.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

Show me the 7-11 cashier that's responsible for staring at a screen for hours, trying to tell the difference between a guy with a gun to protect his family and a guy with a gun that's trying to kill a group of soldiers under their protection, for hours at a time, day in and day out. Or to identify a truck yay belongs to Isis as opposed to some innocent villager, and going back again and again.

There's a hell of a difference between ringing up a slurpee and staring at computer monitors for hours, knowing you're the difference between life and death for people on the ground.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Asktheanimals

Show me the 7-11 cashier that's responsible for staring at a screen for hours, trying to tell the difference between a guy with a gun to protect his family and a guy with a gun that's trying to kill a group of soldiers under their protection, for hours at a time, day in and day out. Or to identify a truck yay belongs to Isis as opposed to some innocent villager, and going back again and again.

There's a hell of a difference between ringing up a slurpee and staring at computer monitors for hours, knowing you're the difference between life and death for people on the ground.

Valid point.
That is a big difference in the character of work one is doing.
Argument conceded.

I have friends in the business. The story they tell is a bit different.

A lil birdie told me that operaters are dropping like flies due to a "Spiritual Crisis", or "Awakening". Due to certain information coming to "Light".That along with classified ops that entail the U.S. targeting its own red-blooded, constitutional, sovereign-minded citizens with nefarious attacks.

I only see this trend inflating. The ugly truth always reveals itself.

From the enlisted side that job still looks like a rather cushy gig. I suppose it's just not fitting into what's expected of the "pilot's club" from the officer side though, understandably since they're not at risk and those missions are typically more unsporting than usual. And I don't see them getting much respect from any other flyboys until some A2A drones start gettng put into rotation and doing well on exercises. (Will happen sooner or later, as unpiloted craft can fly at further extremes than what a human pilot could withstand.) And like the article said, they probably need better rotation with hours as well - it gets old fast if there are rotating shifts instead of regular hours.