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Firefighting C130s

Yeeyee
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Yeeyee Crew Dawg

Yeeyee

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Thinking about switching my airline career to aerial firefighting down the road. Are there any guard/reserve squadrons that participate in aerial firefighting? I have my radar on the C130 squadron in Reno, NV, but no clue if they do that type of flying. They are in close proximity of NorCal though.

jvlonardo SNAP

jvlonardo

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Thinking about switching my airline career to aerial firefighting down the road. Are there any guard/reserve squadrons that participate in aerial firefighting? I have my radar on the C130 squadron in Reno, NV, but no clue if they do that type of flying. They are in close proximity of NorCal though.
Youngstown, OH 910th AW has the DoD's only large-area, fixed-wing aerial spray mission (pesticides, herbicides, oil clean-up). Don't know about firefighting however.

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AggiePilot SNAP

AggiePilot

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The 731st Airlift Squadron in Colorado Springs (Reserves) has been flying the MAFFS mission  with C-130Hs as long as I can remember. They have an alert line for firefighting so during the fire season they fly those missions a lot, however not all of their pilots are qualified for that mission, the unit decides who they are going to qualify. They also said they aren’t doing age waivers right now if that’s any concern. I visited them during their last UTA. The only other unit I know of that does MAFFS is in LA and they are a Guard unit flying the C-130J. 

roto SNAP

roto

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On 8/12/2019 at 12:17 AM, Yeeyee said:

Speaking of C130 units, which are the more competitive?

LC’s out in NY is a good unit that I’ve heard can be a challenge to get into. This means basically nothing but just my .02

VigilanteNav Crew Dawg

VigilanteNav

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On 8/12/2019 at 1:17 AM, Yeeyee said:

Speaking of C130 units, which are the more competitive?

FWIW (coming from a long time C-130 Nav familiar with all the units in question), the CSprings Reserve unit is historically one of the hardest to get into and most hires (that I know of) are of peeps with Herk time already.  The CA ANG (Channel Islands) might be the next toughest but I'd be guessing as to which one of the three ANG units (CA, WY, and NV) with the MAFFs mission is the toughest to get into at the present time.   If Reno would be a good location for you to commute to, I'd shoot for that unit first.  Be advised that you don't get to fly MAFFS right away.  It will take you several years and many flying hours before they'll give you the shot to join the MAFFS bubbas.  So, better have a long term outlook on this or you'll be disappointed. Good news is that it appears they are hiring soon...https://www.152aw.ang.af.mil/MEMBERS/Current-Job-Openings/   Good luck! 

Edited by VigilanteNav
iRobot Crew Dawg

iRobot

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CA ANG - Channel Islands is now hiring as well. I had rushed their squadron before and they are all solid, cool dudes. Having been born and raised in SoCal, you can't go wrong with living out there (Mountains, Pacific Ocean, Big cities, etc.) - Ventura is a gorgeous place to be, especially for the surf :rock: . 

As @VigilanteNav pointed out, the MAFFS mission is something you will work toward later on in your career (Seasoned Captain/Major - from sources I've asked), but definitely worth the work. The dudes who did it said they love it and is one of the most rewarding missions. 

As for a challenge getting in... I think that's anywhere you apply, haha. If you decide to go to the 115th, tell them "Dean Cain" says hi. 😛 

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