Who May Apply: US Citizens
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is
in this document.
Certificates and Ratings:
Candidates must possess a current Commercial Pilot Certificate or the appropriate military rating; both meet the intent of the requirement. If an agency decides, for example, not to accept the military rating, the rationale for the decision should be based upon the requirements of the position and should be thoroughly described in agency operating material. For flight instructor positions, the FAA Flight Instructor Certificate or the military equivalent rating is also required. The pilot certificate must include the rating(s) appropriate to the work of the position to be filled. For example, a position that involves flying a multi-engine airplane to various destinations under instrument flight rules would require the Commercial Pilot Certificate with the airplane, multi-engine, and instrument ratings or appropriate U.S. military ratings. Positions that require flying or instructing in flying both airplanes and helicopters require a rating in both categories. Only those ratings necessary to perform the work are required.
NOTE: Candidates establishing eligibility based on military flight experience must provide official orders, forms, or logbooks showing their status as a rated military pilot, flight instructor, or flight examiner, as appropriate. Other certificates that meet or exceed the requirements of the Commercial Pilot Certificate are also acceptable, e.g., an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate. *You must submit supporting documentation for this requirement.
This position has a medical requirement:
At the time of initial appointment, candidates for all pilot positions must be willing and able to obtain a current first or second-class medical certificate in accordance with FAA regulations; both meet the intent of the requirement.
Flight Experience:
Candidates must demonstrate possession of the knowledge and skills required for the work by meeting certain minimum flight hour requirements, including recency of flight experience. The categories in which candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency relate to (1) the general knowledge and skills to pilot the aircraft, and (2) the specific knowledge and skills related to the particular position being filled. Only that flight experience that is directly related to the work of the position is required for purposes of establishing minimum eligibility.
NOTE: The Command is in the process of requesting approval to waive and/or modify the OPM Qualifications Standard for the 2181 Occupational series which may impact the minimum eligibility requirements for this position. Until approval is granted, the minimum eligibility requirements listed below apply.
Minimum Eligibility Requirement - Flight Experience- This position requires specialized flight experience. Applicants for this position must meet certain minimum flight hour requirements, including recent flight experience due to the hazardous nature of our operations. Minimum (IOR) individual occupational requirements are: 1) Total flight time 1750 hours, 2) Pilot in command 1150 hours, 3) Night flying 75 hours, 4) Heavy multi-engine airplane/heavy helicopter 500 hours (heavy is defined as gross takeoff weight in excess of 12,500 pounds), and 5) 100 hours of flying time in the last 12 months (Can be achieved in either fixed wing or rotary wing).
(NOTE: documentation of flight hours must be provided at time of application).
Please review the OPM qualification standard for specific flight requirements:
Aircraft Operation Series 2181 (opm.gov).
In addition to meeting the individual occupational qualification requirements above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the NH-03 or GS 13 grade level in the Federal service that includes: 1) Experience as a Rotary Wing flight test instructor; and 2) Providing instruction and/or evaluation on research and development or test and evaluation flight tests for aviation system acquisition programs in the classroom; and 3) Serving as a subject matter expert or project or program manager for flight test curriculum projects.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (NH-03 or GS-13).
Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required specialized experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using specialized experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.