UAS Joint Program Office Pilot Currency

The Coast Guard plays integral role at the Department of Homeland Security Joint Program Office in San Angelo, Texas. Coast Guard pilots operate large/complex unmanned aerial vehicles (UAS) in the national airspace and FAA regulations require UAS pilots operating in the national airspace to maintain instrument currency/proficiency. Due to limited Coast Guard aircraft availability, a pilot transition course backlog and to allow greater availability for UAS operations, the Coast Guard explored the idea of using general aviation aircraft to maintain the FAA mandated currency. While the original contract had promise and mostly fulfilled the requirement, obvious downfalls existed including only having one available aircraft and a limited flight instructor base. Having one available aircraft created a single point of failure which severely impeded JPO pilots in maintaining currency. As the JPO moves forward they are re-competing this contract with the requirement to include multiple aircraft makes and models, including single and multi engine aircraft, a robust flight school capable of quickly providing replacement flight instructors, an in house maintenance program and a designated pilot examiner for pilot upgrades.