This browser does not support the Video element.
DC police actively recruiting new helicopter pilots
The Metropolitan Police Department's helicopter unit is looking to fill two vacant positions as they now operate 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.
WASHINGTON - D.C. Metropolitan Police Department is not just recruiting officers, they are also looking for help in the air.
If you are an experienced helicopter pilot, this might be the job for you.
What we know:
D.C. police currently have six pilots, but are in the market for two more veteran helicopter pilots.
"Our standards for hire require 1000 hours... a thousand flight hours, so you're not going to have a lot of young pilots that are able to just come on and hit the ground running and start flying," said head of the unit Lt. Andrew Horos.
The MPD Air Support Unit operates 24 hours, seven days a week, averaging two to three calls a day. They mostly handle felony pursuits and missing person cases and have already logged over 1,000 flight hours on more than 400 missions or calls.
"We’re like a fire department," said Horos, who oversees the unit. "We’re basically waiting for that call for service."
Pilot Kevin Chittick, who’s been with MPD since 2018, says the job is fulfilling.
"It’s a great job," he said. "Any young man or woman who wants to be a pilot — this is a great job to have. Really fulfilling."
Despite January’s deadly plane crash over the Potomac, the team says its operations have not changed significantly. What has surprised them, though, is how difficult it’s been to find qualified applicants.
"You’re not gonna get rich doing this," Chittick said, "but you’re definitely getting paid well."
Starting salaries for MPD pilots range from $92,000 to $118,000 a year. Pilots typically work four 10-hour shifts each week, with opportunities for overtime.
Want To Work For MPD? :
The department is advertising the openings on job websites, LinkedIn, and through word of mouth — especially among military veterans, who make up about half of the current flight team.