DNR Pilot Has Dual Vocational Title

Professional aviators frequently aspire to fly for an airline. Airlines are a big target, about 110,000 pilot positions exist in the United States.

Some pilots want to be in corporate aviation, and about 15,000 opportunities are available for that kind of work. Charles Scott wanted a job of which there are less than 400 in the U.S., but he was aiming at something even smaller.

Five people in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources can claim the title of conservation officer/pilot and that was his desire. Charles Scott did become one of the five and achieved what has been his goal since 1996. Persistence pays off, but Scott also extraordinarily qualified.

Conservation officers (COs) enforce the laws regarding natural resources. The illegal activities they investigate is a long list. Hunting out of season, catching too many fish and trespassing are frequent violations.

Many of the people who commit these crimes are equipped with high-powered firearms. Being a CO is not a risk-free line of work. The DNR Academy at Fort Ripley does the initial training, but to assure job safety the DNR Enforcement Division has specific annual training requirements.

COs also complete the continuing education requirements mandated for all Minnesota Peace Officers.

DNR pilots often fly at minimum altitude tracking animals, searching for violators, or doing surveys. They have a FAA waiver to operate at 100 feet above the ground. That part of Scott's vocation also has inherent dangers.

To mitigate those hazards, DNR pilots have an extensive training requirement that keeps them current on instruments, floats, and tailwheels. An annual low level check ride is mandatory. Even so, flying for the DNR is a different kind of aviation. Airline and corporate pilots may log 800-plus hours in a year, but 90% of that is spent watching the autopilot.

The Minnesota DNR's fixed wing fleet consists of Cessna 185s and American Champion Scouts. Both are tail draggers, often equipped with skis. A portion of the DNR fleet goes on floats in the summer. Scott and his comrades might fly 450 hours in a year, but all of it is "stick and rudder." That means flying the airplane, not monitoring the systems.

Scott understood before he went to work at the DNR the challenge of flying tail draggers and floats. He also knew about operating at minimum altitudes.

For many years he had a flight school at the Brainerd Airport that specialized in stall/spin training including prevention. The DNR contracted with Scott to provide that sort of training which is required every two years for department pilots.

No armchair expert, Scott cut his aviation teeth flying with famous (or maybe notorious) bush pilots in Ely, Minnesota. He had the perfect aircraft for the job, a 7KCAB Citabria. FYI, Citabria is "Airbatic" spelled backwards.

Law enforcement was not a mystery to Scott either. He graduated from the peace officer program at Central Lakes College and worked at that trade for 10 years with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

In 1989 Scott was doing avionics work and got his first ride in a Cessna 150. He now holds a CFI certificate including instrument and multi-engine. Besides the flight school, his career includes corporate flying stints in a Beech Jet and Quest Kodiak, and he flew many missions as a contractor for the DNR spotting wildfires.

CO training takes four months. After graduation, officers complete another program with a mentor who is called a Field Training Officer or FTO.

For conservation officer/pilots another FTO is assigned to get them up to speed in Enforcement Aviation. Scott finished all that with (literally) flying colors.

On March 3, 2021, the DNR's chief pilot, Capt. Christopher Lofstuen, personally pinned the DNR's wings of gold on Scott's uniform. Well done Officer Scott!