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Difficulty: Easy Supervisors: Command staff Rank: Not defined Duties: Pilot and protect the dropships Guides: N/A Unlock Requirements: Not available. Detailed Description: Not defined |__________| |
"We're in the pipe, five by five." ― Cpl. Ferro, Aliens
So you decided to be a Pilot Officer eh? You glorious bastard. You've just enlisted yourself in one of the most boring and dangerous jobs.
The Pilot Officer, as the name indicates, pilots the ships of Almayer. It's your duty to defend the dropships from any invasion and piloting between the Almayer and the groundside.
Introduction
Congratulations Ensign. You'll start at the Pilot's Office. To the south is your personal locker, it's conveniently labeled, Pilot Officer's locker. Take a look at the stuff in it. You probably won't be using it anyway. The most important of all the objects is your extra helmet. Your stylish helmet is not only amazing and unique. It makes you a hit with all the ladies and adds an internal slot to store pocket-sized items. It's useful. In addition to the extra helmet, is some standard issue marine armor which you may choose to put on. The standard issue marine armour has better protection than the flak jacket.
You have two ships: The Normandy which lands at LZ1, and the Alamo which lands at LZ2.. You should be aware that command can activate autopilot in the CIC for both ships, however, you have the special ability to cut the time of flight by half.
Preparations
Moving on when you've taken a look or have already taken a look. Go to the RO line. You're basically a standard marine for all intents and purposes although you have an Officer rank which allows you to boss around marines. Get yourself some attachments from the RO line, you're allowed two. For this guide we recommend a barrel charger, if available and a shotgun stock. Once that's done, go to marine prep to get kitted out. Kit out normally how you would play a marine. For this guide, we recommend a shotgun because there are people who are going to want to get up close and personal to your face. The shotgun should be loaded with buckshot, nothing says "get the fuck off my ship" to a xenomorph better than a face full of buckshot.
- Pack donk-pockets into your helmet as rations.
Piloting the ship
After you're all dolled up and kitted out, you'll want to head to briefing like a normal marine except you're not a normal marine. Instead of sitting in any of the chairs in each squad, you want to sit in one of the chairs at the front or stand facing the marines during briefing. Once briefing is done, join the stampede to the hangar. You want to get to your cockpit, which is basically your second home, as soon as possible and announce in the Command channel that you're ready to depart. Give the marines some time to make it to the respective dropship and organize themselves but after a couple minutes when all the seats are filled then you should depart.
Close Air Support
- WiP - Tables will be done for all upgrades and armaments at some point.
Reloading procedures.
So you've fired your weapons, and now need to reload. Not to worry, here's a basic guide to reloading!. Please note, you will need a Powerloader to perform any reloading action.
The first step you need to take is unloading the expended ammunition from the selected weapon. To do this, simply walk up to said weapon in your Powerloader, and click on it.
Next, collect the ammo you wish to load, (mini-rockets, 30mm). Please note, whilst most weapons will only take one type of ammunition, Rocket pods will take any of the 3 missile types.
Finally, walk it over to the weapon, load said ammo in, and light up more hostiles to your hearts content!
Communication
Communication as the pilot officer, otherwise known as the PO is key to being a successful pilot. You may ask why communication is required as someone who flies a dropship all day, well it's required because otherwise you aren't playing the job to it's maximum potential and being useful to the marines. When you find yourself playing the PO you'll want to be communicating in general comms and announcing the time when you plan to leave to depart from your current location giving marines and other jobs the time to get to your dropship of choice, if someone says "Hold" or "wait" it's usually because they need to evac someone so wait for them to get the injured aboard, if it's on the Almayer you'll generally here "Wait" and "Hold" because a marine is late and in that regards just launch, it's better that the you keep flying at a continuous rate then wait for one marine because they took too long getting an attachment.
Requisitions
Requisitions will normally load crates onto your dropship meaning that when you land you will need to announce that you have supplies to drop off to the marines otherwise they won't know they have any. Sometimes if the supplies that are loaded onto your dropship are specialised for example, sentry crates and specialist weapon armour it's good to announce that so the relevant jobs can come to the LZ to pick up the supplies. It's useful as a PO to relay supplies that are needed if you see that the marines are lacking anything but usually that can be left down to command.
Medical
If injured are loaded aboard your dropship you'll want to inform command/medical that injured are on the way if possible, if you needed to leave straight away prepare a general comms message (general comms because that way you'll also get normal marines help move injured to medical.) for when you land that injured are aboard and need to be taken to medical.
Engineering
If your desired ship gets battered and beaten by the lizard savages then not fear because if you contact the MT's or CE they'll fix your precious flying machine if given the time, if marines desperately are calling to evac wounded or they need a ride to retreat back on, launch as soon as possible even if you are missing windows and doors, it's better that you reach the marines in time to help.
Command
Contacting command as the PO is highly useful for the members in command as you can give an opinion on if the LZ (Landing Zone) will hold against the alien savages that are attacking or if it won't as usually by that point the marines over squad comms are silent or are screaming for an evac, so make sure that when you arrive to marines requiring an evacuation give an opinion to command on whether thee marines can hold the current defences or if you are retreating with the marines as it'd just be a waste of manpower and resources to carry on holding.
Tips
- Try to wait a bit for the marines to load up the wounded and late comers to load up in the shuttle before making a trip. Announce on the Common frequency when you've just arrived and are about to depart. You want to be efficient with your trips as much as possible.
- Keep your shotgun, always loaded and ready to go whenever those pesky xenos decide to go full koolaid man on a window or a door. Don't expect wounded marines to help you. Its great when they do help and manage not to friendly fire you with their highly inaccurate assault rifles but don't count on it. Depend on yourself for the protection of your ship.
- A special benefit to being a Pilot Officer is that you're allowed to boss around marines while they're on your shuttle. Don't tolerate rowdy and loud marines but be ready if they fight back. Follow proper escalation procedures. Remember, you out rank them and its your ship (and the USCM's ship and thus the Commander's ship).
- Leaving the dropship is not recommended unless you have just landed. Try not to stray too far from your craft. Retrieving marines is okay but if it leaves without you then you are in deep shit. You have a high chance of being 1. killed, 2. maimed, 3. captured, 4. killed again, 5. wounded. Although competent command staff will ask for you in the radio before manually piloting your craft.
- If there is damage to your craft. Be sure to request for a Maint. Tech or the Chief Engineer to come repair it, the next time you're on the Almayer.