job market

[redcell38]

Does anyone know the deal with the helicopter job market. Where I am taking my instrument rating for airplanes they offer helicopter training. They claim along with almost every other helicopter flight school that there will be a great need for helo pilots because all the vietnam pilots are retiring. I am sure this is part marketing but it seems there would be some truth to this.(any thoughts on this) I am in the middle of a career change and do not feel like wasting my money.
I looked on other job boards and notice there are jobs availabe but it also seem like a good bit of qualified people.
I am considering getting a dual rating becuase I live in south louisiana and I think I would have a much better chance of flying helos for a living.
Most of the offshore companies here require 1000 hours. I am going to be 80 hours short for my airplane commercial, I figure I could do 50 hours in the helicopter and get my private, inst add on then be only about 30 hours short of the commercial airplane rating.
Any thoughts on this would be great.

 

[Ian_J]

Does anyone know the deal with the helicopter job market. Where I am taking my instrument rating for airplanes they offer helicopter training. They claim along with almost every other helicopter flight school that there will be a great need for helo pilots because all the vietnam pilots are retiring. I am sure this is part marketing but it seems there would be some truth to this.(any thoughts on this) I am in the middle of a career change and do not feel like wasting my money.
I looked on other job boards and notice there are jobs availabe but it also seem like a good bit of qualified people.
I am considering getting a dual rating becuase I live in south louisiana and I think I would have a much better chance of flying helos for a living.
Most of the offshore companies here require 1000 hours. I am going to be 80 hours short for my airplane commercial, I figure I could do 50 hours in the helicopter and get my private, inst add on then be only about 30 hours short of the commercial airplane rating.
Any thoughts on this would be great.

As for the industry, this is the best I could find, written in 2002:

On the supply side there is a trend occurring that is beginning to create a shortage of qualified helicopter pilots. There are many factors that are influencing that trend. One of the factors is that over the last decade the rate at which new pilots are being trained has been steadily decreasing. At the same time the largest population of experienced helicopter pilots ( Vietnam era pilots) , are now beginning to reach retirement age and are leaving faster than they can be replaced. Additionally the Military , which has long been a source of pilots , has gotten smaller and are working hard to retain their helicopter pilots.

On the demand side , in the civilian helicopter market there has been steady growth in the sector of Public Service ( EMS , Law Enforcement , Firefighting) , and with the new security issues relating to travel , there will most likely be new growth potential in the lucrative Corporate helicopter market. Of course the Oil Exploration market which has long been one of the largest employers of helicopter pilots will continue to do so. With our current Administration and the instability in the Middle East where the oil supplies are located , we will most likely see continued growth in this industry as we look towards more domestic oil supply.

Oddly enough the Flight Training Industry , which is traditionally a starting point for most new civilian helicopter pilots , is poised for serious growth which will further improve your chances of entering this exciting career. As insurance rates continue to rise , one of the areas which will become the focal point for rate reduction will be in the area of training. There will be a day when an instrument rating will be mandatory for all Commercial Helicopter Pilots. Couple that with the amount of pilots that will need to be trained to keep pace with attrition and the mantra for the future will be “training , training , training”!

As far as pay is concerned , salaries are on the rise and the next decade is looking much better than the last. A shortage of pilots coupled with increased demand will keep salaries on the rise. Additionally , there is a movement to Unionize pilots across several markets and large operators which will also continue to drive up the value of compensation packages. Depending on the size of the aircraft and the mission , annual salaries currently range from $28k to $120k USD. So to summarize , the future for Professional Helicopter Pilots has never looked better.

This segment was written in February 2002 by Lyn Burks. Lyn is an EMS Pilot and owner of JustHelicopters.com. Email any comments to lynb@justhelicopters.com

My own personal opinion is that the industry is healthy, much healthier in fact than the airline industry. Starting pay is higher, pilots are generally home more, and there are more options a helicopter pilot can take than a fixed-wing pilot.

That being said, helicopter training is expensive. If you have the money though... why not get dual rated? Gives you more choices, makes you more marketable, and let's face it... flying helicopters is fun! And if you seriously want to persue helicopter flying as a profession, it can, and has been done from the civilian sector. Now, the top-end pay for a helo pilot caps much lower than the potential top cap of an airline pilot, but how many guys are actually achieving that top salary? In my opinion, a more comfortable, and more stable living trumps the possibility for higher earnings.

All in all, I say go for it.

 

[slowandlow]

i've had people offer me jobs flying helicopters if I had my ratings...No one has ever offered me a fixed wing job. From my perspective there seems to be more helo jobs out there right now.

 

[Ian_J]

i've had people offer me jobs flying helicopters if I had my ratings...No one has ever offered me a fixed wing job. From my perspective there seems to be more helo jobs out there right now.

Who are these people and give them my number!

 

[slowandlow]

wanna move to california

 

[slowandlow]

one is a 430, one is augusta, and then one of our pilots is the president of a flight school out here that trains police and the feds in 206s and as350s.


oh yeah.. then I'm positive I can get you a position flying in this really hot desert. j/k

 

[scottyboy75]

Anyone know if LSI at Rucker is hiring and what are there requirements. I can't find this on their website.

 

[Ian_J]

http://www.lsirucker.com/home/

As far as I know, getting a job with them is political... its all in who you know. I get that from just general rants from IPs down there. Who knows though. Couldn't hurt droppping a resume.

Here are their reqs:

Requisition Number : EGG8563 Company : EG&G/LSI
Interest Category : Flight Operations
External Job Title : Helicopter Pilot Position Type : Full-time
Country : U.S.
State : Alabama
City : Fort Rucker
Minimum Requirements : Qualifications for instructor pilots: Rotorcraft helicopter CFI or DOD rotary wing instructor rating, Commercial rotorcraft helicopter license, minimum 500 hours in category. Must have completed an Army Class 2 flight physical prior to beginning MOI training. For instrument instructors, additionally, 100 hours hood, weather or simulator time. Current starting salary is $49,956 after completion of MOI training and passage of government acceptance checkride. Work schedules are normally about 6.5 hours/day.

We provide primary (contact), instrument and basic warfighting skills instruction in the TH67 and the OH58.






Job Description : "We are currently accepting applications for an anticipated opening in our Advanced Division"

FLYING HELICOPTERS REQUIRES special skills and rigorous training. The men and women who pilot Army helicopters are called upon day or night to fly difficult missions, often under dangerous battle conditions. They command the largest and most sophisticated fleet in the world - Apaches, Blackhawks, Chinooks, and Kiowas - in reconnaissance, transport and combat operations.

At the U.S. Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama, aviation experts from LSI train all Army helicopter pilots, turning out approximately 1,500 graduates annually. Since 1989, LSI instructors have trained more than 20,000 student pilots, most of them entry-level soldiers with little or no flying experience. Fort Rucker is the largest rotary wing flight school in the world, not just for the Army but also for the Air Force, NATO and other allied countries.

From aviation theory and simulator instruction to actual flight training, LSI instructors lead undergraduate student pilots through months of thorough training to prepare them for the perils of combat. Safety is paramount in every aspect of the training, and the program boasts an unprecedented safety record. More than 1.6 million hours of flight instruction have been completed without a single pilot error fatality or loss of aircraft.

Classes are conducted in shifts, starting at five o-clock in the morning and ending well after midnight, in a training area encompassing more than 40,000 square miles. Student pilots will eventually be flying in combat, so developing leadership skills is another important aspect of the program.

The training program occurs at an Army installation with a multinational student population, and is managed as a partnership between the Army and LSI. It is just one of many instances where the Department of Defense has outsourced mission-critical technical and management assignments to LSI. As one of the nation's leading multi-service contractors, LSI proudly works in tandem with the armed forces to protect American interests at home and abroad.

 

[UH60driver]

Here is an example of a low time helicopter job.

Position: Flight Training Pilot Posted: 5/3/2006Company :
PCH Helicopters
(p) 310-375-3394
(f) 310-375-6093
(e) erik@pacificcoasthelicopters.com
Contact Person :
Erik

Job Location :
California Job Description:
PCH Helicopters and Leasing, Inc. Located in Torrance, California - Is currently accepting resumes for Certified Flight Instructor/Commercial Pilot positions. Must be qualified to teach in the Robinson R22. Requirments are as follows - 300TT, Robinson Safety Course with SFAR73 sign off. Please forward your Cover Letter and Resume as a attach Word.doc to Erik at erik@pacificcoasthelicopters.com or Fax it to (310) 375-6093.