Long term payoff?

[Andrew_Neal]

So I'm in a part 141 school about to finish up my private, starting commercial this summer. Plan on getting instrument and CFI after that. I have fixed wing buddies who started a couple years ahead of me and they're already landing jobs at the regionals and starting the process of paying their dues in hopes of the majors one day 10-30 years from now....

Is there a timeline like that for the helo guys? I mean outside of joining the military it seems like just CFI work in the robsinson while begging, borrowing and stealing enough turbine time to get hired on at a medevac, off shore or power companies. Anybody here that has successfully navigated there way up the rotor ranks without joining the military?

I was enlisted, but I'll age out before finishing school. So military pilot isn't an option without a waiver. Sometimes I wonder if I should finish up my rotor flying at CFI and then go to fixed wing since the long term process seems to be more streamlined and attainable.

Thoughts?


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[Low_Level_Hell]

I think a big factor will be the price of oil. Until offshore and Arctic drilling pick up again the RW career field will remain stagnant.

It may look bleak now, but remember things change. Best of luck.

 

[CatchyScreenName]

Yea, used to be once you hit the magic 1000 hrs PIC if nothing else you could easily get a job in the GoM or the Ditch. I scraped by on pitiful wages for four years and got to 1500 PIC helo before I walked away and went to the 121 Regionals. The GoM is laying people off left and right and when I was able to land an interview in the Grand Canyon I was 1 of 50 qualified applicants. With that said, I have friends that have steadily inched there way up into turbine jobs and know of people getting hired in the Grand Canyon the day they got 1000 PIC but they all had connections and I guess I just didn't have the right connections... I wouldn't recommend anyone get into the helo biz right now but I also wouldn't ever tell someone not to pursue their dreams... good luck

 

[Andrew_Neal]

Well it's more about flying for me than it is flying helos specifically. Helos are just a lot more fun. There's a medevac company based at the airport I fly out of and they just want 2000TT, 500turbine, 100 night, some NVG time, then obviously commercial and instrument ratings... so I may shoot for that. Might finish my a&p and try and trade wrench time for stick time. I don't see any other way of getting turbine time.


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[CatchyScreenName]

...and you hit the nail on the head. The tour outfit I worked for historically after a couple years of flying pistons would give you a turbine transition and therefore a path. With the current environment he had people applying that already had turbine time and told me flat out "why would I spend money on you when I can hire someone already qualified"?

so yea, I was 1600 PIC helo and 50 hours turbine so I would have hung out for another year or so, again scraping by financially, to get an EMS gig but... 500 turbine... also, its very very difficult to get night time in a helo and you won't get a lot of XC either towards ATP. Only two ways you are going to do that - flight instruction and one of the tour shops that flies night tours in Vegas.

i have a&p also. that just means you'll spend more time in the shop then flying...

 

[scoobs]

I have a friend that hit a 1000hrs and got on flying fires in a 46 and now is flying in Afghanistan. This was in the last year.

 

[Andrew_Neal]

I have a friend that hit a 1000hrs and got on flying fires in a 46 and now is flying in Afghanistan. This was in the last year.

Nice.

Sometimes I just consider switching to fixed wing...

We have an issue with the flight school I'm at with the helicopter always being down for maintenance. I'm utilizing post 9/11 benefits to go to this school and I've burned 6-7 months of benefits in 2 semesters and haven't even finished my private. God willing I'll take my check ride before the end of the summer.


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[scoobs]

Don't want to do avionics?

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[Andrew_Neal]

Don't want to do avionics?

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I do avionics to pay the bills 40 hrs a week... flying them is a lot more fun.


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[thehobbit]

Nice.

Sometimes I just consider switching to fixed wing...

We have an issue with the flight school I'm at with the helicopter always being down for maintenance. I'm utilizing post 9/11 benefits to go to this school and I've burned 6-7 months of benefits in 2 semesters and haven't even finished my private. God willing I'll take my check ride before the end of the summer.


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What school/program are you going to? I did my pri-ins-comm rotorcraft using the gibill at central oregon community college. It was a decent school and they had plenty of availability of the aircraft. As far as working in the helo industry, i personally don't and I've got friends from the program who make 22k a year flying tours in r44's to a friend making $1000+ a day flying for Columbia in Afghanistan. I also know plenty who used there gibill to get their ratings and totally left the industry to do something else because they couldn't make a living doing it.

 

[Andrew_Neal]

What school/program are you going to? I did my pri-ins-comm rotorcraft using the gibill at central oregon community college. It was a decent school and they had plenty of availability of the aircraft. As far as working in the helo industry, i personally don't and I've got friends from the program who make 22k a year flying tours in r44's to a friend making $1000+ a day flying for Columbia in Afghanistan. I also know plenty who used there gibill to get their ratings and totally left the industry to do something else because they couldn't make a living doing it.

I'm at Wallace community college in Hanceville, Alabama. Word around the school is that they're looking into another Schweitzer or two. We'll see. I live in Huntsville working for Sikorsky.. I enjoy my job so I'm not in a huge hurry to leave it. I'll probably settle for weekend and evening CFI work until the economy changes. Also know a few folks dusting crops.... so there's that; it seems to pay well. I wouldn't mind working in Alaska or Afghan for a while if the price was right and I was going to get the hours. The wife and I frequently talk about how we've always wanted to see Alaska.


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[deadstick]

If you shoot for EMS, plan on not flying much. As for the military, you're prior service and at one time they added a year to the cut off for every year of service. Also, way back when, the ARNG could waive the max age for IERW.

 

[thehobbit]

I'm at Wallace community college in Hanceville, Alabama. Word around the school is that they're looking into another Schweitzer or two. We'll see. I live in Huntsville working for Sikorsky.. I enjoy my job so I'm not in a huge hurry to leave it. I'll probably settle for weekend and evening CFI work until the economy changes. Also know a few folks dusting crops.... so there's that; it seems to pay well. I wouldn't mind working in Alaska or Afghan for a while if the price was right and I was going to get the hours. The wife and I frequently talk about how we've always wanted to see Alaska.


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Does the school also have Robinson's or just the Schweitzer's? Columbia helicopters hires sic's at 800hrs, but to get up to alaska you need at least 1000pic but I'm sure you already know all this.

 

[Andrew_Neal]

Yeah r22s as well. Actually about to switch over to them for commercial.




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[Andrew_Neal]

Honestly I think I'm just going to squeeze as much as I can out of the GI bill here in north Alabama... finish the helicopter program and then do as much of the fixed wing program as I can until I run out of benefits. I'll be using the company's tuition assistance to finish a bachelors. Don't really want to move right this second, we like Huntsville.

Maybe after I run out of benefits and finish a bachelors I'll just get a waiver being prior service and go fly for the reserves.


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[scoobs]

What school/program are you going to? I did my pri-ins-comm rotorcraft using the gibill at central oregon community college. It was a decent school and they had plenty of availability of the aircraft. As far as working in the helo industry, i personally don't and I've got friends from the program who make 22k a year flying tours in r44's to a friend making $1000+ a day flying for Columbia in Afghanistan. I also know plenty who used there gibill to get their ratings and totally left the industry to do something else because they couldn't make a living doing it.

My friend works for Columbia in Afghanistan, didn't realize the pay was that high. Will see how much longer it last. I know all that travel each month would get old.
I've heard your operators in Vegas making 80k.
Doesn't firefighting pay 60k plus?

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[thehobbit]

My friend works for Columbia in Afghanistan, didn't realize the pay was that high. Will see how much longer it last. I know all that travel each month would get old.
I've heard your operators in Vegas making 80k.
Doesn't firefighting pay 60k plus?

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I not sure what firefighting pays, I don't know anybody who does that currently. I was told in Afghanistan for Columbia 30 days on, 30 days off starts around $800 for sic and goes up once you're pic qualified.

 

[Andrew_Neal]

I'll probably just grind it out as a CFI for a long while and look at other jobs once I've got more hours. I think I'll enjoy teaching.

 

[Ian_J]

Sometimes I wonder if I should finish up my rotor flying at CFI and then go to fixed wing since the long term process seems to be more streamlined and attainable.

Thoughts?

For what it's worth, I'm a transitioning military helicopter pilot with thousands of multi-turbine helo hours and have chosen the airline route. In my opinion, there are simply more options, freedom, and money going that route.

As for the military, you're prior service and at one time they added a year to the cut off for every year of service. Also, way back when, the ARNG could waive the max age for IERW.

Maybe after I run out of benefits and finish a bachelors I'll just get a waiver being prior service and go fly for the reserves.

As of right now, Rucker is not accepting age waivers for National Guard pilots. That has changed in the past, and can change in the future, but they aren't allowing it at this moment.

 

[MikeD]

For what it's worth, I'm a transitioning military helicopter pilot with thousands of multi-turbine helo hours and have chosen the airline route. In my opinion, there are simply more options, freedom, and money going that route.
.

Quitter.