New Helicopter Student Pilot Needs Advice

ABQHELI

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Helicopter Student Pilot Training

Posted Yesterday at 19:38 by ABQHELI
Hello People!,I am new to this and also vey excited about my new choosen carrer as a Helo pilot, I am scared to death, this is going to cost me 95K!!! to make me a proffessional helicopter pilot w/ only 200 hrs of TT. I decided to refinance my house to get money to do this, I was lost with the student loans and no many institutions are willing to lend that kind of money w/out co-signer..I am married w/ 3 small children and a full time A&P Mechanic that always wanted to fly and I believe Helos are going to make me very happy! so help me God.. Now I need all you people's help with any advise that you might have, how is the future looks for a new helo pilot w 200 hrs? how is the job market outhere? does being a A&P helps me?. I will be starting training on Sep 2 in Albuquerque, with a brand new school named ENCHANTMENT HELICOPTERS we have one R22 and one R44 and they look almost new..Thank you for all the help!
 
Welcome to JC!

Unfortunately, there are probably one, maybe two people here at JC who could answer your questions with any authority. As loathe as I am to refer people to a different forum, you'd probably be better served posting this at justhelicopters or verticalreference.

Best of luck, and watch out for that debt!
 
How much would one make after you came out of this training? 95K is a big debt load to clean up after you're done. Best of luck with that ;)
 
How much would one make after you came out of this training? 95K is a big debt load to clean up after you're done. Best of luck with that ;)

- In most cases, after you graduate, you got to be CFI for awhile, making around 25 hr, until you have accumulated min of 1000 hrs to start on turbines and for what I have seen, they are making 50-60K yr + some good benefits..
 
Good luck in training. The market for CFI gigs is tight right now. I know of more than one schoo shuttering their doors. I was just in ABQ last month in an EC 120. It was a challenge to get that thing off the ground for sure. Remember to watch your manifold pressure and always check your hover power. Does your school have a website? Would like to see more about them.
Shane
 
Having your A&P ill ba a definate advantage once you get out into the job market. Particulary with companies that operate in remote locations.

However you will still have to CFI untill you get 1000 hours helo time.
 
I pick up ferry flights these days. I moved that one from SUN to FTW. I dropped it off at Texas Aviation Services for some upgraded avionics. I am going to pick it up in Oct and then take it to Miami for the winter. I have interviewed for a few CFII gigs but am about fifty hours short of 500 so I wasn't selected for any of them. It is funny I have 80 hrs in the 44 and about 80 hrs of turbine time but can't get a teaching gig. Most interviewers tell me knowledge wise I blow away a lot of the other applicants but they want me for the 44 and don't have the 500 hrs required by Pathfinder insurance. For some reason they won't even consider putting me in the 22. I don't know! Oh well. I do have an offer to go to Shell and supervise one of the pipeline crews up in WY. Congrats on the new gig. Nashville sounds like a lot of fun.
Shane
 
DO NOT GIVE A FLIGHT SCHOOL ALL THE MONEY UP FRONT! 95K sounds very high to me. At 200 hrs that makes it $475 hr. Are you doing all the training in an R-44?
 
I'm looking into doing the same after I complete either my instrument or commercial fixed wing. for a commercial helicopter rating it says in 61.129 (C) (1) 100 hours in powered aircraft, of which 50 hours must be in helicopters.

my questions is what else is needed? do you have to have an instrument rating in helicopters? will anyone hire you after you complete your cfi? will anyone let you fly at all? even for free? considering you don't come anywhere close to insurance minimums. how many hours would it realistically take to pass a commercial helicopter check ride?

my point with this is that it might be a whole lot cheaper to start in fixed wing then transition to rotor, especially if you have the cash on hand.
 
In the perfect world of the FAA that makes sense. But it takes a lot to drop a 180 auto to a spot within commercial standards. There is a feel or finesse that comes with helo's after around 100 hrs. That coupled with the fact that Pathfinder insurance rules the training world most companies will only let you teach straight and level until 300 hrs. It is getting tougher and tougher to find a CFI gig. Silver State's demise paired with the slow down in student loans make the market more and more competitive. CFII with 500 hrs is more realistic for finding a job outside the school you train at. In a year though it may be completely different Sallie Mae will forget it got burned by SSH. All the pilot's from that company will either have built hours or moved on to selling cars. This will set the time bomb all over again. This leads me to my next point. DO NOT EVER GIVE MONEY TO A SCHOOL UP FRONT. Just do a search for Silver State Helicopters and see for yourself. Even someone with what seems the best intentions can inadvertently screw you!
Shane
 
If you only have an interest in flying helicopters, it would be better to do ALL your training in helos. It is more expensive but helps your total time as far as doing anything else. If you are in Deltona FL you have a lot of options you coould train in a 300 and avoid any SFAR and Pathfinder issues. You do not need an instrument rating but you will be almost unemployable without it. We require it but it can be in an airplane and every 180 days we have to fly an approach with CFI-I in the helo even if you only have an airplane inst. This is consistent with Part 135. Any way you do not have to do it all at once.
 
well its a little late to do all of my training in a helo as I have about 150 hours right now in fixed wing most of that in cessna 150. I did go on a discovery flight down at air orlando in 300cb and I will most likely be doing training down there. but for now i have to wait as I'm getting ready to sell my plane and use the proceeds to pay off some credit cards then figure out the rest as far as training is concerned.

so the instrument can be in fixed wing and it still applies to helos? or is it not really required because most helo's don't have the ifr equipment?
 
Most employer's require inst. helo even if they don't fly IFR. My agency requires an inst. rating in something it doesn't have to be in helos even though we only operate helos and don't fly IFR. Our pilots still have to fly an approach every 180 days regardless. IMO it makes you a better VFR pilot and can get you out of some bad doodoo if you go IIMC.
 
Good luck in training. The market for CFI gigs is tight right now. I know of more than one schoo shuttering their doors. I was just in ABQ last month in an EC 120. It was a challenge to get that thing off the ground for sure. Remember to watch your manifold pressure and always check your hover power. Does your school have a website? Would like to see more about them.
Shane


Scotty,

I'm new to the helicopter world, I just started flying a week and a half ago(Been considering it for almost a year) but I'm pretty sure I've fallen for it... Anyway the eurocopter ec 120 is one of my favorite helicopters.. how did you like flying it? I'm assuming by now you flew it to florida for the winter?

-kp
 
ABQHeli,

Do you work for, in paid service of, or are affiliated with Enchantment Helicopters in any other way other than a student/potential student?
 
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