Pro Helo Pilot Forum

Has PHI ever got thier contract figured out yet? I have heard the union is a big issue there.
What are the actual hours guys are getting picked up at?
Do you know which companies are 14/14? I will be commuting from SLC.
 
I don't know if they settled with the pilots. I can ask around. As far as hour requirements, it has varied. The usual requirement is above 1000 hours, but with the demand for pilots in the gulf anyone can get lucky. Every now and then, they start a SIC program where the candidate builds enough time to be able to fly solo. Air Log did it last year. I know ERA was suppose to do it this year. I haven't heard anything about PHI. There is a school in New Iberia, LA south of Lafayette called Vortex Helicopters which, I heard, may have an agreement of employment or interview with Air Log. Give them a call at 337-364-8909. Maybe you can instruct there.

Luis
 
I also heard they waive some of those required hours for military pilots... not sure how true that is though.
 
Well, a good bit of their pilots are prior Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. They tend to be DoD friendly. I know there are a lot of Vietnam Era pilots out there (getting ready to retire too = more need for pilots). This I know, the chief of ops at Air Log was LA Guard. I know one warrant officer in the guard who is in the training department. I have a buddy in PHI who was offered a training departent slot (don't know if he took it). If you send the resume you might get the call. I haven't done it because of different plans, but it is my contingency (gotta love the officer in me ha ha ha).

Luis
 
UH60driver said:
Well, a good bit of their pilots are prior Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. They tend to be DoD friendly. I know there are a lot of Vietnam Era pilots out there (getting ready to retire too = more need for pilots). This I know, the chief of ops at Air Log was LA Guard. I know one warrant officer in the guard who is in the training department. I have a buddy in PHI who was offered a training departent slot (don't know if he took it). If you send the resume you might get the call. I haven't done it because of different plans, but it is my contingency (gotta love the officer in me ha ha ha).

Luis
Click to expand...

Well to be a TRUE officer you need a PACE plan. Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency! :nana2:

You a company commander there?
 
UH60driver said:
You got me, true officer. I guess I'll just keep on flying ha ha ha.
Click to expand...

No really... I kid. It was a SIGO who introduced me to PACE. Figures.
 
Man, that's a cool pic. Is that you with the strap in the back of the 47?

Scotty, about the 14/14 companies, I think all them have that schedule available. Is a matter of preference. I hear the days can get long, average 8 to 9 hrs of FLT time a day.
 
Heck no... wish it was. That's an old, old pic taken by some very brave flight engineer that has circulated the Chinook community for years. I imagine the safety officer/ SIP might have had something to say about it.

Always wanted to do it though... I did man the tailgun a few times in A-stan... gets pretty uncomfortable.
 
Sorry... I sat in the tail gunners position (on the ramp) and manned the gun while flying in afghanistan.
 
I forget about the tail gun, you guys have that big gate in the back. Boy, that is one noisy spot in the Chinook. I rode the last seat on one while at NTC and it nearly left me deaf (loud APU).
 
My current instructor just came from Vortex. He left right after the hurricane and thet were shut down for those six months or so. I do have them on my short list for CFI jobs.
 
He was with the school when it was located in Mississippi. Lot has changed since then. The school made the best decision ever. It moved to the same airfield where a lot of the offshore companies reside. Acadiana is home to many of the training departments and so the school can stay on top of what the companies require and how they train. It is also a great place to network for the students.
 
I took my Commercial SEL add-on in April with a designated examiner who lives in Lafayette (he flies for NetJets). He said that there aren't many FAA helicopter examiners to give the initial CFI checkride. That leaves him as one of the only available designated examiners. That must make things better off for the aspiring CFIs. I hear it can get very rough on the orals here in LA w/ the FAA.
 
He seems to know alot about GOM flying and is actually looking to go back down that way. The only thing I will miss about flying around the Happy Valley is the mountains and high density altitude.
I wish a company in the Gulf would institute a job shadowing program or something for a week. Just to see what its like. I know the insurance peeps would have a feild day though.
 
Speaking of mountains,
I had the opportunity to fly to the west three weeks ago. The guard sent me to drop a UH-60 at the paintshop (AVCRAD)in Fresno, CA. I had the time of my life. It was my first time to beyond Houston, TX. Talk about a cross country. It took 12 hours (2 day/6 hours) of flight time. My leg was from Navy New Orleans, LA to Beaumont,TX - Austin, TX - Midland, TX - Roswell, NM - Albuquerque, NM - Flagstaff, AZ - Barstow, CA - Fresno,CA. I took pictures galore. Dude, you guys in the West have nothing to envy us in the East. I had never seen such colorful landscape and so much change in it. The West is beautiful.

Luis
 
I do love flying out here. If you ever get to SLC let me know there is alot to see and tons of JC peeps here. AKA you will have a good time.
 
The best Army x-cntry I did was to fly from Ft Campbell to Ft Carson, CO to pick up a bird that got stranded there during HATs training. 3 days TDY and a blast in Colorodo Springs, plus some beautiful mountain flying to boot.
 
Well, to commemorate the 100th post in the pro helo pilot forum, just wanted to tell ya'll I've sent out PMs to other suspected helicopter guys around here with okay results. Just wanted to see if you guys knew of other helo lurkers around here.

Was thinking about trying snatch people up from other helo forums... but I can't think of a way to do it without being b*itched out for - well, stealing their members and advertising another forum on theirs.

I think this forum would work out great if we simply got a subject heading called “Just Helicopters” or something like that listed with all the forums on the main page. What do you guys think? Worth it or no?
 
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