Heli IR

[malc4d]

Hi all

A couple of Questions regarding IR and US pilots.

Do employers ask for an Ir.
What % of US heli pilots hold an IR do you think.
How many are IR current and how do you keep it. In the Heli or in a sim. ?

[darrenphughes]

Most employers require the IR in the US, even for VFR positions. This is mainly due to insurance companies requiring it for coverage I think(I could be wrong there though).

If the % you are asking for is relating to professional pilots, then a good majority of them that are coming out of flight schools now-a-days will have the IR due to most employers looking for it. It is possible to get work without it in areas like AG work and stuff like that, but you would be putting yourself at a disadvantage career-wise. Most people get the FAA instrument rating while building up time towards their commercial rating as there is are 10 hours of hood time required for the commercial anyways.

To keep the FAA IR current you need to do 6 approaches, holding & intercepting radials or bearings every 6 months. If you let 12 months go by without completing them you have to do an Instrument Proficiency Check which is like a Bi-annual Flight Review(mini check ride that can be done by instructors) for Instruments. It can be done in a simulator of flight training device which is representative of the aircraft category.

[malc4d]

Ok thanks.
I didnt think that many US heli pilots held IRs.
A friend of mine is opening a sim centre for recurrent and IR training, must admit, l thought he was crazy......but now, maybe not.

[gwelo shamwari]

If you want to get hired on at one of the major Gulf operators or pretty much at any of the HEMS operators you must have an IR. The company I work for 100% of the pilots have an IR even if they are VFR captains.

As mentioned before it is mostly an insurance requirement but even if it was not, it makes good sense to have an IR as ones chances of surviving inadvertent IMC with 5-10 hrs of simulated is not that promising.