Prospects of starting a Heli Pilot career in Latin America???

[leonid89]

Hey, crazy heli lovers!
I am studying to become a heli pilot in Estonia, Europe. I am wondering if there is any chance for me to start my career in Latin America. It's not that this is the thing I really want to do straight after graduation, it's just one of the places i would like to visit so I was thinking why not to work there?
Brazil, Peru, Mexico??? Are heli pilots in demand there? On what level is the heli-infrastructure there? Do I need a work permit? Do I need to know spanish? What level?
I would appreciate any kind of help.
PS the thing is that I am not getting all the required stuff to fly in comand right after graduation (they dont give us IFR, only on simulator).
Thanks anyway! ! !

[hueyracer]

If you are going to work (and live, i assume) in a foreign country-don´t you think you will need to speak "their" language?

All the job offers i have read until now required the "local" language in South-American countries.....next to a minimum of 3000 flight hours-because "inexperienced" pilots are sitting in the streets there (as well as in most other countries)....

[MartinCh]

The companies have been lobbying hard enough their CAA. BUT, with what experience would you get in as co-joe from abroad, plus how good Portuguese?

I don't mind getting to grips with Portuguese as a Spanish speaker, but for others, uff.

[leonid89]

Thanks a lot everybody for your help!
OK I am thinking about continuing spanish now, I already have an A1.1 level :) lol
Maybe you can advice me where to start my career if not in my own country? Cuz in my country the only place to go is military with couple of R44, thats kinda suck, dont it??? The borderguard has AW139, but they only need one pilot+, and I will graduate 2 years from now, this place will definetely be taken.
My status will be like everything flightschool normally gives but without the actual IFR flight, only simulator (plane, not heli)
So what should I do? Without IFR I'm useless? How much it costs to gain IFR having everything else?
Maybe it's worth to win the GreenCard lottery and pay for IFR in the States and stay there? :) cuz my english is quite good :)
Thanks again!

[hueyracer]

....you just start reading some of the other "help-i am a new pilot...where do i find the job" Threads?


Or you start reading "So you want to be a helicopter pilot"-which is even sticked to the top of the sub-forum?

Even if pilots here are really trying to help with information-how many "newbies" do you think are entering each day-asking the same questions over and over again?

:ugh:

[leonid89]

hueyracer
I think my situation is kinda different! They dont give me IFR and the only place to go is the army with R44! I don't want that!
My question is how expensive would it be to get only the IFR separately (eg in the USA), cuz ill have all the other things.
What are the possibilities after some years flying R44?

Anyway I will look the previous threads and try to find answers, but I would appreciate your help here anyway!

[leonid89]

Yeap, Ill read the 'newbie' thread first! Thanks