Low Hour Helicopter Pilot

[Zeus2011]

Hi, I am in the final stages of completing my CPL (H) licence. I am also a Avionics LAME that is typed on 737NGs who is looking at the option of gaining helicopter LAMEs as well.

I am fully aware of the struggle for a low hour pilot to gain his/her first job which will allow them to start building up their experience. As you can tell I have been around aircraft for a while and have a genuine passion for all things aviation. I have 2 questions that I hope could be answered.

1. Does any know whether there are low hour pilot options in NSW without me having to head north of the border? (Not wanting company names just an idea if that option is available to me) :hmm:

2. I have been told that once companies find out that I am a LAME that my "professional" flying days will be over as there is a shortage of Avionics LAMEs. Is this true or just people exaggerating? (I was hoping to use this trade to supplement my pilot's wage. I have been told I am pretty good at this career. No complaint so far!:bored:)

Any constructive help would be greatly appreciated. :) Thanks Chris

[Brilliant Stuff]

Welcome to the forum.

Tricky that one.

[Zeus2011]

yes I thought it would be that's why I asked on here. Hoping to get some "professional" opinions :rolleyes:

[Flying Bull]

Well, if I would be a boss, I would hire you and keep you at the base most of the time, making you a maintanance test pilot…

[Nigel Osborn]

Good avionics guys are scarce, so large companies like CHC are a good start. They often employ low time co-pilots at RAAF Williamtown, so worth trying.
Good luck.

[sycamore]

Try to get a full/part-time helo job ,and `freelance` the avionics ; if you try the opposite way,you`ll get stuck in the shop,twiddling electrons..make sure you get paid for both jobs..

[hueyracer]

Well, if I would be a boss, I would hire you and keep you at the base most of the time, making you a maintanance test pilot…

Stupiest thing ever..

Good mechanics don´t automatically make good pilots (or the other way round)-and a "maintenance test pilot" needs experience.....

[ShyTorque]

It's a difficult situation; unfortunately in this depressed climate there are lots of high hour rotary pilots also looking for work. If you keep quiet about your qualifications, you're just another low hours rotary hopeful competing with the rest.

On the other hand, if you advertise your qualifications, you're unlikely to be given a flying job over experienced pilots because of them and yet not be asked to use them, simply because there's not enough flying to go around.

No real help to you, but I reckon that's about the state of things. Good luck!

[pohm1]

I know of a couple of low time pilot/engineers that got their break flying at tourist operations, where all the pilots were newly qualified, but their engineering tickets made them all the more attractive. Not sure of any possible locations in NSW, but the NT, Vic, Qld and WA all have these ops.

P1

[Bell214B]

There are a lot of low time pilots and not a lot of skilled mechanics so you have a good chance of spending most of your time in the hangar :)

I don't know how the situation is in UK but we hire pilots straight from flight school as loadmasters. Meaning that they assist the PIC and get some stick time during ferry flights etc. Normally it takes around 3 years until they reach the 500 hrs PIC time that we require to let them loose on their own. Since our main activity is utility work off airports we think that this is a good way of learning the trade.

Our "problem" is that our pilots leave the company for offshore or air ambulance work as soon as they reach 2000 hrs in command. So therefore we have to recruit low time pilots like you Zeus2011 and run what I like to call it, an "Advanced Flight Academy".

So if I could choose between a pilot and a mechanic I would take the mechanic any day :)

But a pilot/mechanic combination may be worth his weight in gold under certain circumstances. Especially for us who often operate at very remote locations. But to be useful you would need a B1 or better a B1/B2 licence.

[MartinCh]

I presume the 'maintenance test pilot' was meant as someone doing routine pre/post maintenance flying and someone who can do thorough preflight and vouch for own work/practices and put his/her own neck out there test flying the helicopter.
Someone with mechanical/engineering experience especially who has done work on the heli, could know more about what vibrations, noise or feel should/should not be there, in case.

More remote ops are likely to value you more, although heli maintenance isn't the same as airliners/avionics. Canada would be good example (also USA to some degree) where AME/A&P/LAME is useful, but their flying career can suffer from being stuck in hangar, as people mentioned. I've seen it happen, when the mechanic/helicopter instructor could only instruct off duty in hangar, which limited students/hours. But the hangar work was main job with some flying as side perk.

If you do use your engineering skills as selling point, make sure you make it clear you'd not stay on if you aren't flying, from the start, if there's interest. Else I'd find it more sticky situation, agreeing to whatever to get through the door and then raising voice about not flying, which wasn't part of the initial deal. If you fly part time, you'll probably need to have other income, once you fly fulltime or instruct fulltime, the salary should be livable, ie 'award' and stuff.

[heliduck]

Make sure you're clear in your mind which career path you would like to take, in my experience if you try to do both you won't be good at either. I know a lot of frustrated mechanics who would rather be flying but I don't know any frustrated pilots who would rather be in the workshop.
As advised by previous posters, use you avionics qualifications to get whatever flying you can. Once you have enough experience to differentiate yourself from the rest of the low hour pilot pool you can start to pick & choose which opportunities you pursue & the avionics will become a distant memory & something which will help you out of trouble with breakdowns from time to time.
If you limit yourself to geographic areas you limit your opportunities, try local first then spiral outwards.

Be prepared to be used & abused initially. I've spent time on the ground fixing other pilots helicopters while they took mine mustering, & I was on an hourly rate for flying!! I bit my tongue, got the experience & moved on.

Once you have a seat, take Sycamore's advice & do avionics work on a contract basis out of hours, that'll pay the bills.
Good luck.

[Zeus2011]

Thank you all for your advice it has been greatly appreciated and all taken on board.

Piloting has always been my career goal, I enlisted into the RAAF just to gain a trade and a way out of where I came from. I am from outback QLD so cattle work and remote areas are not new to me.

As it will be a B2 Licence that I gain it was also suggested to me to dual trade which would be more advantageous. I do agree however that I need to make piloting my priority otherwise I will spend more time in the hanger.

I considered negotiating while I fly I earn pilots wages and while I am being techo I earn techo wages, but felt being a low hour pilot it might come across to cocky/arrogant???

The main reason I asked about NSW region is that I have a young family with my wife owning a very successful business. I am happy to travel and am pretty confident that it will most definitely be the case.

Ultimately all I have ever want to do is fly, it is only now that the time has become right for me to do so. :O