Originally Posted by
Kraxous
(First post here so be gentle! Also cross-post from Reddit as suggested by a user that I'd get a better response here.)
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.
I'm from the UK and visited a helicopter training school at the weekend to learn about getting into the aviation industry. I expected to walk away from it relatively empty handed other than maybe a contact number for a company that teaches pilots but I was very wrong.
The bottom line is I could do my PPL(H) (1/4 self funded with a Career Development Loan) and then progress on to CPL(H) and work through the motions of becoming a Flight Instructor (FI(H)). I could also do a "one-of-a-king" BSc in Flight Aviation that's for 3 years.
I was being told while I was there that I'd be guaranteed a job once I hit my CPL(H) stage either with the school or otherwise, and obviously as time progresses I could become a FI with the school as there is a, in their words a "severe shortage of helicopter pilots and instructors willing to teach the future generations."
They also offer a scholarship programme where people can apply for it (not guaranteed for an individual as they interview, assess and choose a person who they think is best suited). So here there are multiple routes into getting fully qualified passed the PPL(H) mark. The private licence is currently the biggest financial hurdle for me but I believe I can surpass it.
I don't know if any of this seems too good to be true though? It was a really awesome centre, epic training helicopters, friendly staff and students etc. - what the MD and staff did though was obviously trying to convince me to sign up, saying I'd get discounts here and making the package seem more appealing.
Should I jump at it? I really want to do it but obviously once I'm invested that's it, I won't be able to change my mind without taking a big hit financially.
Is there really a pilot shortage and does it seem too good to be true?
EDIT: I also forgot to mention about the IR rating I was told about. They don't teach IR at the school as, understandably, it's expensive and the craft differs because obviously you get rated for that particular helicopter. If you work for a company that does chartering, will that company pay for the Instrument Rating for you or does that have to be funded by yourself? (I've been told it can exceed £30k.)
I met a flight instructor once who had a "guaranteed job" after graduation. He got the job sure enough, trouble is,...they had no students for him to teach.
I was at a job fair two days ago at Heliexpo in Vegas. Sure didn't get the impression there was any kind of pilot shortage,...maybe a job shortage,...?