A couple comments from yet another low timer (in the US):
1. I forwarded a thread on the PPRUNE helo forum to my most recent CFI, with whom I trained for my CPL (finished last month) - he is not a regular in any of the on-line helo forums. His first reaction was how vicious some of the posts are here. I guess I've become a bit used to/immune to the occasional vitriolic comments but he has a point. I have read the lead-up to the "you're a moron for slamming the EMS industry" a couple times and I don't see the insult on someone's livlihood or manhood or whatever honked that guy off.
2. (This is obvious but I'll mention it anyway.) The industry seems to be in a chicken-and-egg problem. All of the hirers want high timers, who are becoming fewer and fewer every day (esp. in the US) with the military-trained guys from the 60s/70s retiring, and with fewer hours being flown by guys that *are* in the military due to flight hour costs (e.g. AH-64 vs. UH-1). Something has to give, and I think it's silly to expect the low timers to pay >$US300,000 to become "seasoned". I also think the insurance companies are going to have to lower their limits at least a bit, or there won't be enough "warm bodies" to fly the more difficult jobs in a few years.
Note that I am not a career pilot - I am too old and too gainfully employed
and thus fly for fun (though I cannot deny my dream of not having to *pay* to fly someday). That must be why I sign off with my real name - will I regret this some day?
I would encourage forum participants to not do what is so easy on the internet - hide behind their keyboards.
regards to all,
Dave Blevins