Hey folks! I'm after some suggestions or advice. 6 years after starting flying I finally have a CPL(H), thanks to my new god Mr Fred Cross!
So! After all that work I've discovered what others have been telling me all along; I'm still underqualified, inexperienced, and after a week of phone calls and emails I've got nowhere. Therefore I'm after some opinions on my next step. I have, by the way, read and reread every thread created on here in the past six years today, and after going round in circles decided just to ask for help.
My details: 170 hours TT heli (145 R22, 25 B206), JAA CPL(H), JAA PPL(A) and 50 odd hours fixed wing. 21 years old, all but broke (but used to it after all these years), and a full time but flexible hours job that gives me around £2k a month disposable income when I work my a*** off. Single and able to move anywhere with little notice.
"Option B, CPL(H) + FI rating, higher cost, low risk, lower returns
Option C, CPL(H) + IR, higher cost, high risk, higher returns"
is something I've read over and over, and I'm beginning to appreciate how good advice it is. What I'm after is info to allow me to make a better decision regarding the risks vs benefits of each option.
IR: I'd obviously be looking to go to the big 3 (and working on the North Sea is fine by me). I hear they're going to be desperately short of pilots over the next few years (600-700 pilots required for one company alone is one number I've seen). I also hear that they've got plenty of low hour guys, don't need any more, and therefore it'd be a huge risk to self fund an IR. Confusing?
And then if I did get an IR but failed to find work offshore, I appreciate no onshore operator is going to hire me for IFR work with such low hours. Would it make me significantly more employable for VFR work though, for example charter?
FI: would be late in the season by the time I hourbuilt to 250 hours and did the FI course. What's demand like for flight instructors at the moment? How about over the winter? I know I'd enjoy instructing, but I would like to get my IR before my exams expire. And although I'm willing to accept low pay and long hours, I would like as much flight time as possible ASAP. Unusual that I know
Cheers for the help guys (girls too if you fancy any inputs Whirls
)
Ioan