Any Changes in the Heli industry in the Last Year?
Hi Guys
I am a newbie here and I would like to know more about the Helicopter Industry. You guys seem like a friendly bunch so I thought I would sign up and ask a few questions.
I notice that this thread was very busy in the first couple of years but there have been no new updates in the last year? Why is that?
Please can you guys tell me if there has been any change in the employment prospects in the last year or are Heli pilot jobs still difficult to find?
I have been a Helicopter enthusiast for many many years and I am seriously looking into a career change to Helicopter Pilot.
I am 34 years Young and will be in a position to start training for my CPL and CFI in a year’s time when I am 35. I will also add that I am married and have a 5 month old Daughter.
My big question is "Is this too late to be starting out as a Commercial Helicopter Pilot??"
A friend of mine who is a Heli Broker told me I am a little too old to be starting out, plus I have the “baggage” of my family for me to support and for a potential employer to consider. Is this True?
I realise that after training I will have to instruct for maybe 18 months - 24 months to build hours and instructors salary is nothing to shout about.
So another question I have is how many hours does an average instructor actually work in a week?
Do they actually get 40 hours flying or is it 10 hours flying and 30 hours class room, paper work, odd jobs? (Hours were a guestimate)
I am guessing that the average Instructors salary is around 30-40K per year?
Would it be possible to hold down another part time Job at the same time to boost the income to keep my daughter in diapers and the wife’s sewing machine in thread?
I have searched this forum for threads about the current job situation in the industry but all the threads I found seem to be a few years old?
The age old question, are there any jobs out there at the moment? (or more importantly for me in 18 months time?)
Most of the training schools are saying that all the Vietnam Pilots are all retiring, the industry is growing and there is a shortage of Heli Pilots. Is this still true or are they just encouraging you to sign on the dotted line?
Lastly, assuming that you all don’t say “no way man your far to old to start in this game!”
Would it be a good idea to get my CPL and CFI plus some other qualification like Long Line/VR immediately?
Or wait until i have built my hours instructing to a reasonable amount then do the Long Line/VR training?
Same question go’s for the Instrument Rating and CFII?
I am assuming that if you get your instrument rating right at the beginning no company will hire you for an Instrument rated pilots position until you have 1500-200hrs plus, by which time you will need to do your instrument training again?
Sorry for the long thread and lots of questions but I am very seriously considering this change of career, I am currently a Project Manager working for a specialised construction company working 60-70 hours a week in the Middle East for 75Kusd and I’m not enjoying it at all. My wife is very supportive of a career change as long is its reasonably feasable!!
Thanks in advance for any and all feed back
Ben