SF Heliguy re mustering
Matthew i am sorry if my previous reply seemed a bit abrupt on reflection.
Most of the Mustering in Australia is done using R22's, there are also a few H269C/CB's around.
The nasty conditions depend on your outlook. An airconditioned room or a swag under the stars now and then is really not too bad. You never have to cook for yourself or mow a lawn and i haven't seen too many places where there is no cold beer.
The pay usually is pretty lousy in most jobs when you start at the bottom but i think if you got a start full time flying and were able to do 6 or 7 hundred hours in your first year you would probably be able to earn about $28,000 aussie dollars. after that it goes commensurate with what you are able to offer ie. experience, clients who follow you, loyalty and other plus factors. The top earners usually do about 1300 hours per year and make around $100,000 aussie dollars
On to your questions
1/ 400 hours total time with 200 on Robbies might get you a start with a large mustering company as you should be able to conduct basic manouvering safely.
2/ as for another choice see blender
3/ The low level endorsement you can get at most flying schools over here, its 18 years since i did mine but i think its only about 5 hours. For the mustering endorsement some schools can do them and it is 10 hours, but most operators of any size have a pilot on staff who is an approved pilot to give mustering training. What would happen usually is that you would spend 300 to 400 hours with this pilot before he would consider you competent enough to release. When you were fully endorsed you would usually still have to stay under close supervision and work for you would be carefully selected. It takes most people about 1000 hours before they are competent enough to get by on their own( by that i mean not bending the machine and themselves or stuffing up the job and loosing a client)
4/ The conditions i have spoken on a bit already but this is 2003 and most people like to be comfortable. There are always a few A####holes wherever you go but most people will give you as good as they've got.
5/ pay see above
6/ My thoughts Matthew are that you should really try another line.
I have been mustering for 18 years and have flown 14,000 hours. I have trained for mustering 12 pilots at considerable effort and time and it is always a source of great disapointment for me to learn that i have spent around 2 years training and watching and monitoring and checking and living with these guys turning them into a competent and capable musterer to see some of them move on after they have got 2 or 3 thousand hours. I suppose thats the way of the world but one way to get more years for your efforts of training is to target for training people who are more likely to stay the distance, ie stockmen who have an interest in the industry and who are used to the lifestyle and already know half the job.
Having said all that most people will respect effort and if you were truly committed to our industry i feel sure you would get a start somewhere.
Best of luck
Last edited by bigruss; 20th Feb 2003 at 02:55.