Hello everyone. Great advice related to the industry - coming from very experienced professionals. Thank you for being allowed to share in the fruits of your years of experience and knowledge.
I have my CPLH for just over a year now and I got an opportunity to help establish an AOC for a company. My flying experience is obviously very low at this stage, but nonetheless I got a vote of confidence from the owner of the company after delivering his first helicopter (RH44) for him.
We are going to get a single turbine (It seems like it will be an AS350 variant) and I am going to get my type rating paid for on it.
I would appreciate advice on how to grow my experience as quickly as possible while keeping the flying safe at all times.
'Experience' is learning from a lot of small and recoverable mistakes (correct me if I'm in error please), so I thought the best way possible would be to get the type rating and then fly with an experienced and appropriately rated pilot all the time (he gets paid, I don't) until my experience on the aircraft and on the different specific jobs reach a safe level where I can fly PIC without supervision. (whether it be Part 133 ops or mountain flying or a combination thereof or even seismic work). Passenger and cargo transport might be of less concern as long as I do everything within my comfort zone (which is against the very nature of commercial ops obviously).
Personally I would prefer an experienced AS350 longline/VR, bushpilot mentor to make sure I get the most experience and NO incidents or accidents while being able to operate in the difficult and stressful situations that commercial aviation throws at us.
Does anyone have advice for me please?
It seems I have a great opportunity, but equal opportunity to mess it up if I don't manage it well.
Mostly: No experience, no job = no experience.
I have a rare chance at the opposite (have worked for it though, doing other work for this very diverse company), so I don't want to mess it up!
Thank you in advance for those of you who are helping me develop as a new pilot.
Always Green
Heli1223