Interested in flying in the states

[JaredYoung]

Hey guys I just found your site and have been reading articles on becomming a helicopter pilot. After reading all of the information it doesn't sound like becomming a pilot is a good idea. Now I don't know if that is because a lot of you guys are from outside the US or what. I also noticed that they were posted a few years ago. Well I have some questions for you all. How does the future job market look for helicopter pilots in the states? I am looking at going to Palm Beach Helicopters in Florida. What do you guys think of that school or even HAI? Now after researching this I have figured it is going to cost about $60,000 to become a turbine trained pilot. My biggest concern is will I be able to pay this off when I start flying or don't pilots make that much money? I thought that a lot of pilots will be retiring since a lot of them are from the Vietnam era. Basically I have wanted to fly badly for a few years now but didn't think it was possible. I have gone to college for a year and didn't enjoy it. I live in NY so a move to florida is a big step. So maybe you guys can help me decide whether becoming a pilot is a good idea or bad idea. Thank you for your time. Any advice is welcome!

Jared

[RDRickster]

Jared,

All we can do is offer opinions, usually without many facts. I don't think we can help you make this decision. Nevertheless, if you do some more searches on Rotorheads, you will gather additional information... always an important decision making step.

My 2 short cents are as follows:

Take an introductory in NY; there are several schools to choose from. In fact, spend a thousand bucks on a few flight hours and find out if it is something you even enjoy. If you dream about it day and night, and have always wanted to do this, then it MIGHT be for you. If your long term goals are guided mostly by financial considerations, then I would encourage you to consider an occupation that will allow you to afford flying recreationally instead of professionally. Being a helicopter pilot is awesome, being a professional helicopter pilot takes a lot patience and financial endurance.

R2

[hihover]

Jared, the profession you choose will be directed by your capabilities, finances, education, outlook, personality and long term goals amongst many other factors. Being a helicopter pilot is just one of your options.

It is very difficult to forecast the requirement for pilots next month, nevermind 3 years away, but if it is something you really want to do, that will give you a huge edge, and your success will be in your own hands.

I can tell you that I have been a helicopter pilot for 25 years and I now have my own business after a 20 year military career. I am not wealthy nor do I ever see wealth in my future in $$ terms, however, I have had a ball as a helicopter pilot and I will as long as my medical category allows.

I have worked with great men who have earned my respect and I the respect of others. Helicopter pilots are practical people (in general), they are generally faced with tasks that can be achieved in several ways and a lot of individualism is allowed and encouraged. For the right person, the opportunities are there, but if you want someone to hand them to you, forget it, become an accountant or a lawyer, somewhere you work in comfort, 9 to 5, weekends off.

Take RDRickster's advice, do some flying, maybe even a Private Pilot ticket, get the feel for it. If you see yourself in the hotseat of a helicopter in 10 years time, do it, make it happen, but do not expect normality 9 to 5. Expect 4am starts to go and search for deer, or Tuna Fish. Expect to fly to the top of a mountain and experience insignificance as you lift someone to safety. Hover over the South Atlantic Ocean and watch the dolphins play in your downwash. These are just a couple of my memories, I have another million, as do all the other helicopter pilots I know.

It's your choice. I wish you the very best of luck.

[PPRUNE FAN#1]

Ahh, the eternal question: What shall I do with my life?

Jared, questions such as yours get asked all the time on forums such as this. There is a wealth of information here and on that *other* website (the one that is purportedly just about helicopters) that is available to you with a few mere mouse clicks. But you say you've already read some of it, and found it dated. Well okay, that's probably true. Things do change, and so you're looking for an update, eh?

You might be tempted to look at a career in aviation with a cold, hard, analytical stare...doing a cost/benefit analysis, or trying to predict your ROI. If you do so, you will never be able to justify it. The pay for helicopter pilots has been terrible for decades, and it doesn't look like it will improve much in the future. The advent of unionization in the U.S. may make a small positive difference, but there is no way that helicopter pilots will ever make the kind of money that airline pilots make.

Why? Because most of us do this simply because we love it. Unscrupulous employers gleefully take advantage of this. Why pay someone oodles of money to do a job when there are eager, starry-eyed kids lining up and just chomping at the bit to take it? Bottom line is- if you have to borrow 100% of your flight training costs, you will be in debt for a long, long time.

Once you get your ratings (a protracted process in itself), don't even think for one second that you'll jump into a "good job" right away. At that point you'll only be qualified for "entry level" jobs like flight instructor that don't pay squat. And no one can really say what the job market will be like five or six or seven years down the road when you're finally in a position to be marketable (and that's if you start right now!).

Okay, that's a less-than-optimistic timeline, I'll admit that. It might take you less time. But I personally know some civilian-trained commercial helicopter pilots for whom it's taken at least that and more. And there are simply too many variables and no guarantees. Yes, pilots will be retiring in large numbers in the coming years. But if this war in Iraq becomes protracted, then the U.S. military might be cranking out more helicopter pilots than anticipated. And even a small number of pilots added to this tiny industry can have a large effect.

So my best advice to you is this: Just do what you love.

Never mind what your family wants you to do. Never mind the prestige or status that comes with a certain career. Never mind the salary a certain career might bring. Never mind any of that. It's you who will be looking back at you in the mirror every morning. And if you wind up in a career that you don't like, you will lead a monumentally sad life.

So do what you love. Everything will flow from that. You might not get rich, but the money will come. You'll get to the end of the road knowing that you at least got one thing in life right.

Is a career in aviation something anybody can achieve? Nope. So do what others have wisely suggested. Go fly! Try it out, see if you really enjoy it. I would only add the suggestion to fly in airplanes as well as helicopters. For if you really love flying, it won't matter what type of machine you do it in. And if you narrow your focus so tightly on helicopters, I suspect that you might be a victim of infatuation. Infatuation colours our thoughts and emotions. And as we all know, infatuation doesn't last (just ask your beleaguered President!).

I know pilots who say that only helicopters provide the kind of visceral thrill they need/seek, and that any other type of flying would be "boring" or otherwise unappealing. I don't understand that. Me, I love to fly. Anything, anywhere, anytime. Put a set of controls in my hands and I will learn to fly the machine, and fly it well. And have a bloody good time doing it. For me, there is great thrill and reward in speeding down a runway, pulling the nosewheel off, and balancing on the mains as the wings gather their lift and transition me from ground pounder to pilot again. It's as much of a rush as smoothly lifting a helicopter off to a hover.

So Jared, ultimately, just do what you love and you won't be sorry. And if you find that what you love is aviation, then join the gang! We've been waiting for you.

[Vfrpilotpb]

Hi Jared,

Whatever you do in flying be it Rotory or Fixed wing, allways do it well, and to the highest skill level you can! if not leave it alone.

As you stated you wanted to fly badly, well sadly folk who do that normally dont last too long!!:ok:

[BlenderPilot]

I always see a lot of people telling prospective students to get a trial lesson, and in my personal experience this is what happened,

The first time I climbed into an R22 I really hated it. The thing was small and flimsy, noisy, slow, underpowered, etc. etc., it was very hazy and hot, flying around the pattern was really boring, so I thought it was not for me, I was 18 years old.

Then I came back here and got a couple of hours in a modern turbine helicopter up in the mountains and fell in love with it, there is a huge difference.

So don't be fooled by the trial lessons, the R22 around the pattern flying is nothing like you will experience out in the real world of helicopter flying.

[JaredYoung]

Thanks to everyone that has helped me. I still have not made up my mind as to what I am going to do. I think I'll go on a flight in the falls soon since its only a few hours away from me. Thanks again for your help. I'll keep you all updated!