USA job opportunities for flyweight pilots

[pa42]

Attention Midget Pilots: Position: Flight Training Pilot
Company : Boatpix.com/training (http://www.boatpix.com/training)
Tel: 954-525-9747
Contact: [email protected]
Job Location : Oregon

Job Description:
300 Hour in Robinson R22s and Certified Flight Instructor rating required. Must have completed the RHC Safety Course in Torrance, CA.
The lightest candidate will likely get this job and if you are light in weight apply now for this or other locations where we have helicopters. Our ideal weight is 115 pounds so this digital photo equipped R22 Mariner can take off with full fuel tanks and the 130 pound commercial pilot who is the photographer and copilot. We have nine helicopters piloted by local pilots and we need one local pilot in Portland, Oregon.
The lightest candidate usually get's the job as it's a 925 pound Mariner that carries 20 pounds of gear and 180 pounds of fuel. That's 1125 pounds plus a crew of two pilots that can't exceed 1370 pounds. The photographer weighs 130 pounds, so we are looking for a CFI that weighs less than 115 pounds.
Of course there are pilots that weigh less than 115 pounds and I'm sorry if you are not one of them, but that's what we need for this unique situation.

Lightweight instructors of about 115 poundswill be flight instructors flying R22 Mariners on wavetop yacht photo runs all over the USA (coasts), with a timebuilding apprentice (usually much heavier!) in the other seat, also taking photos.
LOTS of flying time (120 hrs/month not uncommon), lots of travel,
travel expenses, a golden opportunity to have fun for a year or
more. AND THEY PAY YOU FOR IT!

Since May they've not found a single 115 pounds pilot, so they're now eager to talk with anybody in the 130 pounds range.

Now's the chance to exploit your body size. And here you thought
(like I) that small stature was a disadvantage! Not at all--like
jockeys at horse tracks, there IS a remunerative place for tiny
pilots!!

[JaredYoung]

WOW I guess this a concern. What is an ok weight for a pilot? I'm 6 foot and weigh 180 lbs. Is that too much? 115, wow I don't know anyone that weighs that much that is a guy.

[gomexjr]

A lot of the Japaneese students that were at my school were 120 lbs and less, but like you I am 6' so needless to say I haven't seen 115 lbs since my pre-teen days:} Guess I'll have to stick to flying solo or maybe something a little faster and more sophisticated...yep the VW Jetta shall suit me just fine for now :{

[Bravo 99 (AJB)]

Looks like i had better go on a diet

Bravo 99 (AJB)

[Spunk]

115 lbs??? I'd say that 90 % on this forum are 115 kg... :}

[Dantruck]

I'm 154lb and the lightest person I know. I'm so light I have to put ballast in the front end of a JetRanger when I fly solo. How many of you have to do that?

115lb? You'll be lucky!:p

[RDRickster]

Darn... I'm only off by about 100 pounds! :}

[MD900 Explorer]

So how are they going to find a pilot that weighs 115lbs, when the R22 manual clearly states the minimum weight for the pilot seat is 135lbs :E

MD :ok:

[Robbo Jock]

I'd give an arm and a leg for that job. Wait a minute - to get to 115lbs I'd have to !!

[Bravo 99 (AJB)]

Just had a thought Zoe from patriot would do the job good pilot good looking good body and the right Wieght


Perfect


Bravo 99(AJB)

[WestWind1950]

heh! I'm all for it! I only weigh 110 lbs!! whooooppiiieeeee :p

only trouble is, I don't fly helicopters :{ I'm only a winged instructor and too old to learn anything new... darn! I missed out again!

Westy

[Lightning_Boy]

Where've I put that bloody Atkins Book???? :O

[B Sousa]

That job posting has been around for sometime. Its the lightest I have seen pilot requirements to date. I do see EMS jobs where there is a max weight requirement which is more reasonable. As usual its the Pilot that takes the hit as they cannot control the weight for Nursie in the back and all the toys necessary to use for billing the patient on his merry ride.

[rotorrookie]

115lbs or 52kg cmon that´s about the same weight I drop on the WC every other day... good luck anyway

ps. I´ll ask papa-smurf next time I see him if he has any pilot-smurf available:}

[Helinun]

Hey guys I'm a fairly lightweight chick of 121lbs and being that light have to carry weights to meet the minimum required by Robinson to fly solo............what gives with this job then?

It's always a bind to take out forty odd pound of weights from the gym to come up to spec.

[Whirlybird]

Wow!!!!!!!!!! I only need to lose 25lbs!!!!!!!!! Trouble is, I've been dieting to lose that 25lbs for years, and my body just says: "No Whirly, you weren't meant to be that thin". :{ I can get down to around 130 if I starve; did they say that would do?

MD900,
135 is the minimum SOLO weight for the R22, with full tanks. It's 130 with only the main tank. It's a balance/c of g issue. I'm always being told to carry ballast, as I look littler than I am (big bones or something, maybe), but I don't quite need to.

[Robbo Jock]

Helinun
I thought the minimum pilot weight is required to ensure that a basic, near empty R22 flown solo will autorotate safely. These guys aren't looking for someone to fly a basic, near empty R22 alone, so the minimum pilot weight is not a factor.

They'd probably have more luck letting the 130lb 'commercial pilot/photographer' fly the aircraft and advertise for lightweights to take the photographs. I'd hazard a guess that they'd have more luck.

[MD900 Explorer]

Whirly & Co.

I was of course being sarcastic. I am aware of the c of g and weight limits on the SOLO ride, i thought it was quite funny, but did wonder in the back of head, how many people would read into it seriously :E

MD:ok:

[Whirlybird]

MD900,

You'd be surprised how many people who should know better don't know or understand about the minimum seat weight though. I had a very lightweight student for a trial lesson(actually, he'd fit the bill for Boatpix), and ended up arguing with an ops manager who thought he should take ballast when flying with me. :confused: And way back I remember trying to explain to a student why the minimum solo weight was higher if you had MORE (ie full) fuel. so it seemed worth explaining it, even though i thought you probably weren't being serious. ;)

[Whirlybird]

Come to think of it, I know a couple of guys who are probably under 115lbs. Trouble is, although they're helicopter pilots I don't think they fly the R22. They're twins, live in North Wales, built a Rotorway Exec and learned to fly it. They're really small and light; I remember them talking about carrying ballast to fly the Rotorway. So it is possible.

[MD900 Explorer]

Whirly

I bet they arn't interested in the R22, as it is too safe for them. I can see some height restriction or something silly like that hindering their entrance into the U.S. though :}

MD :E

[Hughesy]

115lbs, far out. For me to lose the 60 lbs, I would have to do some flying in the robbie first, and nervously sweat the weight off!!
:D :ok:
Hughesy

[Helinun]

Thanks for that Robbo Jock,

I did know that and once I'd re-read the article realised the reason for the jockey weight pilot.

Shouldn't type an opinion until I've read the article.......!

Cheers H

[pa42]

and since starting this merry confab, I've gone on to be hired by boatpix. 135# weight was all they needed to hear.

I've been busily PM'ing all the lightweights who indentify themselves here, so if you're in the wings, wondering, and willing to come forward, come on in, the water's fine!

robbo jock: nice try, but the boatpix thing is that the STUDENTS, who bring in megabucks of training, can be ANY weight, and usually are. So we need the wafer-thin CFI to create a bigger enrollment capacity for overweight, rich time-builders.

B Sousa: hey, thanks, I needed another million-dollar idea! You medevac folks who retire or can't get a medical take note: there's a multi-million-dollar industry sitting there for the picking in making superlightweight medical gear for the medevac helicopter, so they won't have to use those cumbersome rolling carts and cast-iron fitting that come from the hospital! Forget lightweight pilots (it's discriminatory to make people diet?): buy superlightweight equipment instead! (Royalties, please. Address on request.)

MD900: it's all done with smoke and mirrors, like so much of Robinson, but in this case tangible weight: ballast.
NOW all I need is for them to remove that dumb placard says "solo from right seat only" and replace it with "perform actual W&B to solo from left" and my proposed left-seat-soloing-practice-for-CFI will be legal!. BUT BUT BUT then I'd be faced with another problem: what in the world do you do to confine 150# of ballast in the right seat? Cast a lead dummy that fits? Then how to get the dummy in the helicopter (you can have a lot of fun with that line!)

Dave
recent convert

[i2gofly]

Congratulations on getting the job! Where will you be based? Just curious....

[pa42]

i2gofly: base? hmmm, interesting concept.

still full-time RV CA/OR/UT w/r22-on-trailer (the "dinghy"). Wandering from weekend photo mission to weekend photo mission. Working on school paperwork on the road. From time to time FAA will get to a point where a meeting is necessary, then I climb on giantjetairliner & visit FL.

This can't go on forever, so eventually I may have to (gulp!) spend the winter in FL full time.

The World of Helicopters--so many impossible missions, so little time! Suffer, suffer, suffer.

[MD900 Explorer]

pa42

Congrats on the job. :ok:

As for the lead dummy thing, you should go here :- http://www.onlydummieswillclickthislink.com (http://)

Safe Flying in the death egg. ;)

MD :E

[davehearn]

shame that, im only 130 lbs but they would have to pay for the rest of my training. ah well back to the normal job then.