freewheeler
28th Dec 2004, 08:52
Greetings to all, and all that. Thought I might unburden myself and get some info/opinions. I'm 36 and have spent the last 10 yrs in London in a large variety of poor to moderately poor abodes and have 7yrs as m/c courier (500000m + no broken bones) to get money, first to survive and then to put (haha) towards flying and travelling. PPL 1998 at home of YAK uk, ultimate respect to all there. Got a ghost story to tell about LG and N Weald as well. Then Dishforth for aeros (Firefly 160) with the inimitable T.C (unashamed namedropping), then Florida (Crystal River) for solo time (c150/172), tailwheel/aeros (8kcab), more ultimate respect to the vets; my tailwheel instructor was WW2 usmc, and the owner of the school was/is a Navy corsair pilot out of Korea, etc (politics of war aside, could you do it?) My instructors were generally approving of my ability and potential, and I have looked to the sky since a boy in Belfast (thanks AAC!) I went to the OZ, then back to Lon for more, then out to Louisiana for 7months to "study" (read gopher and bust balls) for a rather unhinged Bell47 sugar cane sprayer, to be recompensed in R22 hours (got 38, no solo) and Experience. There's a short book in there, but.... Then work for 2 years to get 16000gbp for CPL/ME/IR/instructor in S. Africa. Then?...... chicken attack as I read 32 pages of replies to an ad on pprune for 2 jobs in Africa. It seems guys with high time, jet, mil etc are willing to relocate even for temporary work! What chance would a fresh ICAO Cpl/me/ir have esp. as I would'nt be allowed even to instruct in the new SA, which means more dosh for revalidation and more to keep current. Therefore I have used an Aussie mate's wedding as an excuse and have just finished an 8 month, 30000km trip around the OZ in a landcruiser, spending most of my hard-earned on the way! Aviation opportunities exist mainly in the NT and outback QLD esp Jan-Mar, those with Cpl and 500hr+, low flying exp, work permit and paperwork/license to suit CASA may get work. Helo and fixed wing. Me? after months of soul-searching and introspection (and the study of thousands of empty "schooners"!) I'm not sure whether to: forget the whole thing and "get real", study hard and long, become an aircraft engineer (in demand I hear worldwide) and fly for pleasure, back to work to finance the licences and have a cash safety buffer, or to pursue some other avenue of interest and hope at a later date to get back into it. I'm not that fixated on Airline ops and I left the forces too late (RAF rejected my rather sorry attempt to be sergeant aircrew 7 years ago), so really I like the sound of charter or specialist flying, maybe even bush or aerial application (I know "cropdusting" is a faux pas). Of course you need big balls and nerve with good skill to operate systems, but after my m/c years surviving some hairy situations I'm on top of the average (and modest with it). So, bulldust aside, comments please and what to aircraft engineers get paid? I've seen hand fitting jobs @12gbp/hr in UK, surely 3/4 yrs hard study is worth more? When I was in Florida there was a CAA guy doing his PPL, he was in Bermuda doing sign-offs etc.He was 45+. Perhaps if one took the roundabout route, flying might be consigned to the dustbin of history!? Really all I want is a Yak 50 with a fancy prop, ferry tank full inverted systems and a tuned Vedeneyv and the training to make me safe and proficient.Oh and enough dosh to tour the world in it. Oh and........ :hmm: