Just 1,600 hours to go to break even

[jemax]

Well then passed my FI rating on Friday (thanks Geoff Day, top bloke, highly recommended), start trial lessons on Saturday, with a good organisation.

To all you out there who are thinking about taking up a career in Heli's just go for it. The last 16 months have been the most amazing, stimulating and just plain hard work period of my life and I have had the pleasure to meet some of the most fascinating people. I've only just started to scratch the surface.

I even reckon just 1,600 hours of instructing and I'll have paid off what it cost me! Saturday will be two of them, if the weather is OK just 1,598 to go!

Would never go back to the cushy well paid PLC job I had before, seriously! Poor but happy

Thanks to all who helped on the way!:D

[aztec25]

Good luck - I'm in the same position (Fixed wing) hoping to go on to CPL and FI(R) in the spring.

Well done!

[EGBKFLYER]

Well done! About six months behind you, flying planks. The thought of resigning scares and exhilarates me at the same time...

[MANTHRUST]

Is that the same Geoff Day who was at SARTU about 23 years ago? Where is he know? as you say "Top bloke"

[jemax]

What's SARTU?

But Geoff seems to have done most things, ex RAF

[BEagle]

SARTU = Search and Rescue Training Unit

[jemax]

Hi all,

Was asked to post costs for reference, so here it is. From 0 hour PPL to FI rating with ATPL groundschool (didn't have the choice at the time) 16 months total.

£60k, and that's getting properly set up business wise from day 1, vat registered. Plus loss of income.

I was also lucky, had 45 hours free in an R44.

Worth every penny and in a couple of years, if I am lucky I'll be earning half what I used to!

Advice is JFDI, Just ****ing do it btw

Good Luck to all

[Whirlybird]

This "I spent 60K and if I'm lucky I'll break even when I'm 93" stuff makes no sense to me. You enjoyed it all, didn't you? Well, maybe not the FI course :eek: But most of it. So if you hadn't learned to fly/teach helis, what would you have done during that time? Answer - flown anyway with nothing to show for it. Or got a boat, or played golf, or gone round the world, or done something else interesting and exciting which turned you on. And all those things would have cost. Or if you didn't, you'd have got as bored as most people do when they've no real aim or challenge in life.

So yes, it costs. But not quite as much as we all make out.