Military rotary to the airlines, how do i do it?

[rotorbrake]

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this question has been asked before but I'm just looking for a bit of advice on leaving the air force and joining the airlines.

For a while, I've been getting more and more disheartened with the air force. This is mainly because i joined becasue i love flying. At the moment, i hardly go flying at all.

A few years ago i was at a dinner where the chief of the air staff was speaking, he said 'if you don't like the way the air force is going, don't join or leave' or something to that effect.

I'm still tied in by my return of service and i want to serve for a while because of the fact that the air force trained me.

However, i've come to the conclusion (mainly because of the usual reasons) that the air force is just not a long term option for me anymore.

I'm still quite young so i want to leave in a couple of years while i have youth on my side.

I'm conscious that i might have to start getting licences etc as soon as possible so my question is:

What do the airlines expect from military rotary pilots? (full licences etc) or is it a better idea for a really junior pilot to just join CTC or something?

Any advice from someone who has left at an early age as a rotary pilot would be usefull.

Thanks

[anotherthing]

Have you seen what civil pilots actually do? I think if you are leaving purely because of the love of flying, you stand a high chance of being dissappointed.

If part of your love of flying (needs to be a big part) is being in the air and seeing the views then you will enjoy it. Military flying in helos is so far removed from the 'system management' type of flying in modern airliners you may not enjoy the new job.

On the plus side, you will get well paid, albeit it can be a pretty poor home life due to rostering.

Good luck with it if you go for it, I hope you will not regret it, though if the prospect of getting hours in in the military is poor, then it may well be worth the risk of potential boredom.

[rotorbrake]

I see what you're saying but any is better than hardly any at all. I wasn't trying to moan about the air force, it is the way it is, i just don't want to be un-prepared if i feel the same way at the end of my return of service.

[Dunhovrin]

I'm ex-rotary now long haul and I haven't looked back. Mostly 'cos the effing great locked door blocking the view.

I'm out of touch with the resettlement stuff and what kind of license you can leave with, so someone else will have to fill in the blanks. But, when I left in '98 f you didn't have the fixed wing hours for an ATPL(A) then you had to go to the likes of Easyjet, flybe, My Travel etc. All very good outfits to start working for but you may not want to stay with them forever.

Short haul means home most nights and lots of sectors which is nearly like hands-on only without the hands-on. But I deny any short haul chap to say it isn't knackering.

Long haul means away from home more, lot less hands-on of any description, but the opportunity to fly over magnificent scenery, visit strange and exotic far-away lands and sit in Irish pubs moaning about work and banging on about "WhenIWasOnPumas". Plus the locals don't generally try and kill you.

The pay is on average better than short haul and whilst the rear crew are a Lot, Lot prettier than loadies (even BA CSDs - just) it'll either cost you your marriage or a lot of beers till you realise you're twice their age and that dull thumping giving you a headache is what They call music.

But the big big thing about civvie strasse is the lack of secondary duties. Work doesn't follow you home. No calls from the DA asking you to come in to do a rotor tune. No Mess Sec, no squadron fund, no ACRs to plough through or suck up for. I could go on but I'll leave the floor open for a short haul dude to tell me how much more fun a 6-sector day is.

My only advice is: don't leave for better flying. Leave for a better life. With flying.

[Mike Rosewhich]

I left in 00 aged 32 and I too haven’t looked back. The flying isn’t nearly as much fun but is a whole lot less stressful. I would say get it out of your system and when you’ve had enough look at an airline job.

I fly for eJ and can honestly say it isn’t knackering. I’m home every night, get to watch my family grow up and have a reasonable amount of control over my life. Stress is minimal and I don’t bring work anywhere near home. Yes there are 6 sector days but they are rare and to be honest they are busy and time goes quickly. I much prefer them to going anywhere near LHR.

The company is efficient and (currently) believes in looking after its staff. There are interesting opportunities if you want a change or do something different.

I wouldn’t do the CTC route if you can avoid it, and I know plenty of rotary chaps who have recently got jobs with a CPL A, it’s a very well trodden route.

I will concur with DH’s last statement.

[A and C]

A number of rotory guys have been using the flying club at Benson to keep curent on fixed wing and this is likely to be the best sorce of up to date advice as well as the cheapest flying if you are short of fixed wing hours.

I agree with most of what had been said above however if you wan't to avoid too much of the "system management" type of flying look for a job in the charter sector, putting a jet into Skiathos or Chambery is still the preserve of those who fly aircraft rather than manage them!

( Due to pressure of work the Benson flying club officers can sometimes be "out of contact" so if you can't make contact by normal means please PM me and I will try to help)

[scientia in alto]

RB, don't think that you are the only one who is thinking about doing this. I am pretty much in the same position, still kept by my return of service and hoping to get military bridging package hours. Hopefully I can then start my tunnel from an organization that is cannibalizing itself to do ops, whilst leaving nothing in the UK to keep meaningful currency on.

Can anyone detail the best route through the bridging package and what I can expect to get from it? Currently I am hearing rumors that major airlines will look down on it and not employ pilots without a full set of exams.

SIA

[st nicholas]

I left the AAC in 1999 and have been working for ej ever since.

I enjoy the short haul and low cost environment and let the automatics do it 99% of the time.

Pay is good, back home ever night, and with our current rostering agreement ( 5 on 3 off 5 on 4 off) can plan to have a life.

I have no regrets but wonder if the economic outlook will curtail recruitment.

I would get all the licience requirements for both fixed wing and rotary sorted out before you commit to leaving

Good luck ,in the main it is just jumping through hoops

[Cim Jartner]

As somebody who's trying to do it at the moment - attaining your licences is the relatively easy part - trying to find someone to take you on seems to be more difficult - yes I have thousands of hours but nearly all employers I have found in the last months want fixed wing hours..... it really is quite depressing.:{:{:{

PM if you still need advice about licences as I do know most things about that!! I also know how to fail a BA interview and cock up a NetJet's sim - but thats a different story!!

[Senior Pilot]

rotorbrake,

This thread, Fixed Wing or Rotary career (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=102183) on Rotorheads has been going since 2000, and may have some answers for you. If you're prepared to wade through the chaff, of course ;)

[Tandemrotor]

As someone else has already said; a very well trodden route!

If you have had enough of fun flying, then come to the airlines.

But not before!

I left a long time ago, pm me if I can help. (Others may be better placed to offer advice)

Cheers

[rotorbrake]

Cheers for the advice guys, i think my mind is pretty much made up. I'm gonna get my head in the books and crack on with trying to get my licences now. I know the flying won't be the same, but i'm not convinced that there is that much fun flying left in the military without the need for tick chasing anyway. I'll have a life and no one will be able to use 'just deal with it, you're in the military' as an excuse for bad man management!

[R Birkin QC]

Have you considered Netjets?
If you are worried about getting bored of the flying, I have spoken to quite a few Netjets guys and it seems that it is a good comprimise beween Mil flying and airline flying.
I have also met 2 rotary guys (1 RN and 1 AAC) who have recently started with Netjets (1 on long haul fleet and 1 mid sized fleet), there are probably more about.
Roly

[JackRyan]

Dunhovrin, I loved your advice. It just needs setting to Baz Luhrmann's 'Sunscreen'...

[Taxi2parking]

NetJets takes a lot of ex-military from all backgrounds and doesn't seem to have any of the prejudices that some airlines seem to have about ex-rotary guys. Also on the plus side the flying is actually fun and a challenge and people will still expect you to think on your feet. Actually very like SH but with more polished wood and gold taps......:}