Fu$#%$#k this, i`m converting!

[Init-Refpage]

The Fixed wing marked is going tits up, so I`m thinking about converting to helicopters.

I´m permanently employed in a major Norwegian airline flying 737. Going on my 5 year, so i have a nice spot on our seniority list, i have all the lol, insurance etc. my salary is god, so is my roster.. So why would i give that up you say??

Well, i figure it´s just a matter of time before we get screwed over anyway, so the spot on our list isn't worth more than the price of paper..

Does anyone have a god tip on which way i should go? EHC, over seas in the US, Bridge course..?

PM, me.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[MrSnuggles]

En kompis kompis är helikopterpilot (utbildad i Australien) men jobbar numera med lite allt möjligt i Norge.

Som helikopterpilot finns det tydligen mycket större utbud av jobb;

* räddningstjänster av olika slag (sjukvård, brandbekämpning, polisutryckning, sjöräddning, personsök)

* transporter av olika slag (till oljeriggarna alternativt posthelikopter till avlägsna byar - även vissa skidåkare kan anlita helikopterpiloter för att komma till någon särskilt bra pudersnö)

*rena turistrundor över någon fjord eller stad.

[mo320777]

Dear Init ref page

I fly 320 in the middle east.
tried to read your post but couldn't get your point. I guess you fly for Norwegian I thought the company is doing good so why would you guys get screwed?

Best Regards

[BluSdUp]

Hallo Init,,
Go Northsea helcopter, keep Your Skoda 737-800 current the next 2 years.
Then make the call.
I would like to guess, You are ca 29 yrs old , gilfriend just left , realiced RayBan at night is 70s
Ups.
Ring me
Cpt B

[Init-Refpage]

Nope, I`m 33, with family and i have all i need, the ray bans have never been my dream, i always wanted to just fly prop`s domestic, but fate would have it that i landed this job flying the 737 when terms an conditions were ok. Even WF will eventually get haunted by the ever ongoing struggle to become more cost efficient.

The fixed wing job marked is slowly going down the drain. Most new pilots see no problem by woking for food as long as they get to call themselves pilots and wear the mentioned Ray ban`s with their fancy uniform.
I`m not judging, I would almost certainly do the same ting in their situation, but i now know a hell of a lot more then i did fresh out of flight school!

When i was a rookie there where many "step stone jobs" with a little less pay and benefits. Jobs that a pilot would have a few years until the experience level got up to a point where you got a job on a turboprop o.l. and so on and so on.. That way, a job in larger companies was a goal in it self!
When i got my current job, i was sure my life was set! Never again would i need to apply for a new job!
I worked hard for many years, flying para jumpers, photo flights, an sightseeing with Cessna`s. I spent all my free time in the hangar, taking every flight i could get, even if it meant spending ha whole weekend in a sleeping bag in the back seat of a 182 somewhere, just to log 2-3 hours!
After a god while i finally got my step stone job on a turboprop. After 2 years i finally got this job..

The industry is taking advantage of the young and hope full pilots, knowing that they will take all kinds of **** as long as they get to fly! New pilots do this because they have ha naive faith that "if i take **** for s few years, I will get a permanent contract, with Lol, Benefits" Well, newsflash: The job flying a 737, fresh out of flight school on a crappy contract has now turned into a step stone job!! Only problem is that there`s no more steps to take after this job.. NO ONE CAN COMPETE WHIT THIS! So, this will most certainly become the new industry standard.

[Nubian]

Do yourself a big favor and save your cash! You know the saying about the grass is greener....... well it ain't! :ugh:
You're 33, established with family and the works...By the time you've paid your way and got your helicopter license you'll be 35 easily. Now, if you're getting through the interviews for offshore(you must get in before 40 though) then fine, otherwise you'll be topping your salary at about 750K NOK (after maybe starting out at 1k on a daily rate!!) for more work and less structure, and that is IF you get hired. There are loads of younger, single pilots who would sell their granny in order to work seemingly for free for a few years to get a chance of being a pilot.

My 2 cents, is to move to the sandbox and get on with the wide bodies....

Cheers

[TowerDog]

The sand box is fine for a few years but most Scandlacs get bored to tears down there.
(Disclaimer, if ya are single and in Dubai, and you like Phillipino girls or expensive Russian hookers, you may be in Heaven)
If ya end up in Saudi or Kuwait, better convert to Islam and go to the Mosque 4 times a day. Booooring:sad:

[nyhellesund]

Very well said Init-Refpage......true and sad:-(

[Iver]

With your sour and jaded attitude, you should get out of the industry all together and go find an IT desk job. Trust me, do that for a year and you might be clawing your way back into aviation eventually.


If work were FUN, it would be called FUN and not work.

[MD80rookie]

If work were FUN, it would be called FUN and not work.

Tell us Iver, where you work? What type do you fly?

[witchiepoo]

So true Init-refpage - once Norwegian register in Ireland its all over..where are the unions and politicians??

[TiPwEiGhT]

It's do-able. I have some collugues who have gone fixed-wing to rotary, 40 is not a cut off point though. However, you will need atleast 800-1000hrs rotary to be considered for interview with Bristow or CHC.

TiP

[oceancrosser]

Phew! When I saw the thread name I thought he was talking about an entirely different kind of conversion :rolleyes:

[berserker]

Who is SAS express?

[MrSnuggles]

Avia Express is still hanging in there.

Just as long as you don't apply for Avies that sometimes codeshares with SAS. Avies is kind of shady - four aircraft in fleet and yet they manage to screw up in all sorts of maintenance and morals. Svenska Haverikommissionen (the Swedish accident investigation board) has done some serious work to put pressure on Transportstyrelsen to work with Estoninan gouvernment to shape things up, so maybe in the future....

[jiggi]

Almost correct Mr Snuggles. :)

Avies fleet is seven jetstreams and three bizjets. They employ roughly forty j31/32 pilots of which now most are from western Europe after the last recruitment. Biggest nationalities being Swedish and Dutch...

[Irish21]

stop listening to all the union bs talk (seriously just stop) and remember why you wanted to become a pilot = because you love to fly!:)

when someone brings up the union bs just tell them you just want to have fun & fly!!! You say for 5 years it's been great, that could last another 25 years so ENJOY life stop looking for a problem!!

The sole purpose of an airline is to make money, to keep the stockholders happy that's it...this is with any business. How does a company make money? by keeping the cost down, what is the biggest cost for any company? employment benefits. What are the first cost to be cut to keep the company making money? employment benefits.

BE HAPPY you have a good salary, good schedule, good family life = BE HAPPY!! Seriously BE HAPPY you are living your dream = becoming a pilot!

[Hotel Charlie]

Irish21....with all (or at least some) due respect you are talking BS!!
No one, absolutely NO ONE in their right mind would go for a career in this business the way it is now! Get a real job that pays properly and fly on your own time. A much better deal and do not listen to anybody telling you to "live your dream". They are either management wanting new gullable suckers that want to pay to fly or flight school owners wanting your money!! Shame on them!! Have fun flying on your own time and don't let yourself get sucked in :ok:

[MrSnuggles]

Almost correct Mr Snuggles.

Thanks jiggi. I stand corrected. Still, kind of shady regarding maintenance and morals. Hopefully it is improving!

[Irish21]

Hotel Charlie....you think aviation has changed..please...remember Frank Lorenzo? and all the other crook bosses in aviation who only cared how much money when into their own pockets?

Aviation has always been a glamorized profession by Hollywood bottom line is it's a job...like any job there are good things/bad things about it..but if you were to go work in a office environment guess what you would have the same complaints.

The minute a pilot gets laid off that is the day they wish they would have just been happy with their flying job. :ugh:

[Hotel Charlie]

....as I said! Get a real job and fly on your own time :ok:

[Init-Refpage]

Well, I have started my conversion by taking the bridge course from ATPL-A to ATPL-H via Luftfartsskolen.
I`m planning to take the flying lessons in the UK. Anyone know a good school?

[MrSnuggles]

En bekant till mej jobbar i Norge. Kan fråga honom. Det kan dröja några dagar, han är svår att få tag på under jobbperioderna (helikopter till oljeplattformarna).