Average Hours A (H) Pilot Can Fly A Year

[kyyle]

Hi Everyone

i cant seem to find this answer anywhere

Whats the average a helicopter pilot flys a year with a CPL can a pilot fly 1000/2000 hours a year or is the a regulation u only can fly a cirtain amount

as i want to no how long once i pass my PPL/CPL that i can get good job as i no alot of them ask for 1000-3000 hours just wanted to no the average it take to get that

sorry if this is simple question and has been asked a million times

[Transsonic2000]

Well as an airline pilot it would take about 1 to 3 years to log/fly 1000 - 3000 hr, but they do a lot of flying. Helicopter pilots usually don't fly that much, also depends on what kind of flying the pilot does. And if you are talking about a commercial helicopter job, requiring 1000-3000hr than that's most likely turbine-time (e.g. JetRanger) and not just piston-engine time (e.g. R22). As a rookie after getting your CPL you'll have around 150-200hr piston-engine time on the R22 and no prospective employer will be impressed by that. Getting turbine-time after completion of training is quite difficult, especially here in Europe where the job-market for helicopter pilots is pretty limited.

During my time in the US I met a few guys from Europe, who came to the Sates for helicopter training, some of them were washed-out from the military helicopter training program and they told me the best/only way to become a helicopter pilot in Europe is through the military, because the few commercial helicopter operators in Europe prefer hiring former military pilots. As a civilian you stand very little chances of getting a commercial helicopter job. These guys from Europe (at least the military wash-outs) were planning on an international career as a helicopter pilot, they were willing to do any kind of flying job (legal or illegal) after they got their CPL. Some of them were lucky and they made, they live/fly all over the world today. But guess what, they don't fly in Europe.