Dual qualification Avionics Engineer and Pilot (H)

[MrAviate]

Hello PPRuNers!

Has anybody ever heard of a pilot-engineer combined type role?

I'm about to finish my Avionics qual, and would be looking to get back into flying seriously, but I don't want to give up the tools. Its far too interesting.

So how could I go about combining two skills into one passion?

Thanks!

[paco]

Dual qualified people are quite common in Canada, and I'm sure that's not the only place.

Phil

[MrAviate]

What type of flying do they primarily do? R44's, EMS, logging, fire fighting?

I'm really just looking to figure out what path would best suit my goals.

Cheers Phil

[paco]

I know one who was flying 212s and is now on the 139. I know another who was on 212s. It depends on the flying available.

A lot of them do engineering simply to get flying, but dual qualified people are certainly sought after.

Phil

[redsnail]

One of my mates landed a job on a privately owned B747 because he has both engineering/maintenance quals and holds an ATPL with a lot of experience.

[Genghis the Engineer]

There are certainly roles out there, but it's important to think hard about : what sort of pilot, and what sort of engineer.

G

[redsnail]

I think the OP is talking about maintenance engineering, eg avionics technician etc.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I think so too, hence that I wasn't putting my own experiences forward - but the point I think is important. There are many flavours of both flying and engineering. There are also jobs that combine many such specialist pairings, but a lot of varieties there too. A bit of expansion helps to provide useful comments.

G

[MrAviate]

I'll keep that in mind as I continue to make my decisions. Thanks Phil!

That'd be the role of a lifetime Redsnail, although I think I'll try stick to helicopters

[MrAviate]

First, thanks for taking the time Genghis.

To expand a bit on my desired outcome, I'm looking to one day be a pilot who also maintains the avionics of helicopters. I'm approximately, 6 months from becoming qualified as an Avionics Technician on the AS332 and I'm currently saving for my CPL H.

Once I achieve these two, my small amount of experience in the industry doesn't help me any further, as I'm unsure as to whether I approach operators as a pilot with an avionics technicians qual, or as a technician with a pilots ticket.
This was the point of this post, to hopefully get some feedback from those of you that have years (if not decades) of experience in the industry.