Dual qualification Avionics Engineer and Pilot (H)
 

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!

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

Phil

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

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

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.

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

G

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

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

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 :O

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.