Becoming a professional pilot, and finding a job
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 56
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From: Victoria
Whatever you do stay away from the Tasmanian option. Nothing in aviation is "free". In fear of litigation I can't go into too many details about how things are run down there.
Best warning....avoid like the plague at all costs.
Best warning....avoid like the plague at all costs.
Guest
Posts: n/a
SPS,
There might be a path to professional rotary wing piloting if this young lady could make her way to the US. Our military services are all quite keen to find women to fly. With strong academics, she could qualify for the US Army Warrant Officer Course, which requires only some college. The US service acadamies (West Point, Anapolis and the Air Force Academy) all actively recruit women for officer positions.
I don't know the ins and outs of getting a sponsor for immigration, nor can I appreciate how difficult it might be to leave one's country for a career move. Many US airlines, and corporations actively seek women as pilots, so the post military career possibilities are excellent, too.
There might be a path to professional rotary wing piloting if this young lady could make her way to the US. Our military services are all quite keen to find women to fly. With strong academics, she could qualify for the US Army Warrant Officer Course, which requires only some college. The US service acadamies (West Point, Anapolis and the Air Force Academy) all actively recruit women for officer positions.
I don't know the ins and outs of getting a sponsor for immigration, nor can I appreciate how difficult it might be to leave one's country for a career move. Many US airlines, and corporations actively seek women as pilots, so the post military career possibilities are excellent, too.
Joined: Nov 1998
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
From: UK
Scotia are seriously looking at reinsrating some sort of sponsorship scheme in order to aleviate their pilot shortage of the future, so you could do worse than drop them a line! If you are interested, I am not too far away if you would like to come and have a look around, witness the glamour of wearing rubber suits and flying at low level in crap weather drop me an email.
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: West Texas
Hi SPS,
You may want to have your friend check out this sight:
http://www.avscholars.com/women.phtml
At the very least, encourage her to contact some of the members in order to "get the bird's eyes view" of the future she is contempating.
Best of luck to her.
B. Loser
You may want to have your friend check out this sight:
http://www.avscholars.com/women.phtml
At the very least, encourage her to contact some of the members in order to "get the bird's eyes view" of the future she is contempating.
Best of luck to her.
B. Loser
Gatvol
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 4,197
Likes: 1
From: KLAS/TIST/FAJS/KFAI
The Original Whirly
Joined: Feb 1999
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,327
Likes: 2
From: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
Whirlygirls (an international organisation of female helicopter pilots) definitely do have scholarships. However, I joined last year, but have heard nothing from them since, despite having asked by e-mail for details of scholarships etc. I've never heard of anyone else having problems with them, but I'm not sure what's going on.
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
From: here, there, everywhere
Point Of Interest.
After reading the post on Helipro's cadetship I looked it up and had a good read last night - looks bloody expensive but you come out with crew ratings, several type endorsments, turbine rating and some comercial experience.
Where I am working there are lots of helicopters and lots of Kiwi's (guess - I dare you). So I ask the kiwi guy on the freq "what do you know about a mob called helipro doing CPL training in NZ" and he replies "I know a lot - there was a scathing story on NZ 60 minutes about a crash they had in the mountains around wellington - apparently traced back to dodgy maitenance and they are suffering badly from it - crash was probably avoidable at the least"
Intersting hey?? BTW I'd love to know more about why to stay away from the Tassie option - after all this is any anonymous and rumour forum.
Cheers
After reading the post on Helipro's cadetship I looked it up and had a good read last night - looks bloody expensive but you come out with crew ratings, several type endorsments, turbine rating and some comercial experience.
Where I am working there are lots of helicopters and lots of Kiwi's (guess - I dare you). So I ask the kiwi guy on the freq "what do you know about a mob called helipro doing CPL training in NZ" and he replies "I know a lot - there was a scathing story on NZ 60 minutes about a crash they had in the mountains around wellington - apparently traced back to dodgy maitenance and they are suffering badly from it - crash was probably avoidable at the least"
Intersting hey?? BTW I'd love to know more about why to stay away from the Tassie option - after all this is any anonymous and rumour forum.
Cheers
Guest
Posts: n/a
The Tasmanian option is not one at all. I have 2 friends who worked for the company and both entered with substancial hours and promised the earth with the usual results.
Helipro = Dodgy (from experience)
Military option definately good idea and they would probably put her through Uni as well.
Other than that, go see the bank like the rest of us.
Helipro = Dodgy (from experience)
Military option definately good idea and they would probably put her through Uni as well.
Other than that, go see the bank like the rest of us.
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: United Kingdom
The cost in time and money of an ATPL(H)
Hi Guys this is my first time in the rotor section...I am a lover of everything capable of flight. I was just wondering how much it cost to gain a full ATPL(H)? What is the process? Is there a PPLH? and if there is what can you fly with that? Can you go modular like fixed wing? thanks in advance for your answers..
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
From: Australia
Know a few people who have done the research (and got subsequent jobs) re cost (if that is a factor) and training here in australia is very favourable. Generally a basic commercial license is enough to start with. If you want to go onto twin engine machines etc. then ATPL and Instrument Ratings are a must. Good luck with it all.
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
From: down under
the atp is the last certificate/license (depending on what country you take it in) you will get. an atp is required to be the pilot-in-command (captain) in a two-pilot environment. the requirements are either 1200 hours total or 1500 hours, also depending on where you take it. there are also some other requirements in flight time before you can go ahead and do the checkride.
some companies do require you to have a atp (or at least the written theory exams) before you will get hired as a copilot. this because they intend to train you towards becomming a future captain. i have been told that the atp is equivalent with a ph.d.
most people (like me) can't afford to buy the time up to this amount, so what they do is that they start off with a private (ppl), then go for commercial and an instrument rating, and finally getting a job to build the hours.
i fly by myself and have no requirement to have an atp although i will do the checkride when i get the chance. most pilots will never take that last certificate/license. the atp stage is education too!
some companies do require you to have a atp (or at least the written theory exams) before you will get hired as a copilot. this because they intend to train you towards becomming a future captain. i have been told that the atp is equivalent with a ph.d.
most people (like me) can't afford to buy the time up to this amount, so what they do is that they start off with a private (ppl), then go for commercial and an instrument rating, and finally getting a job to build the hours.
i fly by myself and have no requirement to have an atp although i will do the checkride when i get the chance. most pilots will never take that last certificate/license. the atp stage is education too!
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
From: Hampshire
A PPL in the UK will cost at least £12,000 and with this you will have 45+ hrs.
You will need to have at least 150hrs before you will be able to sit the CPL or ATPL exams (which are not as hard as an PHd but do require a lot of application if you want to pass first time). To get to this amount of hours is going to cost you another £25,000. Or you can do a course ab-initio course straight to CPL £60,000.
The only problem is once you have done your exams and have 150+ hrs no-one will want to employ you because of low hours so you will need to build up at least 400-500 before
people will look at you seriously as a commercial pilot.
Most people become instructors so you can at least earn some money whilst building hours.
The beauty of this is that you also learn to fly really well....which is nice!
Essentially you will need at least £45,000 to get to CPL stage unless the North Sea starts hiring again.
If you can get hold of this you will probably have the single best job in the world
You will need to have at least 150hrs before you will be able to sit the CPL or ATPL exams (which are not as hard as an PHd but do require a lot of application if you want to pass first time). To get to this amount of hours is going to cost you another £25,000. Or you can do a course ab-initio course straight to CPL £60,000.
The only problem is once you have done your exams and have 150+ hrs no-one will want to employ you because of low hours so you will need to build up at least 400-500 before
people will look at you seriously as a commercial pilot.
Most people become instructors so you can at least earn some money whilst building hours.
The beauty of this is that you also learn to fly really well....which is nice!
Essentially you will need at least £45,000 to get to CPL stage unless the North Sea starts hiring again.
If you can get hold of this you will probably have the single best job in the world
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
From: down under
i would say that operators won't look at you as a serious commercial pilot until you have at least (!) 1000-1500 hours depending on what type of flying you do. if you are slinging timber in canada at 500 hours since, i would be dead serious, but that's my personal opinion. 
btw, a ph.d. is difficult, the atp is just a lot to study... just remembering the characteristics between certain chart projections was a nightmare (stereographic, mercator, lambert, etc.) plus, why do heli-pilots have to do a flightplan for a small turboprop from stockholm/sweden to reykjavik/iceland? if i could make it to norway on one tank, i would be satisfied.
btw, a ph.d. is difficult, the atp is just a lot to study... just remembering the characteristics between certain chart projections was a nightmare (stereographic, mercator, lambert, etc.)
plus, why do heli-pilots have to do a flightplan for a small turboprop from stockholm/sweden to reykjavik/iceland? if i could make it to norway on one tank, i would be satisfied.
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: UK
Small Turboprop! I wish! Mine was a 747 to somewhere in the former Yugoslavia, down to three engines after top of climb with revised PNR and CP - Not sure how this affected my B206 but hey, the CAA know best...Right.
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
From: Scotland
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: UK
Advice needed.
I posted recently elsewhere on pprune asking for advice as someone who, at fast approaching 40, is looking for a change of career.
I have a PPL (A) from a scholarship back in the early 80's and have decided that the world of commerce is no longer for me and want to move into professional flying, if at all possible.
Several people commented that the opportunities at my age with the likes of BA where probably negligible but several, including Clive Hughes terrific book, where more encouraging with the idea of smaller operators, freight organisations and instructing.
One thing that I hadn’t considered until now was rotary. So, do the same things apply to flying rotary professionally or is there greater or less scope? What are pay rates like compared to the fixed wing world? Is there anyone who has done what I am intending to do and is willing to share their experiences, either on this forum or via e-mail?
Thanks in advance, guys. ( and I include the girls in that!).
I have a PPL (A) from a scholarship back in the early 80's and have decided that the world of commerce is no longer for me and want to move into professional flying, if at all possible.
Several people commented that the opportunities at my age with the likes of BA where probably negligible but several, including Clive Hughes terrific book, where more encouraging with the idea of smaller operators, freight organisations and instructing.
One thing that I hadn’t considered until now was rotary. So, do the same things apply to flying rotary professionally or is there greater or less scope? What are pay rates like compared to the fixed wing world? Is there anyone who has done what I am intending to do and is willing to share their experiences, either on this forum or via e-mail?
Thanks in advance, guys. ( and I include the girls in that!).
Avoid imitations
Joined: Nov 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 15,110
Likes: 1,083
From: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Navig8r,
You haven't chosen the best of times, it must be said. With the sudden recent slump in fixed-wing employment a lot of former rotary chaps are trying to go back to their original employment.
However, this possibly wouldn't affect you as you will have a long time yet before you would be in a position to look for a meaningful rotary job.
The problem with rotary is that the training is VERY expensive, hour for hour, compared to fixed wing. As far as rewards are concerned, ask a commercial fixed-wing pilot what he earns and divide it by two to get in the right ball park.
Sorry I can't be more optimistic and the very best of luck!
ShyT
[ 13 October 2001: Message edited by: ShyTorque ]
You haven't chosen the best of times, it must be said. With the sudden recent slump in fixed-wing employment a lot of former rotary chaps are trying to go back to their original employment.
However, this possibly wouldn't affect you as you will have a long time yet before you would be in a position to look for a meaningful rotary job.
The problem with rotary is that the training is VERY expensive, hour for hour, compared to fixed wing. As far as rewards are concerned, ask a commercial fixed-wing pilot what he earns and divide it by two to get in the right ball park.
Sorry I can't be more optimistic and the very best of luck!
ShyT
[ 13 October 2001: Message edited by: ShyTorque ]
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: UK
ShyT
thanks for the response.
I know the timing isn't brilliant, but I figure it'll take me a while to get to the required standard any how.
If I wait for a good time, I'll never get around to it and be posting again when I'm 50!!
thanks for the response.
I know the timing isn't brilliant, but I figure it'll take me a while to get to the required standard any how.
If I wait for a good time, I'll never get around to it and be posting again when I'm 50!!