autosync

Seems the Majority of Rotorhead threads lately are now in relation to flight training and job prospects for wide eyed low hour newbies, who always end up getting there hopes and dreams dashed.
It may be the only place around people can get realistic information, not the marketing crap dished out by Flightschools.
Not that I am against this, its just that all the same questions have been asked time and time again, with the exact same answers.

Any Chance of a seperate forum or a FAQ sticky in the Wannabies section, personally, getting tired of reading and replying to the same old stuff.

chopperpilot47

On a forum like this it is inevitable that the same questions come up now and again. It might be helpful if previous threads could be forwarded when that happens to the new poster so they can read for themselves what was previously discussed. I don't know if it would be possible to search the archives but I don't see why not.

I feel that most wanabees get a sympathetic hearing and good advice although I have been testy on occasions!

Chopperpilot47

Whirlygig

But what does change is the job market and so a thread posted a year ago by a wannabe might have different answers to the same question posted yesterday.

Again, I seem to remember, about a year ago, somebody esle posing the question as to whether rotorheads should have its own wannabe section and it was felt by the mods not to be worthwhile.

So, although I can understand your frustration at seeing the same old thing time and again, please appreciate that if somebody is new to this forum, they may not know how it works and the search facility has only just been upgraded.

There is a training FAQ sticky which Heliport updates and, I imagine, a lot of prospective CPLs will go there first but it doesn't and cannot answer queries about employment since these can vary so much.

Cheers
Whirlygig

soggyboxers

I have to agree. The trouble is, that it's very difficult under the heading of 'Rotorheads' to separate Rotorhead wannabees from other postings. I think it would be good if the up-and-coming Rotorheads were able to have their own forum so that possible employers could have a look there rather than just looking at a post on Rotorheads and dismissing it out of hand for being in the wrong place. It would also give them more possibilities for exchange of information on the best training schools and job opportunities for new pilots. I guess it all just comes down to what the mods think the real spirit of Rotorheads should be.
There are far too many grizzled old farts like me who are shortly going to have to become earthbound (until we, hopefully, move on heavenwards ) and far too few new youngbloods in the industry for there to be a smooth transition for our replacements in the future. It's time more companies started looking at what is going to happen in 5 or 10 years time if they are not prepared to offer opportunities and training for the replacements for the 50+ year-olds of today.
One of the other problems I have noticed is that many new pilots who seem to be very keen initially, soon lose their enthusiasm if life is a bit tough. A lot of young pilots I have seen here in Africa arrive full of enthusiasm but quickly depart when the going gets tough. Being a helicopter pilot often means working and living in difficult parts of the world (after all, that's where helicopters really come into their own). It's not being at home a lot or living in a nice suburb. If that's the life someone wants then he, or she, should opt for flying plank-wings and use the extra money they usually get for that to indulge the pure enjoyment of helicopter flying by hiring a helicopter for pure enjoyment.
Good luck to all wannabees with the attitude and determination to make a success of becoming professional Rotorheads (whatever that means ).

Heliport

New people will always ask questions which have been answered many times before, not realising there is a 'Search' facility. The problem has been worse recently because the search function was disabled for long periods in order to take some of the load off the server.
Now the new server's up and running, the 'Search' facility is fully functional so we'll probably return to the good balance we've always had on the forum.
I'm not convinced the job market (as opposed to specific job opportunities) changes that quickly but, even if I'm wrong about that, a knowledge of the job market in that area over the past few years is worth having. That can be gained by reading the relevant thread.

Link to Frequently Asked Questions

KENNYR

Why cant we just be a little more tolerant of "wannabes". We all started our aviation careers asking questions and getting sound advice in return.

Surely we can answer a new pilots or potential pilots questions without ridiculing them or making them feel stupid.

I know that I still learn from frequenting the PPRuNe forums, and thats after a long Military and Civilian flying career.

wishtobeflying

Interesting that the "Wannabee" link at the top of this page opens a page devoted entirely to airlines. With no GA representation, let alone helicopter industry representation, why wouldn't wannabees come to the source to find out the right info?

Having said that, I'M REALLY GLAD THE SEARCH FUNCTION IS WORKING AGAIN!!!!!!

Cheers,

SLC.