What do North Sea pilots do?
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Never boring?, sometimes it's long haul flying without the pleasure of arriving somewhere else at the end of the day. Shuttling was ok, but you can keep the night deck landings! I left because I didn't fancy driving the same route for the next 20 years, mind you the pay would have been useful!
I've never had outside pressure when HEMS flying. Had lots of "commercial pressure" on the North Sea.
I've never had outside pressure when HEMS flying. Had lots of "commercial pressure" on the North Sea.
Why does everyone think that all North Sea flying occurs out of Aberdeen. Most sensible people do their time up there and move south as quickly as possible. The flying is more varied, more interesting and you are surrounded by people you can understand!!!!!!
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HOGE
If flying becomes boring, then it definately time to hang up the headset!
As for pressure on HEMS, I was a little unkind towards the control and paramedics. They do a fantastic job! The pressure was mainly self induced; You know what I mean: major RTA, child/children involved, weather crap, roads all snarled up with backed up traffic. Do you put that extra bit of effort in? Early on in a HEMS career you may well do so. After a few months, however, common sense prevails. Not to say that the decision to abort a mission is any easier, it isn't. In virtually all the cases when I turned back, it turned out that the incident wasn't as bad as first thought. I don't know how I would have felt if that had not been the case.
But I digress from the thread! North Sea ops are mundane. As someone has already said, 95% tedium with 5% terror! On a fine day, with everything going well, you can do the job standing on your head. But beware! As with all helicopter operations, something can go wrong at any time and, if your not awake, they will bite back hard! At least with onshore operations, you stand a chance of landing on terra firma. Offshore, your going for a swim!!
And pitchlink, you're spot on! The money is very good, and about to get better!!
bondu
If flying becomes boring, then it definately time to hang up the headset!
As for pressure on HEMS, I was a little unkind towards the control and paramedics. They do a fantastic job! The pressure was mainly self induced; You know what I mean: major RTA, child/children involved, weather crap, roads all snarled up with backed up traffic. Do you put that extra bit of effort in? Early on in a HEMS career you may well do so. After a few months, however, common sense prevails. Not to say that the decision to abort a mission is any easier, it isn't. In virtually all the cases when I turned back, it turned out that the incident wasn't as bad as first thought. I don't know how I would have felt if that had not been the case.
But I digress from the thread! North Sea ops are mundane. As someone has already said, 95% tedium with 5% terror! On a fine day, with everything going well, you can do the job standing on your head. But beware! As with all helicopter operations, something can go wrong at any time and, if your not awake, they will bite back hard! At least with onshore operations, you stand a chance of landing on terra firma. Offshore, your going for a swim!!
And pitchlink, you're spot on! The money is very good, and about to get better!!
bondu
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ABZ
my father flew the north sea from 1967 till 1983 and he certainly
saw some changes. at the start they did 2 flights per week!
to rigs opening up the forties field etc... all flown in shirt and tie
with a cap covered in scrambled egg. this was BEA helicopters later to become BA and then BIH.
The bird at the time was the S61N, and did a fine job by all accounts. MY father laterly flew the CHINOOK but by this time multiple flights per day and crap crew rotas were in place, along with ever increasing competition from other companys. British caledonian even had helis in the n.sea for a while.
my father is in his 70,s now and says he never misses it, he retired aged 47 so the north sea certainly helped his retirement fund.
mk10
saw some changes. at the start they did 2 flights per week!
to rigs opening up the forties field etc... all flown in shirt and tie
with a cap covered in scrambled egg. this was BEA helicopters later to become BA and then BIH.
The bird at the time was the S61N, and did a fine job by all accounts. MY father laterly flew the CHINOOK but by this time multiple flights per day and crap crew rotas were in place, along with ever increasing competition from other companys. British caledonian even had helis in the n.sea for a while.
my father is in his 70,s now and says he never misses it, he retired aged 47 so the north sea certainly helped his retirement fund.
mk10
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Offshore has a lot of good things going for it, at least you're home every night and sometimes in the afternoon, it's great for anyone with kids and just needing to earn a decent living. Okay so it's not mega exciting all the time but it has its moments. I now fly Southern North Sea (S76) and I must say that I am well enjoying the difference from Northern (abz) ops. Shorter legs, more landings, less power (eek) and of course Beer Gardens and a milder climate. Top notch I say !
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No, but it's probably the most important part. I'd like to think that loving what you do day-in/day-out is secondarily important. Or wait, maybe $ is second and enjoyment a close third. 
Just Dropped In
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I've done the North Sea....once you grasp the multi sector load sheets it ain't so bad! Met some great people....met some not so great people! But what is most definitely the most boring thing about the North Sea (& probably the helicopter world!!) is listening to North Sea Pilots telling you how hard their lot in life is!! B O R I N G!!
No matter where you fly you'll face challenges! I've flown the North Sea & quite frankly there are challenges.....but it doesn't measure up to some other jobs! I left for one reason only....it was tedious & was no longer offering a challenge!
The old saying 'How do you know ther's a pilot in the room? He tells you!' springs to mind!
No matter where you fly you'll face challenges! I've flown the North Sea & quite frankly there are challenges.....but it doesn't measure up to some other jobs! I left for one reason only....it was tedious & was no longer offering a challenge!
The old saying 'How do you know ther's a pilot in the room? He tells you!' springs to mind!
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As a current military pilot who just happened upon your discussion, I wonder if any one could answer a couple of questions:
Do job vacancies come up very often or is the market fairly stable?
Are new pilots expected to 'serve their time' flying from ABZ before they can apply for Southern North Sea jobs?
How far in advance are work schedules written? (ie how easy is it to plan your life?)_
As RotorSwede asks, what is the pay like?
Do job vacancies come up very often or is the market fairly stable?
Are new pilots expected to 'serve their time' flying from ABZ before they can apply for Southern North Sea jobs?
How far in advance are work schedules written? (ie how easy is it to plan your life?)_
As RotorSwede asks, what is the pay like?
Join Date: Jul 2005
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look here for £ information regarding North Sea
http://www.pilotjobsnetwork.com/
Look under all factfiles, you'll see Bond, CHC and Bristows listed on the right side
http://www.pilotjobsnetwork.com/
Look under all factfiles, you'll see Bond, CHC and Bristows listed on the right side
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SB
There is some recruitment going on at the moment but it seems mainly contractors. The pay for them is about £400-450/day but you will need ATPL/CPL IR and the type rating. More permanent posts may be on the horizon but you would come in as a co-pilot and have to wait your turn for command (7yrs??) as everything on the N Sea is seniority led unless you can hatch a special deal!!
Most companies are also looking to persuade their pilots to work 'til 60 so this will limit both recruitment and command vacancies.
As far as doing time in Aberdeen before being allowed south it is not always a requirement but if positions are available down south then they are filled by volunteers from Aberdeen before an advert for outsiders is placed.
The pay scales are improving and the data in Mr W post is well out of date
332M
There is some recruitment going on at the moment but it seems mainly contractors. The pay for them is about £400-450/day but you will need ATPL/CPL IR and the type rating. More permanent posts may be on the horizon but you would come in as a co-pilot and have to wait your turn for command (7yrs??) as everything on the N Sea is seniority led unless you can hatch a special deal!!
Most companies are also looking to persuade their pilots to work 'til 60 so this will limit both recruitment and command vacancies.
As far as doing time in Aberdeen before being allowed south it is not always a requirement but if positions are available down south then they are filled by volunteers from Aberdeen before an advert for outsiders is placed.
The pay scales are improving and the data in Mr W post is well out of date
332M
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What do North Sea pilots do?
As a just-starting-out trainee pilot, I'm trying to get some sort of feel for where in industry I'd like to work. This is more about what I want, rather than what I'm likely to end up with - I need something to aim for.
I don't know terribly much about North Sea / offshore work, but the little I've heard seems appealing (to me, anyway). Therefore, I'd like to know more about exactly what working on the North Sea involves, what people enjoy / hate about it, etc. Feel free to PM or email me if you'd rather not post publicly.
I'm more interested in exactly what you do than what you're paid, although pay info would be interesting too (there already seem to be a fair few threads on money
).
Once I have slightly more flying ability (i.e. enough not to spend most of my time staring at stuff going 'woooow!'), I'm planning to get hold of Bristows et al to try to arrange a visit and see stuff first-hand, assuming off-shore is still the way I want to go. I know getting into the off-shore market depends heavily on the state of the industry at the time, but, as I said, this is really trying to get a feel for where I should be aiming.
Answers on a super-sized postcard...
I don't know terribly much about North Sea / offshore work, but the little I've heard seems appealing (to me, anyway). Therefore, I'd like to know more about exactly what working on the North Sea involves, what people enjoy / hate about it, etc. Feel free to PM or email me if you'd rather not post publicly.
I'm more interested in exactly what you do than what you're paid, although pay info would be interesting too (there already seem to be a fair few threads on money
).Once I have slightly more flying ability (i.e. enough not to spend most of my time staring at stuff going 'woooow!'), I'm planning to get hold of Bristows et al to try to arrange a visit and see stuff first-hand, assuming off-shore is still the way I want to go. I know getting into the off-shore market depends heavily on the state of the industry at the time, but, as I said, this is really trying to get a feel for where I should be aiming.
Answers on a super-sized postcard...
Last edited by Pandalet; 14th Mar 2006 at 10:56. Reason: change to better title
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Basically nothing. They sit on ever broadening backsides, looking forward to their 7 days off after a tough 7 days on. Go home, check their bank balances and make sure the alimony has been paid.
The flying side of things? They have everything planned for them and the a/c and f/o's do the flying while the capt sits and reads the latest copy of Scat for Loners.
tough old life at the top. Oh salaries? f/o to capt = £34k up to £100k +
The flying side of things? They have everything planned for them and the a/c and f/o's do the flying while the capt sits and reads the latest copy of Scat for Loners.
tough old life at the top. Oh salaries? f/o to capt = £34k up to £100k +
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I have some more questions.
How it looks from beginning?
The pilot wake up at ?
Then he is going to work like "accountant" or during his shift he lives close to landing place?
What for is he flying? Transport passengers or other stuff: "oil" maybe?
How many hours are he on-air?
How long from shore are the flights?
Are there one flight a day or few a day?
Did pilot came home at 18:00 to his familie or working in weekly shifts?
Where is he having lunch?
Silly questions? It's basic but still interesting for people out of this business.
Is here a chance for some no malicious answers?
Regards
Tomasz
How it looks from beginning?
The pilot wake up at ?
Then he is going to work like "accountant" or during his shift he lives close to landing place?
What for is he flying? Transport passengers or other stuff: "oil" maybe?
How many hours are he on-air?
How long from shore are the flights?
Are there one flight a day or few a day?
Did pilot came home at 18:00 to his familie or working in weekly shifts?
Where is he having lunch?
Silly questions? It's basic but still interesting for people out of this business.
Is here a chance for some no malicious answers?
Regards
Tomasz
Join Date: May 2004
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Easy Easy
Gees go easy. It very stressful being a North Sea Captain. 
Having to put up with left seat plebs that won't do all the work and well, those early mornings, I mean really.
£100k ....have we had a pay cut??
Having to put up with left seat plebs that won't do all the work and well, those early mornings, I mean really.
£100k ....have we had a pay cut??
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Gees go easy, it's very stressful being a North Sea FO.
Having to put up with the right seat plebs that wont do any of the work, and those early mornings, all 5 or 6 a month...
Who's he kidding...
Having to put up with the right seat plebs that wont do any of the work, and those early mornings, all 5 or 6 a month...
Who's he kidding...
Hovering AND talking
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Now c'mon Ivor, if you're really lucky you could live in Norfolk - Great Yarmouth is such a nice place and you'd be really close to the dog track! What more do you want eh?!
However, the question of the daily routine would be helpful. Do you stay overnight on the rigs or home each evening? Does that depend on where you're based?
I'm sure there's some North Denes/Norwich guys who'd help a fellow Norfolk-ite!
Cheers
Whirls
However, the question of the daily routine would be helpful. Do you stay overnight on the rigs or home each evening? Does that depend on where you're based?
I'm sure there's some North Denes/Norwich guys who'd help a fellow Norfolk-ite!
Cheers
Whirls