questions from Ms Naive
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Hillerbee,
It may be the case that you don't - but I can assure you many do - self included. Furthermore it's probably only a preliminary to what will be required later when Elena finishes her training and is touting her skills looking for a job.
R1Tamer
It may be the case that you don't - but I can assure you many do - self included. Furthermore it's probably only a preliminary to what will be required later when Elena finishes her training and is touting her skills looking for a job.
R1Tamer
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Welcome to the forum Elena!!
You won't regret selling your second last t-shirt in order to become a helicopter pilot, it will mean you will not have to work for a living ever again. It's just magically and faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaantastic soaring above ground.
The only thing I can add is once you have your R22/R44 rating to go and take the factory course in Torrance now that is the best value for money you will get in a long time. THose 3.5 days and 1.5hours which cost you something like $400 is just educational. They also have a specail rate deal with the hotel across from them whose name escapes me (anyone remember?).
I wish you the very best of luck!!
You won't regret selling your second last t-shirt in order to become a helicopter pilot, it will mean you will not have to work for a living ever again. It's just magically and faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaantastic soaring above ground.
The only thing I can add is once you have your R22/R44 rating to go and take the factory course in Torrance now that is the best value for money you will get in a long time. THose 3.5 days and 1.5hours which cost you something like $400 is just educational. They also have a specail rate deal with the hotel across from them whose name escapes me (anyone remember?).
I wish you the very best of luck!!
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Elena,
I personally don't know anybody that trained there, but my best mate applied for a job at Versitale. They told him over the phone that not only did he have the job, but they would pay him to get experience in the B47 and after a couple months he would be able to get his fixed wing ratings for free too. Of course he jumped at the chance, packed up all his stuff and was ready to leave for OK; then they called him back and said they weren't ready for him yet. So he hung around for a couple days, kept on trying to contact them and they kept blowing him off. After two weeks, he gave up and started looking for a job elsewhere.
If this is any indication how they treat their students, I would be very, very careful!
Good luck!
Mike
I personally don't know anybody that trained there, but my best mate applied for a job at Versitale. They told him over the phone that not only did he have the job, but they would pay him to get experience in the B47 and after a couple months he would be able to get his fixed wing ratings for free too. Of course he jumped at the chance, packed up all his stuff and was ready to leave for OK; then they called him back and said they weren't ready for him yet. So he hung around for a couple days, kept on trying to contact them and they kept blowing him off. After two weeks, he gave up and started looking for a job elsewhere.
If this is any indication how they treat their students, I would be very, very careful!
Good luck!Mike
The Original Whirly
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They told him over the phone that not only did he have the job, but they would pay him to get experience in the B47 and after a couple months he would be able to get his fixed wing ratings for free too.
You don't get nothing for free in this industry. What were they after? And if it was that hard for them to get instructors, again, why?Elena, of course they're friendly and nice on the phone - they want your money! If they're desperate, they cut prices....but may also cut corners. I'm not saying they do, I'm saying check them out carefully....as you are doing. But a few thousand saved now could cost you way, way more in the future.
You need first rate instruction from the start, especially if you're going commercial. And it's worth paying for.
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Amazing!!! all those answers and recommandations!!!
Thanks to all and to pprune, I read all your posts with lots of attention and sorry JetFlite I am not from Germany, was just born and raised in France, with my mind now in Oklahoma.
MikeLimaPapa, I understand your suspicions based on your friend's experience but that's HIS side of the story, maybe there's more than that, I just wrote MAYBE, don't get me wrong.
I haven't chosen Versatile ONLY based on price and gut feeling.
A French pilot student living in the Dallas area flew there for his cross country time, visited the school and told me about it: of course the visit was only for an hour, but the students he met looked happy, 2 helis were flying, one on the ground for maintenance, the owner was an old guy in his 70s taking the time to talk to him etc...apparently a normal place with normal people.
I won't go to the US for a trip and to visit others . I know it's a sound advice and I thank you for that but I rather save the money for my training. There's always a risk involved and I think I reduced it somehow. If it's not working, then I will move to a big recognized school as HAI.
Again, thanks to all of you, you were a great help.
Thanks to all and to pprune, I read all your posts with lots of attention and sorry JetFlite I am not from Germany, was just born and raised in France, with my mind now in Oklahoma.
MikeLimaPapa, I understand your suspicions based on your friend's experience but that's HIS side of the story, maybe there's more than that, I just wrote MAYBE, don't get me wrong.
I haven't chosen Versatile ONLY based on price and gut feeling.
A French pilot student living in the Dallas area flew there for his cross country time, visited the school and told me about it: of course the visit was only for an hour, but the students he met looked happy, 2 helis were flying, one on the ground for maintenance, the owner was an old guy in his 70s taking the time to talk to him etc...apparently a normal place with normal people.
I won't go to the US for a trip and to visit others . I know it's a sound advice and I thank you for that but I rather save the money for my training. There's always a risk involved and I think I reduced it somehow. If it's not working, then I will move to a big recognized school as HAI.
Again, thanks to all of you, you were a great help.
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Hi Elena,
Great to hear of someone with ambition and not wanting it given to them on a plate. Go for it, girl, you will go far. Welcome to the colony even if the TSA bunch are making it a bit difficult at the moment.
I would like to reiterate the comments regarding you get what you pay for. Please be careful and do not pay up front for anything.
I would also like to concur with the comments regarding Dutch Country and their Bell 47 at Lancaster, PA. Not too far from where I sit and they do a great job with excellent equipment in great shape.
There is another operator with a Bell 47 at Winchester, VA. Shenandoah Valley Helicopters. They also have high standards and an immaculate machine.
Lancaster, PA. would have cheaper living as Winchester is in the commuter belt for Washington, DC.
If you want to go as far as Titusville, FL there is an outfit there that does a tremendous amount of helicopter training but on Robinsons and Schwietzers.
The FAA use them for initial training of inspectors.
As I work on the dark side it is the good ones that show up at the top.
Good luck.
Brian.
Great to hear of someone with ambition and not wanting it given to them on a plate. Go for it, girl, you will go far. Welcome to the colony even if the TSA bunch are making it a bit difficult at the moment.
I would like to reiterate the comments regarding you get what you pay for. Please be careful and do not pay up front for anything.
I would also like to concur with the comments regarding Dutch Country and their Bell 47 at Lancaster, PA. Not too far from where I sit and they do a great job with excellent equipment in great shape.
There is another operator with a Bell 47 at Winchester, VA. Shenandoah Valley Helicopters. They also have high standards and an immaculate machine.
Lancaster, PA. would have cheaper living as Winchester is in the commuter belt for Washington, DC.
If you want to go as far as Titusville, FL there is an outfit there that does a tremendous amount of helicopter training but on Robinsons and Schwietzers.
The FAA use them for initial training of inspectors.
As I work on the dark side it is the good ones that show up at the top.
Good luck.
Brian.
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Hi Elena!
I recognise not wanting to talk to friends/family as the reactions you get (possibly because you are a woman) are usually not that great. You should have seen the look of horror on my mother's face when I told her....
I'm going over to the US in October and the TSA stuff wasn't too tricky to get through, took about a week, although I'm Swedish and it might be different. You have an advantage in that since you're young you probably don't have a gazillion addresses, previous names/marriages like some of us...
Picking a school is always difficult, I think sound advice I've gotten is make sure you can leave if you don't like it, there are many others.
Bon chance!
I recognise not wanting to talk to friends/family as the reactions you get (possibly because you are a woman) are usually not that great. You should have seen the look of horror on my mother's face when I told her....
I'm going over to the US in October and the TSA stuff wasn't too tricky to get through, took about a week, although I'm Swedish and it might be different. You have an advantage in that since you're young you probably don't have a gazillion addresses, previous names/marriages like some of us...
Picking a school is always difficult, I think sound advice I've gotten is make sure you can leave if you don't like it, there are many others.
Bon chance!
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Elena,Nice to see your obvious passion for our industry and the life of a heli-pilot. I can't comment on your particular choice of flight school but you have already got a lot of great advice there. I trained on the B-47 and agree that it is a great machine to for training. I consequently went on to log over 1000 hrs on B-47 variants and Kh-4s and still love them. They are rapidly being superseded here in Australia at least by the faster R-44 and others. I would suggest that maybe you split your training time between the B-47 and R-22 or H300. This seems to be a pretty good time to be seeking helicopter work, demand here is greater than I have ever seen it.
Don't let your family or anyone else talk you out of your dream. I have the pleasure of working with a lady pilot and she is without doubt one of the smoothest, most confident and professional pilots I have ever met and I am proud to fly with her. It is always a pleasure to see the surprise on various faces when she gets out of her machine!
Best of luck wherever you choose to train and fly.
Lovin' every minute of it.
Helicopspeeder
This one fact to consider Elena:
NOBODY cares where you do your training and it matters little in the grand scheme. It will not get you a job because you trained with instructor 'A' or instructor 'B'. It might make you a known quantity if 'A' knows some people with a job but that is pretty unlikely.
You should be surfing for training organisations that offer you a chance to fly post training - and NOT as an instructor. Look for places where flight training is part of their income and not the entire GDP. These places will not only teach you how to fly with a view to becoming a working pilot but often have machines to be ferried and ground jobs for post training.
Forget about "my friends went here and they are really nice and always have hot coffee and donuts...." impressions and start looking for a realistic environment, 'cause believe me: everyone is friendly when you are waving 50,000 dollars around (and female...)
NOBODY cares where you do your training and it matters little in the grand scheme. It will not get you a job because you trained with instructor 'A' or instructor 'B'. It might make you a known quantity if 'A' knows some people with a job but that is pretty unlikely.
You should be surfing for training organisations that offer you a chance to fly post training - and NOT as an instructor. Look for places where flight training is part of their income and not the entire GDP. These places will not only teach you how to fly with a view to becoming a working pilot but often have machines to be ferried and ground jobs for post training.
Forget about "my friends went here and they are really nice and always have hot coffee and donuts...." impressions and start looking for a realistic environment, 'cause believe me: everyone is friendly when you are waving 50,000 dollars around (and female...)
Hey another thought: if you can get into a syndicate where you buy a share in a robbie _ GO FOR IT!
I wish I had done this. It sounds daunting but its not and at the end of it all you sell your part to the next student and walk away with a cheap licence and some money in your pocket to survive the next 2-3 turmultuous years.
I wish I had done this. It sounds daunting but its not and at the end of it all you sell your part to the next student and walk away with a cheap licence and some money in your pocket to survive the next 2-3 turmultuous years.
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Thanks Helicopspeeder and Steve76
Yes, I talked to a couple of places where flight instruction was only part of their business and at least they were very honest with me: yes there was a chance after my CPL "to do something" with them, but it was a very remote chance, the status of my student visa being only 1 part of the problem, the other being I am not the only one knocking in the door, insurance, type time were also cited.
Yes, Steve 76, you're right, they have hot coffee and sometimes donuts on sunday, so I may stick to them.
Seriously, I thought about buying a share as you mentioned and find an instructor, but again to have a visa and go through TSA, it makes the option impossible to train on my own, I have to stick to a 141 program.
Since I helped in the building of an ultra light, I also thought about finding a partner to build a CH7 Kompress, but then my training would be much delayed and not within the FCL2 etc...
So I guess, I will stick with Versatile and HAI as a back up.
Today was a perfect day: 3kts wind, CAVOK, 80s°F, and my first solo flight , yes in a fixed wing ultralight, which has nothing to do in this forum, but I could not help telling it.
Yes, I talked to a couple of places where flight instruction was only part of their business and at least they were very honest with me: yes there was a chance after my CPL "to do something" with them, but it was a very remote chance, the status of my student visa being only 1 part of the problem, the other being I am not the only one knocking in the door, insurance, type time were also cited.
Yes, Steve 76, you're right, they have hot coffee and sometimes donuts on sunday, so I may stick to them.
Seriously, I thought about buying a share as you mentioned and find an instructor, but again to have a visa and go through TSA, it makes the option impossible to train on my own, I have to stick to a 141 program.
Since I helped in the building of an ultra light, I also thought about finding a partner to build a CH7 Kompress, but then my training would be much delayed and not within the FCL2 etc...
So I guess, I will stick with Versatile and HAI as a back up.
Today was a perfect day: 3kts wind, CAVOK, 80s°F, and my first solo flight
, yes in a fixed wing ultralight, which has nothing to do in this forum, but I could not help telling it.
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Beyond it
Cheers,
BGM
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That is something you must investigate now since once you've done some training you may find that you will no longer be eligible for the J-1 and you'll have an FAA with minimum hours but no way of working with it in the USA.
Bon Chance!
BG.
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Hi BaronG
Thanks for the advice, but...
Yes, YES! you can work under the M1 visa.
It's called the OPT (Optional Practical Training if I remember well) and is based on the time it takes you to go through training.
ie, you trained for 12 months, you can work 3, and only in your field of study, it can be renewed under some conditions.
This is one option, another would be to enroll in a cheap college under F1, do some flight training on the side and work part time as an instructor.
There are other ways, not all of them straightforwards...
Thanks for the advice, but...
Yes, YES! you can work under the M1 visa.
It's called the OPT (Optional Practical Training if I remember well) and is based on the time it takes you to go through training.
ie, you trained for 12 months, you can work 3, and only in your field of study, it can be renewed under some conditions.
This is one option, another would be to enroll in a cheap college under F1, do some flight training on the side and work part time as an instructor.
There are other ways, not all of them straightforwards...
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If you enroll in a study on a F-1, you can only do 'On-Campus' work, and are not allowed do study anything else than the study for which you hold your visa. Every time there are people thinking they found an easier way, but trust me there are no shortcuts. Don't underestimate the risks. I know somebody who got caught, he was arrested, thrown in jail for a few days and then put on a plane, without being able to get his personal belongings or anything. Just deported and don't come back the first 10 years.
Bottomline is: you need a J-1 to be able to build up enough experience.
Bottomline is: you need a J-1 to be able to build up enough experience.
Elena,
If you're not a legal resident of the US, then you need a J1 to work as a flight instructor - which means the only choice you have to make is HAI or Hillsboro. (they're the only ones that can issue J1 as far as I know)
Sign up for the Private course and enter the country on an M1 visa.
Once your 6 months is up, apply for change of status to J1 (wave money under thier noses...) This will give you another 24 months (plus processing time) Now you can concentrate on getting trained and getting a job.
I agree with steve76: The most important thing is to try to get hired at a school which also does commercial work, flies bigger ships etc. Obviously as a new CFI, you'll go and work for the first person that hires you, but don't stop looking. I was hired as a CFI, but after a while a commercial position came up - as I worked for them already, they hired me. If you go to a company which just does flight training, the step to commercial flying is much harder.
Its a long road, but fun.
Good luck!
If you're not a legal resident of the US, then you need a J1 to work as a flight instructor - which means the only choice you have to make is HAI or Hillsboro. (they're the only ones that can issue J1 as far as I know)
Sign up for the Private course and enter the country on an M1 visa.
Once your 6 months is up, apply for change of status to J1 (wave money under thier noses...) This will give you another 24 months (plus processing time) Now you can concentrate on getting trained and getting a job.
I agree with steve76: The most important thing is to try to get hired at a school which also does commercial work, flies bigger ships etc. Obviously as a new CFI, you'll go and work for the first person that hires you, but don't stop looking. I was hired as a CFI, but after a while a commercial position came up - as I worked for them already, they hired me. If you go to a company which just does flight training, the step to commercial flying is much harder.
Its a long road, but fun.
Good luck!
The Whirly-Girls also awarded its annual Livingston Award to “Mama Bird” Evelyn Bryan Johnson, Whirly-Girl No. 20. Johnson, who served as manager of the Morristown, Tenn., airport for 50 years and on the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission longer than any other member, has logged more than 57,000 hours instructing students. She received her helicopter rating in 1957, became only the fourth woman in the world to earn her helicopter instructor rating (in 1958) and later received the Carnegie Medal for Heroism when she rescued the pilot of a helicopter that crashed into a power line. At the age of 95, Johnson still flies and has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest time female pilot in history. –K.R.
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Torquestripe
Simply not true. What I said about the F-1 is the rule, only legal way around is when you unexpectedly run out of money, some kind of unforseen event. Then you can apply for a permit to work, this is very, very hard and since you're out of money you'll have no money for a lawyer either.
The H-3 does not allow you to work. It's only for gaining experience in a field which is not available in your home country. For example AG training. It's certainly not for paid flight instruction.
I'm not going to discuss this any further there are plenty of sites where you can learn all the in's and out's on American visas.
Simply not true. What I said about the F-1 is the rule, only legal way around is when you unexpectedly run out of money, some kind of unforseen event. Then you can apply for a permit to work, this is very, very hard and since you're out of money you'll have no money for a lawyer either.
The H-3 does not allow you to work. It's only for gaining experience in a field which is not available in your home country. For example AG training. It's certainly not for paid flight instruction.
I'm not going to discuss this any further there are plenty of sites where you can learn all the in's and out's on American visas.