Your Career as a Helicopter Pilot; in a simple perspective...
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Your Career as a Helicopter Pilot; in a simple perspective...
Fellow pilots; whether you've been in it six months or 40 years, let's gather a few simple, honest answers to a few simple, honest questions to put your career as a helicopter pilot into perspective...
1. What is the best part of your job?
2. What is the worst part of your job?
3. Any regrets in choosing your career?
4. How long have you been in it?
5. If someone you knew was considering getting their commercial license, would you recommend it to them?
6. What advice would you give to a multi-talented, low-time pilot with a couple hundred hours under his/her belt and few years' experience in the industry, potential for a family, and considering pursuing some other career instead of the glorified chopper pilot?
7. Do you consider yourself successful? Why or why not?
Fly safe. Cheers.
1. What is the best part of your job?
2. What is the worst part of your job?
3. Any regrets in choosing your career?
4. How long have you been in it?
5. If someone you knew was considering getting their commercial license, would you recommend it to them?
6. What advice would you give to a multi-talented, low-time pilot with a couple hundred hours under his/her belt and few years' experience in the industry, potential for a family, and considering pursuing some other career instead of the glorified chopper pilot?
7. Do you consider yourself successful? Why or why not?
Fly safe. Cheers.
Join Date: Sep 2007
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I have had worse jobs
1. What is the best part of your job? To me actually flying, I still love it...
2. What is the worst part of your job? Being away from family....
3. Any regrets in choosing your career? Only sometimes....but then I pinch myself
4. How long have you been in it? 25 years....
5. If someone you knew was considering getting their commercial license, would you recommend it to them? Think about it, you have to really want to be a pilot, if you are determined to make it , you will, with hard work and perseverance and a good sense of humour...
6. What advice would you give to a multi-talented, low-time pilot with a couple hundred hours under his/her belt and few years' experience in the industry, potential for a family, and considering pursuing some other career instead of the glorified chopper pilot?
Complete your CPL, do your ATPL subjects and IREX, and go down the offshore route, its good money and quite stable employment compared to a lot of other helicopter roads...
7. Do you consider yourself successful? Why or why not?
My wife and kids think I am...Its a good way to make a living...go for it...
2. What is the worst part of your job? Being away from family....
3. Any regrets in choosing your career? Only sometimes....but then I pinch myself
4. How long have you been in it? 25 years....
5. If someone you knew was considering getting their commercial license, would you recommend it to them? Think about it, you have to really want to be a pilot, if you are determined to make it , you will, with hard work and perseverance and a good sense of humour...
6. What advice would you give to a multi-talented, low-time pilot with a couple hundred hours under his/her belt and few years' experience in the industry, potential for a family, and considering pursuing some other career instead of the glorified chopper pilot?
Complete your CPL, do your ATPL subjects and IREX, and go down the offshore route, its good money and quite stable employment compared to a lot of other helicopter roads...
7. Do you consider yourself successful? Why or why not?
My wife and kids think I am...Its a good way to make a living...go for it...
"Just a pilot"
1. What is the best part of your job?
Varies, day to day, between flying and the people in EMS I work with.
2. What is the worst part of your job?
Cold, wet and windy preflights when I know I'm not going anywhere.
3. Any regrets in choosing your career?
I do have other interests.
4. How long have you been in it?
Since October 1968, less 10 non-flying years after Vietnam to "be normal" and 4 years in the late 1990s to be a stay at home full-time Dad.
5. If someone you knew was considering getting their commercial license, would you recommend it to them?
In for a penny in for a pound. If you must do it, you have to do it all the way.
6. What advice would you give to a multi-talented, low-time pilot with a couple hundred hours under his/her belt and few years' experience in the industry, potential for a family, and considering pursuing some other career instead of the glorified chopper pilot?
If you have a choice, take it. If doing the job isn't the reward in itself, there's not enough money to make it worthwhile.
7. Do you consider yourself successful? Why or why not?
Definite success. I did it. If it stopped 10 minutes from now, that first solo and all the rest would still be mine.
Varies, day to day, between flying and the people in EMS I work with.
2. What is the worst part of your job?
Cold, wet and windy preflights when I know I'm not going anywhere.
3. Any regrets in choosing your career?
I do have other interests.
4. How long have you been in it?
Since October 1968, less 10 non-flying years after Vietnam to "be normal" and 4 years in the late 1990s to be a stay at home full-time Dad.
5. If someone you knew was considering getting their commercial license, would you recommend it to them?
In for a penny in for a pound. If you must do it, you have to do it all the way.
6. What advice would you give to a multi-talented, low-time pilot with a couple hundred hours under his/her belt and few years' experience in the industry, potential for a family, and considering pursuing some other career instead of the glorified chopper pilot?
If you have a choice, take it. If doing the job isn't the reward in itself, there's not enough money to make it worthwhile.
7. Do you consider yourself successful? Why or why not?
Definite success. I did it. If it stopped 10 minutes from now, that first solo and all the rest would still be mine.
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1. What is the best part of your job? Still magical when you pull pitch or rotate and the aircraft rises. When you take off in the dead of night in crappy weather, break out on top with a full moon.
2. What is the worst part of your job? Flying with un-motivated students.
3. Any regrets in choosing your career? Never
4. How long have you been in it? FW in 1973, helos in 82.
5. If someone you knew was considering getting their commercial license, would you recommend it to them? Yes, of course yes.
6. What advice would you give to a multi-talented, low-time pilot with a couple hundred hours under his/her belt and few years' experience in the industry, potential for a family, and considering pursuing some other career instead of the glorified chopper pilot? 1st thing I would say is quit calling them "choppers". Then I would say that is it better to have tried it and for whatever reason stop if unable to pursue your goal then to have never tried and wondered "what if....."
7. Do you consider yourself successful? Why or why not? I suppose success is a relative term however I have 3 ATP's, done everything in a helo except utility (working on that too) to include spec ops, same with FW, still alive and still liking it.
2. What is the worst part of your job? Flying with un-motivated students.
3. Any regrets in choosing your career? Never
4. How long have you been in it? FW in 1973, helos in 82.
5. If someone you knew was considering getting their commercial license, would you recommend it to them? Yes, of course yes.
6. What advice would you give to a multi-talented, low-time pilot with a couple hundred hours under his/her belt and few years' experience in the industry, potential for a family, and considering pursuing some other career instead of the glorified chopper pilot? 1st thing I would say is quit calling them "choppers". Then I would say that is it better to have tried it and for whatever reason stop if unable to pursue your goal then to have never tried and wondered "what if....."
7. Do you consider yourself successful? Why or why not? I suppose success is a relative term however I have 3 ATP's, done everything in a helo except utility (working on that too) to include spec ops, same with FW, still alive and still liking it.
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Great thread.
1.Best part of the job: The actual flying.
2.Worst part: Crawling out of bed at 2 am on a winter's night to go fly.Then it is just a job or even a chore.
3. Any regrets: Not so far.Played the what if game a lot,but by and large pretty content with my choice.
4.How long: This January made 27 years.10 in civil aviation.
5.Would you recommend.... : Depends, if I see the stick to itiveness,maybe.If someone is attracted to the glamor and the "high salary" then no.
6. What advice.......: Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.
7.Successful: Hell yes! See answer to 3.
Alt3.
1.Best part of the job: The actual flying.
2.Worst part: Crawling out of bed at 2 am on a winter's night to go fly.Then it is just a job or even a chore.
3. Any regrets: Not so far.Played the what if game a lot,but by and large pretty content with my choice.
4.How long: This January made 27 years.10 in civil aviation.
5.Would you recommend.... : Depends, if I see the stick to itiveness,maybe.If someone is attracted to the glamor and the "high salary" then no.
6. What advice.......: Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.
7.Successful: Hell yes! See answer to 3.
Alt3.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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1. What is the best part of your job?
The flying part, but that is obvious. Satisfaction of knowing I am doing exactly what I want to do.
2. What is the worst part of your job?
Probably the things any person finds tedious with their employment regardless of profession... nothing specific to aviation in my view.
3. Any regrets in choosing your career?
Absolutely not... I wake up every day and get to go flying again...
4. How long have you been in it?
10 years / 3,500 hours.
5. If someone you knew was considering getting their commercial license, would you recommend it to them?
Absolutely, but you have to REALLY want to succeed.... if you're just in for a "cool" job that you can brag about OR perceive this as a cushy thing to do you're wasting your time AND and a whole pile of money. REAL success in this field requires perseverence, tenacity, patience, honesty and hard work.
6. What advice would you give to a multi-talented, low-time pilot with a couple hundred hours under his/her belt and few years' experience in the industry, potential for a family, and considering pursuing some other career instead of the glorified chopper pilot?
Work hard. Be honest, both to those around you AND to yourself. Accept constructing criticism and be wary of anything that sounds too good to be true... it probably is. Most of all, I think you need to identify your own version of the proverbial carrot on a string... by that I mean identifying the goal you wish to achieve in your flying career... visualise it, stay focussed on it and keep aiming for it.
7. Do you consider yourself successful? Why or why not?
Totally... I set out to achieve something and I did it. My goal was crystal clear to me and I just kept at it until I achieved it.... everything since is a bit like a bonus. I now get paid to do exactly what I enjoy every day. It was a bit like retiring from my former career and now enjoying my favourite activity and having someone pay me to do so.
The flying part, but that is obvious. Satisfaction of knowing I am doing exactly what I want to do.
2. What is the worst part of your job?
Probably the things any person finds tedious with their employment regardless of profession... nothing specific to aviation in my view.
3. Any regrets in choosing your career?
Absolutely not... I wake up every day and get to go flying again...
4. How long have you been in it?
10 years / 3,500 hours.
5. If someone you knew was considering getting their commercial license, would you recommend it to them?
Absolutely, but you have to REALLY want to succeed.... if you're just in for a "cool" job that you can brag about OR perceive this as a cushy thing to do you're wasting your time AND and a whole pile of money. REAL success in this field requires perseverence, tenacity, patience, honesty and hard work.
6. What advice would you give to a multi-talented, low-time pilot with a couple hundred hours under his/her belt and few years' experience in the industry, potential for a family, and considering pursuing some other career instead of the glorified chopper pilot?
Work hard. Be honest, both to those around you AND to yourself. Accept constructing criticism and be wary of anything that sounds too good to be true... it probably is. Most of all, I think you need to identify your own version of the proverbial carrot on a string... by that I mean identifying the goal you wish to achieve in your flying career... visualise it, stay focussed on it and keep aiming for it.
7. Do you consider yourself successful? Why or why not?
Totally... I set out to achieve something and I did it. My goal was crystal clear to me and I just kept at it until I achieved it.... everything since is a bit like a bonus. I now get paid to do exactly what I enjoy every day. It was a bit like retiring from my former career and now enjoying my favourite activity and having someone pay me to do so.
