21,000 Hrs!

[fijdor]

the way things are looking for the future, it might be hard for the younger pilots to get up to those numbers in a career. Its not going to be a rare sight to see heli pilots retiring with between 15,000 and 25,000 hrs these days but with the industry where it is now and even if things starts picking up and I think they will, they will never fly the amount of hours we used to fly and if they do it will be a rare sight.

JD

Forgot, congratulation to the Canadian pilot and all the others that made it that far.

[SASless]

My first Year out of Army Flight School saw me with slightly more 1,200 hours Total Time, a 1,000 of it in a Large Multi-Engine Helicopter. That about a Tenth of the Time I accumulated in the rest of my career that spanned 38 Years.

EMS, Oil Tanker Crew Changes, baby sitting Core Drills, Corporate Flying, and guarding Buckets of Instant Sunshine made for work loads similar to that of a Maytag Man.

[EESDL]

Congratulations, 21,000-hrs and I bet bu55er all radial flying ;-)
Incident-free - huge respect.
Managed 2000-hrs on first 2-year tour (mostly at 100') but tailed off severely once out of the playground.
Whilst the old adage of 'Quality not Quantity' might be repeated by those less fortunate - the crucial thing is that it is time out of the office and away from the 'phone!!

[Bladestrike]

Don't think I'll crack 20,000 with 15 years to go, but I'll sure be trying. Cracked 1000 before I was 20 but it's slowed somewhat the past decade with the offshore drudge. I've got a good friend that's very close, I think he'll make it.

Very respectable hours Sir....

[Vertical Freedom]

Congratulations Sir, well done!!.....I'm just 10,000hrs so just a 'youngin' still learning, still growing!

[krypton_john]

Ah, but there's hours and then there's HOURS, VF.

Just ask any long-haul airline pilot.

[megan]

I'm just 10,000hrs so just a 'youngin' still learning, still growing!

And you'll still be learning and growing when you hang up the spurs VF, though with the flying you partake of, which most of us are gob smacked by, it would only be by virtue of you taking up a new role in your journey.

Ah, but there's hours and then there's HOURS

Must confess to being extremely low on experience, retired with 20K, and 16K of that in offshore flying VFR (well, sort of). One hour, repeat 16K times.

[gnow]

I was forced onto retirement at 60 last week due to the 225 grounding and I have 21,400 hrs. Nothing to shout about because the majority is in offshore work though I have military and bush time. What high time pilots have are experience either from their own flying or from the bar! I thought I should be able to reach 25000 hrs but it looks like it may be difficult. I do admire our friend here still doing "part time" flying at 72!!

[Vertical Freedom]

Aaaargh yes Megan & Kyrpton J there are even Pilots who claim to be Mountian flying Guru's having only just started in the Mountains employed as a Mountain expert......thier ego is an accidents just waiting to happen

'Some Pilots are always learning & some Pilots stop learning due ego'

One must approach Mountain flying with a humbleness & awareness, without ego......anything less will equal Death.......eventually

[krypton_john]

megan:

Must confess to being extremely low on experience, retired with 20K, and 16K of that in offshore flying VFR (well, sort of). One hour, repeat 16K times.

:-)

[SASless]

When you stop learning....time to hang up your spurs.

Also....even the oldest Pelican can learn something from a Fledgling.

[spencer17]

22.500 and still flying
@Thomas: Yep, only 100 hrs plank and 90% of the rest is aerial work.

[Thomas coupling]

Taking into account all chopper time:
It's not the length that matters its what you do with it that counts.

I tip my hat to this gentleman, a great career and alive to tell the tale too - bonus!