The highest-paying positions in the helicopter aviation industry
Joined: Oct 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
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From: Den Haag
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 518
Likes: 50
From: London/Atlanta
Shy,
You sound like The Grim Reaper! Hopefully we all find some quality retirement time!
Sorry for thread drift. I wonder how much pilots are getting paid for VIP work in high end areas of Europe? For example try requesting a transfer from Naples to Capri or Ischia, basically a 35 minute flight, it’s an awful lot of money these days and I wonder how much of this filters back to the pilots?
You sound like The Grim Reaper! Hopefully we all find some quality retirement time!
Sorry for thread drift. I wonder how much pilots are getting paid for VIP work in high end areas of Europe? For example try requesting a transfer from Naples to Capri or Ischia, basically a 35 minute flight, it’s an awful lot of money these days and I wonder how much of this filters back to the pilots?
Last edited by nomorehelosforme; 5th January 2025 at 00:17.
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 491
Likes: 21
From: nowhere special
I suspect that the best paid people in the helicopter industry on a consistent yearly compensation basis will be CEO of Airbus Helicopters & CEO of Leonardo Helicopters whom I suspect are pulling in well over 2m EUR a year (hard to find in their shareholder info). Then the leadership teams of the large leasing companies (500k-1m EUR) and the CEO of the big operators (c. 1-1.5m EUR+).
I've heard stories of some business owners across the world pulling in over $1m USD a year for a while but these are few and far between now and often reflect seasonal work (esp fire fighting).
Business owners who sell get their big exit cheques etc but these fall into insignificance vs the $1.5bn cash that FR paid the Dobbin family to sell CHC in 2007 which is likely the largest cheque anyone cut for anything in the helicopter industry outside of OEM M&A. Milestone getting bought by GE was not far off that for the founders either. The owner of Nova Capital got around $25m for selling his twin engine business to LCI and the former owner of Rotortrade got a good amount when he sold to THC as well. Can't think of any more big paydays off the top of my head.
I've heard stories of some business owners across the world pulling in over $1m USD a year for a while but these are few and far between now and often reflect seasonal work (esp fire fighting).
Business owners who sell get their big exit cheques etc but these fall into insignificance vs the $1.5bn cash that FR paid the Dobbin family to sell CHC in 2007 which is likely the largest cheque anyone cut for anything in the helicopter industry outside of OEM M&A. Milestone getting bought by GE was not far off that for the founders either. The owner of Nova Capital got around $25m for selling his twin engine business to LCI and the former owner of Rotortrade got a good amount when he sold to THC as well. Can't think of any more big paydays off the top of my head.
Joined: Feb 2001
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 448
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From: Sometimes here, sometimes there
This has the potential to become a conversation about individuals salaries, which wouldn't be appropriate.
However, I stand by my previous statement regarding the Crew Training NP vs some TRE salaries.
However, I stand by my previous statement regarding the Crew Training NP vs some TRE salaries.
Avoid imitations
Joined: Nov 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
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From: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
I certainly don't miss "Ohgor blimey" early starts and 18 hour days...
Joined: Jan 2022
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From: Destin
The reasons the salary is so high, is because there is a price to pay. Yeah, salary commensurate with Experience is one thing, but working in the middle east, the salaries had better be large. Take into account who you work for, lack of human rights in the general workforce, lack of flight standards and mis-understanding of flight duty times etc, etc, etc. Dont be mis-led...that's the flavour of Flying in the middle east these days.
Couple that with high cost of living while you are there, modern day slavery still exists, and always living on the edge of worried about doing the smallest wrong thing accidentally and ending up in jail. Being a "pale-face" or "non-local" is equal to "always going to be the one at fault"...then the compensation sure as hell should be worth all of it. Flying helicopters in the middle east is a good job, right until it isn't...about 2 years in.
But, then again, if you're chasing the buck in this racket, your doing it all for the wrong reasons.
Couple that with high cost of living while you are there, modern day slavery still exists, and always living on the edge of worried about doing the smallest wrong thing accidentally and ending up in jail. Being a "pale-face" or "non-local" is equal to "always going to be the one at fault"...then the compensation sure as hell should be worth all of it. Flying helicopters in the middle east is a good job, right until it isn't...about 2 years in.
But, then again, if you're chasing the buck in this racket, your doing it all for the wrong reasons.
