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New Zealand - Training Schools and Job Prospects

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Old 24th Aug 2007, 07:18
  #281 (permalink)  
 
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Is an Instructor rating now considered a must for that first job?

On my loan

For the Advanced Certificate in Aviation - Helicopters
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Old 29th Aug 2007, 14:54
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I hope this helps prospective Heli Pupils in New Zealand.

I went over in November 2006 for 6 weeks to complete my PPL (H). I did my training with Helipro from their Paraparaumu base near Kapati Island. I was picked up from Wellington Airport and taken straight to the pub to meet some of the students from the school than dropped to my accommodation. I was picked up everyday and taken into the school for lessons. Unfortunately weather wasn’t on my side for the first two weeks so didn’t manage to get many hours in so swotted up and got 2 of my theory exams out of the way. The next challenge was the medical, due to childhood asthma I nearly didn’t get my medical, so unfortunately I had nearly 20 hours by the time I was allowed to finally go solo. The Examiner did one circuit with me and cut the engine for me at 500ft on short finals (autorotation easy). He then got out and away I went. I have got my mountain rating and 10 hrs solo to date. Another problem I had was due to xmas, the theory test centre shut early and didn’t open again till I had returned to the UK so I couldn’t do my cross country solo which means I couldn’t do my test in the end. I returned back to the UK with 42 hours. I was fortunate to do my training in the Hughes 300 (basically due to being a fat so & so) I also managed to get some R44 hours.

I chose Helipro after attending a seminar. Helipro are a commercial organisation which means I got to bump my hours up cheaply by volunteering for ferry flights. I loved it, my favourite being the low level stuff (apocalypse stylee) and the mountain flying.

My main advice is get your medical sorted before you potentially waste money by not being allowed to fly, and if you need help with the theory don't be shy pay for it if necessary.

Thank you to Adam, Mark and Jarrod. I will be going back as soon as I save some more money up.

If you have any other questions please just PM me

Mick
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Old 29th Aug 2007, 15:26
  #283 (permalink)  
 
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Hi, don't want to ruin NZ for you. I did my training there and spoke with many pilots. There is as many Heli Pilots over there as there is Bus Drivers in the UK.

I loved NZ, but due to the Deer Hunting craze, loads of people became rich and ended up flying helicopters. The instructors were getting paid for the Hours they flew and a very, very basic retainer if they were lucky.

The instructors used to actively go out to find people to take out flying for joy flights etc, so did a lot of selling.

My plan was to do my training in NZ, then go to Oz for flying work as there is work there.

The other thing to take into consideration is that the Schools tend mostly to use pupils they have trained as Instructors. If they need any that is. Helipro had to guys qualify whilst I was there, one returned to Auckland but wasn't working, the other guy was working as the receptionist and chief helicopter cleaner, and the only flying work he got was when he got his dad in for a try flight.

NZ is fantastic for flying and I loved every minute of it. So good luck with what ever you choose.

Regards

Mick
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Old 30th Aug 2007, 14:40
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Thumbs up UK/European Opinion for Best NZ School

Thanks CYHeli, I realise that. I'm not choosing the school based on aircraft type.

Does anyone in the UK or Europe have an opinion on the best regarded New Zealand training schools?? Am going there to do my PPL and then CPL.

cheers,
GreenFox
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Old 30th Aug 2007, 14:43
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Have a look at my post "282" email me or PM me if you have any more questions
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Old 30th Aug 2007, 20:10
  #286 (permalink)  
 
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First post here

I am sure there are similar posts such as this on the thread,but just point me to the post if one exists

Currently I have a PPL fixed wing license endorsed by the South African CAA. We are moving to NZ Christchurch in November this year. I hope to complete my PPL(H) before I reach NZ. I will most likely complete my CPL(h) with Garden City Helicopters.

What is the best way to build my hours and experience to a point where I could be gainfully employed as a Helicopter Pilot in NZ. (Ideally I would like to fly in the Rescue,or Law enforcement roles)

Any suggestions welcome.
(And give up,too many pilots here already, is not an option )

Regards

Basil

PS. What is the Fixed wing industry like in NZ?
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Old 31st Aug 2007, 02:33
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Garden City are a good outfit.Ask them if they will hire you as an instructor
if you train there as I think its the quickest way to kick start your hours in NZ.
That will give you hours and some more ratings and then with 1000 hours you are employable for a tourism operator where you work on your tubine time.
You may be able to get a rescue job with 2500 hours in NZ.
The requirements are slowly going down.
The pay in NZ is retarded though mate. You may want to do a stint in Aussie or Canada for a bit.
Fixed wing is OK too, alot more movement than the heli industry.
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Old 31st Aug 2007, 08:22
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greenfox:

i am from spain and i did my PPL(H) in aukland with heliflight, loved it there, even though i went to melbourne to finish my commercial because you only need 125 hours i sometimes regrete not having finished in heliflight, you can do with them mountain flying, sling loads and NVFR

i can put you in touch with an instructor there, he's a good friend of mine.

good luck

PD: just be aware for the conversion of the hours back into europe, i don't know the UK but one frined of mine is going throu hell to have his hours accepted in spain.
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Old 31st Aug 2007, 15:36
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poor training standard

after training at heliflight a few years back and then going to canada to convert my license with great slave helicopters i then realised that getting a cpl in nz was fairly pathetic.
i was trained by instructors with only minimal experience as instructors and no actual work experience and i learnt more in 10 hours in canada than the 150 in nz.
if i was to train in nz i would recommend choosing a company that has high time instructors that are also working the machines and not a company that has new instructors trying to use your hours for hour building .
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Old 31st Aug 2007, 17:00
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The basics to me seem, if you want to train in NZ then be prepared to come to Australia for work. Because NZ is the worst place by far to get a job that will actuall pay anything of value.
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Old 1st Sep 2007, 06:57
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About the instructors with experience i have to admit you are right, i fly now with PHS in melbourne, and you can see the instructors have bast more experience, plus they do autorotations to the ground which is more helpfull for real life, eheheh
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Old 8th Sep 2007, 03:59
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Cool

There is a shortage of new helicopters pilots here,they're needed to help
build hours up of new instructors.

Anyone saying there's no work here, isn't offering to pay for the fuel Just offering to work for free doesn't cut it anymore, you need to offer more.
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Old 30th Sep 2007, 03:56
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Simple advice from a crusty old operator

Here's a few things to consider no matter where you learn to fly. ( In my humble opinion) Don't train with new C Cat instructors They will teach you how to pass the test thats all. Train with someone who has experience they will keep you alive longer. Never get a student loan to pay for your licence, work hard, save, plan a four or five year plan to get the ticket and find a job. There are VERY FEW guys out there who will employ a student loan pilot to even ground crew any more and certainly not to strap a half million dollar helo to their back. In general work bloody hard and earn the position. Get valuable ground crew/ loading time and learn all you can by keeping mouth shut and eyes and ears open. Finally if you have to work for free or even pay for fuel to get work, you are seriously working for the wrong guy. What does that say about his buisiness or even his ethics!!! Hope this will save some of you some valuable time and money.
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Old 29th Dec 2007, 13:14
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A new C Cat is usually well prepared for basic flight instruction. You don't have to have 10,000 hrs to teach hovering or climbing and descending....It's nice to have someone with more experience to pass a few things on to you as well though. If training in NZ select a school that's got a few pilots that do or have done some commercial work. Garden City in Christchurch (Neil Scott), Helipro, Wanaka Helicopters (Simon Spencer Bower) to name a few but there are more. The NZ flying environment is one of the best around, especially the South Island....

Happy New Year everyone!
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Old 29th Dec 2007, 19:26
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Thanks for your thoughts Mr Crusty Operator. For anybody that doesn't have the resources (time or money), the student loan scheme is a fantastic oportunity to get your aviation career started. The operators that wouldn't employ a student loan pilot are more few than abundent, and to be honest, if that is their ethic, I would rather not fuel their choppers let alone fly one.

I agree that there are NZ instructors that may not have a wealth of experience, but as rotortorque mentioned, this is not necessary in some facets of flying and here is where a C cat can offer much enthusiasm and certainly patience.

The teaching industry here is not financially attractive for experienced pilots to return to the stable and pass on their experience to new pilots - and that is a terrible shame. For the meantime, and for new C cats - there is a lot to learn, and there is no substitute for knowledge for you at this stage so keep reading and re-reading and enjoy your instructing.
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Old 29th Dec 2007, 19:28
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Oh yeah.... A happy New Year to all!!
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Old 6th Mar 2008, 22:43
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I hope this post is going into the right thread, and that I get a little bit of feedback. I was reluctant to start a new thread being a new guy, and given that my questions are probably nothing new. I'll try to be brief. It's worth mentioning now, that I'm pursuing instruction purely for pleasure.

I've wanted to fly helicopters for as long as I can remember, and though I started flying fixed wing and got 30-odd hours into things, my heart wasn't in it, and all I wanted to do was get behind a cyclic. I approached Biggin Hill helicopters a while ago and got a couple of trial lessons in their 500, and got a couple of trial flights in R22s at other schools. Given that that my goal was to be qualified and competent in a 500 (no reason - I just love how they look/sound/go etc) and ultimately buy a 500 or a share in one, discussions with BHH resulted in my deciding to block buy 100 hours in a 500 and do all of my training in that. Deposit paid, that's all she wrote on the BHH side of things, as they now seem to have gone the way of the Marie Celeste.

So. I had thought about training in NZ. Not because it's cheap, but because in my naievety, I thought it would be quiet there, scenic, that I could make it a holiday as I've never been but always wanted to go, that I'd get a break from my mobile 'phone and that I would find a smallish school offering relaxed but relatively intense one-to-one tuition. I got in touch with Heliflight, and Daneka there got back to me with costs and syllabus details, but told me they've 40 students on the go at the moment - so...quiet it isn't. Reading here, it seems that NZ is up to its balls in helicopters and everyone trains there. I wasn't keen on the 'States because I was worried about getting put on a conveyor course where no-one would remember my name (or I theirs), and whilst Oz is interesting, no-one there has answered my emails yet so I'm thinking they must be busier than NZ. Counting against the US as well, is that it's apparently impossible to do anything in a turbine there without taking the entire administrative staff of the school with you in case you fly off with it or crash it or something. No doubt they're hung on this issue by liability insurance issues.

What I'd like to find, is a smallish outfit where there is access to a Hughes 500 and an instructor who can fly it like the devil himself. Once hopefully through the PPL(H), I wanted to do as much diverse flying as possible and some additional courses (night/mountains/low-level) as I'm already concerned about being as trained, proficient, experienced and competent as I can possibly be before letting anyone I know near me when I fly one of these things. My post might read very blase, but I'm serious when it comes to mastering anything about which I'm passionate. I'm the same with my cars, and in the pursuit of proficiency have trained with anyone/everyone, do trackdays, regular pilgrimages to the 'Ring, have done some club racing etc etc. Back to helos; I'm happy to train initially on a 300 as I believe it's an easyish machine to transition to a 500 in.

I don't mind where in the World I have to go so long as the weather's nice and I get to feel like I'm on holiday. It would be nice if it was somewhere pretty, and some decent wimmin wouldn't exactly kill the situation I suppose.

If there's a brilliant guy in the UK on 500s, that's of interest to me as well, as I'm not totally prejudiced against training in the UK - as I mentioned above, I'd already decided to go with BHH as I figured it made sense to train where I'd ultimately be flying. To that end, getting an overseas PPL(H) and coming back to the UK to transition and do additional training in the 500 is definitely an option. I'm not loaded, btw. All of this represents a sizeable commitment from finite resources, but falls under the category of 'I could be dead tomorrow', so I'll spend what's needed.

Can anyone offer advice here please? With many thanks in advance.

Col
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Old 7th Mar 2008, 19:35
  #298 (permalink)  
 
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Looks like this will all end up as a fairly quiet written conversation that I had with myself. So - where am I then *shuffles papers*.... right.... having read through the rest of this thread, I ended up with a load of addresses. Here's what I've found thus far. I'm posting it in case I got some details wrong, made some wrong assumptions, missed anyone worthwhile out etc. Communities like pprune make the World a small place, and if there's someone out there that I should get in touch with, I'd love to know.

Al Gwilt/MW Helicopters - They're a Gazelle operation in Stapleford, so I can't remember how he ended up on my list.
Wanaka Helicopters - Great. Email sent.
Garden City Helicopters - I put a question mark beside these guys because their web site didn't tell me enough to make my email list.
NSHelicopters - Don't seem to be a training outfit.
Heletranz - Same as above.
Bruce Harbey/Harvey Helicopters - no website that I can find.
Ian Wakeling - Same as above.
Christchurch Helicopters - Email sent. They train with R22s which is a minus, but their site is quite good. No prices, mind you.
Shoreline Helicopters - Can't find them at all.
Helipro - Great site, email sent.
Tasman Helicopters - They don't seem to offer training and only seem to have one EC120 B4.
Mountainair - Seems to be a fixed wing school.
Heliflights - Already contacted and had a reply from these guys. A bigger/busier school than I'd like, but I'm not dismissing them yet.

I also called and left a message with Fast helicopters in Shoreham and tried to reach Heliflight in Wolverhampton to see if the UK is an option. I couldn't reach anyone at either place, and the prices at the former have me more convinced than ever that ownership/part-ownership of a turbine-engined machine has got to be cheaper than 600 quid/hr they charge for self-fly/hire in a Hughes/MD500. Add training rates and VAT, and it seems that it would actually be less painful to eat a Hughes 500 than train in one in the UK. Buy/leaseback might be an option but I'm getting ahead of myself.
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Old 7th Mar 2008, 21:32
  #299 (permalink)  
 
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My 2c worth.

Forget about doing your PPL on a 500. Do it in a 300 or, if you must a 22.
Then when you think you can fly, do a turbine rating.

I see from your other post that you got burnt for 3 large on some 500 time.
Mantra Numero Uno (repeat ad infinitum) NEVER PAY UPFRONT

And forget about sending emails and phoning up FTO's. Buy a plane ticket, a rucksack and some decent walking boots and visit all the operators on your short list unannounced. Seek out past and present students and pump them for information. Ignore fancy websites.

Don't think you can visit NZ and have a nice holiday and learn to fly at the same time. Too many distractions my friend. One or the other. Fly first then party.

Good luck.
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Old 7th Mar 2008, 23:32
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Just because they don't have a website don't write them off...Harvey had two students walk STRAIGHT into jobs flying 500's and endless other guys/girls I could name have got work as well

SL
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