Is young age a barrier to the rotary job market in the UK?
 

Hi all,

I find myself in a situation where I'm feeling a bit lost for next steps. I'm a UK CAA CPL(H), but I'm only 19. I have been told by some that I should probably go and "do something else first" to build more life experience before aiming for the pilot's seat, which of course has logic to it, and I am currently aiming for groundcrew roles to further my experience but my main question is this:

Is having a CPL in the UK at this age actually a disadvantage over somebody who has one at 25? I do not have an MEIR, and the youngest working pilots I know are in their early twenties (22 to 24 years old) and they are working P2 IFR in Aberdeen etc.

I am aware that in places ike France, and continental Africa there are a multitude of VFR jobs going for pilots on aircraft like the R44 etc., with 200 hours TT which I almost have, but I have never come across such an opportunity in the UK.

Am I wasting my time pursuing a flying job at such a young age in the UK, and should I just be focusing on something else for the moment? If so, what would be a "reasonable" age to start searching again?

And if not, does anybody know of any companies that might be open to taking on a young and inexperienced pilot? I'm a hard worker and will travel absolutely anywhere for a job, I would be incredibly grateful for any pointers.

Thanks in advance.

Age is only an issue of you tell them your age. Your biggest problem isn't age related, it's experience. You'll be much more employable with an IR or an FI

Smell a rat

Think of it the other way.
A year has about 2000 working hours. If you fly 400 hours it leaves 1600 hours of ground time. What can you do for the company in those hours ?
What do you expect to be paid for ? The insurance premium for a 19 year old sub 200 hour pilot would probably be off the charts.

When I had about 900 hours my employer was given two options by the insurance: A much higher premium or increase the deductible in case I ding it by an additional 150k.

Get a real job as a fall back in case the doctor pulls your medical. An apprenticeship or university. Or go airlines for a proper way of life with better work hours and the possibility to have a house and feed a wife and kids.

Go fixed wing

and miss the oil boom thats coming? :E

I would put a twist to that: I have seen, young, inexperienced guys get hired, its not the experience, its the attitude.
if you are reliable, "by the book" type of guy, you know your procedures perfectly, never miss a step.
if in addition, people know you as such, they will take a risk on you against your competition a sloppy pilot with possibly spotty experience.

it often goes unsaid: the benefit of starting very early, is that you will reach every milestone early, chief pilot at 30 instead of 45... means more money over your lifetime.

Hi Rudestuff,

Very true and I am aware of this, sadly I am not in a position to pay for either right now or in the near future, so VFR tours and charter is where I'm aiming...

Hi GoodGrief,

Thank you for replying, and that makes sense really. I am thinking about the medical side for sure, am currently browsing apprenticeships etc as a fallback like you suggest.

I have flown fixed wing in the past, and I am aware of the benefits but rotary is where my heart is, and I don't want to forfeit it if I don't have to.

Hi Agile

I definitely agree that attitude is huge. I am doing my best to network, but it is fairly tricky as I live in quite a secluded part of the UK, so travelling upwards of 4 hours to events to meet people is what it takes at the moment.

I really sympathise with you but as said earlier, you need a FI or IR to be of any use to a company in the UK. Unfortunately, the CPL is just the start. More money needed, sorry.

Utility
 

Google every utility, tour, spray, external load, powerline patrol, bush flying type company around the world you are qualified to work in. Start close to home PDG, Skyhook, Heli Lift, National Grid etc.

Write a good cover letter that says you will wash aircraft, sweep hangar floors, run parts, help the mechanics, drive trucks, organize trailers, paint walls, hang dry wall, clean toilets, take the thrash out, answer phones whatever is needed to help the company operate and achieve your dream at the same time of becoming a professional pilot.

Lets face it every company in the world needs this guy.
You will get the opportunity, the hard part will be to follow through. Show up early, outwork everybody 7 days a week, become so invaluable to the operation that management talk about you in a positive way.

I promise you will build your hours quickly within said company develop your life skills and have an incredible adventure. You could also save for the CFI or IR doing it while being around the industry peers.

I got my Commercial when I was 18, about 15,000 hours now mostly long line US, Canada, Europe,

Enjoy , there is not really a destination in this industry, just another type rating, another mission, another huge milestone.

Great, devalue Commercial pilot licence holders value even more, and drive down wages even more. I am sure employers love people like you. Spend £100k plus on a licence, to sweep floors.
Not in the UK you wont. Get an FI rating, or an IR, or go fixed wing




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It’s really hard in the Uk to build the hours from where you now, utility operators like ourselves work in quite a specialised area and require a relatively high skill set. Our aircraft insurance is constantly going up and currently our minimum hours are 2000hrs, this is purely to bring the insurance down as much as possible. This doesn’t necessarily reflect the skill of the pilot!

Our operations do not suit new pilots however we can sometimes provide a backbone to get you into other work, we require all our pilots to have ground crew experience before they even fly, to give them a base understanding of what’s going on from the ground up, I know it doesn’t sound very exciting but it does provide you with a greater understanding of how utility works, in the Uk.

Keep networking and don’t be afraid to look further afield in other parts of the world to gain experience, age is certainly on your side and short term visas should be fairly easy to gain?

Cheers SS

Hookes Joint and SS: super solid advice. 100% applicable to low timers starting out in Canada and I would think anywhere around the world where hard work is respected.

Hargreaves, not sure about the UK, but a 100hr pilot in Canada isn’t worth much if they can’t do what HJ suggests.

Attitude. I have no problem hiring inexperienced pilots if I feel they can sort things out themselves. Also, very helpful for low time pilots is to get another language - only 23% of the world speaks English.