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#11
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#12
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NewsMonkey wrote: Can one make decent money doing this while gaining hours to convince a company they are good enough to hire? In central New Jersey, the clerks at Home Depot make more than CFIs. The hourly rate's about the same, but the hours are better at the Depot. George Patterson Treason is ne'er successful, Sir; what then be the reason? Why, if treason be successful, Sir, then none dare call it treason. |
#13
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You may want to go to the forums on justhelicopters.com and verticalreference.com
and get feedback from working helicopter pilots. Both websites were apparently created by EMS pilots who were filling their spare time (one joked that EMS means "Earn Money Sleeping"). Also, I was thinking you had your commercial airplane license when I commented on the $20K figure below. If you're a low time pilot, you'll also have to add in additional cost to get you to the 250 hour time required for a commercial, and it would be cheaper to build the time in airplanes. Max T, MCFI Max T, CFI wrote in message news:4ckac.137249$1p.1789941@attbi_s54... $20K sounds about right to get the commercial helicopter. I think initially your bigger opportunity to fly for hire will be as a helicopter CFI. Just had my first helicopter lesson last week, and the CFI, who has about 400 hours in helicopters, said he spent about $45K in training in checkrides (private through CFII). Sounds like he feels he'll be teaching for another 6-12 months before he'll get hired on either in the Gulf of Mexico or Grand Canyon, which he said were the two biggest markets for turbine helicopter jobs at around $45K. He said typical EMS jobs want 1000-3000 hours of experience. Good luck! Max T, CFI, ATP Otis Winslow wrote in message .. . I think the challenge will be getting insured as a low chopper time pilot. "NewsMonkey" wrote in message ... Hello All, I was hoping I might be able to get some feedback/advice from people who have experience in the commercial aviation field. I am trying to make a decision on whether pursuing a career, as a commercial helicopter pilot is realistic. First a little (I promise) bit of background. I am a 34 y/o man in good health and I currently work as a software engineer. My education is that of a Biochemist but I entered the computer field, and left graduate school, writing software during the "Dot Com" boom of the late 90's. As most everyone knows when the bottom dropped out of the "Internet" era a lot of jobs went with it as well as the security I had in the field. The fact is that with economy still recovering and many, many software development projects going over seas, jobs are still hard to find and the salaries have been literally cut in half. All that being said, I have started looking at possibly switching to other careers. I am a private pilot though I do not have many hours flying solo. In fact, after I got my ticket I barley got to fly at all, mostly because of money. In fact is has been about 5 years since I have flown solo and I would need some instructor time in the cockpit before being ready to go up on my own again. I have always looked at careers in aviation as something that I would enjoy but since I never went the military route I figured I never had a chance. Also the regular long time away from home that airline pilots endure is something that would not be right for my wife and children. Plus after what my flight instructor told me regarding the low pay that pilot's get while trying to get their Multi Engine, and Turbine, etc... Ratings? Let's just say from what he told me you don't start making good money as an airline pilot until you are flying the 737 size jets and higher. In any case I had the opportunity to speak to a helicopter pilot instructor at my local airfield. He made it sounds as if civilian helicopter pilots can get hired without military experience. Contrary to what I had thought, he said that non-military pilots worked for medieval, police, and news organizations as well as others. He went on to mention tourism related professions out in Alaska and other locations. I asked him if one had to own their own helicopter to be paid as a pilot and he said not at all. He said that in his situation he started instructing by leasing a Robinson helo and the business just grew and grew. Now he owns 4 R22's and hires others to instruct for him. Now this all sounds nice but he does have an incentive to get someone to take lessons from him, hence why I am looking for outside opinions from those who are already in the field. What I am looking for is a career that I would love going to everyday and one that might allow me to support my family. I still enjoy writing software and have had limited success writing commercial programs and consulting, but if it were realistic to think that I could find a job as a commercial helicopter pilot to provide/supplement my income I would invest the time and money (approx $20,000) it would take to earn my commercial rating. Thank you in advance for any advice or comments. - David ) |
#14
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NewsMonkey wrote in message t...
In article , says... I doubt that he plans to give up his day job. I think he has been reading the writing on the wall. Software jobs have been evaporating faster than a raindrop in the desert. Your are right on target. I like developing software. It's just that it is getting harder and harder to find a job. Also job security is non- existent. However, I still want to pursue doing something that I love to do. Going to a job I hate everyday is a quick way to become bitter and resentful and my wife and children don't need that. That's why I'm adding an MBA to my letters. It would be pretty hard to keep flying if you let your income drop below the 6 figure mark. -Robert |
#15
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Contrary to
what I had thought, he said that non-military pilots worked for medieval, police, and news organizations as well as others. Medievil? Freudian slip there? LOL!! |
#16
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Its not impossible to make a carreer change to commercial helicoptering, but it will be difficult. As someone already mentioned, CFII's and clerks at Home Depot make about the same thing. The difference is that Home Depot clerks aren't usually having as much fun. At the same time, they aren't risking their lives either. I know a CFII that just got a commercial job flying for the oil people in the gulf (of Mexico) with less than 400 hours. So its not impossible. Dennis Hawkins n4mwd AT amsat DOT org (humans know what to do) "A RECESSION is when you know somebody who is out of work. A DEPRESSION is when YOU are out of work. A RECOVERY is when all the H-1B's are out of work." To find out what an H-1B is and how Congress is using them to put Americans out of work, visit the following web site and click on the "Exporting America" CNN news video: http://zazona.com/ShameH1B/MediaClips.htm |
#17
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I'm sure I've come into this conversation way late, but I have to ask: 400
Hours & Flying in the GoM?? How much luck does this guy have?! (I say all this with a smile on my face, so don't think I'm being sarcastic) The lowest I've ever seen is 1,500 + IFR and 135 Check ride already in place. Most won't even talk to you without an ATP. I really don't care what or where I fly as long as it is in a safe environment. I don't have a CFI, just a normal old Commercial Heli ticket and have managed to get over 600 hours so far (in two years). I must send out my thanks to those heli operators who have allowed me to hitch rides over the years. When I first decided on this career change (from 10+ years in law enforcement) the school I attended said there was no good reason to get an IFR...but when they hired a CFII & purchased an IFR trainer it suddenly became the most important thing they emphasised, of course by then I had already blown almost all my $$ and was about 5 hours away from my licence. Oh, well. We live and hopefully learn, right? So, if you see someone advertising a job, ANY JOB, flying any heli (other than R22), with an hour reqirement less than 645.2, you let me know!!!!! Thanks for taking the time out to let me vent. -J wrote in message ... Its not impossible to make a carreer change to commercial helicoptering, but it will be difficult. As someone already mentioned, CFII's and clerks at Home Depot make about the same thing. The difference is that Home Depot clerks aren't usually having as much fun. At the same time, they aren't risking their lives either. I know a CFII that just got a commercial job flying for the oil people in the gulf (of Mexico) with less than 400 hours. So its not impossible. Dennis Hawkins n4mwd AT amsat DOT org (humans know what to do) "A RECESSION is when you know somebody who is out of work. A DEPRESSION is when YOU are out of work. A RECOVERY is when all the H-1B's are out of work." To find out what an H-1B is and how Congress is using them to put Americans out of work, visit the following web site and click on the "Exporting America" CNN news video: http://zazona.com/ShameH1B/MediaClips.htm |
#18
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#19
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I'm sure I've come into this conversation way late, but I have to ask: 400
Hours & Flying in the GoM?? How much luck does this guy have?! (I say all this with a smile on my face, so don't think I'm being sarcastic) The lowest I've ever seen is 1,500 + IFR and 135 Check ride already in place. Most won't even talk to you without an ATP. I really don't care what or where I fly as long as it is in a safe environment. I don't have a CFI, just a normal old Commercial Heli ticket and have managed to get over 600 hours so far (in two years). I must send out my thanks to those heli operators who have allowed me to hitch rides over the years. When I first decided on this career change (from 10+ years in law enforcement) the school I attended said there was no good reason to get an IFR...but when they hired a CFII & purchased an IFR trainer it suddenly became the most important thing they emphasised, of course by then I had already blown almost all my $$ and was about 5 hours away from my licence. Oh, well. We live and hopefully learn, right? So, if you see someone advertising a job, ANY JOB, flying any heli (other than R22), with an hour reqirement less than 645.2, you let me know!!!!! Thanks for taking the time out to let me vent. -J wrote in message ... Its not impossible to make a carreer change to commercial helicoptering, but it will be difficult. As someone already mentioned, CFII's and clerks at Home Depot make about the same thing. The difference is that Home Depot clerks aren't usually having as much fun. At the same time, they aren't risking their lives either. I know a CFII that just got a commercial job flying for the oil people in the gulf (of Mexico) with less than 400 hours. So its not impossible. Dennis Hawkins n4mwd AT amsat DOT org (humans know what to do) "A RECESSION is when you know somebody who is out of work. A DEPRESSION is when YOU are out of work. A RECOVERY is when all the H-1B's are out of work." To find out what an H-1B is and how Congress is using them to put Americans out of work, visit the following web site and click on the "Exporting America" CNN news video: http://zazona.com/ShameH1B/MediaClips.htm |
#20
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In article , Shiver Me Timbers wrote:
I currently work as a software engineer First as everyone will tell you, I'm sure - DON"T give up your day job. I'd agree with that; the day job can pay for the flying. In your shoes I would start approaching the small, tiny, out of the way, miniscule mom and pop operators and have a serious talk about your abilities as a software engineer and how you could seriously help them improve, promote, and maintain their computer systems particularily on the web. The trouble is - on a small mom and pop shop, they simply won't have enough work to keep a software person busy for more than an hour or two a week at most. It just won't pay the bills. Added to that, the job market is oversaturated with 'web designers'. If finding work in software engineering is hard, finding work in web design related things is much harder - probably as hard as getting an airline job. If the software job's work hours is preventing flying, freelancing can provide more time flexibility, so helicopter training can be fit in between (and as a freelancer, you can also 'network' a bit more easily, especially if you hang out at the airport and do freelance work for business owners who happen to be pilots. You'd never guess how I've got 100% of my freelance work.). The best line of work is things that CANNOT be outsourced - that require physical presence. Many small/medium businesses have appalingly bad (worm/virus-ridden) LANs, no backups, and no sysadmin to sort out the mess and make a network that works well. They can't hire a full time sysadmin because they maybe only have an hour a week of sysadminning that needs doing. So do like the jets - become a fractionally-owned sysadmin :-) You can provide general network/computer health services to a number of companies, and if there's a few of them owned by pilots, then usually, a bit of flight time comes with it ;-) -- Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net "Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee" |
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