Learning to be a helicoper pilot

Sorry if this is a FAQ - a friend of mine heard a commercial on the radio to
learn to be a helicoper pilot from Silver State Helicopers. He doesn't know
much about the internet, but asked me if I could find post on this group for
him.

* Is learning to be a helicoper pilot a reasonable thing to start to do at
53 years of age?

* How long does it take before you can start earning a living doing this?

* What would I expect to spend in tuition?

* Any other recommendations for schools?

Thanks!

Scotty

"None" wrote in message
news:%w6ee.3293$Fa1.2299@fed1read02...
Sorry if this is a FAQ - a friend of mine heard a commercial on the radio
to
learn to be a helicoper pilot from Silver State Helicopers. He doesn't
know
much about the internet, but asked me if I could find post on this group
for
him.

* Is learning to be a helicoper pilot a reasonable thing to start to do at
53 years of age?

You're never too old to learn, it just takes longer. In some cases MUCH
longer.

* How long does it take before you can start earning a living doing this?

AAAHHHHH, a completely different question and one that I suspect he won't
like the answer to. Think "1000 hours experience" as a minimum and then
think "How am I going to log all those hours?"


* What would I expect to spend in tuition?

"I"? I thought this was for your friend? :-)) Anyway, the simple answer is
"Lots". Over here in the UK, we'd expect to pay around 15,000 GBP (around 30
grand US) just for starters.



--
Beav

Reply to "beavis dot original at ntlworld dot com" (with the obvious
changes)

"Beav" wrote in message
...

* What would I expect to spend in tuition?

"I"? I thought this was for your friend? :-)) Anyway, the simple answer is
"Lots". Over here in the UK, we'd expect to pay around 15,000 GBP (around
30 grand US) just for starters.



--
Beav

Personally, I think Beav's being "real" conservative here if you're talking
about gaining enough experience to attract employment! :-)

I would think that "the OTHER Kevin" could give you a pretty good idea. Has
he answered this one and I missed it?

Fly Safe,
Steve R.

Just a short note to say thanks to all who responded - it's amazing what you
can learn on the internet! Sounds like my friend might be better off
becoming a trucker...

"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" skiddz "AT" adelphia "DOT" net wrote in
message ...
On Wed, 4 May 2005 09:13:47 -0700, "None" wrote:

Sorry if this is a FAQ - a friend of mine heard a commercial on the radio
to
learn to be a helicoper pilot from Silver State Helicopers. He doesn't
know
much about the internet, but asked me if I could find post on this group
for
him.

The SSH seminar is one big sales pitch so take EVERYTHING that's said
with a grain of salt. A BIG one. Search this group for Silver State
Helicopters and see what others (including myself) have said. Also
hit up www.justhelicopters.com and check out the forums for more
feedback.

* Is learning to be a helicoper pilot a reasonable thing to start to do
at
53 years of age?

Personally, I'd think REAL hard if I were 53 and starting such an
adventure. I started at 39 and it took me nearly 10 months just to
get my private helicopter rating. (Passed my check ride on 3/7 of
this year) I anticipate having my CFII by the end of 2005 and then the
real work can begin as I work towards the magic 1,000 hour mark.

* How long does it take before you can start earning a living doing this?

I estimated it would take me about 5 years to be able to really make a
decent living flying helos, but the reality is it will probably take
much longer since I'm focusing on a specific type of flying. (Fire
fighting with S64 Skycranes) Unless you're very well off or win the
lottery, you're going to have to instruct to get to the thousand hour
mark you'll need to be at to even THINK about flying for a living.
Yes, there are ads for jobs that require only 300 hours, but they
probably don't pay much and I'd bet they're less than "safe". (in as
much as flying can be considered "safe")

Since I started I've picked up a job in the aviation field, and I do
"fly" quite a bit, but it's in simulators (Some of which I can legally
log) so my experience is quite the exception.

* What would I expect to spend in tuition?

SSH's price is right around $55,000 to get you to your CFI. HOWEVER,
SSH says you'll get 175 hours for this fee. Guess how many hours you
need to be able to instruct.... If you guessed 175, you're 25 short.
Who do you think is gonna pick up the tab for that extra 25 hours at
$200/hour?? That's comin' outta your pocket unless you can weasel
that into your financing.

That $55k assumes you've got half a brain and some coordination and
can absorb all this information *AND* fly safely within a reasonable
time. I know some people who are knocking on the 100 hour mark and
have YET to get their privates. (Hell some are pushing 60 and not yet
soloed!)

There is a LOT of information to learn as you progress through your
training and it never, ever stops. You'll keep learning as long as
you fly and if you don't, you probably won't last too long. You've
got to be committed (Yeah, in THAT way too! ehehhe) to the task at
hand. I spent all of last summer with my nose buried in books at the
exclusion of pretty much everything else. The payoff was well worth
it in the end.

* Any other recommendations for schools?

What part of the country is your friend in?? Is he/she willing to
relocate??

"None" wrote in message
news:R5Cee.3442$Fa1.1171@fed1read02...
Just a short note to say thanks to all who responded - it's amazing what
you
can learn on the internet! Sounds like my friend might be better off

becoming a trucker...

He might be too old for that as well!! :)

"None" wrote in message
news:R5Cee.3442$Fa1.1171@fed1read02...
Just a short note to say thanks to all who responded - it's amazing what
you
can learn on the internet! Sounds like my friend might be better off
becoming a trucker...

He'd probably earn money more between now and retirement age if he does.
That's always assuming getting a license to drive trucks doesn't cost an arm
and a leg like it does over here in the UK.

Beav

"Beav" wrote in message
...

"I"? I thought this was for your friend? :-)) Anyway, the simple answer is
"Lots". Over here in the UK, we'd expect to pay around 15,000 GBP (around
30
grand US) just for starters.

£15k will get you the PPL easily, but bear in mind he's asking about how
much it would cost before he could start earning from it.

Considering the two popular routes available, instructing or straight to
charter, the costs would be more like:

£13,000 PPL
£27,500 to build up to 155 hours
£9,000 to complete CPL
£20,000 to build up to 250 hours (which I think is the new legal min for
instructing)
£9,000 to do instructor course.

So, that's £80k just to earn about £25k a year, if you're lucky as an
instructor.

Or,

£45,000 to do full-time study and training up to CPL.
£30,000 to do IFR on a twin-turbine.

Of course with this option you still wont find work unless the North Sea
operators get desperate and hire you as a co-pilot, though at 53 that's
very, very unliekly I'm afraid. (£35k starting salary seems to be in the
ball-park these days.) No one else is going to hire you to fly their
turbine helis with so little hours as a single-pilot captain, unless you're
*extremely* lucky or well connected.

Put bluntly, it's a joke. It'll take the length of a full career just to
make your money back, not forgetting you'll likely need to spend a good deal
more on type conversions just to make yourse'f more marketable. I can think
of no other career that costs so much to do and returns so little. If you
look towards doing training in the US or South Africa you can pretty much
half all those costs.

Si

"Simon Robbins" wrote in message
...
"Beav" wrote in message
...

"I"? I thought this was for your friend? :-)) Anyway, the simple answer
is
"Lots". Over here in the UK, we'd expect to pay around 15,000 GBP (around
30
grand US) just for starters.

£15k will get you the PPL easily, but bear in mind he's asking about how
much it would cost before he could start earning from it.

Too right Si, which is why I added the "for starters" bit. At 53, it's not a
"career path" I'd be lusting after anyway.

Snip informative rest


--
Beav

Reply to "beavis dot original at ntlworld dot com" (with the obvious
changes)

"Beav" wrote in message
...

"Simon Robbins" wrote in message
...
"Beav" wrote in message
...

"I"? I thought this was for your friend? :-)) Anyway, the simple answer
is
"Lots". Over here in the UK, we'd expect to pay around 15,000 GBP
(around
30
grand US) just for starters.

£15k will get you the PPL easily, but bear in mind he's asking about how
much it would cost before he could start earning from it.

Too right Si, which is why I added the "for starters" bit. At 53, it's not
a
"career path" I'd be lusting after anyway.

It's hard to get hire into ANY new career at 53, much less one that would
take a few years to build up enough experience to compete with people 20
years your junior.

"Matt Barrow" wrote in message
...
It's hard to get hire into ANY new career at 53, much less one that would
take a few years to build up enough experience to compete with people 20
years your junior.

Having said that, I do know of one woman well into her fifties who is now
recently qualified and earning as a part-time helicopter instructor, but
it's not her primary source of income.

Si