The Dream

General stuff that gets thrown about when Helicopter Pilots shoot the Breeze.
Icefather
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The Dream

Postby Icefather » Wed May 9 2018, 07:44

Wanting to start a conversation. Interested in hearing from some of your experiences and opinions.


“Is it harder these days, compared with when you started, with all the rules and Regs insurance minimums etc. for young keen guys to get started in the industry? Or is it the same/easier? Or is it simply a matter of who wants it the most.”

“What advice do you have for the next lot of future pilots?”

Thanks in advance
IF.
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Re: The Dream

Postby Fill-level » Wed May 9 2018, 08:14

1 .Forget Helicopters ....Go Fixed wing
2. Don't work for free
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Jabberwocky
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Re: The Dream

Postby Jabberwocky » Wed May 9 2018, 11:10

1. There’s as many entry level jobs as ever. You just have to persevere.

2. Go through the military. It’s good training and you get paid. Plus you come out with all the bells and whistles you’ll need to move up through your career.
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Re: The Dream

Postby Rotorpilot » Thu May 10 2018, 07:57

[shadow=][/shadow

Lie lie lie and get the job. Being honest only segregates you.

Fly for free? I wouldn't that's why three guys got the job before me.

Go to church apparently that helps.

Unless mummy and daddy.....or a rich friend has the cash to burn for you, go to the army fixedwing or just get a job that pays well and fly for fun.

Dont trust anyone and study hard.
Dem winds are gonna blow
Pitchpull
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Re: The Dream

Postby Pitchpull » Thu May 10 2018, 08:42

Rotorpilot wrote:[shadow=][/shadow

Lie lie lie and get the job. Being honest only segregates you.

Fly for free? I wouldn't that's why three guys got the job before me.

Go to church apparently that helps.

Unless mummy and daddy.....or a rich friend has the cash to burn for you, go to the army fixedwing or just get a job that pays well and fly for fun.

Dont trust anyone and study hard.


What a load of crap.
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mdav
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Re: The Dream

Postby mdav » Thu May 10 2018, 23:43

Helicopters pilot shortage was the past now it’s the age of fixed wing. Agreed forget heli go fixed if you want to fly or better yet do something else’s all together. Oh man If I could go back in time and change.
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Hello Pilots
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Re: The Dream

Postby Hello Pilots » Fri May 11 2018, 00:09

^^^^^^^^^
What he said
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Eric Hunt
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Re: The Dream

Postby Eric Hunt » Fri May 11 2018, 05:48

If you want variety in your flying, and to see weird little places from very close-up, go with helicopters.

If you want some security in your job, while touching the controls once every 2 or 3 sectors of 1.5 hours, and to fly on the wrong side of the clock for so long you forget what daylight is, go fixed wing.

If you want to make some REAL money, go into banking, and then get a private licence, rent or buy a chopper, and have some fun.
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Re: The Dream

Postby FerrariFlyer » Fri May 11 2018, 09:17

Eric Hunt wrote: If you want some security in your job, while touching the controls once every 2 or 3 sectors of 1.5 hours, and to fly on the wrong side of the clock for so long you forget what daylight is, go fixed wing.


For a moment I thought you were talking about offshore and then I read the back of the clock stuff...only happens on the occasional medivac.

Some generally sage advice otherwise, particularly from Eric. Fixed wing is currently booming and will do for some time. Talk to a cross section of people and you’ll slowly be able to create your own informed opinion as to what might work best for you long term. Think long term 8)

What worked for me? Hard work, networking and persistence. Don’t underestimate the networking. It’s a long term investment as well as having short and mid term goals.

Is it any harder? Maybe to progress into multi engine work with the cost of IFR training but the industry is fickle and can change quickly.
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Eric Hunt
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Re: The Dream

Postby Eric Hunt » Fri May 11 2018, 10:25

“Is it harder these days, compared with when you started, with all the rules and Regs insurance minimums etc. for young keen guys to get started in the industry?


Going back to the original question, which was triple-barrelled:

I went through the military, and yes it was tough, around 400 people applied for the course I went on, 40 were selected to start the course, 20 finished. The training was top-notch, and on leaving the military I walked into a job with great ease. Subsequent jobs were equally easy, and i slid into the seats of better and better machines as time progressed. But after 45 years of it, I had done enough, and left, 5 years ago.

And now, with the ridiculous rules that CA$A are bringing in, and the difficulties in getting ratings without selling your mother, I am glad to be out of it.

As said before, become a banker, make a squillion, and rent a chopper when you feel like it. Or even just charter a machine, let the pilot do all the headwork, while you and your girlfriend sit in the back sipping champagne enroute to the Hunter Valley wineries.
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Re: The Dream

Postby skypig » Fri May 11 2018, 10:32

If you can be talked out of an Aviation career by anonymous posters on a website.
Then the tough, cruel, frustrating, unfair, rewarding industry is not for you.

It’s never been “easy”. Everyone has had to “do whatever it takes”.
Things change. City folk (me) have found it almost impossible to build hours mustering. Once a common path. Manned Aerial photography is almost finished. Before long, most EMS machines are likely to have a co-pilot on board.


Most of the comments above seem to reflect the facts as I see them.
(You can pick the bitter failures and discount their spurious “advice”)



If you have to work for a living, doing it in a cockpit is far from the worst location.

As one door closes, another slams shut in your face.
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iPilot
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Re: The Dream

Postby iPilot » Fri May 11 2018, 11:27

It's hard, god it's hard but that's what makes it so rewarding. I've been doing this nearly ten years and I still love what I do but it's far from easy. You don't get into aviation because it's easy!

In every industry you'll come across those who have been burnt and done over. s#!t I heard it in radio, in the navy and here in aviation. If you've been burnt, move on, piss off and let the new blood fill a hole.

Yeah that's harsh but it's bloody true.

I love what I do but it's taken a toll. So does every job though.

The industry is small and even today I'm meeting new people and flying to new places.

If the challenge and risk scares you, then go be an accountant or tradie. If you love a challenge then jump in the deep end and learn how to swim!

I love this industry, I love the people and the locations. You work hard for next to nothing, the pay sux but if I died tomorrow, I'll know I've had a bloody good run.

Just love what you do.
plumber
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Re: The Dream

Postby plumber » Fri May 11 2018, 15:02

Rotorpilot wrote:[shadow=][/shadow

Lie lie lie and get the job. Being honest only segregates you.

Fly for free? I wouldn't that's why three guys got the job before me.

Go to church apparently that helps.

Unless mummy and daddy.....or a rich friend has the cash to burn for you, go to the army fixedwing or just get a job that pays well and fly for fun.

Dont trust anyone and study hard.


I think I met you in Canada.
lowlevelhell
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Re: The Dream

Postby lowlevelhell » Sat May 12 2018, 03:06

iPilot wrote:It's hard, god it's hard but that's what makes it so rewarding. I've been doing this nearly ten years and I still love what I do but it's far from easy. You don't get into aviation because it's easy!

In every industry you'll come across those who have been burnt and done over. s#!t I heard it in radio, in the navy and here in aviation. If you've been burnt, move on, piss off and let the new blood fill a hole.

Yeah that's harsh but it's bloody true.

I love what I do but it's taken a toll. So does every job though.

The industry is small and even today I'm meeting new people and flying to new places.

If the challenge and risk scares you, then go be an accountant or tradie. If you love a challenge then jump in the deep end and learn how to swim!

I love this industry, I love the people and the locations. You work hard for next to nothing, the pay sux but if I died tomorrow, I'll know I've had a bloody good run.

Just love what you do.


Yep, that's pretty much it in a nutshell. Helicopters have taken me to different parts of Australia and the world, I've seen things the average Joe NEVER will, I've met some amazing people and celebrities, and had incredible experiences. Either take the good with the bad and make the most of it while you can, or find a another career field that will pay you better, provide better long term security, or has better perks. But those other jobs will always leave you asking "What If" as you gaze up every time a helicopter passes overhead.
No bucks? No Buck Rogers! 8)
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Re: The Dream

Postby Rotornut77 » Mon May 14 2018, 01:17

I thought i would hazard a response to this question
i am somewhat of an outsider but have been on the inside for a few occasions and what you would call interested in helicopters all my life and have had the privilege of meeting some of the real legends in the industry and some grubs as well
i came from a poor family and was unable to get my licence until recently and will now work on getting an aircraft of my own to fly for the enjoyment of it and by doing this exercise found out about the insurance CASA nightmares that ensue
it seems to me that being a mature pilot has its advantages it is a real draw back when it comes to getting a job it is defiantly a young mans game so i have missed the boat so to speak i think
it seems to me looking through the job adds for many years dreaming of that dream of flying that most everyone that requires a pilot usually wanting all the bells and whistles that ex military pilots bring its always been that way as far as i can remember
what really pisses me off is that the insurance companies run our industry by default but in saying that operators that are willing to can pay a bit more and use rookie pilots in some sections of our industry this would be appropriate but not in others
i can see that the industry is in a lot of strife what with CASA insurance companies and the limited section of the population willing to shell out the money to go flying its always going to be a problem
SO at the end of the day there needs to be a refurbishment of the industry and it would take a much smarter man than I but putting more obstacles in front of people is just going to keep things the same and not effect meaningful change

so there it is its the same as always has been for as long as i remember safe flying :|
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Re: The Dream

Postby SuperF » Mon May 14 2018, 04:24

You need to decide what job you really want in the industry. If you want to fly offshore, EMS, Police etc, then starting in the Military would probably give you the best start, if you are clever about it you can come out ticking a lot of the boxes that your employer will probably want. Twin, multi crew, NVG, Winching, etc you should be able to get all that experience in the Military, and you will possibly be getting interviewed by someone that is Ex Military as well. All those things work in your favour in that part of the industry.

If however you want to work in the Utility game, at the end of a long line slinging logs, throwing water out of a bucket, Spraying, spreading Fert, building towers, surveying, etc, then starting in the civil side of the game is fine. All the extras that you get from the military don't mean as much for that type of flying.

If you want to be mustering, flying tours, etc, then that is probably where you could be starting, so it would be a matter of getting into the machine and area that you want to work in. As others have said, only go into the Military to serve, and look at the flying as a bonus, don't go in thinking of it as a stepping stone otherwise you may not really enjoy your military time.

If you just want to get into "the industry" become an engineer. there is a shortage of engineers, and a massive shortage of good engineers, that would be why engineers get paid more than pilots...

For all the negatives that anyone can post, i can just put up a picture or video of my last flight, to completely shut down the argument. When it comes to doing stuff that normal people don't do, meeting people that most people don't meet and going places that most people don't go, helicopter pilots have one of the best lives possible. If you think the industry is crap, everyone is a crook, and its boring, think of the most boring part of the job, and i bet it isnt while flying. Thats the best part, the worst is all the paperwork and regulation, so sure give up flying helicopters so that you can drive planes from airport to airport, with more paperwork and regulations, or better still give up flying altogether and get an office job!! then its all paperwork and regulations.
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Re: The Dream

Postby Helical » Mon May 14 2018, 09:47

It's interesting reading how many responses on this thread as well as Bladeslapper as a whole casually mention going the military option. I'm not sure how many people understand what is involved.

As someone who has been going through the process for quite some time, I can tell you it is not a case of rocking up to your recruiting centre, signing on then off to training. It is a very involved process where you will be grilled for your motivation for becoming an Officer (you are and Officer first, pilot second) as well as tested for anything and everything they can think of.
The new testing system in Australia for military pilot candidates is modelled off the RAF system. After doing your initial aptitude tests, then aviation specific tests, then psych and defence force interviews and various medicals, it is off to RAAF East Sale for cognitive testing (two four hour sessions on a computer). Currently the recommendation rate from those who get to the last stage sounds to be somewhere at 1 in 20.
This is across the board for pilots (Army, Navy and RAAF). Currently Army is not taking any pilots, last year I think Navy took 6.

So if you go the military route, it's because you want it, not because it's the easy way.

For those who do get through the whole lot, training on the PC-21 (1,600shp two seater, +8g/-5g, 200 degree/second roll rate 8) ) then onto the EC135 T2+ is an incredible start to flying.
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Re: The Dream

Postby flyhuey » Mon May 14 2018, 12:10

The Dream

Icefather
Wanting to start a conversation. Interested in hearing from some of your experiences and opinions.

“Is it harder these days, compared with when you started, with all the rules and Regs insurance minimums etc. for young keen guys to get started in the industry? Or is it the same/easier? Or is it simply a matter of who wants it the most.”

What advice do you have for the next lot of future pilots?

Check your Personal Messages
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bangequalsbad
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Re: The Dream

Postby bangequalsbad » Wed May 16 2018, 03:16

flyhuey wrote:The Dream

Icefather
Wanting to start a conversation. Interested in hearing from some of your experiences and opinions.

“Is it harder these days, compared with when you started, with all the rules and Regs insurance minimums etc. for young keen guys to get started in the industry? Or is it the same/easier? Or is it simply a matter of who wants it the most.”

What advice do you have for the next lot of future pilots?

Check your Personal Messages


DONT CHECK YOUR PM’s!
He’s like a vampire that once you’ve let in you can’t get him out of your inbox!

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Beaver
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Re: The Dream

Postby Beaver » Wed May 16 2018, 09:28

Ask yourself;
What am I actually wanting? Lifestyle? Money? Adrenaline fix? Pursuit a goal?

Mine personally was to pursue a goal , which I achieved. So now I continue to make new ones . Secondly, I still enjoy flying and getting a ‘fix’.

That being said I look at my young son now and would never push him into a flying career. If he ultimately wants to , I’ll back him 100% . The problem there is, I will always compare it to my turmoil and sacrifice ( mainly on family) to get where I have. So will always compare it to other careers I believe would have more opportunities for him.

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