Time building for Commercial Helicopter Pilots in Enstroms, $150-$175/hr

[jeslindun_falcon]

Gain flight time and real-life, on-the-job experience while flying a turbo-charged, piston engine Enstrom helicopter. You’ll fly over mountains, cities, in challenging weather, and ATC in every type of airspace (B,C,D,E,G and TRSA). This is a great opportunity for any commercial pilots looking to build time. This is on-the-job experience at a drastically reduced rate. You’ll do the flying and our pilot will do the observation. Expect long days of flying (8+ hours a day). Come for a few days or for the month. You’ll cover your travel expenses to our base in Ohio, but we usually can provide transportation to/from an airport. You’ll love the challenge, gain tremendous experience and enjoy spectacular views. You’ll not find another regularly available opportunity at such a low rate. We have been booked every month since 2012, and we have open slots starting in October. You’ll want to book your time now because our rates are going to be going up in 2015.

 

2014 Discounted Price: $150/hr

Regular Rate: $175/hr

 

(No other discounts available at this time. We may post promotions from time to time. Rates may be subject to change without notice. First come, first serve basis. Schedule flexibility is a must as weather and maintenance delays can be a possibility.)

 

Contact our program coordinator, Jessica, at helicopterresumes@gmail.com.

 

*This opportunity was formerly advertised by Jon. We’ve gotten a great response, and now we have updated how this is being managed.

 

Here are some testimonials from other people who have flown with us (Taken from the previous post thread):

 

Posted 19 December 2012 - 16:09

Hi everybody!

I´m just back to Florida after doing the whole patrol, and really would just like to give a recommendation to other aspiring pilots who are done with their training and want to gain both some work experience from "the real world" of flying, and some more flight time in your logbook.

The pipeline inspection flying is technically somewhat more advanced that what you do at flight school, as we fly to follow and inspect terrain. You get training in handling the aircraft and at the same time perform other tasks.

Not to mention all the beautiful scenery you get to see during this kind of flights...!

All in all - highly recommended!

Joel

 

Posted 14 February 2013 - 21:36

Hi all,

Another satisfied customer here. I did three days at the beginning of Feb and had a great time (despite some weather challenges, but that just added to the real world experience). For those in the no man's land between training and employment, this is a great option. I'm trying to work some more time into my schedule as soon as I can.

Cheers,
Grug

 

Posted 13 May 2013 - 11:02

I just completed the OH-NH-OH route (6 days, 30 hours - poor weather reduced the hours a little)...fantastic time. I enjoyed flying the F28F in real world conditions (coordinating with ATC to transit Class B, C, D airspace; evaluating weather, choosing fuel stops, daily maintenance, etc.). [They] are great to fly with, demoed a couple maneuvers and gave me a break when I wanted, but otherwise let me fly the entire time. A great value for half the price of banging around the pattern in an R22.

 

 

Posted 20 May 2013 - 07:37

I just completed the OH-WV-KY route (13 - 18 May). I had a great time. I enjoyed flying the F28F. I learned a lot about pipeline patrols and the industry that requires the service. The route was through rural country with great scenery. We didn't cross through much controlled airspace so if that's a challenge you're looking for I recommend the NE route. As always, evaluating weather, choosing fuel stops, conducting daily maintenance, and identifying locations to stay the night are good experiences… I flew most of the time but he gave me a break when I wanted. I agree with previous posters: a great value for half the price of an R22.

 

Posted 02 June 2013 - 08:21

I did pipeline for 2 years in the Kentucky,Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee and WV area. A lot of good experience and real world flying. I owe my career to my pipeline flying, I still go back and help out my old boss on occasion actually. Something like this is a great opportunity for a lower time pilot. Much more beneficial than flying the pattern for hours.

 

Posted 14 September 2013 - 11:56

I just got back from flying two of the three patrol legs... It was the most rewarding helicopter experience I've had to date, and the amount I learned exceeded my expectations exponentially.
We logged 68.8 actual skids up hours in 9 days. We flew nearly 5,000 nautical miles, landing at over 30 airports in 12 states from New Hampshire south to Tennessee. We even flew into Canada briefly in the SFRA for Niagara Falls (and got some killer pictures of the falls). I gained experience talking to ATC in several Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and even TRSA airspace areas. We got cleared to make a tight lap around the downtown Boston skyline at around 400' AGL, flying in between buildings, over the USS Constitution, Harvard University, and the legendary Fenway Park.
We skimmed the shores of the Finger Lakes in upstate New York, flew through several mountain ranges, and followed pipeline in West Virginia with switchback turns so tight on ridge lines we had to make torque turns just to stay on course. We flew in temps ranging from 40 degrees to heat indexes over 100 on days that ranged from severe clear to dodging thunderstorms and flying through heavy rains. I learned flying tips and tricks that could only come from a pilot who has experienced nearly every condition Mother Nature could throw at helicopter.
We found great restaurants and breweries in every state we stopped in, and met some incredible people along the way. We drove some courtesy cars that were barely roadworthy, and ate dinner with the owner and his family of one of the FBOs in Kentucky who was passionate about helicopters.
We made off airport landings, and stopped for fuel at some of the neatest little airports you never knew existed. (2B2 on Plumb Island, MA comes to mind).
We had some great laughs, some near white knuckle moments, some head winds, some tail winds, and ultimately the greatest flying experience I could have imagined. I made some great connections, and lasting friendships. I was exhausted after my 9 day stretch, but now as I sit here crammed in the back of a 737 on the long ride home, I already miss it.

 

Fellow Rotorheads:)

 

I would like to share my experience flying… in April 2014.

First word that comes to mind is WOW! What an experience! I flew for 30 hours on this patrol, through 4 states, both populated and rural areas, did I mention already LOW level What a blast, at times I felt like I was a racecar driver, tight turns left and right at the same time minding the ever changing terrain.

After researching available choices for my time building needs, this opportunity came on top! …

It's been a week since I flew and I still barely touch the ground

 

Best regards,

 

Ingi.......

Iceland

[jeslindun_falcon]

Thanks to all of you who have responded to this! We continue to get great feedback. Please post testimonials if you have come to fly with us. This opportunity is excellent real-world experience with some of the most unique flying across the country!

 

We currently have slots open for January, March, and May 2015. Please email Jessica if interested at helicopterresumes@gmail.com. I'll send you the paperwork to book your slot.

 

Flight time available is about 70-80 hours per month in the winter (January/Feb/March), and we have 100-110 hours per month available from April-October.

[r22butters]

I have done a few of these types of time-building "opportunities", and well they are fun, it has been my experience so far that employers don't look upon this type of "experience" as, well,...experience. At least not real world, commercial, job type, experience (you know, the type that may help you actually get a job)!

 

So if you're paying for it, don't bother putting it on your resume

 

That being said, I am going to be in Ohio near the end of November, and would jump on this (just for the bulk flight time),...if it were in an R-44.

 

,...oh' well

[jeslindun_falcon]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, this is a time building opportunity only... not job/resume experience. (Although, you do really get a taste of what it's like to fly 10+ hour days on the job.)

 

You'll fly with one of our pilots on the job, but you will do the flying as PIC and he does the observation.

[Flying Pig]

If you are still in the position that you need to pay for hours, the hours are what you need, not the "experience" doing anything in particular.

[aussiecop]

Having pushed my best mate to do a run with Jon back when he was doing it and seeing the drastic change in flying ability at the time he got his PPL to how he flew after a month with John, I'd have to tell anyone that needs hours and some varied experience that this is not only good for time building but in the words of my mate "taught me more about really flying a helicopter than most of my initial flight training" Although I have no idea how much of that was related to Jon' genuine interest in helping people learn some new skills as part of the package and how that will relate to whomever is flying it now.

[jeslindun_falcon]

Aussiecop, thanks for the good review. Jon isn't flying for us anymore, but Ted is. Ted is also really good, and he really works to ensure that the guys that come with us get good instruction too. We've had some great guys come and fly the last few months, and we are booked through April.

 

On a side note, we are actually hiring for another pilot / mechanic. We are trying out some possible candidates through the time building program. If you guys have a good pilot / A&P, send them our way!

 

Thanks!

 

Jessica

[jeslindun_falcon]

Also, we're again offering a lower rate of $150.00 / hour through July to help get some good pilots in to try out for our open position.

[jazzpilot]

you guys should team up with boatpix

[jeslindun_falcon]

We've had some great co-pilots these last few months. Time is open now from July on. Email me if you're interested. We are giving some nice referral bonuses as well to anyone who refers someone to us.

Jessica at Helicopterresumes@gmail.com

 

[jeslindun_falcon]

By the way, what is boatpix?

[Flying Pig]

Agree or disagree with their operation, asking "what is boatpix?" Is about like asking "what's a Robinson?"

[eagle5]

By the way, what is boatpix?

They're at the top of this page under helicopter academy.

Edited May 15, 2015 by eagle5

[Matt321]

Wow that's really low, dangling the carrot. Maybe if you buy enough hours from us we'll give you a job! Yeah right, your gonna hire a 200 hr Robbie pilot cuz he paid for a whole month. You've found a cute little way to finance a dual pilot operation and still remain the lowest bidder to get the contract. Brilliant. This idea of "time building" is ridiculous. Why would I want to hire some low time Robbie guy who just learned "torque turns" and "low level". He'll prolly ball up my Robbie showing his students the cool stuff he learned. And what is the big deal about transitioning airspace? Did you learn how to talk on the radio during your training? Cool, then talk. But you get to go through a TRSA!!! Wow, that's a real hoot, totally worth taking time off from work and going further into debt. I'm sick of people filling young pilots heads with bs to make a buck. If you have money to burn and time to waste, sure, go do this and have fun knowing this will do nothing for your career. If you're like most low time guys, save your money.

[Matt321]

M

[jeslindun_falcon]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. We actually employ several pilots nationwide, and from an insurance standpoint, low time pilots don't meet the insurance requirements for the type of flying we do. However, there are a couple of pilots who have come with us in the past who have been really talented and we've picked them up out of our program. Obviously we don't hire everyone, but we definitely can recognize talent. A lot of higher time guys come with us too to brush up on skills after some time off. This program also allows us to pay our pilots well, so we keep people long term. And its much more interesting than flying circles.

 

Overall, don't come if you don't really want to fly long days and difficult terrain. But if you're serious, you're going to get a heck of an experience.

 

Thanks for all the good feedback. This opportunity will continue to be available. Just email us at helicopterresumes@gmail.com.