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Ems jobs, operators, and pilots


heli300cbi

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I am currently flying as an aerial applicator in a Bell 206bIII with 2400tt. I only work during the Midwest run for 4-6 weeks. I like the ag work and pay most of the time (drought 2012😩). But even with the 206 I have a hard time finding work for it. I decided I would try flying for someone else the rest of the year. I talked to an EMS operator but they wanted 12 month commitment. With so many jobs why would they not work with a guy like me who would take his vacation time mid summer to try to make it work? Any advice from others in my position? I get really bored in the winter!

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Rarely will you find an EMS operator willing to do part time or seasonal. The only times I've seen it is for former employees who are already familiar with their operations, been through their training, checked out in their aircraft etc. New hire training can be extensive for a pilot who only wants to work a few months out of the year.

This bases where they need pilots aren't grounded, they'll just work pilots on OT. That's been my experience with asking.

Edited by Flying Pig
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4-6 weeks. That's not very long of a season. Do you make enough to live off of for the year on an average season? Or do you usually find other work?

 

I spray in the NW and our season never seems to end. We usually start slowly in March and finish at the end of Nov/start of Dec. I wouldn't mind a shorter season.

 

I think ems would be extremely boring (at least coming from ag) but the even schedule sure seems appealing when we're busy with no break in sight.

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Yes an average year I make enough. We run hard during the time we have. I make enough I would not want to give it up for just EMS. But I have plenty of time for other stuff in the off season. I was a contractor before I got into aviation so I still build a house here and there to offset the slow seasons. I do some other odd jobs here and there with the helicopter but not enough to keep me busy or making any real profits. Most of the year the helicopter just sits in the hangar.

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Seasonal work can make it very difficult to find employment the remainder of the year. Unless you're really marketing yourself out, you'll find that most seasonal work is summer work, and getting employed during the winter off season may require that you offer additional skills and certification (such as aircraft mechanic), or look outside of aviation (school teacher, etc).

 

A lot of operators don't like the idea of you losing currency with their operation while you go work for someone else. If that operator offers benefits, that creates complications as you take time away from your main year-round job (who pays the premiums, and how do you stay enrolled?). Most employers do not offer enough annual leave or vacation to go work an ag season.

 

I've worked for operators that used me in the winter to do maintennace, and I've also taught or instructed, gone overseas for work, or picked up with operators that had winter work. You can vastly expand your market by getting dual qualified; you're going to have a much better chance at finding work if you're fixed wing qualified, too, but even that can be difficult at times, for seasonal employment.

 

Over the years, in between ag or fire seasons, I've taken work in a greenhouse, driving a delivery truck, scrubbing supermarket floors, working in law enforcement, servicing ATM's as an armed guard, teaching high school, running a full motion simulator, flying fractional charter, packing parachutes and dropping skydivers, doing ambulance work in Lears and King Airs, turning wrenches, and a number of other things. The broader you open the range of possibilities of what you're willing to do, the more likely you are to find work.

 

I have a friend that spends his winters fertilizing pine plantations in an AT-802.

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I am currently flying as an aerial applicator in a Bell 206bIII with 2400tt. I only work during the Midwest run for 4-6 weeks. I like the ag work and pay most of the time (drought 2012). But even with the 206 I have a hard time finding work for it. I decided I would try flying for someone else the rest of the year. I talked to an EMS operator but they wanted 12 month commitment. With so many jobs why would they not work with a guy like me who would take his vacation time mid summer to try to make it work? Any advice from others in my position? I get really bored in the winter!

 

A lot of people, likely MOST people, take vacations in the summer. Why would anybody want to hire somebody who is not going to be available in that summer period when the openings are most likely?

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I agree with you that most take vacation in the summer. But my season is not long this past year was 7/3 - 8/7 if I had 2 weeks of vacation time that would give me 5 weeks off in a row. I was just curious if anyone else was in the same situation I am. Also if there are so many seats available in EMS why not use a guy doing nothing to give those working tons of OT a break if needed.

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Because OT is cool

 

True who does not like extra $$$.

 

If I cannot make something work do any of you think someone would want to make some extra $$ flying the weeks I could not?

maybe split the season in two. I hate to give some up but I also would like to fly year round.

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I agree with you that most take vacation in the summer. But my season is not long this past year was 7/3 - 8/7 if I had 2 weeks of vacation time that would give me 5 weeks off in a row. I was just curious if anyone else was in the same situation I am. Also if there are so many seats available in EMS why not use a guy doing nothing to give those working tons of OT a break if needed.

 

HEMS is 24/7/365, no matter what your "season" is. Why would I hire somebody, train them, when that somebody is not going to be available in the most high demand period when most likely to be needed- summer vacation period?

Accruing two weeks of vacation (168 hours) will take a new hire 2 years at my employer if you don't take any time off in the mean time. I don't see management approving that headache either. Not to mention other people will be bidding vacations, and junior guy, you're last on the list.

 

True who does not like extra $$$.

 

If I cannot make something work do any of you think someone would want to make some extra $$ flying the weeks I could not?

maybe split the season in two. I hate to give some up but I also would like to fly year round.

 

OT is nice but entirely optional, I can't be compelled to cover your hitch. Management headache.

OT is expensive, half again what any other new hire, a new hire who would make the full time commitment? Even the densest manager I ever had could add and subtract...

Edited by Wally
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OT is cool. OT is nice but optional, I can't be compelled to cover your hitch. Management headache.

OT is expensive, half again what any other new hire, a new hire who would make the full time commitment? Even the densest manager I ever had could add and subtract...

 

What you could do is pursue a 'relief/fill in" pilot position and take your chances with never being called in during your season.

Thanks for all the info it is helping me with what my next step will be. Also want I ment to say about the split season flying was i could train someone else to fly AG. This would make the extra $$ to make it worth someone's time. Not cover my shift on the EMS side. Once someone is dependable in AG they can make $2,000 - 3,000 a day in pilot pay. If I split my season with someone they could make some good money and I could keep my 206 and have year round employment.

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I agree with you that most take vacation in the summer. But my season is not long this past year was 7/3 - 8/7 if I had 2 weeks of vacation time that would give me 5 weeks off in a row. I was just curious if anyone else was in the same situation I am. Also if there are so many seats available in EMS why not use a guy doing nothing to give those working tons of OT a break if needed.

 

Putting someone on the 135 certificate, maintaining their currency and drug tests and all else associated with employment doing EMS, isn't as simple as it seems; just bringing someone in for a few weeks.

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Maybe a paradigm shift is in order. What if you start looking for a "full time" EMS position and figure a way to work your "part time" Ag flying into it...

 

Call me crazy but I know several pilots with varying full time flying gigs, including one pilot at my EMS base who just bunch their vacation time and pool favors from the rest of us on shift trades so that he can work the short Ag season.

 

I do the same to keep my feet in some summer Alaska work. You don't know for sure until you're in the door how easy the other pilots are to work with at your base but if you can get on right at the end of the AG season you'll have almost a full year to sort it out.

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Maybe a paradigm shift is in order. What if you start looking for a "full time" EMS position and figure a way to work your "part time" Ag flying into it...Call me crazy but I know several pilots with varying full time flying gigs, including one pilot at my EMS base who just bunch their vacation time and pool favors from the rest of us on shift trades so that he can work the short Ag season.I do the same to keep my feet in some summer Alaska work. You don't know for sure until you're in the door how easy the other pilots are to work with at your base but if you can get on right at the end of the AG season you'll have almost a full year to sort it out.

 

I have thought of that but if I take the job and it does not workout I would be in a tight spot. But glad to hear that someone else was able to make it workout I might try something like that but I first I will have to have a good plan if it doesn't. With the helicopter world being such a small place I dont want to burn any bridges.

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