job chances?

[wants to fly]

So here is my situation. I have been a firefighter paramedic for 23 yrs. and I am tired of it. I really want to take the career pilot route so I can fly medical. What are the chances any school would hire an instructor that's 6'1 and 200lbs? I have the cash to get from 0 to Instructor but I will be short on cash after that. If I simply weigh too much to get hired as an instructor, I doubt I would be able to pay for enough hours to land myself a job.

 

Thanks in advance.

[BH206L3]

It might be a problem for schools operating R-22's I have seen such weight restrictions in the pass, not so for the R-44! Nor for some of the other helicopters used in training, i.e. 300C. The problem you are going to really face is not that you are 6 foot tall and 200 lbs is that you are going to be sitting on at best 200 hours in you logbook when you are done! Most EMS jobs are looking for 2000 to 3000 hours of flight time as a minimum, what it really means is that yea that might get a chief pilot to look at your resume, but the flight times they are looking for to actually hire maybe more than those numbers, its dependent pretty much on how good or bad the economy is at the time, how many pilots chasing the same job! You also have to start looking at it from what am I going to do when I get out of Flight school, yea you could get hired by the school you went to, to instruct, a busy school would have a lot of candidates to look over too, and there is that other little thing, it has to do with that pilot shortage every body talks about! There is none, Because each persons such as yourself that starts has to be taught by a person who is also doing the exact same thing as what you want to do- he just has create 15 or 20 new pilots such as you in order to go to the next level, tours or the gulf of mexico take your pick. And those 15 or 20 will be chasing the same entry jobs as you will, this is not to pour water on what you want to do, its the opposite, you have to know how the business works in order to have any sort of chance- its a hard frustrating thing when its all said and done, most will never think about what they are going to do till they have the certificates in hand, you on the other hand should start making a list of every job that is entry level, so you will have a place to start when you are done 18 months or so from now! Those jobs will open again when the pilots sitting in those seats move on and they always do! Make sure you have a good reliable car, because you are going to be doing some traveling around looking when you are done! its a hard road, its worth doing never the less!

[helonorth]

There is none, Because each persons such as yourself that starts has to be taught by a person who is also doing the exact same thing as what you want to do- he just has create 15 or 20 new pilots such as you in order to go to the next level, tours or the gulf of mexico take your pick.

 

Not necessarily true. I never did even one CFI check ride as an instructor. I did a few commercials but much of what I did was rich guys (some not) that wanted to fly helicopters for fun, most of them add ons. I was able to do a lot of photo work and some pipeline stuff, also.

 

I don't see your height and weight being a problem.

Edited April 30, 2015 by helonorth

[wants to fly]

Thanks for the responses guys. I understand the medical route is a ton of hours. I just was wondering if getting those hours teaching was a possibility due to my weight. Once I became certified I would retire from my current employment and dedicate all my time to teaching and getting any other hours I could. Most of the schools here all train in R22'S which doesn't seem conducive to my plan for hours after cert.

[eagle5]

Try Bristow, I think they still use the 300 for training?

[Azhigher]

You should be fine at 200. Seems like that is the limit at some schools. Try to drop just under that and you should be golden.

[Spike]

So here is my situation. I have been a firefighter paramedic for 23 yrs. and I am tired of it. I really want to take the career pilot route so I can fly medical. What are the chances any school would hire an instructor that's 6'1 and 200lbs? I have the cash to get from 0 to Instructor but I will be short on cash after that. If I simply weigh too much to get hired as an instructor, I doubt I would be able to pay for enough hours to land myself a job.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Go to a near-sea-level school located in an area where it’s cheap to live. That is, in my experience, when people say they have “just enough” it eventually means they don’t have enough……

 

70-80K just for training. Rent, food, books, check-ride fees, gear, travel, phone, transportation and food……. Are extra….

 

Furthermore, as a firefighter/paramedic, whatever you’re tired of, this business will make you understand how well you actually have it…….

Edited May 1, 2015 by Spike

[Flying Pig]

So you are in your mid-late 40s? Just be aware of the paths you'll need to take. More than likely, moving will be one of them. The odds of training, your first CFI job to build time... your first turbine job, then moving into EMS will take you from where you are now. At this point in your career you'll need to take a hard look at what you may be hanging up to make this happen.

 

Interesting timing. I don't think you are him, but a friend of mine called me about 2 weeks ago. 20yr cop who wants to set up a retirement job asked me about starting to fly. He will be in his late 40s and absolutely is not willing to relocate. It may work. He is in So Cal. But I cautioned him on the realities before he decides to pull out $90K from his retirement so set up for a retirement "job".

[wants to fly]

Spike, currently I reside in Vegas and would have no trouble relocating once training is complete. As far as the costs, I have all you mentioned in avail. cash since I have 0 debt. I would continue working 10 days a month at my current job while I am training and I have the luxury of being able to study while I am at work. I have 15 days a month to dedicate to ground school and flight training. There is no question I have a great job except for one small thing, my passion for it is gone. I don't care about money, quality of life has always been key to me. Once I complete training, I would plan on retiring. My other half is studying to be a nurse and will follow me almost anywhere once she is done with school. She will have no problem with employment and I will have a pension + 457k plan. Plenty to live off but not enough to buy much flight time. This is why I posted. I just don't want to spend the money for training just to be excluded because of my weight. I don't have much weight I can lose and still be healthy (maybe 5 lbs) and to be exact I weigh 196 and just rounded up.

 

FP, I am not the friend you speak of. Honestly the EMS side is minimally relevant to me at this point, I could be just as happy flying tourists around Hawaii. Spending the 90k for training would also be irrelevant if I knew I could get the hours I need to continue to fly. May I ask what other "realities" you had warned your friend of?

[Spike]

Spike, currently I reside in Vegas and would have no trouble relocating once training is complete. As far as the costs, I have all you mentioned in avail. cash since I have 0 debt. I would continue working 10 days a month at my current job while I am training and I have the luxury of being able to study while I am at work. I have 15 days a month to dedicate to ground school and flight training. There is no question I have a great job except for one small thing, my passion for it is gone. I don't care about money, quality of life has always been key to me. Once I complete training, I would plan on retiring. My other half is studying to be a nurse and will follow me almost anywhere once she is done with school. She will have no problem with employment and I will have a pension + 457k plan. Plenty to live off but not enough to buy much flight time. This is why I posted. I just don't want to spend the money for training just to be excluded because of my weight. I don't have much weight I can lose and still be healthy (maybe 5 lbs) and to be exact I weigh 196 and just rounded up.

 

 

Roger that….. Just understand, from zero flight time to making a livable wage is anywhere from 5 to 10 years. And, that’s based on being hired the day you graduate as a CFII. The reality is; some never get hired. Those who do, live at poverty level income during that time…. If this sounds good to you, then I’d say you have a good plan. As for your weight, I’ve hovered around the 190 mark my entire career and honestly, my heaviest weight was when I was a flight instructor so, it shouldn’t be an issue unless the potential employer makes it so…… With that, the school you choose is critical. That is, you want to go to a school that gives you be best possibility of employment after you graduate and if it’s close to where you live now, good. If you can get hired while still employed as a firefighter, then great….. In fact, I know a fire chief of a major metropolitan city who did just that. Now, in his retirement, he flies tours in a 407 over that same area….

Edited May 1, 2015 by Spike

[eagle5]

Perhaps you should ask around at your area flight schools if they will hire you at your current weight...and keep in mind that its your fully clothed weight with shoes on that counts!