Beaten to death question, unique situation.

[Bazzard]

Hello all, new to the Helicopter forum world but not to the forum world. My question i'm sure has been beaten to death and i will hear about it in the "use the search function" comments however my situation is unique in my opinion. I am looking to build a career as a commercial helicopter pilot but i am finding very mixed reviews regarding employment opportunities from everything i read. Alot of posts are outdated and seriously biased.

 

A little background, I'm a 26 year old US resident and Australian Citizen that lives in SW Florida (been state side for roughly 15years making me eligible for US citizenship) Australia allows every citizen a certain amount of money towards education, after using a portion towards my bachelors in business management I still have more then enough to peruse a commercial pilots license. Currently I am the owner of of a 30yr established mechanical small business that i have successfully owned, operated and built for the past 5 years. Contrary to popular belief small businesses at least in my field are rarely more then buying your self a job, I am not complaining, it pays all the bills but not terribly much more, however allows a lot of freedom to peruse other avenues. With a wife and 2 kids the military is not an option for me any longer and i would like over the next 8years to be flying and making a reasonable salary from doing so. I have always loved aviation and had a great "feel" for things i operate, at a younger age i worked my way through the Civil Air Patrol ranks and gained plenty of hours in a fixed wing but i don't enjoy fixed wing and CAP doesn't enjoy helicopters.

So to wrap up I have the ability to have my $74k AUD education paid for, the option to leave my steady "day job" to fly whenever within reasonable range of home but I can go for my Masters and do something that doesn't thrill me, is there work readily available in the helo world?

Thank you Chris

[Kliss]

Yes this topic has been beaten to death and you should use the search function as this question in various forms has been answered many many times.

 

I believe the consensus among most pilots right now is do not leave an established career to pursue flying helicopters as a career. There is quite a few recent threads discussing this topic that you may want to read through. While they may not be your exact situation, it will give you insight into the industry at the moment.

 

Also, unless you have connections in high places within the industry, you will need more than your commercial pilot. Its not impossible but much more difficult to get the necessary hours within the industry without a CFI.

[LionHeart]

I would say absolutely go for it if you have a way to support your family while you are in flight training. Better yet, while you are gaining hours as an instructor (If you are fortunate enough to be hired as an instructor) As a CFI I made 400-1100 per month.

 

With a wife and two kids, you would be subjecting them to a rocky future most likely. You will have to uproot them many times as you go through the the natural progression of becoming a career pilot. Most helicopter jobs are hard on families. It will cause fights with your wife and you will miss out on time with your kids. After all this, the success rate for what you want to do is extremely low.

 

If you are prepared to accept everything I just said as the sure truth that it is, go for it. I was married with no children when I got through all my training. I now have 2 youngsters. I honestly don't think I could have made it with a family to support. But hey, that doesn't mean you can't. Just know, your wife needs to be behind you 100 percent, and even then, there will be hard times. Oh, and be prepared to sell your belongings.

 

If you do this, I would seriously recommend you think about getting your private pilot licence in fixed wing first, then get your commercial add on in heli. It will likely save you $$$