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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 Alot of posts are outdated and seriously biased.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

Hello everyone, I'm currently in the Army, I hit 10 years in July. I was a former MH-47G (just a modified CH-47) Flight Engineer for my first 6 years until I went to flight school. I flew approximately 1,300 hours as a Flight Engineer. Sadly a year out from flight school, I was permanently grounded from flying. I'm attempting to change jobs within the Army, however I am trying to prepare for the worse in the event they medical retire me. I loved flying as a Flight Engineer and actually miss it. Seeing as I cannot fly as a pilot, I'm looking to possibly to be a Flight Engineer on the civilian side if I'm forced to medically retire. I know a couple guys I used to work with got out and did this, however I do not have their contact information. I found Columbia Helicopters, but as of right now they do not have openings. I will keep an eye on them in the future though. Does anyone happen to know any companies that offer this job description? I appreciate any help that I may be able to get!!

Okay guys and girls, I may have been misleading a bit. I will be giving away the flight time in the Houston, TX area but I will not pay for lodging. There is a potential for up to 60 hours or so in about a 14 day period. Requirements: Commercial Helicopter Pilot Must have R44 Endorsement Preferably Have RHC Safety Course Preferably 300 TT Helicopter Email me with questions or resumes etc. Thaddeus@HeliHogHunt.com

I've read a bunch about how important it is to network in order to get hired somewhere, but what are some good ways to go about doing that? And as a student or instructor what do you say other than that you want a job (along with every other heli pilot they'll meet)? In other words, what are some things that they're looking for from you in a face to face meeting? And how do you make yourself stand out? Thanks in advance.