"Helicopter Industry Booming"

[r22butters]

DeltaKilo Posted Yesterday, 16:10

I have listed my house as a "short sale". And anyone who lives in FL knows that short sales are taking 3-6 mo's to close.

 

I've been waiting for my "short sale" to close for a year and a half now, and I have a buyer!

 

RkyMtnHI Posted Yesterday, 16:58

didn't mean it that way at all... just that some of the in-house team would see it that way.. if someone was hired to do all the fun stuff that they had waited months for.

 

hope i didn't give you the wrong impression.

 

dp

 

No worries Dude,

In the industries defence, I have, over the years found, and been rejected by, eleven different companies who were hiring non-CFis with around 500hrs. The problem is that they were only hiring one pilot, and their resume count averaged around 300-400 after just the first couple of days.

[Azhigher]

You have to set yourself apart in this industry. Having less than 1200 hours and CFI/CFII is a good way to put yourself beneath everyone else trying to get the same job.

 

As for the question as to whether the military pilots would try to continue flying in civil aviation, it's a hard path. As was already stated, it seems like the norm is to get out of the military with around 800 hours, less than the mins for most companies. So then they need to get their CFI cert and that means flight school. One more student for me to teach =)

 

In all reality, going CFI is pretty much the only way to put yourself through to something better. You can try to get around it if you'd like, but if you thought it was slim pickings trying to get your first turbine job, good luck trying to get a commercial gig without at LEAST 1000 PIC.

[Eggbeater]

You have to set yourself apart in this industry. Having less than 1200 hours and CFI/CFII is a good way to put yourself beneath everyone else trying to get the same job.

 

As for the question as to whether the military pilots would try to continue flying in civil aviation, it's a hard path. As was already stated, it seems like the norm is to get out of the military with around 800 hours, less than the mins for most companies. So then they need to get their CFI cert and that means flight school. One more student for me to teach =)

 

In all reality, going CFI is pretty much the only way to put yourself through to something better. You can try to get around it if you'd like, but if you thought it was slim pickings trying to get your first turbine job, good luck trying to get a commercial gig without at LEAST 1000 PIC.

 

I disagree about the military pilots. There are two types of military guys coming into the civilian side right now - those who served less time and now have 1000 hours and those who served their 20 years and now have sometimes up to several thousand hours. Obviously the latter is having no problem getting hired right now.

 

The lower time guys are finding work in the Gulf as SIC's in IFR medium programs. From what I've seen, the company I work for has been hiring 1000 hour military guys into the S-76 at a fairly quick rate (obviously they have a much higher experience level than most civilian guys do at a 1000 hours). It also seems like most military guys are seeing the civilian market drying up and waiting to leave until the have at least a 1000 hours.

 

I also doubt how many guys would come out of the military and pay for training to become a CFI - I do have one military friend that paid for training, but that was for an ATP.

[r22butters]

Eggbeater Posted Today, 11:47

The lower time guys are finding work in the Gulf as SIC's in IFR medium programs

 

You wouldn't happen to know who is offering these programs, would you?

[RkyMtnHI]

The lower time guys are finding work in the Gulf as SIC's in IFR medium programs. From what I've seen, the company I work for has been hiring 1000 hour military guys into the S-76 at a fairly quick rate (obviously they have a much higher experience level than most civilian guys do at a 1000 hours). It also seems like most military guys are seeing the civilian market drying up and waiting to leave until the have at least a 1000 hours.

 

I appreciate your input on this subject.. can you give us numbers, even if it's a guess? That is, how many are finding those SIC jobs?

 

dp

[Eggbeater]

Well I work for the yellow and black, and all of the SIC's that I see being put right into the IFR program are military. If I had to guess I'd say we have 2-4 new faces every month; but again these are military guys usually with at least a 1000 hours and simulated/actual instrument time. VFR positions still seem hard to get with most people having at least a couple hundred hours of turbine time.

[reignat09]

never heard of that method before. but its new and inventive. but it sounds more like an away from base incentive than anything. is it at least compensated by a high hourly?