turbine transition/ag pilot apprenticeship?

[azbirdman]

Does anyone have any experience with this type of program or others, and in Oregon please? What did it cost? Is it worth the expense and does it work/did you get hired? Thanx all.

[ChprPlt]

From what I've been reading you have to spend $20K and MAY get hired at very low pay. Sounds like a scam to me.

[HeliUtah]

It isn't a job recruitment effort. It is a student recruitment effort. You pay them 25k, they train you, and you might get a job at the end ... sounds like a flight school to me.

[rotormandan]

It's a joke when they "require" you to go through a company turbine transition, even if you can alreay fly their 206 or 500(whatever you end up in). Plus their "ag" training is only you flying a cherry contract for them drying cherris which is normally a paid position anywhere else. Also drying cherries won't get you very far in the ag world either. It'll help you get ag time for insurance but the time you'd get in one season won't make a differnce and companies look for spray time. I think it's a waste of money and time.

[azbirdman]

Thanx to chpr, utah, dan, and PM'ers. You mirrored my feelings;

probably a poor investment: 25K for a one month maybe job...

So on the ground we remain, for now.

[Marine0311]

Yup for sure a scam if not a scam a greedy company looking to deepen their pockets by yours..Sounds more like a polotition than a helicopter organization.. "We will take you to the field and your will get a minimum of 24 hours but first complete our turbine transition program for another 7 grand. Ya sure please let me give you my fingers too can I throw in a leg or two. Besides being a scam they were extremely arrogent and they must think that pilots are fool. Maybe that would be an indication of what they are working with up there. I found a company in Ashville NC that only charge 550.00 an hour for training in a 206. Helicopter solutions. I have never flown with them personally but two friends did and they though it was comprehensible.

[rotormandan]

If you're interested in flying in ag get your cdl (at least class with a hazmat/tanker endorsement and knock on all the ag companies doors you can find.(Sometimes theyr'e hard to find as many don't have websites) you'll drive for a year + but you'll probably get some ferry time while waiting to learn to spray. I don't think anyone with 200 hours(was that applebees minimum) could spray unless they've been trained by the ag company. Besides if you want to fly ag you will have to know the whole operation on the ground to be any good at it.