500 to go

[FAR/AIM]

500 to go.

Edited August 1, 2011 by FAR/AIM

[Azhigher]

500 down, only 700-1000 more to go! =)

[Eric Hunt]

Well, at 120kt, and if you had 4000 hours, you could have travelled to the moon and back.

[Trans Lift]

500 still isn't a lot in this market but I guess you can never say never.

Edited December 17, 2010 by Trans Lift

[gary-mike]

Old City Helicopters, LLC is currently accepting resumes for a full time tour pilot in St. Augustine, Florida.

 

Minimum Requirements:

 

200 Hours Rotorcraft

20 Hours PIC R44

Must have attended RHC Pilot Safety Course

Please send resumes to oldcityhelicopters@gmail.com or fax to 904-239-5934

 

Wish I had my ratings, I would check this out. Flyin and Fishin if Florida can't be that bad.

[crashed_05]

Old City Helicopters, LLC is currently accepting resumes for a full time tour pilot in St. Augustine, Florida.

 

Minimum Requirements:

 

200 Hours Rotorcraft

20 Hours PIC R44

Must have attended RHC Pilot Safety Course

Please send resumes to oldcityhelicopters@gmail.com or fax to 904-239-5934

 

Wish I had my ratings, I would check this out. Flyin and Fishin if Florida can't be that bad.

That's awesome. Where'd you see this posted?

[iChris]

That's awesome. Where'd you see this posted?

 

 

Justhelicopters.com Listed 12/09/2010

 

http://www.justhelicopters.com/tabid/255/category/1/Default.aspx

 

 

 

 

 

[gary-mike]

That's awesome. Where'd you see this posted?

 

At the top of this page is a tab that says helicopter jobs. Click that and scroll down, find pilot jobs, click that, scroll down through listings, it is a fairly recent post. Let me know if you go for it, I would but I have not even started training yet. Hope I can find something like this down the road.

[crashed_05]

At the top of this page is a tab that says helicopter jobs. Click that and scroll down, find pilot jobs, click that, scroll down through listings, it is a fairly recent post. Let me know if you go for it, I would but I have not even started training yet. Hope I can find something like this down the road.

You got me thinkin about it, but I don't think I will. I'm still a few hours away from the min requirements and I'm all set up for starting CFI training right after the new year. Thanks for sharing.

[r22butters]

Old City Helicopters, LLC is currently accepting resumes for a full time tour pilot in St. Augustine, Florida.

 

Minimum Requirements:

 

200 Hours Rotorcraft

20 Hours PIC R44

Must have attended RHC Pilot Safety Course

Please send resumes to oldcityhelicopters@gmail.com or fax to 904-239-5934

 

Their ad comes around evey so often. I've applied at least half a dozen times over the past four years, and despite having three times their minimums, have never even gotten a phone interview, so...good luck!

 

At 500hrs they bumped me up to 'senior' fry guy! Sadly in this overcrowded industry, 500hrs doesn't mean jack!

[lelebebbel]

I suspect this post to be a windup-attempt... anyways, this sort of attitude is why people in other parts of the world look down on low time instructors in the US...

 

So you've had one flying job for probably less than a year or 300hrs and you are sick of it? Good luck finding a new one... I'm sure lots of companies will be happy to take you on, with a great employment history like that!

Edited December 17, 2010 by lelebebbel

[JDHelicopterPilot]

The best thing you could do right now is to keep the job you have. Several reasons. One, there are so few jobs and so many CFIs looking for work. Two, many employers look at how long you have been with a company when considering an applicant. Trust me, if you have short employment history at several companies they will ask you why.

 

If you are not a CFII I would become one. 500 hours isn't much really. You would be better off sticking it out, building as much time you can and continue to network at different events and build relationships with other pilots.

 

Those are my thoughts,

[gary-mike]

I can't think of a school that said I could make a ton of hours quick and punch out. The closest thing I have heard is condensed courses to get the ratings. I think alot of it is up to you after that. I would say go recruit some students and git er done, but I would really feel for a student that gets an instructor that don't want to teach him/her. So if you don't have the ambition for what you are doing save yourself and the next poor student from a bad experience and try aplying for the job I posted earlier.

 

For the record I am in no way trying to promote or advertise the job listing, just trying to help out. As a matter of fact I would/will apply for it if it is available when I finally meet the requirements. (provided I am not having too much fun teaching and watching pilots grow)...And at that point in time forget about me adding competition to a job opening.

[Spike]

I just made it to 500 hours as an instructor! I am so lucky that I was able to land a job as at the school I went to. The chances of getting hired were 1 out of 10 on average, I am really blessed.

 

Now that I have 500 hours I was wondering what my options might be? I know I would have a good chances of scoring a CFI gig at another school..but I don't want to teach anymore. Is there any hope? Does anyone have any tips/leads they can throw my way?

 

500 hours eh?..... So that would mean about 300 hours-ish of dual given right…. And you don’t want to teach anymore?.. What, are you burnt out already?...

 

IMO, your chances of “scoring a gig at another school” are about the same as when you initially got your CFI.

 

Nowadays, 500 hours means you’re about a third of the way there. It would be probably be a good idea to put your head down and learn to like teaching. Teaching for another 1000 hours or so would put you in a better position to move up. My advice goes like this;

 

NEVER leave a job unless you have been HIRED elsewhere. AVOID lateral employment as this can lead to unemployment. Try to always move forward and that means forward into a new aircraft, new type of work, more flight time and/or making more money. It’s BETTER to take a low-paying turbine job over a better paying piston job. Carefully EVALUATE taking a turbine job which provides minimal flight time over a piston job which provides a bunch of flight time.

 

My 2c

[dc3freightdog]

I just made it to 500 hours as an instructor! I am so lucky that I was able to land a job as at the school I went to. The chances of getting hired were 1 out of 10 on average, I am really blessed.

 

Now that I have 500 hours I was wondering what my options might be? I know I would have a good chances of scoring a CFI gig at another school..but I don't want to teach anymore. Is there any hope? Does anyone have any tips/leads they can throw my way?

 

Be happy with your present position and only leave if you can upgrade. Your present job helps you to stay current and you have the freedom to choose your next job. Maybe get some management or maintanace skills which could make you a more desirable employee.

fly safe

BC

[FAR/AIM]

I suspect this post to be a windup-attempt... anyways, this sort of attitude is why people in other parts of the world look down on low time instructors in the US...

 

So you've had one flying job for probably less than a year or 300hrs and you are sick of it? Good luck finding a new one... I'm sure lots of companies will be happy to take you on, with a great employment history like that!

 

Hey.. whats with the attitude my friend? I said I was thankful to have my job. I am merely in seek of something better. Its called the American Dream. I think people in other parts of the world would look down on you for being such a negative nancy.

 

I should have been a little more clear on my initial post. I would love teaching if the pay was a little better and I could fly something other than a trainer. I guess I just wanted to see if there were any guys out there that were lucky enough to score a decent gig around the 500-hour mark?

Edited December 26, 2010 by FAR/AIM

[FAR/AIM]

Be happy with your present position and only leave if you can upgrade. Your present job helps you to stay current and you have the freedom to choose your next job. Maybe get some management or maintanace skills which could make you a more desirable employee.

fly safe

BC

 

 

I should have selected my words more carefully. I'm not tired of being an instructor and I am honored to have a job as a CFI. I'm just anxious to move onto the next thing and was wondering what my options are and from what everyone is saying... I don't really have any.

[FAR/AIM]

Be happy with your present position and only leave if you can upgrade. Your present job helps you to stay current and you have the freedom to choose your next job. Maybe get some management or maintanace skills which could make you a more desirable employee.

fly safe

BC

 

 

I should have selected my words more carefully. I'm not tired of being an instructor and I am honored to have a job as a CFI. I'm just anxious to move onto the next thing and was wondering what my options are and from what everyone is saying... I don't really have any.

[Shaun]

 

..but I don't want to teach anymore.

 

 

I would go to hell and back for a teaching job.

 

But if you don't like teaching why did you do it in the first place? It's a tough job to do when you love it. I would think your students would notice you didn't want to be there, and training would suffer.

[DynamicallyUnstable]

Dude, enjoy it. I understand the pay being low and difficult to live on at times but with 500 hours you should already know that you're learning as much as you're teaching. If you're not, you need to find new technique in your instruction. When I first started flying, I asked a good friend of mine that had been a pilot for 8 years already, what's the route to take. He said "Even if you have an opportunity to not have to instruct or to instruct less, you WANT to instruct to get to 1000 hours, the experience is priceless." After going the route he suggested, I couldn't agree more and I had a blast doing it. The freedom is GREAT! Enjoy it, you'll look back on it with fond memories and get some good experience if you do it right.

[Guest Maximinious]

...

Edited July 30, 2011 by Maximinious

[r22butters]

...But if you don't like teaching why did you do it in the first place?...

 

As if any of us actually have a choice! If you don't teach, you end up like me,...flipping burgers while looking for another career!

[Shaun]

As if any of us actually have a choice!

 

The choice is not to be a helicopter pilot, everyone knows you have to be a CFI to get hours, so to go down the path of a helicopter pilot when you hate teaching is weird to me.

 

The rub is that you can get someone killed if you are not a good teacher.

 

Maybe somewhere out there is a phenomenal CFI that simultaneously hates teaching, but I've never encountered such a person.

[Guest Maximinious]

...

Edited July 30, 2011 by Maximinious

[gary-mike]

This industry, and the requirements is in a never ending circle (eating it's own tail). Every one seems to agree that the competition for jobs is feirce. On the other hand to be able to even qualify for employment, you have to personally recruit and train more competition... No wonder they pay is so far below what it should be! The insurance companies need to cut the reins on the #'s game and allow the employers who have "Actual" experience make the judgement call. Do other countries really have that much higher accident rate by not going the @$$ bacwards aproach of our great nation?

 

I don't feel the OP is wrong for wanting to move on. As a matter of fact, I would only want people who love instructing to be in that possition. But at the same time, maybe he is a "Star" pilot and shouldn't be kicked to the curb for Wanting something else. I am sure many others have been in the same shoes, but there is a alot that would have to change to break the vicious cycle. Now many of these people probably have the attitude "we all had to do it so should you".

 

My thoughts, keep the good attitude about where you are and as stated earlier expand your experience outside the cockpit as well. Keep networking, watch the job postings, be willing to re-locate, and think of the future. You may someday want your own company, it seems most of them start out as schools. This experience could help set you up for success.