NEWBIES MUST READ THIS!!

[flyboy2233]

First off I want to say that I have no affiliation whatsoever with Midwest Helicopters, but after stumbling across this article from their website, I felt obligated to share this with all the newbies out there. It’s great to see a flight school that is most concerned with giving their students honest information, instead of just taking their money.

 

 

My link

[r22butters]

A good start, but I would change a few numbers in this paragraph.

 

And getting that experience (or "paying your dues") requires a serious investment of time and money. The good news is that 5 or 10 years ago, helicopter pilots needed about 500 hours of flight experience as a practical matter in the "real world" to be employable. Now that number is down to about 175-200 hours, as I mentioned above. The "better" paying jobs may require 500-1000 hours of flight time, and the "best" paying (and most prestigious) civilian jobs, like EMS (Emergency Medical Service) piloting jobs often require 1500-2000 hours or more, with minimum amounts of "turbine-time" or experience in flying helicopters with jet or "turbine" engines, in some cases.

 

"Real world employable", is more like 1500-2000hrs, and as for Teaching, (which not "most" do, but ALL will have to do), is at least 400hrs(100hrs dual given), if the school that trains you doesn't hire you!

[Hawkeye0001]

5 or 10 years ago, helicopter pilots needed about 500 hours of flight experience as a practical matter in the "real world" to be employable. Now that number is down to about 175-200 hours

What does the job market for helicopter pilots look like in the future? [...] future prospects for employment are very good. Many of the best civilian helicopter jobs are now held by pilots trained by the Armed Services for the Vietnam war. [...]

 

However, most of these "baby boomer" pilots [...] will be retiring in the next 5-10 years. The services have not trained nearly as many pilots since then, and many of the pilots they have trained are getting out of the service with only a few hundred hours of experience, making civilian-trained pilots more attractive and competitive in the helicopter job market. [...] So pilots with fewer hours of experience will become more employable as the pool of "high time" pilots shrinks[...]

Maybe they are more honest than others, but you can still tell they have to sell flight time! Where's my bullshit buzzer? Oh, here it is! The "retiring Vietnam pilots"-story is soooo 2007! I can't hear it anymore and it makes me wanna puke more than I can eat for breakfast!

 

 

you will invest about $40,000 to $45,000 in your education and training for that Commercial license.

Really?! Wow. I should've gone there in the first place and invest the other $30,000 I would've saved in a 139 rating!

 

 

HOWEVER, be VERY, VERY CAREFUL in what you are told and "sold" and what you believe. Think about it! I don't know of ANY school that can hire all of their Flight Instructor graduates.

Lo and behold! There is one: Where's Tom when you need him...?

 

 

Don't make any decisions based just on our opinions and recommendations alone. Seek out other opinions and talk with experienced helicopter pilots for their input.

I agree on this point, though.

 

This text is from March 2009 when everything started to go downhill and it looks like they tried to put lipstick on a pig. Of course they didn't know just how bad things would become back than. But I've visited this place less than a year later and like with so many schools you could clearly see the aftermath of the financial crisis and the SSH desaster. Plus the whole outfit made an impression that I felt tempted to give alms.

 

Now I feel obligated to share what schools in Canada told me recently: "Sure, you CAN come here for your TC license. But seriously: things look bad and Canada is not very generous with work permits for pilots anymore. If I were you I'd save my bucks."

THAT was a blunt statement

[r22butters]

Wow! I can't believe they mentioned the "retiring Vietnam Pilots,(I guess I didn't make it that far down their site?), that takes a pretty huge set of balls, these days. Those guys have been "retiring' in 5-10 years for about 10 years now!

 

If anyone needs proof of the "bullshit" statement about minimums going "down", Air Photo Inc. just posted again. They're at 700hrs again this year, (they were 400hrs 5 years ago)!

 

We really need to start a movement to END THE BULLSHIT!

[Natenite]

So I am curious after seeing the responses to this article what people think of this school. It is the closest one I know of to where I live and I have taken 2 flight lessons from them trying to see if I like flying and what I think of the school. I found that having such limited exposure and access to the industry I honestly don't know what to think of the school. Would love to know what others think from their experience with this school? The good the bad and the ugly. ... Wishing I would have tried for warrant officer when I was younger. Apparently 31 is too old.

 

Nate

[gary-mike]

So I am curious after seeing the responses to this article what people think of this school. It is the closest one I know of to where I live and I have taken 2 flight lessons from them trying to see if I like flying and what I think of the school. I found that having such limited exposure and access to the industry I honestly don't know what to think of the school. Would love to know what others think from their experience with this school? The good the bad and the ugly. ... Wishing I would have tried for warrant officer when I was younger. Apparently 31 is too old.

 

Nate

31 is not too old, last thing I read was 33 is the cut-off.

[Natenite]

31 is not too old, last thing I read was 33 is the cut-off.

 

 

See now that's what I read too but the recruiter I talked to would not touch me. Said cut off was 30.

[Lindsey]

See now that's what I read too but the recruiter I talked to would not touch me. Said cut off was 30.

 

Find a different recruiter.

[SBuzzkill]

Or get the reference and go back into the recruiter and prove them wrong.