eaw913 Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Hi all, I am most likely moving to Seattle in a year or so (possibly somewhere in that region at the least) and I am just curious how the helicopter world is out there. I heard it is quite big on aviation, but I would love some feedback. Also, if anyone here lives there currently feel free to tell me about it. I would love to know! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindsey Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Hey, sorry - I meant to respond to your PM but I've been swamped. I'm working on my ratings at Helicopters Northwest out of Boeing Field. To put it simply - I love it. You have a plethora of schools to choose from in all types of airspace. To name a few: Classic Helicopter (Boeing Field, right next door)Glacier (Olympia)Airwork (Auburn)Snohomish Flying Services (Snohomish) and Heli NW has several locations if you find it to be a good fit. As far as the area goes, right now it is kind of frustrating because it has been quite blustery for the last few weeks, and the immediate future looks to be similar. There isn't a TON of flying going on, but hey - if you can't fly, study up. Then when the wx DOES improve (and oh, it does), you can fly your pants off. The summers here are the best in the country. It more than makes up for the rest of the year, by far. Nothing beats flying over the Puget Sound, the Seattle skyline, or the mountains. I am curious - have you been out here before? I'd recommend taking a demo flight and talking to instructors at the different schools in the area before making a decision. Shop around. The flying is great everywhere. LK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaw913 Posted March 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 You are completely fine. I just figured I would make a post here as well to see how many users are from the region! I am actually planning to go into the Coast Guard, but I am getting my degree first. I would also love to get some flight time in while doing so, so I really appreciate the information. I will check into all of them. I have not been out there yet, but I am visiting this summer. I really like the sound of the area and you are about the 500th person to praise the summers there! How hard is to find a job? I would absolutely love to work at the airport, but I have no idea how hard it would be to get work. I figure if I am living there and going to college (looking into University of Washington) I will definitely need a job. The issue is, before I can enroll and not have to pay my life away I have to be a citizen first. So I figure I will move there and become a citizen before I go! Any advice you could give me? I am only 19, but will be 20 by the time I get out of here. I really appreciate the information Lindsey (you always know everything! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindsey Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 I really appreciate the information Lindsey (you always know everything! ) Haha! I promise: If there is one thing I *do* know, it is that I do not know everything! With regard to getting a job around here - it's tough. And all about who you know. That said, it seems a lot of the FBOs around here can't keep their staff for very long, so there are frequent opportunities, but they just aren't posted around on job sites. Just show up, hand over your resume, and keep showing up. Twice a month. The nice thing about fueling (besides the job itself) is that it isn't a strict 9-5 job so it works out very well for a college student. I started fueling full-time in August and graduated college in December. It's very doable. Not sure how the citizenship issue plays into things (see, I most certainly do not know everything!). Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swisster Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 (edited) You are completely fine. I just figured I would make a post here as well to see how many users are from the region! I am actually planning to go into the Coast Guard, but I am getting my degree first. I would also love to get some flight time in while doing so, so I really appreciate the information. I will check into all of them. I have not been out there yet, but I am visiting this summer. I really like the sound of the area and you are about the 500th person to praise the summers there! How hard is to find a job? I would absolutely love to work at the airport, but I have no idea how hard it would be to get work. I figure if I am living there and going to college (looking into University of Washington) I will definitely need a job. The issue is, before I can enroll and not have to pay my life away I have to be a citizen first. So I figure I will move there and become a citizen before I go! Any advice you could give me? I am only 19, but will be 20 by the time I get out of here. I really appreciate the information Lindsey (you always know everything! ) Hi there,If you need to know anything in regard of becoming a citizen and flying and jobs, feel free to send me a PM. Immigration is such a fun topic... ;-) just kidding. I am honestly so glad that I no longer have to deal with that department. I became a citizen of this great country on July 1st 2010 :-)cheers,Swisster Edited March 15, 2011 by swisster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaw913 Posted March 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2011 Well you certainly know a lot! With regard to getting a job around here - it's tough. And all about who you know. That said, it seems a lot of the FBOs around here can't keep their staff for very long, so there are frequent opportunities, but they just aren't posted around on job sites. Just show up, hand over your resume, and keep showing up. Twice a month. The nice thing about fueling (besides the job itself) is that it isn't a strict 9-5 job so it works out very well for a college student. I started fueling full-time in August and graduated college in December. It's very doable. That is what I was afraid of. Since I am not from there, it is hard to know people! What are the requirements to do fueling? I do not know a lot about it, but considering I have about 1 hour of flight experience and have no true job experience (besides a few summer jobs and occasional work)I am not sure how it will work out for me. The issue is I will need to get a job before I move so I will be able to get a place. My girlfriend is moving with me, so if we can both get jobs it will be two incomes, which should help some. I am not sure if I worded the citizenship thing correctly, but I am moving from Atlanta. The reason I am living there for a year before going to college is so I do not have to pay the ridiculously high out-of-state tuition. Ugh. Of course there are tons of rules to be considered a resident of Washington, so I got some work ahead of me! And thank you Swisster, but I am already from the States so luckily I will not have to deal with any of that If you don't mind me asking what country did you come over from? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBuzzkill Posted March 16, 2011 Report Share Posted March 16, 2011 Hi there,If you need to know anything in regard of becoming a citizen and flying and jobs, feel free to send me a PM. Immigration is such a fun topic... ;-) just kidding. I am honestly so glad that I no longer have to deal with that department. I became a citizen of this great country on July 1st 2010 :-)cheers,Swisster Hey you are flying out of Bremerton National? I used to work as a line guy at Avian and took some flight lessons out there. I remember when Peninsula Heli first came to the airport a few years ago. The NW is an awesome place to fly in the summer but it's a pain in the butt in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swisster Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 at eaw913:I was born and raised in Switzerland and after a 7 month stint in Canada I ended up in the US. at SBuzzkill:Yep, KPWT is my stomping ground. Great place for flight training!Yes, the weather in the summer is awesome, and the past winter was not too bad either to fly. But currently it is not very good, plenty of rain and lots of gusty wind. But that will pass and summer is around the corner cheers,Swisster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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