What should I be doing now to prepare for 135? Getting close to 1000 hrs.

[monkey]

What should I be doing now to prepare for 135? Getting close to 1000 hrs.

[monkey]

Or anything I could do to help with the transition to turbine?

[pilot#476398]

Go for a ride with a 135 pilot and ask him to show you how good your skills need to be. Do some maneuvers in an R44. The first time I flew a 206 I kept thinking, this is so much like an R44!

 

...and of course, make sure you have that 25hrs of night cross country!

[Pohi]

What should I be doing now to prepare for 135? Getting close to 1000 hrs.

 

Unless you already have a job offer, write a resume, apply for jobs, keep your day job, and wait for an interview. Then worry about a 135 checkride.

 

A 135 checkride is almost just a commercial checkride combined with testing on your companies particular 135 certificate.

[Mikemv]

Monkey,

 

135.243 PIC Quals.

 

Check your log book for:

 

VFR

 

(2) Has had at least 500 hours time as a pilot, including at least 100 hours of cross-country flight time, at least 25 hours of which were at night; and

 

IFR & ATP reqs.

 

(2) Has had at least 1,200 hours of flight time as a pilot, including 500 hours of cross country flight time, 100 hours of night flight time, and 75 hours of actual or simulated instrument time at least 50 hours of which were in actual flight;

 

Resume ready and possibly plan on attending Heli Success in Las Vegas Nov. 4&5.

 

Mike

Edited June 29, 2012 by Mikemv

[Little Bird]

monkey,

Have you had much chance to do night hours during your almost thousand hours?

I'm going to be in a situation where I'll be chasing night-time somehow...what a pain! haha

Coming from Aussie this will be the biggest hurdle.

Cheers

LB

[TXFirefly]

Make sure you have the qualifications for your ATP, those are the numbers they are looking for. Then brush up on your IFR! It will be a part of your interview (ground and flight) in the GOM. Don't worry about the aircraft. They don't expect you to know how to start it, just fly it. And last but not least... get your resume to them IN PERSON, whatever it takes.

[Wally]

As previously stated, review your flight logs.

If you're presently actively flying and will be current, especially if you're teaching to a commercial level, you're probably good for most 135 rides. My recollection of the writtens, oral was that they were pretty much com pilot knowledge.

The interview itself is where the weeds will be pulled. Competent, confident but not arrogant, don't BS and present yourself as a professional ready to do it their way and make money for the company. Repeat, don't BS- it's better to not get the job than be fired.

[C of G]

Yes, like Mike said, make sure you are eligible for a 135 position. The ATP clearly you won;t have the requirements for, but if it's at all possible work towards your 100 hours of night. That seems to be the big stumbling block for the ATP down the line. Instrument there are some ways around via sims and 142 even, but the night is a hard requirement.

 

Also, understand the difference between the night cross country requirements for 135 and the ATP cross country requirements.

[Little Bird]

How did some of you build those night hours? Instructing? Ferrying? Privately?

[C of G]

I got mine instructing. As a freshly minted commercial pilot, a friend gave me the same career advice that I pass on wherever possible:

 

Get your 100 hours of night before you're done instructing. You'll need it for the ATP. At the time, I thought "Jeez...when will I ever get my ATP?" Seemed so far of at the time, but I remember he was at about 3000tt and was still lacking the night. He had already flown in the canyon and Alaska offshore for a while. So it resonated that if he needed it, I'll certainly get it asap. Instrument training at night is a good time to get it for a myriad of reasons. Plus you are not soaking the student that is paying for it.

 

Also, he said: Keep the company names on your resume short. He wished he hadn't had so many in such a short time, too.

[Retreating Brain Stall]

I got mine instructing. As a freshly minted commercial pilot, a friend gave me the same career advice that I pass on wherever possible:

 

Get your 100 hours of night before you're done instructing. You'll need it for the ATP. At the time, I thought "Jeez...when will I ever get my ATP?" Seemed so far of at the time, but I remember he was at about 3000tt and was still lacking the night. He had already flown in the canyon and Alaska offshore for a while. So it resonated that if he needed it, I'll certainly get it asap. Instrument training at night is a good time to get it for a myriad of reasons. Plus you are not soaking the student that is paying for it.

 

Also, he said: Keep the company names on your resume short. He wished he hadn't had so many in such a short time, too.

 

Excellent advice that I second! And the instructing at night for instruments not only benifits you but the student too. But the best night instrument training is when the instructor is goggled (nvg) and the student is foggled! The work load reduces significantly seeing the ground and seeing traffic for miles.

[aeroscout]

Excellent advice that I second! And the instructing at night for instruments not only benifits you but the student too. But the best night instrument training is when the instructor is goggled (nvg) and the student is foggled! The work load reduces significantly seeing the ground and seeing traffic for miles.

Goggled, and foggled. That's good stuff. Literary gold. I get that feeling in the aircraft sometimes, if it's a good day I figure my way out of it quick.

[Pohi]

 

 

Excellent advice that I second! And the instructing at night for instruments not only benifits you but the student too. But the best night instrument training is when the instructor is goggled (nvg) and the student is foggled! The work load reduces significantly seeing the ground and seeing traffic for miles.

 

I like the way you think :-)

 

Hook up a long line, make it a cross country flight, and you almost have all your bases covered!

[Nearly Retired]

To the OP (monkey) I am moved to ask: What makes you think you're going to get a 135 job simply because you're approaching 1,000 hours? I know that a lot of people will tell you that it's some sort of "magic number" that you must acheive before you can hired, but merely having that box checked is ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEE of anything. You are deluding yourself if you think, "Well, I've got my 1,000 hours! Here I am: Hire me, bitches!"

 

In other words, don't get your hopes up, pard.

[monkey]

 

To the OP (monkey) I am moved to ask: What makes you think you're going to get a 135 job simply because you're approaching 1,000 hours? I know that a lot of people will tell you that it's some sort of "magic number" that you must acheive before you can hired, but merely having that box checked is ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEE of anything. You are deluding yourself if you think, "Well, I've got my 1,000 hours! Here I am: Hire me, bitches!"

 

In other words, don't get your hopes up, pard.

I know its not a guarantee! But tell ya what, I'm going to do my best to get a job soon. You don't have to be another negative helicopter pilot to trying to discourage me. I've talked to a enough of them out there.

[Nearly Retired]

Yeah, and I've talked to enough arrogant low-timers who think that they're owed a job just because they've hit 1,000 hours. So there.

 

Believe me, bub, I'm not trying to discourage you. All's I'm saying (and all I did say) is that you shouldn't get your hopes up. Let me tell you a little bit about our wonderful industry - and why you may have heard some discouraging words from us old guys.

 

With *only* 1,000 hours, you will need to be an exceptional, genuine person - not a phony or a fake or somebody who'll just say what they need to say to get the job. And it goes without saying that you'll have to be an exceptional pilot with all the ratings - not just an "okay" pilot, you're going to have to "wow" the guy who gives you your pre-employment ride. You'll need to be a potential employee with outstanding people skills (like I said, we can spot a fake a mile away) and a strong work ethic that comes shining through, even beyond all of the empty mere words we've all heard forever about how, "I'm a hard worker! I'm a company man!" Sure you are; so's everyone who's ever applied for a job since the begining of time. You see a piece of trash on the ground? PICK IT UP, and put it in a trash bin and try not to make it look like you're doing it just for show. Somebody will notice.

 

You'll have to be confident and yet at the same time humble - can you make that work? - because that's a tough one for a low-timer. You'll have to rise head and shoulders above the dozen or so other geeks the company is looking at...who all believe that they should have the job because they have 1,250 hours (oh, wow!) to your measly 1,000.

 

You sure you still want a career in this industry?

 

Good luck!

[jimbo2181]

Think its time for you to change your name to retired. All he asked is what he could do to prepare. He never made any suggestion that he was owed a job because he was getting close to 1000 hrs.

 

For the OP. Take away the 40, 50, or 60 years of salty attitude that nearly retired had in this last post and you can actually get some good information. Have a work hard attitude. Show you don't mind putting a quart of oil in rather than call the mechanic. And do what you are trying to do now which is learn as much as possible before going into talk with them. If you know about the company, their work, and their structure it will show that you applied yourself and put more effort than most to getting a job there. Start reading the 135 regs and see if you can get your hands on an ops manual and op specs so you can show you at least know what they are and how they work.

[aeroscout]

To the OP (monkey). one area of part 135 that can trip you up easily is crew duty times. That might be a good area to be comfortable with. I have heard of commercial pilots being fired on the spot for taking flights when their company was in a bind, and they ended up not having the legal crew rest times.

[Spike]

Everyone starts as an inexperienced low-timer.

 

One time, while looking for a job in the northeast, I visited a PART 135 Ag company to see if they needed a pilot or mechanic. I was met by a gruff old guy who went on to tell me how inexperienced I was. He told me of his experience and what *he* thought I needed do to in order to be considered for a job with his company. I politely listened and thank him for his advice. Our conversation was cut short as he was heading out for a flight. I asked if I could walk out to the ramp and watch him depart. With a smirk he agreed. He pointed to the door to hangar and told me he’d be there in sec. As I stood on the ramp looking at the machine, a 500, I immediately noticed an issue. The old guy came out with a swagger and didn’t say a word and climbed in. No walk-around. I let him strap in and get cozy. When it looked like he was getting ready to fire, I walked over to him pointing to the rotor head and informed him one of the blade pins was unlatched and unhinged. This thing was pointing to straight up like an antenna. He unstrapped and looked. He said “oh sh*t”. Without a word, I turned around and walked away, got in my car and left…. The next day he called and offered me a job….

 

While I could suggest not to arrive to your, someday, 135 interview with your pants hanging off your butt wearing skate shoes and sideways flat-billed 59fifty, I’ll assume you know that already and recommend this. Study FAR PART 135 and know it like the back of your hand……

[Nearly Retired]

Hey Jimbo, so basically...you agree with me then, eh? Chill out, man. Monkey's original post asked what he should be doing to prepare for a 135 job since he's "getting close" to 1,000 hours. I said that he should prepare by being patient and not getting his hopes up. I thought that answered his question pretty concisely and accurately. Oh, and realistically. Then *he* jumps down my throat about how I'm "discouraging" him and being a big ol' Negative Nancy.

 

I mean, you guys want advice from us old guys, and then when we tell you stuff you don't want to hear you reject it! Nice.

 

And then you, "Jimbo" call me salty but tell "monkey" that I'm pretty much right and giving him "good information."

 

Sheesh. Maaaan, you can't win!

 

*SOME* of us guys have been around this business long enough to know what's what. *SOME* of us guys have seen "a few" low-time up-and-comers who want to set the world on fire. What are we supposed to do, tell everyone that they're going to get a great job and be successful just because they're "nearing" the magic 1,000 hours? Right. Good luck with that.

 

Here's another little tidbit for "monkey:" If you don't have some sort of connection, a person (or preferably two) you know who's already at a company and can give you a good recommendation, you might as well go be a plumber. A "1,000-hour pilot" simply aint gonna be getting a 135 job anywhere in this industry unless you happen to be dating the owner's daughter. Or unless you want to move to Alaska and go to work for Temsco...and even that's a stretch unless someone there knows you.

 

Is this being negative? Is this being discouraging? Or is this being honest.

 

Prepare for a 135 job? Yeah, network your ass off and know people who already have 135 jobs and think you're worth recommending.

 

Let me tell you how many unemployed pilots there are out there. Quick story. I have a full-time job flying a 206 for a company in Alabama. But this summer I took this part-time job up in Washington State. So I put an ad on a website for an experienced (with certain minimum qualifications) PART-TIME, temporary Bell 206 pilot in the Pensacola, Florida area. Part-time...as in, "you only get paid on days when you fly," part-time.

 

First phone call I get wakes me up at 7:00 in the morning. I ask the guy if he lives in Pensacola. No, he says, Memphis, Tennessee or somplace like that, but that he'd move to Pensacola if the money was right. I was, like, "What?! Did you READ the ad? It's a part-time job, for the summer only." And he gets all huffy with me, "Well I'm sorry if I'm wasting your time!" he says. I said apology accepted!

 

Second call just a little while later, about 8:00. This guy was from Seattle, Washington. I'm not even kidding. And I'm, like, how desperate for jobs ARE these people?? I was amazed that I had to explain the nature of a temporary, PART-TIME JOB to people. Of the initial dozen or so calls I got, NOBODY called who actually lived in Pensacola (which should have a high number of 206 pilots, after all - but hey, maybe none of them wanted my lousy job on even a part-time basis). All respondents were well-qualified in the 206 - meaning that they had much more than 1,000 hours TT. (I got three emails from pilots who did not even live in the U.S., and NONE of whom met my minimum qualifications for 206 time.)

 

There are still TONS of out-of-work pilots out there, all looking for jobs. Tons.

 

I finally settled on a 206 pilot who was quitting his current job and coincidentally moving to Pensacola. I said he could live in my house during the summer while I was gone and while he looked for a permanent place. Win/win all around! Ironically, after I left to come up here to Washington that pilot called me and said he got a job offer somewhere else and...so sorry!

 

Okay, so it wasn't such a quick story. So sue me.

 

So my job is uncovered while I'm away. Yeah, my boss is pissed that he had to park the helicopter and not use it to run to and from his beach house every weekend. Oh well.

 

So yeah, I'd like to move from being nearly retired to actually retired. And that'll happen soon. Then all I'll do is come up to Washington in the summer and do this part-time thing for fun.

 

And you know, I would've thought that people suggest I change my name to "Nearly Retarded," which is what I had in mind at first, but changed it to "...Retired" instead. Because I'm really both. Anyone who sticks around this business this long has to be

[jimbo2181]

You can be salty and still have good advice. All I was trying to point out to monkey was that although your posts were unnecessarily brash and at times sounded like you were talking down to him the advice was accurate and should not be disregarded because of tone.

 

Also for the record I've been in this game fairly long myself. Jobs are out there. I still have many people calling and asking for any pilots I may know (a tribute to your networking comment). Your advice is reasonable but the tone is not.

[Nearly Retired]

Meh-

[Chitty777]

All good points and true, but the tact was lacking

[aeroscout]

Life is not always tactful. Sometimes reality slaps you in the face like a wake up call. Tact is nice, but in general, the environment we live in isn't.