Where to go from here?

[phil1856]

Left the army in 2005. UH60 Pilot 2000+ total time and 1800+ PIC. Trying to get back into flying for a living. The problem is I have been away from aviation for so long most companies won't touch me. Any suggestions on how to make myself more marketable? Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[rotormandan]

Pay for a few hours to show some currency. Take mountain class or something of the sort. Anything to show some currency. PHI is hiring quit a bit. They're bringing in a lot of military guys for sic in the 76 in the gom.

[eagle5]

Go to Heliexpo and take the rotor safety challenge, that might look good on your resume? If you don't have your CFI get it. Even if you don't use it, the current training might help them look at you better? Some schools also offer advanced ep training courses that might also help you look better/more current?

[Azhigher]

Travel back in time?

[Wally]

I've been inactive for years a couple of times. The first time, I bought some instructional time. It was money well spent in that it reassured me that I could still fly. The second break in flying was shorter, the job I took had a history of hiring ex-military who had been inactive because they were up to speed inside the 135 minimum initial training.

When I started with PHI in '83, several of their instructors said they'd given pre-hire evaluation flights to pilots who had been inactive for decades and recommended hiring them. I don't know if that policy still holds in the current insurance environment, but it worked for that operator.

Rocky Mountain Helicopters hired me after 4 years of inactivity. I was embarrassed with my initial flight, I should have paid an instructor for some time.

Networking is important. Knowing somebody in a company means having an idea about the company, a better idea than you'll get from a flyer or website.