Any tour jobs in the south?

[PondJumper]

What's up guys? I'm currently finishing my commercial rating, and hope to finish CFI by the end of the summer, then get an instructor slot with my school. After a few years of instructing Id like to find a tour job back home in East Tennessee.

 

I check job listings in that area from time to time and there seems to be a reasonable amount of heli tour companies in the area I'd like to end up. My question is why do I never seem to hear or read about guys getting hired for mountain tours in that area? Everyone seems to get picked up in the gulf or Vegas, but no mention of anyone getting jobs in the south.

 

Is that area simply more competitive for low hour pilots? What are your thoughts?

[cburg]

May be worth getting your "airplain" CFI. Most of the guys I know have to do both to make a go of it. Most of your airplane (easy to get and cheap) time will apply towards your heli ATP.

 

Many schools need combo-instructors.

[pilot#476398]

Well my thoughts are;

 

Whatever tour companies there are in Tennassee (I've only heard of one) are small, so turnover isn't very frequent, or perhaps their minimums are really high?

 

Vegas has a lot of operators (thus high turnover), plus its known for hiring at just 1000hrs. Most other tour companies I've found want 1500 and some turbine time,...unless you want to fly a 44!

[VFlyer]

I know someone in the area and the tour operators are fairly small (~2-4 helicopters). One of the places I believe requires you to pay your way through Bell school (which is between 12K-14K last time I checked), but the wages aren't anywhere that of Vegas; not even half. I think they get a majority of their pilots from a local school there, and if any of them can't swing the bill for Bell school they start to look elsewhere, and thus not a lot of advertisement.

[rotormandan]

There are 3 in sevierville. The school sevier county choppers flys 44's. Smokey mt helicopters flys 2 long rangers. They get most of their pilots from the school and i think they're the ones that require bell school. I could be wrong. Then there's scenic helicopters. They fly 2 jet rangers and a 44. They will hire you in a 44 and transition you to the 206. You have to pay for it though. If you have 206 time you wouldn't need a transition. Scenic and smokey both pay low but they hire low hours also (less then 1000). I dont think any have a specific hour requirement and i've heard iof 500hr pilots in the 206's. The school probably pays typical school wages (low). Flying tours in that area though will build time fast. 500 hrs in a season is very doable. Anyone that knows that area knows it's a tourist mad house. I imagine turnover is often as most people move on after 1 season after getting enough hours to make a real wage. On the same note, i don't think any ever have more then 2-4 pilots at a time. To fly for the school, i imagine you'd have to have gone there.

 

Other southern tour places to look at, myrtle beach in sc. There's a place the flies 44's. Plenty of 44's in fl. I saw one parked on a floating dock in yhe bay at destin, fl. That looked fun. Also there's some guy in branson, mo. I don't know what he flies down there. It sounds like another tourist madhouse though.

 

Good luck.

 

Disclaimer: iphone makes me lazy with CAPITALS.

Edited January 9, 2014 by rotormandan

[PondJumper]

My Commercial Rating includes 30 hours in the Jet Ranger. You guys think that will be enough turbine to set me apart?

 

Also, I'm not too concerned with wages but since it has been said that these companies in the south pay less, would 30k annually be a reasonable expectation or is that a little optimistic?

 

Also, a lot of guys seem to want to get out of the 44 and into turbine as soon as possible but I enjoy flying it. Granted I only have low hours in it and maybe I'll feel differently in the future but to me being able to live in East Tennessee and fly through the mountains every day sounds like my dream job.

[Trans Lift]

30 hours in a Jetranger for your commercial? Are you paying that out of pocket?

[rotornut67]

30K is a very un-realistic expectation. The job pays peanuts, but you will get to build a lot of time. Expect to work the ground crew also, either loading / unloading passengers, fueling or washing, scrubbing the toilets, etc...

 

good luck and fly safe

[rjl2001]

I think why you don't hear/see more information about people getting tour jobs in eastern TN, is simply because of the number of those jobs that there are in that area. The Grand Canyon and Las Vegas areas are home to some of the largest sightseeing tour companies in the nation. So even though there may be a reasonable amount of tour companies in that TN area, there are probably many fewer tour pilot positions there than in the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.

 

Being from FL I'm more familiar with this part of the South, and there are a lot of helicopter sightseeing companies in FL alone. That being said many of those are what I would call small operations, having one or two helicopters (usually R44 or B206). From my experience it seems like quite a few of these tour companies know people from the other companies personally, I guess it's true when they say the heli business is a small world.

 

I also think $30,000 is probably more than even 'a little optimistic' for starting pay at many of these tour companies. I would expect in most cases the pay is similar to flight instructing. Though I have heard tour pilots can make tips that might add up nicely by the end of the year .

 

Obviously your 30 hours of Jet Ranger time is beneficial, probably more so to tour companies with turbine helicopters in their fleet. But I wouldn't count on that alone to 'set you apart' very much. I've talked to a few owners of tour companies here in FL in the past couple weeks, and each one said in some way or another that flight time numbers alone often aren't the best indicator of the caliber of employee they end up with. Obviously your flying proficiency and attention to safety is important, but one owner told me he would rather hire a professional minded 250hr pilot versus a 1000hr pilot who lacked professionalism. Because many of these tour operations are so small, they often want pilots who can help out with other parts of the business and not just flying (marketing, accounting, photo taking, landscaping, etc.)

 

My advice would be to speak with the tour companies directly to find out more information, and visiting in person when possible is always best. Even here in FL I hear Sevier County Choppers come up a lot in conversations, so that's a probably a good place to start talking to people. Even when training at a different school, I don't see anything wrong with visiting other places and asking for information.

 

Oh ya, that R44 in Destin flying off of the barge belongs to Timberview Helicopters. It does seem like a pretty sweet setup. I will add though that the local government has been fighting with that company for at least 3 years, even as recently as a couple months ago the local newspaper printed a negative article about them. They also operate in a few other cities and/or states.

 

Also, I'm sure it goes without saying, but make sure to focus on getting that CFI job at your school when you're done training. I'm one of the unemployed CFII's out there, and can attest to how challenging it can be to find that first job.

 

- Forgot to add that for these kinds of tour pilot jobs at smaller companies, often times the job openings aren't publically advertised. They will have an opening and fill that opening without ever posting a vacancy online anywhere. Seems like an informal type of networking or word of mouth system is often relied upon.

Edited January 10, 2014 by rjl2001

[pilot#476398]

My Commercial Rating includes 30 hours in the Jet Ranger. You guys think that will be enough turbine to set me apart?

 

Also, I'm not too concerned with wages but since it has been said that these companies in the south pay less, would 30k annually be a reasonable expectation or is that a little optimistic?

 

Also, a lot of guys seem to want to get out of the 44 and into turbine as soon as possible but I enjoy flying it. Granted I only have low hours in it and maybe I'll feel differently in the future but to me being able to live in East Tennessee and fly through the mountains every day sounds like my dream job.

 

Like many low timers I too have time in a Jet Ranger and can say that it has not opened up any doors for me what so ever! However I only have the "standard" 10 hours.

 

If you want to keep flying the 44 (I'd be perfectly happy flying one for a living) look into ENG. It might pay better than tours?

[Jaybee]

Because many of these tour operations are so small, they often want pilots who can help out with other parts of the business and not just flying (marketing, accounting, photo taking, landscaping, etc.)

 

 

I've said it I don't know once, twice maybe twenty times recently - they could give a crud less about your stick wiggling skills.

[Spike]

My Commercial Rating includes 30 hours in the Jet Ranger. You guys think that will be enough turbine to set me apart?

 

It would depend on your total time…. Such as, 250 hours total time with 30 in a 206 would be a no. On the other hand, 8000 hours total time with 30 in a 206 would be a yes……

[rotormandan]

My Commercial Rating includes 30 hours in the Jet Ranger. You guys think that will be enough turbine to set me apart?

 

Also, I'm not too concerned with wages but since it has been said that these companies in the south pay less, would 30k annually be a reasonable expectation or is that a little optimistic?

 

Also, a lot of guys seem to want to get out of the 44 and into turbine as soon as possible but I enjoy flying it. Granted I only have low hours in it and maybe I'll feel differently in the future but to me being able to live in East Tennessee and fly through the mountains every day sounds like my dream job.

 

30 jet ranger hours can't hurt. It might help with some of these companies.

 

As far as the places in East TN, they are entry level jobs. during the tour season (mid-late April - Mid Oct) you wages would be on par for 25k-30k if you were to work all year. Tours dry up in winter so you might need to find something else to pay rent. It's good to build hours and fun too but they're not career jobs. If you want to live in East TN, get the experience needed to fly ems over there or get a job commuting from TN so you're there when you're home. The tours there would be a fast and fun way to build that experience though.

[PondJumper]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Rjl, good point about speaking with the tour companies directly. I think this will be my next move.

[rotormandan]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Rjl, good point about speaking with the tour companies directly. I think this will be my next move.

 

Good luck. Hope you get what you're looking for.

[CoffeeAddict]

From some limited personal experience I doubt your 206 time would help but it doesn't hurt. I could see where it might help in Sevierville. Certainly finish your CFI as that will help with some of these companies. I've been told point blank they won't hire anyone without CFI, for whatever reason.

There are always exceptions but most tour companies are very small and you'll be helping the business when you're not flying. Think someone that owns a 44 and wants to have it make some money. Many of these companies do less than 200 hours a year in tours but they usually have other jobs.

 

$30K/yr unrealistic unless you're with a busy company and you get lots of tips. I lived on coffee and two cans of tuna fish a day during the slow season. There were times when someone handed me a $10 tip and I'd say "Thanks I appreciate it." They had no idea how much I really appreciated it! On the flip side I sometimes made $150 a day in tips once things picked up.

 

Sevier County Choppers - Sevierville TN, Not sure about the size. I think SCC is the school side of one of the tour operators. They were helpful via phone and email.

 

Queen City Helicopters - Gastonia NC, nice facility, small operation, good people looking to expend.

 

Huffman - Myrtle Beach SC, large good shop, seem to be good and professional people, the owner spent over an hour talking my ear off about aviation. Chief pilot was up front about everything as well.

 

Helicopter Adventures - Myrtle Beach SC, Don't know anything about them other than they've been in something of a lengthy fight with the town. What I've read it seems like Huffman has gone to bat in support of them.

 

Pee Dee Helicopters - Lake City SC, small operation disliked by other local operators, not professional, shop often looks like a pig stye. Couple years ago FAA grounded them due to MX problems, rumors the FAA has been scrutinizing MX again. Run away as fast as you can.

 

Robinson Helicopters LLC - North SC, one man operation in a Hiller. Nice guy, former WO meticulous about his machine. Trying to make a go if it.

 

Low Country Helicopters - Charleston SC, one man operation, a good guy, does tours and flight instruction.

 

Charleston Helicopters - Charleston SC, not sure what their story is. Perpetual stories of being on the cusp of closing. Last rumor I heard, they have resumed operations under a different name? Who knows.

 

Island Hoppers - James Island SC, small operation but growing, good people. Moved in from the keys but haven't gotten up and running yet for some reason.

 

Boatpix has helicopters in North Myrtle and Charleston. No experience with them.

 

Shadowhawk - Greenville SC, rumors of being closed.

 

Chappell Helicopters - Newberry SC, good people but closed.

 

Old City Helicopters - St. Augustine FL, You'll be part time and mostly answering phones BUT they are up front about it in the job offer. YMMV.

 

Forgot to add, as was stated above. These jobs aren't normally advertised usually filled by word of mouth or knocking on doors.

[pilot#476398]

 

 

Old City Helicopters - St. Augustine FL, You'll be part time and mostly answering phones BUT they are up front about it in the job offer. YMMV.

 

 

YMMV...?

[CoffeeAddict]

 

YMMV...?

Your Mileage May Vary

[CoffeeAddict]

Helicopter Adventures just out up their 2014 season ad If you haven't seen it yet. Huffman will probably advertise soon as well.