Best tour operator to build time with?

[airscooter]

To post or not to post. On this topic.

 

 

Post! I am a sponge, any insight is appreciated. I went out and meet with a few of the operators out there. Was pretty impressed with Both Papillon and Sundance and learned a lot by shaking hands and asking questions.

[airscooter]

HEMS (Not HAA ha ha ha except to the FAA) is a job for an old pilot, at least 5000 hours PIC and a "wide an experience base as is possible old pilot".

This is not a job for a young pilot, who seem to divide into younger wannabe HEMS drivers and a few, very few really good HEMS pilots. This is not a job to build experience and skill sets in. Averaging 140 hours a year makes it hard to maintain experience, and 2000 hour new-hire could fly 50 years without exceeding a 10,000 hour career total, a pretty low cumulative for a professional pilot.

 

Peer to peer learning is very important to professional pilots. That opportunity is entirely absent in HEMS. You will not see other pilots 'do it' in a new way. They will not critique your technique in real time. When you encounter a challenge, you will sink or swim, live or die on your own, without the opportunity to discuss and analyze with an experienced colleague. The particular challenge may not recur for decade, so the lesson learned in survival will not be reinforced. Recurrent/fomral training is not a substitute, it has entirely different priorities.

 

Instruct to learn the basic job and build time. Then do tours, build time.. After tours, when you're a "journeyman", do some fires, utilities, ex-pat work, or offshore. If you're still interested 10 years later (I wish I had stayed in the Gulf of Mexico for financial reasons), then pick your HEMS base and operator, and enjoy the job. I loved HEMS, but the money... not so much.

 

I appreciate your response you couldn't have explained it better, it really has got me thinking about my goals and my path to obtain them. I have a completely different perspective now and that's why I came to this forum.

[Azhigher]

To post or not to post. On this topic.

 

Tell them the real reason why Sundance is the best operator: Because you get to have Mark as your boss! =D

[Azhigher]

 

I appreciate your response you couldn't have explained it better, it really has got me thinking about my goals and my path to obtain them. I have a completely different perspective now and that's why I came to this forum.

 

Consider this: While it IS important to get out there and get lots of hours and experiences under your belt before you take the plunge into HAA, the longer you wait the more people are going to have seniority over you. May not seem like a big deal now but years later when you're sitting in your EMS job waiting for that base close to home to have an opening you're going to be keenly aware of everyone above you on the seniority list. You're also going to be lower on the pay scale compared to younger pilots who got started in HAA earlier. All depends on what you see as your career job I suppose.

[Wally]

 

Consider this: While it IS important to get out there and get lots of hours and experiences under your belt before you take the plunge into HAA, the longer you wait the more people are going to have seniority over you. May not seem like a big deal now but years later when you're sitting in your EMS job waiting for that base close to home to have an opening you're going to be keenly aware of everyone above you on the seniority list. You're also going to be lower on the pay scale compared to younger pilots who got started in HAA earlier. All depends on what you see as your career job I suppose.

 

The accident rate for low time HEMS pilots is fierce. It's also pretty high for the high timers but usually in different dumb-*ss scenarios than the low-timers. Go to HEMS when you've scared yourself enough times to actually know what's dangerous and then all you have to do is use a checklist and follow the rules.

As far as I'm concerned, seniority is for bidding a new job. I'm not bidding and I'm not interested, I wouldn't do HEMS guy anywhere but the place I hired for. Not enough flying and not enough money to be away from home.

Edited December 9, 2016 by Wally

[Azhigher]

 

The accident rate for low time HEMS pilots is fierce. It's also pretty high for the high timers but usually in different dumb-*ss scenarios than the low-timers. Go to HEMS when you've scared yourself enough times to actually know what's dangerous and then all you have to do is use a checklist and follow the rules.

As far as I'm concerned, seniority is for bidding a new job. I'm not bidding and I'm not interested, I wouldn't do HEMS guy anywhere but the place I hired for. Not enough flying and not enough money to be away from home.

 

Good advice. As far as seniority it must be nice to live in a place whose HAA companies will hire an outside candidate. Can't get a base within an hours drive to where I live without years on the job. Different scenario I guess.

[1Heliguy]

I'm looking for path advise toward mediums and firefighting. I'm at 400 hours, with a career coming to s close in public safety. No RW CFI job within 200 miles. I've been doing ferry-flights on my dime and have learned a lot. Looking for safe & creative time building ideas to build experience toward firefighting.

[kona4breakfast]

1Heliguy, Pathfinder or TEMSCO in AK. For the former, go to Leading Edge in Bend and try to get a CFI job. I don't know who TEMSCO tends to pull their newbs from.

[1Heliguy]

Thank you. I've been told before that mountain flying and SIC time in heavies are also good for preparing for fire work. Now if I can just crack into some of that before my professional retirement in 2020.