Starting a new Career

Heliboss · April 8, 2008

After many years in Wildland fire aviation as a Helicopter Crew member, Manager and Rappeler and a few in the digital media field I finally have the opportunity to pursue the career I've always wanted. I have finally received a medical after a previous denial in 2005 and I'm very excited to have this oppertunity.

I'm looking for advice from other pilots in an effort to get the right training at the best schools. The one major regret I have from my collage days is not figuring out which schools were most revered in my field until it was too late to transfer.

I want to get it right this time.

I'm initially drawn to EMS flying as a career for a number of reasons but from a career stand point I'm very attracted to the idea of living in or near a major city and not having to travel around the country as I have experienced in fire. This said I am more than willing to move any where to attend the best schools.

The two big questions on my mind at the moment are as follows:

Do EMS or other contracts put a lot of weight on the school you trained at or does it come down to number of hours at various other contracts/jobs?

Should I look for a professional pilot program? Where I can go from 0 hours to commercial certification. Or would it be ok for me to get my privet locally and then move to another school for the commercial part?

Well thats it for now I'm sure I'll have more questions the more I look into this.

Thank you

Edited April 10, 2008 by Heliboss

apiaguy · April 8, 2008

Ok, I'll bite on this one.

I am going to equate your statements to something in my field.

I am a dentist. When people express an interest in dentistry it usually isn't in being a "dentist". Nowadays everybody wants to be an Orthodontist (braces freak) because you don't really do anything and you make lots of money..... just ask any of the kids who had braces.

So I have to laugh a little at these people because to become an orthodontist you must first become a dentist and then be in the top 5% of your dental school graduating class. (nerds of the nerds) Most people setting out to become an orthodontist don't make it and eventually become general dentists.

You're statement strikes me as this type of dilema. It isn't possible to become a helicopter pilot for EMS without first becoming a CFI, working for a year or more to gain at least 1000 hours and then getting some other flying job....gulf, tours, etc... taking maybe 5 to 10 years. By this time you will understand what it means to be a helicopter pilot and if you still desire EMS work you can pursue it at that point. No ems company is going to care where you did your primary training (except maybe if they desire a military background) EMS (and all helicopter jobs) is all about experience (and some skill).... turbine hours, night unaided, intelligent (so you can walk around the hospital and be a good representative of the hospital)

My experience is that the only thing you need to be concerned about in researching a school is how likely is it that you can gain employment from them or someone else because of them. This is the big trick in flight training. Nobody will guarantee you anything. So I would RECOMMEND doing your private locally and seeing how the operation works.... local operations tend to cultivate better relationships and that is what you're going to need in the long run. If you don't have a local operator, tell us where you live and we can point you in a nearby direction.

Gomer Pylot · April 9, 2008

Nobody cares where you trained. They do care how many hours you have, and what type. You don't have to be a CFI to fly EMS, but you do have to get a few thousand hours some way. The answer to your questions is that it doesn't matter one way or the other, as long as you can get the hours. That will cost a lot of money, one way or another. You won't get a job of any kind just because you have a commercial license.

Heliboss · April 10, 2008

Thanks for the response

I should have said EMS is my long term goal. That said I would like to position my self such that I have a good chance of reaching that goal.

So if flying EMS requires 2000-3000 hours?? My next question would be what are the best opportunities to build hours as a pilot who has just received his commercial certification? I see a lot of pilots are building hours as CFIs but I'm wondering if there are any schools offering other opportunities, schools that my be tied directly to particular contracts. For example Bristow Academy and off shore oil work.

In regards to completing my privet portion locally, here is a list of the local schools. Any thoughts or opinions would be very helpful. Oh and I live in Portland

Applebee Aviation Inc.

Precision Aviation

Sunset Helicopters

Stan's Helicopter Service

Hillsboro Aviation

Thanks again

slick1537 · April 10, 2008

Instructing is pretty much the norm. Others claim that you can do crop dusting and misc jobs but I think that kind of stuff is few and far between. One guy on here a while back was able get a second in command job working in the gulf at I want to say 600 hours. However he said 300 of his hours were logged in a turbine helicopter. I guess even getting jobs as a CFI can be hard, so (in my own personal opinion) I wouldn't go putting my stock into things that may or may not land you the hours you need to reach your goal of EMS. My instructor also plans to do EMS and one thing he pointed out to me is that they require a lot of night time hours. He said you can do your entire instrument training at night, and log it as both instrument and night time. Good Luck!

Autorotator · April 10, 2008

In regards to completing my privet portion locally, here is a list of the local schools. Any thoughts or opinions would be very helpful. Oh and I live in Portland
Applebee Aviation Inc.
Precision Aviation
Sunset Helicopters
Stan's Helicopter Service
Hillsboro Aviation

Thanks again

I would recommend checking out Glacier Aviation up in Olympia, WA.