Howdy, I know this may not be the exact place for this inquiry but I need to start somewhere. A little background; I’m 26, have a background in agriculture as both an operator and mechanic, and experience in the heavy equipment field. This isn’t the pitchfork and straw hat picture most will get,it is working with auto guidance, mapping, recording, and operating the newest and largest equipment in the industry. I have struggled to find my place and enjoy moving frequently to find new challenges and obstacles to tackle. I am very particular with safety and precision, which I feel may be more important in the aviation industry than ag? I prefer long periods of working in solitude but work well with a team as well. I recently ran across openings for commercial helicopter pilots who transport equipment, workers, and supplies throughout the Rockies in Canada and the US. The position was under contract and required frequent moving as contracts ended as well as experiences in other aspects of the industry such as mapping, scouting, firefighting, ect. As for pay, it seems the wages increase with experience and most are near my income while working half the hours. My question before even looking into schooling and a new career path is does anyone have any experience with this? Anyone i could possibly get in contact with to discuss their lifestyle and see if it may be a path I want to take? Is freelance piloting a viable career at all? How much time would be spent operating aircraft as opposed to filling out paperwork? I greatly appreciate any insight. Thanks,
Jed
Jed,
This forum is for people interested in pursuing a career as an airline pilot. Unfortunately, there are no helicopter pilots on here that will be able to answer your question.
Chris
Jed,
As Chris said this forum is geared towards people who want to become airline pilots. On the subject I can tell you I did a good amount of research on the subject years ago as I knew I wanted to fly but couldn’t decide if I wanted to go fixed or rotary wing. What I found was in addition to the high cost of helicopter training, entry level jobs are very difficult to find and the top jobs were equally challenging to secure as well. While the airlines hire thousands of pilots the number of helicopter jobs out there are relatively scarce.
I encourage you to do your own research. I have a friend who did do his training with Hillsboro (https://flyhaa.com/helicopter/courses/) and had good things to say about them.
Adam
Chris and Adam, thanks for replying and apologies for posting in the wrong place. My interest is in flying in remote places with frequent moves, so I thought heli pilot may be a better choice. I’m not as interested in flying for a commercial airline. I very much appreciate your direction and will do some more homework. Thanks again,
Jed