Airline consideration/credit of Helo flight hours?

[johnny utah]

I was curious about this once, before I decided I wanted nothing to do with the airlines. But I found that Qantas Airlines would tack on turbine-helo time to your total time as long as you had a base of about 250hrs of fixed-wing. Pretty sure this is fairly helo-friendly compared to most airlines, but it still tells you your odds are better with more fixed-wing time.

 

[BACONATOR]

I was considering choosing P-3 instead of helo due to the possibility of an airline career after the Navy.

Then I pulled my head out of my ass, decided I'd rather have FUN in the Navy and if I want to do airlines after, then do what it takes later on down the line.

Bottom line: I may be a real salty-dog Ensign, but I imagine it's not very smart picking a pipeline based on what you're doing AFTER the Navy. Choose your future in the Navy based on your time IN THE NAVY, not what comes later.

 

[MIDNJAC]

I know it's not what the OP was wondering about, but I do know there are plenty of civvie helo flying jobs that IMHO seem a lot more exciting than the airlines, and also will value your mil helo time.

 

[BACONATOR]

I know it's not what the OP was wondering about, but I do know there are plenty of civvie helo flying jobs that IMHO seem a lot more exciting than the airlines, and also will value your mil helo time.

Can you say part time oil rig pilot in the gulf coast?

I hear they even fly you out for free from wherever you may live!

 

[MIDNJAC]

Can you say part time oil rig pilot in the gulf coast?

I hear they even fly you out for free from wherever you may live!

No kidding! Can you say CH-53 or EH-101 as an office, and a comparable paycheck to what a lot of the airline types make? Sounds pretty good to me!

 

[FLYTPAY]

Bottom line: I may be a real salty-dog Ensign, but I imagine it's not very smart picking a pipeline based on what you're doing AFTER the Navy. Choose your future in the Navy based on your time IN THE NAVY, not what comes later.

Agreed.....and what is worse than that is wanting to fly for the military so as to be set up for the airlines. That is sort of like wanting to be a Nascar driver so you can pad your resume for a cush public transportation driver job.....plus you are doing it for the wrong reasons.

 

[BACONATOR]

No kidding! Can you say CH-53 or EH-101 as an office, and a comparable paycheck to what a lot of the airline types make? Sounds pretty good to me!

Not to mention your regular 9-5 job!

If there are any rig-pig pilots on this forum, pipe in please! I only have rumors. I hear it's a few weeks on, few weeks off type deal, so there is plenty opportunity to make money in a second job (not to mention military retirement) PLUS the fact that these jobs have potential for 6 figures!

 

[SemperGumbi]

I hear abou those good deal oil rig jobs, but have never actually known anyone who has had one pan out as advertised. Does anyone here have first hand experience, just curiously? (FIRST HAND....not "I heard of this dude...")

 

[Stearmann4]

No kidding! Can you say CH-53 or EH-101 as an office, and a comparable paycheck to what a lot of the airline types make? Sounds pretty good to me!

Don't forget about Evergreen, Carson,Columbia, or Erickson Aircrane. All of which start out co-pilots at about 75K and top out around 105K after you make captain. Erickson pilots at least only work an average of about 156 days out of the year.

Let's not forget that while the economy may change the face of commercial air travel, wildland fires ain't going away! I tend to think the fact that the general hiring minimums for even entry level turbine helo jobs keeps the quality of pilots fairly high, and the riff raff out. because of that, you don't see too many 21 year old ERAU kids "time building" or flying corporate or heavy lift turbine helicopters. a 450 hr ab initio "captain" of a BE-1900, or CRJ should scare the hell out of all of us!

Or...you can suck it up for 3 years making less than food stamp wages for the priviledge of sitting right seat in a CRJ and doing the "terminal strut."You'll then be rewarded with the slim potential you'll make to the majors in a few years. I have a good friend who was flying CRJs for Mesa and had to quit cuz' he just couldn't make ends meet and was out of his house 280 days of the year. He has now doubled his salary by installing carpet and is home every night. No thanks, I can make a living flying either, and I'm sticking with helicopters. Keep in mind these experiences are from non-military F/W guys who have tried to build the time themselves without the benefit of C-9, C-20, C-2 tours, etc.

if you're good at what you do, there's a comfortable quality of life to be had no matter your platform experience. There's a whole lot to aviation besides the airlines.

 

[abracadabra11]

I hear abou those good deal oil rig jobs, but have never actually known anyone who has had one pan out as advertised. Does anyone here have first hand experience, just curiously? (FIRST HAND....not "I heard of this dude...")

Sure do. Anyone currently at the HTs should be able to ask Mr Smith (or was it Smyth?) about his days flying to the rigs in the Gulf of Mexico (he's a sim instructor now). I remember plenty of oil rig stories from him when I was going through - sounded like a pretty sweet deal.

 

[SemperGumbi]

Fair enough.... but I was kind of talking about modern day (as in last couple of years) hires. Reason I ask is because I have heard the stories, and heard them in flight school, but for all their glory I wonder if those jobs are really the high-paying, low hour good-deals they are advertised as anymore. Or if they are actually still hiring people...

I have no idea, and no dog in the fight as I have exactly 0 rotor hours.

 

[A4sForever]

I hear abou those good deal oil rig jobs, but have never actually known anyone who has had one pan out as advertised. Does anyone here have first hand experience, just curiously? (FIRST HAND....not "I heard of this dude...")

.... and I suspect (make that I KNOW) that some were tryin' to make their job look "better" than it is/was for personal reasons, too ...

History lesson follows, and I don't think it's changed too much:

Yeah ... like I said, I was the D.O. for a Part 135 operation during an airline furlough, in addition to flying in the Reserves at the time .... and as such, I supervised an operation out of Houma, LA to the Gulf rigs as well as EMT/corporate HELO gigs in the DFW area and some fixed-wing executive jets whenever, wherever the client/owner wanted. Total 20-25+/- pilots at any one time.

ALL the HELO guys, no matter what stripe -- former USA (the greatest number of employed & applicants), USMC, USN -- wanted to get on w/ the airlines and/or get typed in bizjets. No exceptions. Most of the HELO operators in my experience treated their guys like shit -- my upper management was no exception. Use 'em and abuse 'em was the general order or the day -- no matter WHAT some may say. It was a "buyers market" in the view of management when shopping for HELO pilot talent and applicants. I was considered an "oddball" as I treated my drivers like the professionals that they were .... but the industry, overall, is not "people friendly". I guess you can say the same for the airlines, in reality.

Many of these guys were "trapped" into the relatively low(er) paying jobs w/ the HELO operators. Some were building fixed-wing time on the side to make themselves competitive for the airlines -- some were resigned to their lot in life.

Money is great. You can't live w/out it ... but it's overrated by most. If you get something that makes YOU happy -- a civie job flyin' HELO's, for example -- go w/ it.

 

[armada1651]

...That is sort of like wanting to be a Nascar driver so you can pad your resume for a cush public transportation driver job.....

Ah...now I understand the Air Force a little better...those guys want that cushy public transportation job so bad they start wearing the bus driver uniform while they're still IN!

 

[Gatordev]

Fair enough.... but I was kind of talking about modern day (as in last couple of years) hires. Reason I ask is because I have heard the stories, and heard them in flight school, but for all their glory I wonder if those jobs are really the high-paying, low hour good-deals they are advertised as anymore. Or if they are actually still hiring people...

I have no idea, and no dog in the fight as I have exactly 0 rotor hours.

Personally, I haven't ever heard of "glamorous" oil rig jobs. That's not to say they aren't out there or other helo jobs aren't a good deal, but when I've heard them talked about, I only hear about the "7 on, 7 off, 12 hour days living in a double-wide in Mississalabamalousiana" while on duty. I also haven't heard of "6 figures" when this is discussed, as far as oil rig jobs go.

But I'm sure Stearman has better info. Chuck might have some perspective, as well.

 

[HAL Pilot]

It's a lot easier to get into a regional with military helo time than a major. Most guys I know did it that way. 50 hours me and a fixed wing commercial coupled with a 1000 helo will usually work. Stay in the reserves to augment the crappy regional pay, fly there a couple of years and you will be competitive for a major. Keep in touch with your Navy buds already at a major because networking is key.