Helo Pilot / Training
 

Hi there. I am currently active duty coast guard and am facing a big decision.

I want to learn to fly helicopters and hopefully get a job flying to/from oil rigs, or flying for DHS, or medivac, or the agricultural industry, or the government. BAD. if i stay in the coast guard i will have a security blanket of free medical and a half assed pension way down the line, and i would be fixing helos and flying as flight crew, but i know that when im older i will always be wondering what its like to fly for a living.

so that said, im trying to find information on how the industry is for helicopter pilots in this country (in the current ****storm of economic chaos). I also have dual canadian citizenship so i wonder if there are jobs available for helo pilots in canada. Are the ratings transferable to another country or would it be an easy/inexpensive lateral to get the same license/ratings in canada?

are there any helo pilots that could give me some insight on how the job market is for rotary wing pilots in this country/canada? im used to living off of pennies, and im not expecting to make a whole ****load of money any time soon, but in ten years time it would be nice to be comfortable financially, as im not planning on having any kids (though sometimes **** happens.......)

i will be applying for ERAU's aeronautical sciences degree program with minor in helicopter operations, which will include all my rotary wing licenses/ratings, and with the yellow ribbon program this program would be free less the cost of books. i will be working part time as a skydive videographer during school, and if all else fails i can always fall back into becoming a skydive tandem instructor. so i think i have a pretty decent plan but im looking for insight into how the actual industry is and if there are jobs for rotary wing pilots. i will have a security clearance for the next 8 years as well so that might help out with getting a civilian government job as a pilot (hopefully)

thanks for reading this novel
chris

Fair amount of Helo jobs available. The gotcha is that they all require ( or most any way, 1000-1500 helo PIC hours. There just are not many ways to build time in helo's except the military and as a helo instructor. I'd get my RW ratings right away if they didnt require those hours.... ( note here that I have in excess of 3300 hours already FW ).... Other than how to get the hours to get a RW job... your plan has some merit... although I am sure there are some here who will bash your ERAU choice.

What about WOFT? Go Army, get the training, get your 20, get out.

would love to go WOFT, but im 31 right now and by the time my initial contract with the coast guard runs out ill be 34. im pretty sure thats too old for WOFT, but ill double check.........

is it realistic being a flight instructor for a while to log 1200+ hours if i keep myself financially afloat with my backup plan on the side? would that take years?

I think the Army Guard has age waivers for prior service, but I'm not sure. What about OCS in the USCG? Stay and finish out there? I'll tell you what, the debt incurred getting RW qual'ed is significant. Now there are ways to use FW time for the time building to get the CPL, but if you want to fly helicopters, FW time doesn't help much.

Do you have the post 911 GI bill? Is that why you were looking at ERAU? There are other colleges with RW programs and lower prices. Keep your options open.

Check that out. I think the army was giving blanket age waivers up to 35 recently. Even more so than fixed-wing aviation, the military is a waaaaay better means of acquiring helo training.

That's a tough row to hoe (even more so than fixed wing). You will be competing with all of the ex-military pilots who have thousands of hours of turbine helo time.

I think there are almost more helos in the US military than in the entire US civilian sector...and those military guys can't stay in forever, even if they wanted to.

how does it work becoming a flight instructor? do you have to find your own students, or are they given to you through the school that you work for?

Have you looked into an interservice transfer? If you had a WOFT flight slot approved by the Army I doubt the Coast Guard would deny a transfer. You would not be leaving the armed forces just changing uniforms.

now that is something i am definitely gonna look into. my friend is an O-6 in the army, who is currently deployed, and has been a helo pilot for years. i will go straight to the source and email him today to look into WOFT.

thanks for the heads up. i will check

TECHNICALLY i think the Coast Guard is under the Department of Transportation.... but I believe you are right he could ask for a transfer.