badtransam97

Hey guys need some info/opinions...I am currently flying a turbine helicopter doing sightseeing tours, but am dual rated with about 300fw, of that around 20multi. I am wondering if I should stick with the RW career path and try to go EMS, or give the regionals shot? I was also wondering if they give any thought to my RW time or turbine? I am on the fence as to wichita route to go, so if you all were in my shoes, what would you do? I realize I would probably still need some more FW time, bur aside from that, what would u choose?

OCCP

Which one pays more? I would think the helicopter does but I've been wrong before.

Marticat

I'm typically wrong 90% of the time but how about doing some of that RW stuff off the oil platforms in the Gulf --- that might make up your mind!

Ski Patrol

If it were me I'd stick with the RW and go EMS. But that's cause I have kids and would like to be a part of their growing up. Also I could enjoy my hobbies in the mountains more frequently.
Good luck.

FlyJSH

Where do you want to live? What sort of hours do you want to work? What sort of work do you like doing?

The EMS company I worked for had helos based in small towns about an hour's flight from a larger city. They worked seven days on, seven off in 12 hour shifts. They got paid about 50% more than the FW guys who worked 20 on, 10 off.

If you like living near the coast, off shore work may suit you.

One big negative about the airlines is the poor early pay, and if you lose your job, you go back to square one. On the other hand, the 135/91 world has short "probationary" pay periods, and the probationary pay is a large percentage of the regular pay. And if the company goes tango uniform, you can take you skills to the next company without taking a huge hit. Compare that to an airline CA making six figures, if he loses his job, wherever he gets hired, he will be at the bottom of the list, making about 20% of his prior income.

9kBud

This is pretty much the kind of question that only you can answer after some soul searching. I'm not here to be negative, but wouldn't leave a decision like this to the internet strangers.

rickair7777

Ex-military helo guys that I know seem to gravitate towards EMS rather than chase FW/airlines these days. And many of them have enough FW time from IP tours.

My personal concern with EMS would be survival statistics over your career...that is undeniably a significant family consideration. As long as you are provided with good equipment, a lot of it's up to you. But the nature of EMS is that someone's survival is always at stake so you are tempted to push the envelope with Wx etc. It would be hard to stick to your personal limits day-to-day in that job (at least for me). I'd have to have photos of my kids taped to the panel to remind me...

Hacker15e

Personally, I'd be leery of keeping with the rotary wing sector because of the military guys flooding the market over the next several years.

badtransam97

Yeah it's def gonna be a tough descision..thing is, I'm already 1000hrs into the RW, majority of it turbine..so I have a leg up on "some" folks..i think my plan for the moment might be to continue with RW just to keep money coming in, and try to build the FW on the side..

FlyJSH

I was a FW air ambulance pilot. Here was my take on the "if you don't fly, the kid will die" thing. This kid is already dead. Somebody ran over him or his parents didn't protect him for a situation that would kill him. My job is to give him a chance at life IF the flight does not put me or the nurses at undue risk. If I refused a flight it was because I or the crew were likely to face a flight that was NOT Safe, Legal, or Prudent. I didn't kill the kid by refusing the flight, I saved me and the medics from a deadly flight. Yes, there is as push to save the patient, but one must weight the benefit of saving the patient with keeping healthy people alive. I had doctors try to force me into a flight by saying if I didnt I would "kill the patient". WRONG! I kept three people alive because I refused the flight.... and it was the driver or the parents who killed the kid.

It isn't easy to refuse a flight, but it is what one MUST do.

For the record, I often looked for ways to make a Safe and Prudent flight be Legal. I knew the regs and worked them to the limit, but Safety was never an option.

This isn't war. I am not bringing home the body of a fallen comrade. Our patients are people who may die if we cannot bring them to a suitable facility. Work hard to save them, but DO NOT KILL anyone else doing it.

The first order in medicine is Primum non nocere translated Do No Harm. Killing healthy people is doing harm. Bust your butt to save folks, but first DO NO HARM.