Advice please

RickyP

Looking for a bit of advice here. Currently working in Construction Management in Ireland and while acknowledging my luck in still having a job I fear for the medium and realistically the long term prospects of secure employment in this industry. I had always entertained the idea of becoming a commercial pilot when I graduated from college in 2002 but was advised at the time that prospects were not great then.

I recently turned 30 and am giving it some serious consideration. My interest would be to get into commercial helicopter flying, ideally SAR in Ireland, but I accept that this route is only really open to older pilots who have large hours logged and would not really suit someone at the start of their career. Worth noting at this stage that I would be starting from scratch. I have spent some time searching online for info on this but have not really come up with much so decided to seek out advice here. If anyone can advise on the following I would appreciate it:

• Age: at 30, am I too old to pursue this?
• Experience: As I have none, am I wasting my time with this?
• Training: Generic internet searches don’t give much away here. There are many flight schools around but not many offering commercial helicopter training (or so it seems). Is a better route to try to get into a specific training programme with an operator like Bristow, CHC, etc?
• Prospects: Is the North Sea/Aberdeen the only area where there are realistic chances of employment or is the industry there waning?

Thanks.

westdub

Have a read of this.... http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056037405

Heli Services Ireland

Hi Ricky,

Firstly you are not too old - Currently aware of guys in mid forties who started their heli training in last 2 years. Jobs are a bit thin on the ground in Ireland at the moment and only very experienced pilots are working. That said, there is an ever increasing amount of work in the Middle East and other areas, which although they require experienced pilots, if you do your PPL(H) and CPL(H) (You can do also your ATPL exams before you have sufficient flying experience to get an ATPL) you can gain experience and hour build. Depending on your hrs some companies will take you on and train you - they bond you for a few years but it would be worth it for you to get on the ladder.

Training prices vary from school to school around the world - cheapest is not always the best - or the worst. You really need recommendation by word of mouth. It is obviously cheaper and quicker to train in the US - especially when the dollar is weak. The other benefit is that places like Florida have good weather and unlike Ireland your flight training will not be interrupted by bad weather. Inexperienced pilots need good weather until they are well qualified and have gained a lot of experience - even highly qualified pilots are - or should be guided by the MEt forecasts and constantly check updates en route weather etc. NEVER EVER allow a customer, boss or anyone 'persuade' you to fly in marginal or bad weather
too many inexperienced pilots have made this mistake to their detriment.

By doing your training in the States you can get an FAA licence which is usually acceptable to companies in the Middle East. To work in Europe you need a licence from an EU country Ireland - IAA, UK CAA etc. Many Irish pilots also hold an FAA licence - always handy to have but would not be suitable to get flying job in Ireland. The US system offers computerised exams, ( as do many others now) and you can get details of the vast range of questions in each subject from the FAA who produce a range of instructional material. Exams cover MEt, Nav Gen, Human Factors etc etc
You can also get your medical - Class 1 for Commercial Operations - lesser required for PPL.

If you are heading to the States do your medical locally - or alternatively for a PPL you can do it here. Mater Private Aviation medicals are done for Commercial pilots - bit expensive if you are only starting out and you need to get them done every year, or bi-annually if over a certain age.( You are not there yet - don't worry! )

I would encourge you to go ahead and do your training but if you are planning on staying in Ireland it is unlikely that you would gain sufficient experience to be employable here by the time you completed your training and hour building, given the weather and the recession.

Helicopters are ALWAYS in demand somewhere in the world and if you want to travel then its the ideal job for you. Many people train as they go along - whenever they have money, but obviously this is a long-haul way, others join the Aer Corps or similar in another country but the self-funded gives you more freedom and control.
Hope this has been some help - any more questions don't hesitate to ask or check us out on wwwheliservicesireland.com

TW Mr Tayto

What a great answer by heli services!!

http://www.iaa.ie/index.jsp?p=143&n=197#blue

That is a list of FTO (Flight training organizations) approved by the IAA. You can read the opening paragraph, and see the IAA holds the title with esteem.
Currently, I'm learning at skywest. You can find a link to their website (which is currently in a mid-way stage of being updated) by following the previous link. Before I started training I rang around, and this crowd were the most friendly and approachable. I've been to their Cork and Dublin office, and both are well staffed and open. They have their own maintenance firm, so you can be assured the machines are ALWAYS in the best condition.

RickyP

Hi all,

Many thanks for the replies, especially from Heli services. That and the other thread have given me much food for thought...

I need to think long and hard about this one.

Heli Services Ireland

Hi Ricky,

Glad we could be of help. I would also say that in many US flight schools if you do all your training with them, you can often get a job as an ab initio Flight Instructor - subject to doing the Rating - this is a way of building your own hours and getting paid while you do so.

Another way is to fly with an experienced hour builder and share the logged flight time 50/50 so you pay for half the flying but get the hours.

By the time you are trained up there will be a big demand again for heli pilots particularly as all the ex-Vietnam pilots are now retired or retiring. You can fly Public Transport flights under present Regulations until aged 60 and other work - gas, oil etc up to 65 so you have years of earning back far more than you will invest.

PS. We are not a Training Organisation although our pilots are qualified instructors and IAA Examiners, so we are not touting for business.

It's not as tough as people make out. You will know for sure after a few flights but if you are not 'getting it' for the first few hours don't worry, absolutely normal !

Do let us know how you get on and don't hesitate to ask any more questions either on Boards.ie or our Heli Service Ireland facebook site. Best of luck