Helicopter Pilot Jobs: Opportunities And Drawbacks
Pearle Tsuji
Article Word Count : 622
Helicopter pilot jobs can be very rewarding, if you just know where to look for the right opportunities. Here are some facts about this career that you may have not considered just yet.
In the industry, many people know that helicopter pilots would not trade their flying vehicles for anything else. Even if airplane pilots are thought to have a higher status among pilots, helicopter pilots do not come in second, as anyone would be tempted to think. Let's see why these people love their jobs so much.
First things first. There is a shortage of helicopter pilots, so you can get higher chances of being hired as a helicopter pilot. The reasons are very clear. Most helicopter pilots have a background, like fighting in Vietnam, but due to old age or other unfortunate events, they are no longer capable to fill these places in the industry. As a result, there are many vacancies waiting for young pilots to take them on.
The requirements for making it in the industry as a helicopter pilots have been lowered during the last years, also due to the shortage. If, in the past, 3,000 hours of flight were required of any aspiring pilot, nowadays, only 500 hours are needed. Still, even if these conditions are more and more affordable, you will not get to be a marketable pilot, if you do not pay your dues.
Here are some tips on how to do that. First, it won't hurt to have more hours of flight, so you can get on top of other applicants for the job. Second, the vehicle you fly is important as well, so it will pay well if you collect the needed hours while flying reputable aircrafts like Bell, Schweizer, Hughes, Enstrom, or Hiller.
You will also need a lot of preparation, study and other skills to become a helicopter pilot that is sought after by companies.
The best jobs
You may wonder which industries need helicopter pilots. To name a few, aerial photography, offshore oil support, flight instruction, search and rescue services, fire fighting departments, military, electronic news, and many others, are the best known.
There are certain drawbacks associated with this career path. One is the fact that a helicopter pilot will not get to spend too much time at home. Different assignments can take you away for days or even more, so take this aspect into consideration before anything else. Another drawback that is more valid for those flying with the military, is that less hours of flight are collected, which makes for ex-military pilots to find rather difficult to get hired as civilian helicopter pilots.
You cannot just jump head first into this career path. Our advice is to seek for professional advice at other pilots that can share a thing or two about what flying means. You may discover that flight is just not your thing and it is not worth taking a blind chance, like that.
Another drawback is financially related. As said earlier, you will need to gather thousands of hours of flight, before considering getting a better position in the industry. This means that, at first, and when we say that, we think five to ten years, you will get paid less than experienced pilots. So, if you are thinking of a career that will bring you loads of cash right away, you better reconsider your choice.
The competition is fierce and this is a thing that you cannot ignore. But, if you are a seasoned pilot, you can get a chance for a job that will be both rewarding and exciting.
Article Source: EZEDIR.COM
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