Simon,

I know nothing about flying helicopters in the UK but I have a little
insight to the US side of things.

You have several obstacles to over come before you can begin to make a
mediocre living as a helicopter pilot.

First you have to pay for all your training up to at least Commercial. Of
course anything over that makes you look better on your resume thus more
employable, but there are some companies that wont even consider you unless
you have a least an instrument or even an ATP.

After you've accumulated the necessary certificates, now you have the
problem of not enough hours. The requirements seem to change as much as the
seasons, and currently it's all over the board from 1000 minimum, up to as
much as 2500 being the average. Some places require even more than this.

Now suppose you have been flight instructing and have 1500 hours or so, most
places want you to have previous turbine time. There are a few exceptions
but for the most part those places seem to be in Alaska. Are you willing to
go there?

Then there's the old saying about low time (and some high time) helicopter
pilots. If you want to fly helicopters, then you don't have a personal
life. If you want a personal life, then forget about flying helicopters.
Are you willing to give this up? Of course this statement is more so true
to people who work for companies that do contract work and are constantly
moving with the contracts. There are many helicopter jobs out there where
you work a some what normal schedule with some what normal days off.

A lot of your success will be a direct result of how much of your personal
life you're willing to give up. Certainly the easiest way to get the
necessary hours is to go the CFI route but it's not the only way. It will
not be easy and it will not be cheap and when you've got several thousand
hours, you're still not going to get rich, but you will have one of the best
jobs in the world.

There's nothing like pulling pitch for breakfast.

PJ

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Here's to the duck who swam a lake and never lost a feather,
May sometime another year, we all be back together.
JJW
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