Q: What can a Commercial Helicopter Pilot Licence holder expect to earn?

studentpilot wrote:

Someone with a bare commercial licence usually has to pay to get work.
Most of the big training organizations are churning out keen people who
will work for nothing. Vitually nobody will employ a bare comm. In days
gone by mustering used to be the way to log a few hours, now most think
you have to have a degree in cows (Jackaroo or something similar). If
you do snag a job mustering, expect to work big hours in crap
conditions (or rustic rural life, don't expect to get fat). There are
heaps of operators out there who just want cheap labour.

The only resonable paid employment is aeromedical or Gov. type jobs.
These only employ folks with a few hours 3000+, and still don't get big
$, and while there are blokes coming out of the military, they don't
hire many from GA.

The other work is firetime, around 5 months work 1 year in 4, Then the
rest of the time wash cars and serve hamburgers. Fixedwing is probebly
worse, with more young people traveling the country looking for work.
There are people working for $200 a week and doing 60 hours and 7 days,
just to get time. With the domestic Airlines going backwards and GA
stagnating there won't be any hope for the next 20 years.

Sounds rather pessimistic but thats life in GA .


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studentpilot
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I dont think of it being all that bad. I between me and my daugter we
will be spending $65,000 US over the next 4 years to send my daughter to
Collage. In those 4 years she will be making zero or minimal. With about
$50,000 US, within one year, you could be instructing in a helicopter
for about $20/billed hour or about $8/equivalent working hour. That
leaves you with 3 years of working (or should I call it continued
education) with $8/hour over the collage student. Choose your carear wisely.

John Roncallo