What to know before you start

The truth is it is hard to get a job flying helicopters and when I say hard, I mean VERY hard to get a job flying helicopters. Hopefully 80% of you have stopped reading this and are looking for an easier career path.

The reason I said 80% is because only about 20% of the people that get a licence actually ever get a job flying helicopters. That should get rid of the other 10% and now the 10% of you who are still reading have some idea what you are getting into.

Don't only talk to the flight schools.

I have been teaching people to fly helicopters off and on for 20 years and I am still amazed at the lack of research and thought some people put into such a large investment. If you have not talked to at least 5 helicopter companies about your job prospects you need to do some research.

Once you have talked with a few prospective employers about your chances of getting a job and are still convinced that becoming a helicopter pilot is what you want to do with your life. Call those companies back and get the numbers of a few pilots and talk with them about the job a little.

Have a listen to the stories about living in camp, being away from home for weeks maybe months at a time, never really having a set time off schedule and all the general crap you have to deal with as a pilot.

That should get rid of about 5% more, now for the rest of you still with me I have a little secret, flying a helicopter is a great job. My daughter asked me once what I would be if I wasn’t a helicopter pilot and I did not have an answer, after years of flying I can’t imagine what I would do If I was not flying.

Everyone I talk to about becoming a pilot before I started my training tried to talk me out of it. Getting a flying job back in 1989 was very hard, it was hard for my students to get jobs in 1999 and 2009 and it will still be hard to get a job in 2019. Funny thing about good jobs, they are hard to get. I really wanted a flying job when I got my licence and I worked very hard at getting one, just like every other helicopter pilot that is flying today. As I tell all prospective students getting a licence is easy, it's getting a job that requires all the hard work. I also tell them that you really aren't a commercial pilot until you are getting paid to go flying.

Think about that for a second, someone is paying you to do something that you used to pay thousands of dollars to do. Now that's a great job.

I saw an interview once with Jon Bon Jovi when asked about being a rock star he said "it was a great job if you can get it”. Rock Star looks like it is a better job than being a pilot. But flying it is still a great job, "if you can get it".