GIS Careers by ESRI: Helicopter Pilot - A Day in the Life

[helobelow]

@ S Marley...I guess you could do absolutely nothing and still the economy could tank, how is what you have to say constructive? if you want to be a pilot you'll be positive and do what ever it takes to achieve your goal or goals. i didnt say it was easy, I was givin the kid with nothing options.

[ExtremeRecluse]

their is no demand for helicopter pilots. I got out of the army with 2200 hours. I talked to helicopter charter service when discharged and he said I would be on call 24/7 and start out at 21,000. You have got to be kidding. I just went to the USPS and started out at 27,000 and am making 62,000 now. I love to fly, but I am not a fool. That is why you see accidents in commercial aircraft. No experience and fatigue after moon lighting at Walmart.

[strangemarley]

@ExtremeRecluse go to Alaska, they are paying up there, by the way, how long were you flying in the army? were you a warrant officer? how many hours did you average per year/ deployment? the reason I ask is I have my WOFT board this month.

[ExtremeRecluse]

@strangemarley I entered the Army as a warrant officer candidate at Ft Rucker, AL. Most of my flight time was in Medevac. I got out in 96. I spent at least 10 months out of the year deployed all over the place. Being married made it very difficult. As a single person, it is a dream job. I averaged around 225 hours per year. Good Luck with your board!! I am sure you will do fine. By the way; one of my classmates in flight school was a bush pilot in Alaska with 5000 hours. It was a breeze for him!

[ELX222]

awesome video, looks like a great unit

[kruzzaboy]

k so for co-operative ed. at my school i wanted to co-op somewhere were i coudl see what its liek to be a heli pilot and the stupid fag told me i couldnt cuz thats not a job so he pt me as a fricken aviation mechanic. so i was wondering is heli pilot actually a job and what is required to become one? like for schooling.

[strangemarley]

@kruzzaboy Lots of time and sacrifice

[madfury]

If I had money...

[dmo224]

if it's something you really want you can do it. There are scholarships out there and once you get your CFI suddenly you start making money each time you fly!

[helobelow]

UVU along with FASFA can get you through getting your ratings from Student,PPL,CPL,IFR,CFI,and CFII. There are other universities that offer programs and loans to get your ratings. call a helicopter school and see what they can offer you. Federal loans are really the way to go and you end up with a degree to boot!

[strangemarley]

@helobelow that is until the loans come due and the economy tanks, then you end up out of work with big student loan payments