Helicopter Pilot Jobs - Search the Data Base For More Listings.Helicopter Pilot Jobs
"The helicopter sector is similar, in many respects, to the fixed-wing pilot market. Low-time pilots may have to struggle for a few years to get experience before getting a job flying larger and more complex machinery. The cost of obtaining a commercial helicopter pilot licence will be between $45K and $55K. Better helicopter schools will include a 10 hour turbine type endorsement in their training package. Looking for a helicopter school is similar to the fixed-wing. Experience and reputation count and price is secondary. A few of the more progressive schools are offering seasonal employment for some graduates. Helicopter Airlines, being the top pilot career level, have the best pay and work conditions. Pilots must have at least 4000 hours of flight experience and hold an instrument rating before they will be considered for this type of work. There are very few helicopter airline positions in Canada. An alternative to airlines is urban work such as medevac and police operations that are becoming more common as Canada’s urban centers continue to grow.
Natural Resource support is the largest area of helicopter activity. Logging, wildlife management, mining and exploration make the best use of the helicopter’s ability to land almost anywhere. Most helicopter pilot jobs start out on a light helicopter such as the Robinson R22 or R44 as well as the Bell Jet Ranger turbine. With experience, pilots can move up to intermediate machines such as the Astar 350 or the new EC series machines. Medium and large helicopters will offer the best hourly pay but require the most experienced pilots. Natural resource work is often seasonal and many pilots will only work for part of the year, based out of camps or smaller communities. During that time they will fly long hours up to the maximum allowed by the Canadian Air Regulations. In a few short months these pilots can make a healthy sum of money that will carry them through to the next season.
Unlike fixed-wing, helicopter Flight Instructors require a minimum of 250 hours of actual experience before they can start the instructor-training program. This severely reduces the number of instructors available. The good news is helicopter instruction pay is more than two to three times the hourly rate for similarly experienced fixed-wing instructors. Typical Career Path for helicopter pilot jobs: Obtain Commercial License and Turbine Endorsement >Light Helicopter >Intermediate or Medium Helicopter bush flying or Flight Instruction >Medium Helicopter Heli-skiing or heli-logging >Obtain Instrument qualification >Co-pilot in Airline or Commuter or Large helicopter Heli-logging or construction >Helicopter Airline, Corporate or Urban support Note - Military flight experience can allow pilots to enter the industry at the Intermediate or Medium level or Large Helicopters for Sea King pilots." (Aviation.ca, 2007)
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