Printable View
Hello, All!
Any helicopter pilots out there who'd like to share experiences & advice, I'd love to hear it, no matter where you're at in your journey.
I'm an Instrument-Rated Heli pilot just finishing Commercial & CFI, and you know how it is...the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know!
Fly safe & keep the shiny side up!
Do autogyro pilots count? ;)
.
AirMarshall, have you found any opportunities to make a living, even a very modest one, for a low time rotary pilot?
Yeah I have a 1962 BrantlyB2A that I,ve owned a few years. I received my private and commercial rotorcraft rating in it. I also have an RV-6 that I built 16 years ago. Love'm both. You cansee the Brantly fly on youtube. Type in "Brantly Experience.
Lynn Gooch
Hi every one, I have a R44; 1300hr Commercial pilot, flew my R44 to Oshkosh from Cleveland area for my first time to Oshkosh, will do it again next year. Do a lot of flying for business, long distances. if your ever in the area, my helipad is always open OA21 , view it on airnav.com,
Howdy. Lou here. I fly an MD500 for a police dept in suburban ATL. I was a 400 hour fixed wing private pilot and a street cop before my dept taught me to fly the chopper. I've been flying, mostly on the night shift, for 4 years now. Having a blast and probably the luckiest guy I know. Living the dream....
Pilotcopper, is the Dunkin Donuts parking lot large enough to land in ?
Two quick heli stories:
I am not a heli pilot myself, only had a couple of rides, really enjoyed the one at EAA over the show, too short however.
A good friend, Betty Pfister, who just passed away at 90, was a WASP , and flew most everything cool back then, T-6, P-39( she owned and donate the one in Smithsonian) B-25, B-17, C-47. She became a heli pilot an really liked them, her last plane ride was in one. A great lady.
There is a local Denver charity that raises money for cancer research for kids, The Morgan Adams foundation. There are many items donated to sell to raise funds, from a John Elway jersey to a week in Paris ( the big one, not the Texas one) and one of the most popular ones is the right along flight in the Denver police helicopter on night patrols.
Hey Bill,We fly the civvie version of a little bird, so any parking lot with 3 or more open spaces will work.Thanks for the stories, love to hear 'em. I took the bell 47 ride over Oshkosh myself several years ago, very short, but what a view!I had the opportunity to ride along with LAPD on the night shift back in '08, and it was unforgettable.
Bump....Quote:
Originally Posted by flyingriki
Find a Law Enforcement organization that has an air unit, and join. Work the road for awhile, then transfer. At LAPD, you work the road for 5 years, but then you fly an A-Star every day and retire with an ATP and 10,000 hours...
Lynn - I finally took a few minutes and watched the video, fantastic! I've never even seen a Brantly - what a great-looking, classic machine! Shades of You Only Live Twice...! Hope to see it in person one day!Quote:
Originally Posted by flyrv6180
Sure, we like all whirlybids!Quote:
Originally Posted by Barnstorm
How low is low time? It seems that the 1,000+ hour level is still the breakout to really get into the industry, but I've seen 500 & 700 hour CFI positions listed out there, if you're willing to move. Networking is really key, so you can find out from others the opportunities that are available.