Any Helicopter Pilots out there?

[AirMarshall]

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!

[Barnstorm]

Do autogyro pilots count? ;)

.

[flyingriki]

AirMarshall, have you found any opportunities to make a living, even a very modest one, for a low time rotary pilot?

[flyrv6180]

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

[rfhotrod]

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,

[Pilotcopper]

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....

[Bill Greenwood]

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.

[Pilotcopper]

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.

[flyingriki]

AirMarshall, have you found any opportunities to make a living, even a very modest one, for a low time rotary pilot?
Bump....

[Pilotcopper]

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...

[Hal Bryan]

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

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!

[AirMarshall]

Do autogyro pilots count? ;). Sure, we like all whirlybids!

[AirMarshall]

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.