Ratio Of Licensed To Employed

[RotoNutz]

Sorry, got hammered last night and misread your post.

 

Rotonutz, what's your background to be able to make a comment like that?

 

H (sober)

 

My background if you must know is working as a mechanic (Boats, trucks, cars and heavy machinery not aviation) for about 10 years before I started flying. I worked 49 weeks a year and earnt about half or less of what I do now (Flying) for about twice the work. I only have to think back to lying under an old truck covered in grease and oil trying to pull a gearbox or diff out and it reminds me how lucky I am to be doing what I do now and get paid for it.

I have many friends that went off to university and got thier fancy degrees and now they work every week waiting for thier annual 3 week holidays to come around and they still dont earn what I get and I'm pretty sure I'm not even close to what the top earning pilots are getting.

Im sure there is a tonne of people out there that would gladly trade in there office chair for a chance to do what we do and I wouldnt mind betting they would after a couple of years earn more than they were pushing a pen.

I was talking to a Logging pilot last year who was complaining about having only earnt 140 g for his 5 months of work the previous year. Im sure if he told someone else out of aviation that, they wouldnt be offering him a tissue to wipe the tears from his eyes.

Not trying to start anything I just love what I do (almost to the point where I dont really see it as work) and to get paid what I do is a bonus.

[Heliman2]

My background if you must know is working as a mechanic (Boats, trucks, cars and heavy machinery not aviation) for about 10 years before I started flying. I worked 49 weeks a year and earnt about half or less of what I do now (Flying) for about twice the work. I only have to think back to lying under an old truck covered in grease and oil trying to pull a gearbox or diff out and it reminds me how lucky I am to be doing what I do now and get paid for it.

I have many friends that went off to university and got thier fancy degrees and now they work every week waiting for thier annual 3 week holidays to come around and they still dont earn what I get and I'm pretty sure I'm not even close to what the top earning pilots are getting.

Im sure there is a tonne of people out there that would gladly trade in there office chair for a chance to do what we do and I wouldnt mind betting they would after a couple of years earn more than they were pushing a pen.

I was talking to a Logging pilot last year who was complaining about having only earnt 140 g for his 5 months of work the previous year. Im sure if he told someone else out of aviation that, they wouldnt be offering him a tissue to wipe the tears from his eyes.

Not trying to start anything I just love what I do (almost to the point where I dont really see it as work) and to get paid what I do is a bonus.

 

 

I'll have to agre with you there. I am an engineer that was licensed in 91. I have my A & P as well so I spent the next 15 years travelling throughout the US and Canadauntil on April Fools Day of 2005 I was in a truck accident while on a job (driver fell asleep and I was sleeping at the time. The accident took one life and 4 of us made it. I spent the next 8 months off recouping and entered another industry. Desk job which I have done for the past 2 years. This summer my arm is well enough to return to the job I love. Without a degree in the oilfield or having your own booming business of some sort it is hard to make the money we make in the helicopter industry. I have the opportunity to stay out of aviation if I want but it's in my blood and I am looking forward to getting out again. Most jobs like the one I have right now you only get 2 days off at a time and otherwise you have to wait for your 2-3 weeks of holidays to be able to get away from work. It sucks... Most people doing tours in the helicopter world end up working from 1/2 to 2/3 of the year. The 2 weeks off between tours actually gives you more quality time to spend with the family or to do things on your own compared to a normal job. It definitely isn't greener on the other side. Helicopters all the way.......

 

P.S. Most of you do more in one tour that most people do all year ... or every..

[Guest Bullet Remington]

Wow thats a bold statement. First off when you are on a tour do you class yourself working 24 hours a day? If so I can understand when you say about "alot less hours". The only time Ive seen people pull long hours is when a machine breaks down and there is an urgency to get it flying. How many people do you know that are not in aviation that have a schedule like most aviation companys with for example 2 on 2 off or 3 on 3 off. Hmm according to my calculations that means you actually have half the year off and that doesnt include your holidays. Alot of people I know outside of aviation work 5-6 days a week, 8 - 12 hrs a day for 48 odd weeks of the year and they earn nothing like the money that is earned wrenching or flying helicopters.

You must either be in the wrong job or have some very succcesful friends and coleagues that you are comparing yourself against.

Maybe if you worked for 48 weeks then you would earn much more coin and then be able to say alot less hours.

 

No, not a bold statement at all. My statement is based upon 30 plus year in this racket as a Plank Driver and a wrench bender!

 

I've seen a lot of engineers pull alot of hours and NOT just when the machine was down, either. 'We spend alot of time fixing bag runners, refueling pumps, trucks, trailers and every freakin thing else you can imagine, including the drivers truck! So from my point of view (engineer) I put in alot of hours. Now I don't see the point in comparing what i do to what drivers do, nor the hours they put in. Don't mean a freakin thing to me anyway!

 

As for the hours that people outside of aviation make, I don't give a flyin fugg about that. But now that you mention it, here's a quick note for ya: A vacuum truck/water truck driver working the oil field, amkes $400.00 to $600.00 a day. Whether he actually moves the truck or not!

 

A medium endorsed engineer makes???

 

So to rattle on about how great the pay is in this business, is pure Bull Puckie!

 

The pay sucks, and that's why there aqre 3,000 less licensed engineers in the business THIS year as compared to LASt year. And That is why there will be even less engineers in the business next year.

 

Until I'm getting $450.00 per day, plus..., I ain't picking uo a wrench for anybody! And certanly not in the bush!

 

My recommendations is to keep an eye on the figures, and watch as the operators SLOWLy get it! The operative word is SLOWLY!

 

If you think you're getting great money for what you do, have fun!! But do come back and talk to me when you have 20 years under your belt!!

 

Cheers

 

BR