Whats It Going To Take

[Heli Ops]

412Driver - Kudos to your school. They are the exception, not the norm. No doubt I will cop some flack for the following statement but I have found that the main culprits of this are primarily in the USA and Australia, with NZ in third place and Canada in last place (Thats a good thing).

 

I know for a fact that Heli Adventures in FL is sold out until the end of the year and cant take any more students till then. Now with a fleet of 30 or so helos, imagine how many students that means between now and the end of the year. Thats no offence to Pat Corr and his team, just saying that these students have to be placed somewhere. And this is only one school, add to the equation the hundreds of schools worldwide churning through students and the numbers are mind boggling.

 

Heli Ops

[cobi]

Hi gentleman, I was wondering how many new 100 hours guys are out there every year in Canada....I would say around 250.....

Thank you all.

[windslapper]

I don't mean that we are looking for a way to get around earning our positions.

What I am trying to address is an increasing problem for the operators. Not the age old one of starting out in the game. Many of you have discussed that this is an ever growing problem with your operations (filling the seats with good pilots). The amount of students coming out of the schools does not matter to this. Being an abundance of low time pilots makes it tough for us to find that first position guaranteed and I do agree that some schools give false hopes. This though is a seperate problem from how companies can take someone from a freshly minted pilot to one that they send to a customer with confidence in their abilities and make it financially viable for them in the end.

 

What I am hoping for is finding a sollution for them wherein we can help these companies to help us...... help them! The flying abilities or lack therewith of some of the graduates would be weeded out the same as it always had.

 

I agree with skidz that like he, I am dedicated to this and will succeed and become a valuable asset for a company.

 

 

Just as an aside, I have paid fully for my course, fully for my mountain training and fully for my endorsements. I don't want a handout and am opposed to government funding for training.

I do believe that if they do any funding it should be for the pilots that already possess a chpl or better yet, tax incentives and wage subsities to companies that hire new pilots.

[teabagger]

Hey Cobi

 

Before I started training I researched the industry quite extensively. I saw a stat in a mag that said there were around 350 rw pilots trained in Canada per year. I believe that was a 1999 stat. Since then, more schools have opened and the existing schools have become increasingly more busy. I would bet there are more than 450/yr now.

 

The more interesting stat would be how many 100 hr guys/yr get a job and how many of them actually fly. From what I've seen out here so far my guess would be 100 and 20. Discouraging....yes. Impossible.....Absolutely Not!!!

 

Good Luck

TB

[windslapper]

Here is an interesting page on stats

 

http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/general/...ts/stats005.htm

 

 

It is interesting to notice that in the licence by age category you will see that the number goes progressively lower except for one bump in the 45~49 year old range then back.

This will have some consequences when they retire on mass the future.

[Jay Flight]

Hello all When I was out looking for a school here in the west none out of the 8 that I was told to look at suger coated the out look at all most told me if you don't know anyone expect it to take 3-4 years to get into some good stick time and if you know someone it would be at least a year to get some stick. So my experance was ok in that respect.

 

In the lastest Vertical april/may it has a out look for new helicopter sales on page 12 and it has a out look for 1000 helicopters a year to be sold till 2013... does anyone know what % is comming to Canada?

 

Last week on wed Yellowheads brand new 407 was getting fuel here in town it was cool to see with only transit time from the factory...... so for every new helicopter in canada and if the company didn't loose or sell any old ones how many pilots would be moved up the chain???

 

On the topic of 100 hour guys having a hard time every where you go you have to take a chance..... and anyone not expecting to start at the bottom has no experance out in the real world as I don't know too many companys that would hire a guy and give him a millon dollar company truck??? I took over running a company and for the first 3-4 years I was having to work 7 days a week and the owners only give me 2 weeks off a year as they don't like to cover for me. all around you see guys buying new 1 tonne trucks so whats the differance $50 000 for a truck thats worth 10 000 in 10 years if you are lucky or a dream come true getting into helicopters...priceless... I have a year left with my current contract here in town and then Im off to the races......

[cobi]

thanks for the stats Windslapper.....based on those numbers around 250 newbies per year.....and also is interesting to see how many experienced guys are within the bracket of 60 to 65+ years-young......hang in there boys, your chance will come!

[Helilog56]

Jay Flight.....Kudo's for having such a positive attitude, I can see that with an outlook like yours, you will succeed in any endevour you undertake.... :up:

[Jay Flight]

Thanks helilog56 its nice to have somone giving :up: instead of laughing at me.

I just hope that my love of flying and my experance running a buisness will get me in a place that I enjoy going to work unlike my current place as the onlything keeping me going is my flying ( fixed wing ) 1 hour flying is still cheeper than 1 hour with a shrink and the flying helps alot more , Ive been working at the same place for 15 years for the last 5 I have been running it and I still only get 2 weeks a year off so time for a change...for the better.

[dammyneckhurts]

Before I started my training I researched the industry quite a bit. I sent out about 15 letters to flight schools, met with owners from both charter companies and flight schools, picked the brain of 3 hightimers for about 6 months....There was one very consistant message from all of them....from the pilots and owners anyway..."don't do it!, considered yourself warned and seriously think about what you are getting into"

 

Well, somehow I must have though they were talking to someone else I guess, and I never believed for a second that I wouldn't be able to find a job.

 

Been it it for 14 years now and the only regret I have is that I didnt start sooner!

 

So...for the people thinking on taking the plunge... make sure you have a clear understanding of the insustry, and most important what the lifestyle is all about.

 

DMNH :up: