Jump to content

100hr Wonders


Recommended Posts

So I guess my true question is .... WHY should someone take a career as a helicopter pilot over a career as say a miner ?? Why take a job where you have to work a month straight of 16 hour shifts with maybe 1 day off , over a job where you work 10hrs shifts .. 4 on ,3 off . Why take a job where you just paid $65 000 and are mopping floors , over a job that you dished out $2500 and are working with machines that you went to school for?

 

To answer these questions from your first post:

 

Why choose helicopters over the mines?

Why works long stints when you could work shorter days for more pay?

Why pay $50K+ for a licence that'll initially let you just work ground crew duties?

 

The answer is because you want to.

 

Doctors start off as interns, lawyers do articling, engineers first are apprentices. You will first work the fuel hose, the weedeater and paintbrush. You'll bleed a little and cuss a lot. And oddly enough... you'll probably find you like doing it. It really not all that bad most of the time.

 

Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 89
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

Doing ground work is just like boot camp. Why do you think that soldiers have to go through rigorus traing at boot camp for? Its for you to survive in the battlefield. Such as ground work in the heli industry helps a young inexperienced 100 hr pilot to survive in this industry. These are things that cannot be completley taught at a flight school. When I was looking at resumes I was looking what more that a low timer could offer the company, such as other skills other than flying.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got a question (I can hear you all saying Yaaaaay).

 

It's in regards to the previous post. I've been working at Wal-Mart for the last few years and I need to get out of there to make (way) better money. That's a whole other story. In the meantime..

 

What would you operators prefer to see on a resume other then "Wal-Mart, Subway"? Sure I have excellent customer service, but that only goes so far.

 

I'm living in Canada, Ont. Near Toronto. Which licenses could I pick up around that area that would (help) get me my first job? I've been First Aid trained. I'll be looking in Alberta and B.C. for that first job as probably most do. So anything up there that is concidered an asset or required.

 

Thanks guys and gals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been reading this thread with interest. I'm one of the poor buggers that had to do it old school and put up with a lot of crap to get going. I didn't enjoy it and I don't think anyone should have to put up with the out and out abuse I had to. Having said that:

 

1. An operator seeing 8 people with bare licenses has no way of knowing which one will make the type of employee he is looking for. So they pick someone they have a good feel for and puts them to work around the hangar and observe. If you happen to be one of those lucky few do all things at work as though the chief pilot was standing right behind you... because he is.

 

2. If you are on the security side of the fence working you are half way there.

 

3. As to why you would want to fly I went through a lot of things in my head such as observing the world from the top of a mountain and smelling the air in a place that has no other humans within 100 miles of your crew. But there was a pilot that wrote a poem years ago that says it all:

 

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,

I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew -

And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod

The high untresspassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

 

Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee

No 412 squadron, RCAF

Killed 11 December 1941

 

Thats it. If that don't float yer boat pick a different career. Flyin ain't for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I need a hookup at wal-mart,The greater, i figure it would be the greatest job to have on the time off,(maybe even full time) what could be better equal opertnity employer, and the MILFS! now thats clean livin!

 

LOL. God I hope your joking. If not, let me enlighten you. Wal-Mart is not the greatest place to work. It can be good for the first little bit, but depending on where it's located and your fellow associates it can be a real pain in the *** after awhile. When you say "greater" I'm assuming you mean a greeter job? That's actually the worst. It's the lowest paid of all of them. Electronics, now that's where it's at! :punk:

 

I enjoyed working there until people started not to care. Ranting over.

 

HeliFly, other things well worth having for the 100 hour fella heading west are WHMIS, TDG, H2S Alive (a must for Alberta) and maybe a class 4 driver's licence.

 

Thank-you Ryan. I've heard of few of those mentioned through these forums. I was unsure what a "Class 4 driver's license" was so I found out and the definition I found is as follows "Class 4: This permit allows the operator to drive a taxi, ambulance, or bus with seats for up to 24 passengers. Minimum learning or licensing age is 18. " My question is why would someone need this? I'm not driving a taxi, ambulance, nor a bus. And would I have to take that course/test in Alberta along with H2S Alive or do you know if there offered elsewhere?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The class 4 licence isn't a must have. Only time you need this is if the company picks up passengers from hotels, airports, etc in a company vehicle to take to the heliport/base.

 

As for the H2S Alive it can be a hard course to find locally. I looked into it and there just happened to be a guy doing it at the community college that month. You'll have to do some digging thru Google to find someone near you I guess. If you can't find it near you, find somewhere in Alberta that does it and book youself a seat and make it part of your road trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was unsure what a "Class 4 driver's license" was so I found out and the definition I found is as follows "Class 4: This permit allows the operator to drive a taxi, ambulance, or bus with seats for up to 24 passengers. Minimum learning or licensing age is 18. " My question is why would someone need this? I'm not driving a taxi, ambulance, nor a bus.

 

 

 

Taxi = light, intermediate helicopter (Bell 206, Astar)

Ambulance = twin engine medivac helicopter (BK 117, S-76)

Bus 24 passenger = heavy (S-61, 234 Chinook helicopter)

 

Wouldn't a commercial pilot licence suffice?????? :blink: :shock:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...