Corporate Helicopter

[banned username 2]

Curious, what are normal requirements for Corporate Helicopter positions? Such as a shuttle from NYC to an outlying airport. If the time requirements are high, how do most helicopter pilots get the time (with limited jobs out there)?

Most helicopter guys I have met have been ex-Army types... There sure aren't a lot of Helicopter jobs out there.. very limited field...

 

[Anaconda]

in most cases a guy probably wouldn't accumulate enough hours to qualify for one of the really good corporate helo jobs flying for the army. i've seen guys retire with 20 yrs that barely break the 2500 hr mark. like other jobs, a lot of helo drivers pay their dues in a lower-paying job, offshore flying in a lot of cases. then when they have enough time they move up to a more "glamorous" job such as EMS or corporate.

i don't know what the specific requirements are, but a lot of the high-end jobs i've seen have very steep requirements, in excess of 3000 hrs with the bulk of it PIC and time in type.

like any good corporate job, who you know factors in the equation quite a bit i'm sure...

 

[Otter]

Anaconda is right on the money. Time requirements are typically high, with a preference for at least one lunar landing. Instrument ticket is a must, ATP preffered, and dual qualified wont hurt you. I believe the real contenders for those jobs are rotor pilots with a good bit of time in the gulf or with IFR EMS experience behind them. just my opinion, that and $.50 cents will get you a local phone call.

 

[2000flyer]

A good buddy of mine rose through the helo ranks with no military experience. It was several years of flight instructing and he spent six or seven summers flying tourists and forestry passengers in southeast Alaska to build his turbine experience.

That took roughly 8-10 years before he got an EMS job. Now he's been able to transfer within the company to different locations, be it for better pay, QOL, location, etc. Last time I talked to him he was flying the EC135 and loving every minute of it.

2000Flyer

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

I know several ex-Army types flying helos for a living now at several different kinds of jobs. There are 4 TV stations in ATL that have rotors and 3 of the 4 are ex Army types. Most flew OH 58's in the Army and now fly Jet or Long Rangers. There not getting rich flying helos either.

 

[2000flyer]

Most EMS helo guys I know or have talked to say its one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs they've ever had or ever wanted. Sometimes, money isn't everything!

2000Flyer

 

[FracPilot]

Helo time

Curious, what are normal requirements for Corporate Helicopter positions?

Generally the requirements are fairly high. I have seen many corporate helo jobs that reqiure 3500-5000 hours of helo time, the majority of it turbine PIC, and normally they require a minimum of 500 in type.

I took a job many years ago at a company that had a Citation and a Bell Jetranger. I was hired as a Citation Captain, and the First Officer was an ex Army Apache driver. I had a commercial helo rating, 80 hours of helo time, but had not flown helo in several years. I was sent to school on the Jetranger, and then flew it with the other pilot for the first 100 hours(which took about 10 months). I was then considered PIC qualified in the helo as well - with only 200 hours of helo time. This was certainly a very rare case. Our flying was not in a demanding area such as NYC, but rather it was in mostly in fairly remote areas that were almost always VFR.

 

[Pistlpetet]

I just got out of the Army and am going to start looking for a job in the NYC area. I have a friend in Corporate aviation who gave my resume to a Helo guru he knows, and he assured me that he could find me a job flying helos here if I wanted. I have 2400TT, 1700 Helo, 500 ME Helo, Com Inst Helo, FW ATP. I have seen a few jobs advertised for Helo FO's where the time requirements were very low. One was 500hrs TT helo for a Bell 430 FO job. PM me, and I will let you know what I find once I have my "Get a Job' game face on up here.

I have friends flying EMS who do not have that many hours... <2000. They don't seem to start off making as much as the guys flying in the GULF, and do not get much flight time. Is not a place to be if you are desparate build up your TT, but they are flying a twin turbine A/C, and doing a lot of chilling in an office.

Offshore guys with Airlog now start at 51K for two weeks of work a month.

Also the Army is desperate for primary instructors, and their civilian contractor has actually hired civilian guys (never in the military) with only 500TT helo. Scary but true.

 

[airmedplt]

FC

Time requirments depends on what the owner or operator wants. This in turn deals with what he/she is willing to pay for insurance. Time requirments run between 500 to 3000TT depending on the operator, type of equipment, and position (PIC or FO). Most decent corporate PIC positions demand 2000 to 2500. EMS I have seen 1500 to 3000 for PIC requirments. Just depends on the operator and equipment. I fly a SPIFR BH230 EMS (did I mention its a glass cockpit) operation and we require 3000 TT with 2000 TT helo and 200 Instrument. Im the youngest of the four pilots (4 yrs with the company) and salary for me is in the upper 50's. One thing I did forget to mention is that most larger corportate departments want an Helo ATP rating also. Hope this answers your hour requirment quesiton.

GJ

 

[Anaconda]

Pistlpetet

just curious, where and what type of operation was the bell 430 f/o job?