Getting Helo ratings...

[Checks]

original question was referring to IFR ops

 

[NuGuy]

Heyas all,

I did all my helio ratings back in the day as an add on. I was working on just soloing, and the school owner needed a CFII for his operation (I already had the CFII-A), and we worked out a deal.

When I started chasing the ratings seriously, I did a rotor PVT-add on to my commerical certificate, because then you could continue your training, and still log it as PIC. If you are going to do whole route, it makes sense to do it, especially in the R-22, where you need the PIC time (although I did my ratings back before the SFAR).

As for the R-22...most of my time is in them. It flys great, and you can almost control the thing with brain waves alone, and most of the ones I flew didn't have the new fangled electronic throttle governor (although we had an IFR ship with a "governor", it was more of an autothrottle). However, that being said, you HAVE to pay attention, both to yourself and what your student was doing. There was NO time for dozing off.

Like the fixed wing world, if you are going to get the time, more than likely, you will have to instruct. Lots of schools have R-22s, and it is the more restrictive, experience wise, to be qualified in. So it makes sense to train in them and get the time. Transitioning to the 300 or other helios will be a snap (5 hours required), but will be very difficult the other way around without spending $$$ on building time in the -22. Don't forget some of the time counts towards the SFAR for the -44 as well.

The multi time equivilent in the fling wing world is turbine time. If you are shooting for a career, you want to hook up with a place that has opportunity for you to get turbine time down the road. Back in the day, 1000 hours plus around 100 hours turbine time was the key.

While I wound up doing the airline thing, the heilo time opened a lot of doors for me. The place where I logged the most multi time (as a MEI) hired me ONLY because I was dual rated, and they had a helio program. I was able to trade off that fact into a guarantee of multi students, and this was at a time where the industry was in the crapper (1991) and time was a real biatch to come by.

I watched the chopper only guys work their career, and it was a tough road, with no clearly defined path. Some did the PHI (oil rigs) thing, some others did charter, some went the police academy route but it was really hit or miss and a VERY long road with networking as critical as it is in the corporate side of things.

In the end, I wound up doing fairly well. I got enough time to get my rotor ATP, and have a neat R-22 type rating to go with it. At the time, the regs said that if you needed an ATP for a helicopter operation (say, scheduled airline), you had to be type rated in the helicopter, despite it's weight. So, whatever helicopter you did your ATP in, you got typed in that chopper. That reg has since been changed, but I still have the type.

Do it because you think it's a neat thing to do, but don't do it for the $$$. Be prepared to spend a airplane's worth of cash. The other thing to remember is if you have 500 hours airplane and 500 hours helicopter, you are really just a 500 hour pilot to those who are hiring you.

I recently looked into getting re-qualed in the -22. Even when I did my ratings, places were pretty few and far between that would rent you an R-22 for anything other than training, and the ones that did made you take a check-ride with a CFI every 30 days or so. I finally found a place but the guy I wound up scheduled with no-showed me, and the place really could have cared less.

Nu

 

[FracCapt]

original question was referring to IFR ops

You're right. Too much beer, too little thought process that night.

 

[cubflyr]

That only applies to IFR. Many helo operators are VFR only. The tour operators at Vegas/Grand Canyon, for example.

Auto-pilots are required when the helicopter is SINGLE PILOT IFR certified. For example, our 222A's, B and we have a 206LIII IFR certified only because it does have an auto-pilot. And yes they are freakin expensive, but are not as complicated as you might think, considering most autopilots do not include the collective in the system, only REALLY high priced aircraft have that and that is usually because it is military.

 

[Checks]

I used to fly freight in airplanes and flew some low RVR approaches that at the bottom had me on pins and needles. In a helicopter I have shot a couple of 1200 RVR ILS's and it was easy as pie. Everything happens so much slower at 70KIAS.
Helicopter IFR is awesome!

 

[Mason]

Here's an option that I haven't seen mentioned yet. I added on Helo ratings after getting all of my fixed wing ratings but instead of getting a PVT helo rating, I got a recreational helo rating which allowed me to build the 50hr PIC requirement for the Commercial much faster. I skipped the private checkride all together. After it was all said and done, I had the Comm, Inst, CFI, CFII with less than 100hrs in helicopters. Of course this was in a 300CB which affects the time requirement as well. Just a thought

 

[Birdstrike]

Sure there are more jobs but the pay and benefits will never be anything like you can make flying fixed wing. If you arent a military trained helo pilot I would STRONGLY advise against getting your helicopter ratings in hopes of getting a job.

This appears to be changing. As little as 2-3 years ago, Robbie pilots had a nasty time breaking in. It seems to me like the reistance is slowly starting to come down, especially with the Gulf operators. For example, believe PHI has and will continue to selectively hire new pilots with only 1000 PIC hrs of Robbie time. This was unheard of a few years ago. There is hope if you can swing the training/instructing bucks.

 

[Checks]

It is still a risk verse future benefit question. Spend 50K to be a helicopter pilot or spend 35K to be a fixed wing pilot. Compare the career tracks. For me, as a military trained pilot, it was the right choice because my training costs/time was ZERO. Not true for the civilian guy.

 

[Birdstrike]

Noted. But because even the worst day in a helicopter is better than the best day in a fixed-wing, if you build it, they will come.

 

[nosehair]

For me, as a military trained pilot, it was the right choice because my training costs/time was ZERO.

Not true, Cheecks, you've given your Life for that training.