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Helicopter AddOn

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Sawmill

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Posts
304
What could I expect a Helo Add on rating to cost? I know already it depends on how much training I would need but assume typical/average costs.
Thanks
 
plan on spending north of 12K for commercial add-on

Wow ... that's steep. Ten hours in an R22 was about the most fun and the biggest challenge (by far) I have ever had in the air, and I've always sorta' had a notion that one day I'd go back to RW and finish up. It still boggles my mind that RW jobs pay, on average, less than FW. Seemed ten times harder than flying FW to me. About twice as dangerous, too, or so it seemed way back then.

Still ... it was really a blast. :beer:
 
I agree with most of what you said. I don't understand why the job doesn't pay more. If it did, I would have gone back to flying them again.

50k for starters with Air Methods and some others in the mid to high 50's (58k to be exact) along with lousy benefits both on the job and off, is enough to keep me away from them after retirement from the military.

Sad really, they are a blast to fly and it is a job I would like to have but not for the cut in pay I would have to take inorder to go back to flying them.
 
I am thinking about adding it on as well. Two of my buddies I fly Gulfstreams with are Helo CFIs. One flys News, the other flys rescue jumpers durring boat races. I'e logged a lot of time with both of them, but now I really want to buckle down and actually get rated. How long do you guys think it would take to get up to check-ride status?

Additionally, I thought the guys in the middle on no where Texas flying to the oil rigs make $100K? Thanks
 
I am thinking about adding it on as well. Two of my buddies I fly Gulfstreams with are Helo CFIs. One flys News, the other flys rescue jumpers durring boat races. I'e logged a lot of time with both of them, but now I really want to buckle down and actually get rated. How long do you guys think it would take to get up to check-ride status?

Additionally, I thought the guys in the middle on no where Texas flying to the oil rigs make $100K? Thanks

$100K? Well, maybe, but that's at the top of the pay scale - a 30 YEAR pay scale. Starting pay is in the neighborhood of $55K a year. And you'll more likely be middle of nowhere Lousyana. Look up Galliano, Port Fourchon and Boothville, that's the likely places you'll be - most Texas bases are small and it's based on seniority to bid the base IF a job comes open there. I was lucky enough to work in Galveston for awhile, but most of my time was spent in SE Lousyana.

When I was teaching helos years ago I taught an accelerated commercial add-on course that took 14 days. 95% of the guys coming through had no problem getting it done in that amount of time and I even had a couple do it in 12 or 13 days. Granted, you aren't doing anything else besides eating and sleeping a few hours a day. The instrument add-on is a min. of 15 hours and should only take 4-5 days for an instrument proficient fixed winger and ambitious instructor. Most of the Gulf companies will do your ATP as part of one of your 135 checks as that is not a requirement for the operation, but many of the oil companies (Shell) is requiring that the pilots on their contracts do have it.
 
Sorry, but I think I can do it for less then $5,000.....

My friend, a private pilot with 120 hours total in airplanes did it thru gyroplane in 25 hours gyro commercial (when he had total of 150 hours), then 10 hours in R22 and commercial checkride.... simple.....
 
Took me 2 weeks and $9100, including the 141 "checkride". Wasn't too bad at all considering.
 

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