Looking for Air Ambulance job!

[Movin' on up!]

I am looking to move up from my current job into an Air Ambulance job. I have 2350 TT and 170 ME. I want to find an SIC position with good upward mobility. Prefer the Northwest area, specifically Spokane WA but will go anywhere in the West. Anybody know any operators looking for pilots? Salt Lake City is also an option since in-laws own a house in the area.

 

[Prof. ATP]

I fly Air Ambulance in the West. We do not use SICs in any of our airplanes (King Air 200 and Cessna 414), and I'm not aware of anyone who does. Your times are a little low for PIC; I think our insurance requires 750 ME for the 414, and I believe that Intermountain Health Care in SLC requires 4000 TT for their KingAirs. A year of flying freight might help a lot!

Good luck.

 

[340drvr]

Check out Southwest Air Ambulance. Sorry, I don't have the link handy. They were looking to fill a spot in Carlsbad,NM this fall, and now another ad for the same gig popped up last week.
They have 414's, that's all I know. Good luck.

 

[moving2vegas]

SWAA

Southwest air ambulance has mins of 2000TT, 500 multi, and an ATP. Every air ambulance operator I know or position I've heard of requires AT LEAST 500 multi and an ATP, competitive times usually closer to 1000+ multi. These are mins and ambulance ops tend to have tons of qualified apps on the desk. Air ambulance work usually has good pay, time off, home every night, solid equipment, quality of life. Leading to .....????if you guessed low turn-over give yourself a gold star. Here's a link to SWAA. Best of luck.

http://www.southwestairambulance.com/

340drvr: when "this fall" are they looking to fill another position? That may work out very good for me.

BTW. I too have yet so see an air ambulance operation that has an SIC program, but I'm blind and can barely see.

 

[340drvr]

Southwest Air Ambulance had a job post sometime around early November for the Carlsbad spot, and now on www.atlasaviation.com they've refreshed that post on 1/28, so perhaps they're still looking. That's all I know about it.
One thing to bear in mind with lifeflight ops in small towns, you don't log much time, some less than 200 hrs/yr. That's a lot of thumb-up-the-*** on call time.
CJ Systems in Pittsburgh used to hire low-time SIC's for their fixed-wing stations, not a bad place to get a foot in the air-stair.
Good luck to all.

 

[Movin' on up!]

Looking for Air Ambulance job

Thanks to all for the replies. I will check out the sites posted. Anybody have any info on Native Air Ambulance? I know many outfits don't require SICs but I thought the trend was to have 2 people on board due to the weather conditions usually found in the west. It seems like Native has mostly turbine singles with 2 crews. I am willing to to fly cargo to build time, however I have found it very hard to get a twin cargo job in Northern California and those jobs in other western states that are available usually don't give me the time of day because I live in another state. ANyway, any suggestions?

 

[IP076]

Dude,

Check Ameriflight, I think I saw they were hiring, you may have to spend some time in the Lance though. If you have some turbine experience, you can check with Empire Air flying a Caravan. Or, I think they hire FOs for the F27s at lower times.

 

[Eldorado]

Hey-

send me a pm and i will get you some informtion on a good company that uses SIC'S for air ambulance!

 

[Movin' on up!]

Looking for Air Ambulance job

Again thanks for the replies. By the way, since I am new to this...so in regards to eldorado, what is a pm? About Amflight, I have had my resume in with them for a while and nothing yet. I had talked to the CP in Oakland and he had said he would look up my resume and call me back in a few days. A week later, I found out that he had unexpectedly passed away a few days after I last talked to him. No luck with the replacement CP. I will try bugging Empire Air a bit since I sent a resume to them a few weeks ago.

 

[moving2vegas]

PM= private message

look for the little pm icon @ the bottom of the thread

 

[Movin' on up!]

Thanks for the help.

 

[aeronautic1]

Hey Jefferson...

Here is the ultimate link to find air ambulance operators throughout the US (foreign pilots stay away). www.pilotshack.com/AirAmbulance.html
Air Ambulance is a dog eat dog business. I flew for a company that has many lears, ce421, Mu2s and they work you like the low time dog that you are. Forget about them paying for upgrade, too. You are on your own at $25k per year. But hey, you can rack up 100 hours a month in the winter flying SIC in lears. I started with 1700 and 600 multi plus a couple hundred lear SIC part 91. Best of luck to you in your career.

"Beat to quarters of your please, Mr. Pullings."

 

[barnyard]

Also try 'western air express' i think they're in SLC...

theyve got an ad on climbto350.com.

-Barn

 

[Movin' on up!]

Lokking for Air Ambulance job!

I have sent my resume to Western Air Express but haven't heard anything yet. I think I scare people off by living in California. They must think I am not willing to move or something. I am wanting to escape CA first chance I get. Hey eldorado, still out there? Will like to hear from you!

 

[Dustin H]

I'd say your best bet is to get some time freight dogging for a few years and put some time and experience under your belt first. That worked for me.

Try Flight Express, they seem to be always hiring.

 

[ACT700]

Hi there,

unfortunately Southwest Air Ambulance requires 2000TT, 500ME, and an ATP.
That is because of CAMTS requirements. They're going through the accreditation process, so they can't hire people with less time than that any more.

Try DMC(Aero Charter). They're a freight outfit out of ABQ, flying 402s and 310s.
Not a great company, but you can go in, get your time up (PIC), and get out!

Good Luck.

 

[JetSpeed219]

Try Aero Air out of Hillsboro, Oregon......they fly commanders and have SIC positions......

 

[Movin' on up!]

Air ambumance job

Thanks for the info JetSpeed219. I will check them out. I am really having a hard time findind anyone who will give me a shot. Many think I will leave after I get some quality time--however, due to some personal convictions, air ambulance is just about all I can focus my career on right now. 121 and 135 jobs are not available to people who don't work on Saturdays like me. Working Saturdays doing air ambulance is not an issue for me. Once again thanks for the info.

 

[sonicyouth]

Re: Air ambumance job

"...however, due to some personal convictions, air ambulance is just about all I can focus my career on right now. 121 and 135 jobs are not available to people who don't work on Saturdays like me. Working Saturdays doing air ambulance is not an issue for me."


I'm not sure what this means, but I can tell you that most air ambo ops are not quality jobs. The best advice I can offer is do your homework before you take the job. You can expect long days, uncertain schedules, and mediocre to low pay. But you can also rack up lots of quality time. Check on their maintenance and turnover rate (most have high turnover, actually.) If there is a quick upgrade to anything turbine PIC, it will be worthwhile later for the airlines.

 

[Movin' on up!]

Air ambulance job

Sonicyouth...what I mean with the not working on Saturday is that Saturday is my religious Sabbath. I don't work on Saturdays for that reason. However, I don't have a problem doing air ambulance because people don't choose to be sick or hurt on any particular day. Kinda like doctors and nurses...somebody has to do it. 121 and 135 ops are not for me because I can't tell...let's say United for example, that I will work Sun thru Fri but not Sat. I will work when scheduled and that's that. Same for most 135 ops. I know pay is not great most places but if I move away from California, I might be able to live cheaper. So basically, I am trying to get in air ambulance ops for the long haul. Kow some people who just love doing it. Lifestyle could be god if in the right company.

 

[JetSpeed219]

Movin On Up, are you Seventh Day Adventist?

 

[Movin' on up!]

Air ambulance job

JetSpeed219--yes I am . How did you know? My current job is Monday thru Friday, 8 to 5, no weekends, all holidays off. However, after 3 years of doing this, I want to be challenged professionally. I like my job, the pay is good but we fly a Cessna TU-206 and the job is a VFR only job. We can only do photo work on clear days. So I need a challenge. I mean....its a new 206 so everything works and it looks and flies great. But I think the time is here to move on.

 

[JetSpeed219]

Movin On Up - The Chief Flight Instructor at my flight school out there in Hillsboro is Seventh Day as well.....

 

[Movin' on up!]

Air ambulance job

There are someof us out there still--trying to fulfill our dream. Ask him if he went to Walla Walla College. If he did, I probably know him. I'm class of '96.

 

[Indigo]

Re: Air ambulance job

I don't have a problem doing air ambulance because people don't choose to be sick or hurt on any particular day.

OK, I guess I understand now. You can't work on Saturdays but you would make an exception for air ambulance because it's more of a humanitarian effort. Good for you for holding to your personal values!

You might consider flying checks to build time. The people I know who have done that only work on weekdays since the banks are only open on weekdays.

 

[Movin' on up!]

Air ambulance job!

Indigo....great way to say it! I will quote you from now on when anybody asks me about my flying career! Do you any of the companies that fly checks? Although I have been flying for a while now, I have had a very narrow focus. I don't know who is out there and who flies what.