My first job in the business was working for my flight school flying sightseeing tours out at Drumheller, AB. It was long hours with little time off, but the clients were always happy, my co-workers/bosses were awesome, and I got to fly pretty much every day. The downside was it was just a one summe...

What sort of flying work is out there for the under-500 crowd? Back in the day, a PPC'ed low timer could find their way doing pipeline patrols and flying lease to lease in the oil patch, but these days all that work seems to require Contrail standards (1000+ hours). I'm running into this firsthand; ...

Not harsh at all - honest and informative. Great post; thanks for your reply!

- Darren

Anyone here both a helicopter pilot and AME? Or do you work with one? Which came first - flying or wrenching? Which do you prefer? Has it helped your career? Any regrets? It's mostly just idle curiosity at this point, but I am considering AME school. I'm a lowtime pilot (224 hours, all Robinson) cur...

That said, you may as well do the CPL and get more training. That, and there's no sales tax charged on commercial training as it's seen as tuition. Furthermore, you can claim your tuition on your tax return (I'm still getting good tax returns and I trained in '09). When I did my CPL-H, there were a...

Thanks for your replies, everyone. I'm gonna keep pounding the pavement for flying jobs, but while I'm on my next road trip I might drop in NLC to investigate their AME program a little more. I'll drop in at BCIT too seeing as I'm right here in the city. iflyforpie - your career is inspiring! Like y...

Anyone here both a pilot and an AME? I'm a lowtime (224 hours) helicopter pilot currently working on finding my next flying job. Lately, I've been curious about the AME side of things. Much as I love flying helicopters, I also like diagnosing and troubleshooting things, and I've always done my own w...

Another small dude here. I'm a low timer; most of my time so far has been in Robinsons - when flying the 44 alone, I put a 25 pound barbell plate under the seat to get over the minimum. Although I can fly without it, I also use the Robinson back rest ("booster seat" :mrgreen: ) as everything's more ...

So you're telling me that I shouldn't waste my money on paying the PPC directly at the school? And my future employer will have the obligation to give me that training upon hire, whatever the employer? Some perspective from a fellow low-timer in BC*: I wouldn't pay for a PPC; save that money for su...

STL, thanks for your post. Although this is nicholasstpierre's thread, I got a lot of good advice from your response! It's always good to hear from the experienced folks.

- Darren

Oops!

I think #2 *was* longer after all. I guess I shouldn'tve put that statement at the top...
At least all the typing gave me something to do until happy hour. I think I'll have me a drink!

Zang, I just typed a huge reply to this, then somehow nuked it all. :oops: Disclaimer: I'm a low-timer; only 222 hours. I have no turbine endorsement, and I'm currently seeking work in the industry. The following are my thoughts based on my own observations, advice given to me by more experienced fo...

For very complex W/B reasons, she must ride in front seat.

"Oops, I thought that was the collective. Sorry, ma'am."

Hey Brandon,

I don't have any job advice for you, but I'm also registered for my heli CPL at Bighorn in September 2008. See you there!

Darren Burt
Invermere BC

i've been searching and scouring these forums (fora?) for some time now, and read, well, pretty much everything. I'm following a dream and planning a career change. I have some, uh, newfound freedom, and no dependents to support, so I'm going to start the long (and rewarding!) trek into the world of...

DStar, I posted a similar question as yours over in the General forum, and got some excellent responses (hope to see more in this thread!). Here's the link to my thread in the General forum: http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopic.php?t=37116 FWIW, I'm leaning to the heli world - not for the $, but...

In a perfect world, that's what I'd like to do. Heck, RK Heli-Ski is literally across the street from my workplace, and CMH is just up the road.

What sort of extra accreditation does winter/mountain heli work require, or is it just a whole whack 'o' hours?

After 17 years in the ski industry, I want to expand my horizons. Being an avalanche technician is a hoot, but the job is seasonal, and the pay isn't great. Also, I'm 36. If I blow up a knee or something, I'm pretty much done. Flying has always been a dream of mine, and as it happens, I may soon hav...