A few questions....from the other side of the world....

[747flyinghigh]

HI !
I am new on the forum. I am 26, I’ve been dreaming about flying for the past 5 or 6 years. I have always wanted to be a bush pilot in Northern Canada. I am a half Canadian although I have never been to Canada...it is at the top of the list !

My first dream was to become a float plane pilot. I guess the idea of the sea and flying appealed to me . After all I have only worked on boats and I am currently a captain....
I passed my PPL (A) in Europe and enjoyed every moment of it, however I started to realise that airline flying wouldn’t be for me.... I am still very much attracted to float planes and bush piloting.

Recently I plucked up the courrage to spend the cash and take a few helicopter lessons and got hooked.... I am currently on Hr 5 in an R22.

I am now interested in making the leap into the helicopter world and maybe try to persue a career as helicopter pilot....
I have read and re-read many of the posts on this forum and I have a few questions....

What is the current economy like for the helicopter industry ? Is there any chance for a new low hour pilot at the moment? Would this be the time to come to Canada and train?

What schools can you recommend?
On a previous post I saw Kootenay Valley , Chinook and Valley Helicopters, Great Slave recommended.
Kootenay, Valley and Slave only seem to provide advanced training.
I would be keen to train in or around a mountainous terrain

From what I gather it is best to train in a cheap helicopter . The R22 seems to be the cheapest there is also due to the popularity of the Robinson Helicopters worldwide I imagine it would be a wise helicopter to build time on
eventhough it is very sensitive and very limited in autorotations.... with only 1.23s to catch the moment on the collective.

I understand Great Slave used to employ some of their students? Are there any other schools running such programs. ( I am not talking about the elusive job offer scheme which a lot of schools offer ! )
Is the best way to get the first job still by working a season or two in a hangar? Helicopter season is generally during the summer so you would have to go and do something else during the winter ??

Thanks for any replies !