Helicopter Flight Training

[BeCareful]

This is a suggestion to all those interested in obtaining a Canadian Commercial Helicopter Pilot's Licence:

The industry seems great. There is lots of money to be made by those who can get their first job. You can work in some of the most beautiful parts of the country, on some of the most interesting jobs from the most incredible point of view. For those of you who don't want to pursue an office job, becoming a pilot seems great! The thought of flying thousands of feet above the ground, being able to hover, saving lives with medevac or search and rescue, fighting forest fires, dropping people on mountain tops, what could be better? I had this same positive attitude when I was looking into flight schools and researching job opportunities. I am writing this post in hopes of warning people who think, or are told by flight school employees, that this is the case. The reality of this industry is that finding your first job is a near impossibility.

When I was researching schools for flight training, I explored several options and thought I had done my research. I ended up being trained by a school in northern Ontario, because they have an excellent salesperson who tells you things that are untrue. If anyone tells you that purchasing time on turbine helicopters is useful they are lying, if they tell you that extras such as underwater egress, survival courses or chainsaw courses are useful they are also lying. If you're told that you will have a job upon graduation, this is in most cases a lie as well. The reality of this industry is that jobs are few and far between. You need to realize that most operators won't even look at you unless you have 2000 PIC (Pilot in Command) time, and for companies in Western Canada they want mountain experience as well. You will also be told that if you drive across the country with resumes and visit the various operators, you can pretty much be assured a job. Again, this is a flat out lie. I have driven from coast to coast several times visiting operators in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Colombia, and though people are willing to meet with you and offer advice, there are hardly any jobs. I graduated several years ago, and only 16% of graduates from my class have flown since obtaining their licences. If they tell you that hard work is what it takes to find a job, this is also a lie, it is very much luck or having a connection in the industry.

I am writing this post because I think it is a crime that flight schools can get away with what they do by lying to young people who have dreams of flight. If you are considering enrolling yourself in a flight school, I urge you to if not reconsider, explore your options. Call around to different operators in the country and see what their employment needs are at the moment. Ask them questions such as: do I need any extra training beyond the licence? Is it worth spending the extra money to learn about how to escape helicopter that is underwater? Is turbine time useful? Do you ACTUALLY favour graduates from certain schools or is that just what they're telling me? Do you think purchasing turbine time is a valuable investment?

Additionally, from what I've been hearing from the few contacts I do have in the industry, it is slowing down again. There aren't any jobs available, especially for low time pilots. You might be told by flight school employees that the boomers will be retiring and lots of jobs will be opening up, but I am still waiting for that to happen.

The reality is that there is little to no opportunity in this industry. The idea of becoming a helicopter pilot is a very exciting one, and the potential for financial security is there on paper and in the bank records of accomplished pilots, but no on the horizon for current or aspiring industry entrants. Please, please, PLEASE think long and hard before investing $50,000 - $70,000 of yours or your parents money, and before you start writing cheques to flight schools.

[Colonel Sanders]

I think it is a crime that flight schools can get away with what they do by lying to young people who have dreams of flight

You're not the only one who thinks that FTU's
are a near-criminal construct of TC. Certainly
the morals and ethics left the building a long,
long time ago.

[Shiny Side Up]

You're not the only one who thinks that FTU's
are a near-criminal construct of TC. Certainly
the morals and ethics left the building a long,
long time ago.

Hold on there now, that's a bit much of a leap. While some FTUs might be operating criminaly or nearly so, a training organization isn't by its nature criminal or a bad thing.

I hate to say it, but I don't have a lot of sympathy these days for people who later realise finding a job is hard in aviation. Its been tough to get into for a long time.

[Big Pistons Forever]

Becareful

All of the information required to understand your actual employement prospects was available to you Before you started your training if you had done some basic research.

While there is no doubt that many flight schools sugar coat the reality they did not force you to hand over your money at the point of a gun.

To all you wannabe's out there this is a cautionary tale of what happens when you don't do your homework before forking over 60 to 70 K dollars.

[Cessna driver]

Thats why i went fixed wing

[CpnCrunch]

Is there an option for you to instruct?

[Shiny Side Up]

While there is no doubt that many flight schools sugar coat the reality they did not force you to hand over your money at the point of a gun.

To all you wannabe's out there this is a cautionary tale of what happens when you don't do your homework before forking over 60 to 70 K dollars.

One must also remember at the end of it all, it sounds like someone has a license in hand and has learned something. You can't take that away. No matter whether its a license, a degree or a diploma, you're buying an education, not a career. Life has no guarantees. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.

[Tail-Chaser]

It's all just an expensive catch-22.

[Fury161]

Seems to me that the best way to get a job in rotary wing is via the Air Force.... More students are put on Phase 3 helo than multi or jet.

[MikeGolfEcho]

While there is no doubt that many flight schools sugar coat the reality they did not force you to hand over your money at the point of a gun.

To all you wannabe's out there this is a cautionary tale of what happens when you don't do your homework before forking over 60 to 70 K dollars.

One must also remember at the end of it all, it sounds like someone has a license in hand and has learned something. You can't take that away. No matter whether its a license, a degree or a diploma, you're buying an education, not a career. Life has no guarantees. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.

Best post I've read in ages. In fact, solid all round common sense good advice (which is becoming less common these days?) I think back to my University days and remember being told that although my particular degree probably wouldn't lead to a job (that paid an actual salary), it would prove to potential employers that I have some (limited) ability to learn, and that I have the dedication to see something through. It may also demonstrate, depending on who you ask, that I have some level of intelligence.

It wasn't until I got a job that I discovered how the working world really 'worked'. As I move closer to the end of my CPL, with the dream of flying for a living still burning in my belly, I can only hope that I can convince someone to hire me based on all of my life experience and personality and then progress and learn from within that business once I've got the foot in the door as it were. I personally see my CPL as that licence to learn and the first step towards that foot in the door, just like my degree was.

Sure luck will play a big part in whether I ever get that elusive first job, as well as persistance, making contacts/networking etc. But isn't that the same give or take in any industry? No risk, no reward, no guarantee, and NO refunds!

As far as advice goes, always have a plan B.

MGE.