Aviation readers: Our two full-time helicopter instructors reached 1000 hours and were able to get jobs flying jet-powered helicopters. We filled one opening with one of our own graduates but need to hire a second full-time instructor (about 600 hours per year in the Robinson R44 per CFI) at East Coast Aero Club. Please email resume if interested.
4 thoughts on “Helicopter instructor job opening”
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Out of curiosity what kind of jobs did they get?
A few weeks ago I went on a tour of our local hospital’s emergency helicopter and facilities. The pilot told me the minimum hours required were 2000 in just turbine! It didn’t matter how much piston time they have. Did your instructors have any previous turbine time before getting these jobs?
Thanks.
Rob
Not about helicopter pilots, but maybe interesting to you. Talks about people leaving pilot jobs:
https://disciplesofflight.com/pilot-shortage-where-did-pilots-go/
Actually included is a first comment from a helicopter pilot: “The industry today is disheartening. I am a 3000+ hour helicopter pilot with just about every military and FAA qualification and an MBA from a top 10 school and the best the industry can offer is $60-80K unless I leave my family for months at a time.
Despite my choice to go into investment banking and remain flying in the reserves, I am the co-founder of an organization that helps military pilots and mechanics transition. I have spent over $10k to start the organization, website and host an online career fair to unite employers with transitioning pilots and mechanics and I still cannot get recruiters to even do their jobs and participate, even when I offer the opportunity for free and have 200 veterans willing to work for peanuts. Such a frustrating industry and I have learned that trying to change it is like boiling the ocean.”
Rob: Our instructors, as is typical, did not have previous turbine experience. One is going to fly tours in a Eurocopter in Chicago and the other will be flying a Eurocopter in Kenya (not exactly sure what the mission is).
GermanL: I think it is common for military retirees to reject commercial flying jobs of all types. Remember that the reservation wage for someone who is getting a U.S. government pension check every month is going to be different than for someone who isn’t. See http://philip.greenspun.com/blog/2015/06/01/book-review-the-redistribution-recession/ for how other Americans behave when they are getting checks from the government.