Civilian helicopter flying offers an interesting, varied, and challenging career. Over the past 10-15 years working conditions for helicopter pilots have improved dramatically, with higher salaries, greater benefits, newer equipment, and considerably greater opportunities. Most helicopter pilots are attracted to the varied lifestyle that enables them to take on a challenging job without being stuck in an office environment.
For most pilots the attraction to aviation is an emotional one rather than something that is based on salaries or job opportunities. However, the current conditions are very favorable for pilots and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Helicopter pilots often have difficulty explaining their passion for flying, but will tell stories about how their fascination with helicopters began at an early age. Many would choose the profession even if it was poorly paid and if job prospects were limited. To understand why they would do so you have to take a flight in a helicopter. No other form of aviation can provide such an experience, probably the closest thing to flying like a bird that a human can ever achieve – flying low and slow, landing in forest clearings or on mountain tops, the helicopter can do things and go places that no other aircraft can safely accomplish. It is this flexibility and versatility that makes it possible for helicopters to be used in a wide variety of roles, thereby creating multiple career paths for a helicopter pilot. Whether it is flying a search and rescue helicopter, taking oil workers to an oil rig in some remote corner of the earth, penguin counting in Antarctica, or hauling logs in the forests of Montana, helicopter pilots can choose between many very different, but equally challenging, activities.
International students should investigate the helicopter industry in their home country prior to committing to this career choice. In Europe, the industry is very advanced, and; having the right qualifications and the right preparation is essential to career success. Bristow Academy graduates have been hired by major European helicopter companies with as little as 200 flight hours, but not everyone will enjoy such instant success. Getting the first job as a helicopter pilot can be quite challenging and not everybody succeeds. Bristow Academy can provide guidance and assistance, but prospective students should also research employment opportunities in their home country.
A fascination with helicopters, and a passion for flying, should be considered the essential pre-requisites for a career as a helicopter pilot. The helicopter industry demands many sacrifices from pilots in the early years such as the high cost of training, relatively low entry level salaries, nomadic lifestyle, long hours, risk of layoffs as contracts are won and lost by big companies, and of course the physical risk associated with flying. Without a passion for flying these negative issues may outweigh the positives. However, for most helicopter pilots the thought of doing something else never crosses their mind - they love their job and the challenges it presents, and they enjoy long, happy, safe, and successful careers.
