Helicopter Flight Information

This domain is for sale. #1 in all relative searches, 12,000 views per month averaging 400 views per day!

Is a Career Change Really Possible?

Yes it most certainly is! It really depends upon how important the change is to you though. I made the change relatively late in my life. Actually at first I just wanted to get my private rating; I really didn't think that it was possible for me to make a career change at my age. However, I took my first lesson and never looked back. I remember seeing that first entry, in my first log book and thinking that it was a long way to the back of that book.

Now Three log books and 4,900 hours later I advise you to make the change. There are some interesting facts however when you consider this extreme career change. You will have to 'pay your dues'. You can neither buy nor influence a position in aviation. You must be prepared to pay your dues for 3-5 years while living meekly and staying focused in aviation. If you get out of aviation for a period of time, you will lose that period in your progress. Maintaining currency is extremely important. Never bullshit professionals in the industry as they can see through it. Never burn your bridges, it will come back on you sooner or later. Travel and/or relocation may be necessary for certain jobs. If you are older than 50, be prepared for a shorter career but it will still be fun.

The study is very hard, I rechanneled the way I did things completely. You will need to do the same if you really desire to make a career change. Learning to fly the helicopter will be a challenge to say the least, but most have a problem with the academic part of aviation. You must read, read, read; no number of classes can replace reading the material over and over. If you are a little older, even the flying becomes a little more challenging; younger people learn the flying part a little faster than older people. This is not to say that older people can't do it, they certainly can. They just seem to solo a little later. The frequency of flight also has a lot to do with the duration as well.

You must be certain that your wife supports you. If she does not, you will likely suffer from AIDS, "Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome". If you have young children your choice will be hard as your family will suffer unless you are wealthy and they are willing to follow you around the country while you pursue your dream.

Your income will be very small in aviation until you have built a solid reputation for yourself. You can expect next to nothing for the first year or so and then $20,000 per year or thereabout for the first 2-5 years. Then if you are lucky you will land yourself a good job that pays upwards of $50,000. A high base salary in commercial helicopter piloting is about $60-65,000. Once you have landed that good job you will not work very hard. Don't misunderstand me, flying will be hard and risky, but it will be fun and the days or work weeks will be relatively short.

Send email to rb@helicopterflight.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2003-2007 All Rights Reserved.
Last modified: 01/19/08