Fixed wing to heli

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Otto Pilot
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Fixed wing to heli

Post by Otto Pilot »

Hey all, fixed wing guy here looking for info on converting. Do you think it's worth the change? If so where in Canada is the best/cheapest. How many hours can I transfer from fixed wing? Is the market going to be looking for people anytime soon? I do have my atpl and around 2200 hours. Let me know what you all think. Thanks in advance!
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MOAB
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by MOAB »

What type of flying are you looking at doing?

Any previous IFR time will be great if you decide to look at offshore or Air ambulance, but keep in mind that you wont have the minimum helicopter hours for alot of jobs.

You would have a great in at somewhere like Helijet though as an FO, but I wouldn't know if you'd be on the ramp first or not.

If I'm not mistaken you can use 40-60 hours towards the 100 needed for the CPL.
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MOAB
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by MOAB »

Otto Pilot wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 10:37 pm Hey all, fixed wing guy here looking for info on converting. Do you think it's worth the change? If so where in Canada is the best/cheapest. How many hours can I transfer from fixed wing? Is the market going to be looking for people anytime soon? I do have my atpl and around 2200 hours. Let me know what you all think. Thanks in advance!
Sorry I should also add, I think you'd have to do a group 4 IFR ride, night rating, and the HATRA if you wanted the IFR route
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Otto Pilot
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by Otto Pilot »

If I were to go down this route I'd plan on going the ifr way!
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EasyTarget
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by EasyTarget »

Otto - I'll be blunt, and it currently isn't a happy blunt. I'm one of the lucky ones in the helicopter world who is still employed and actively working. This has been a terrible year for helicopter operators and pilots for the same reasons as the fixed wing side of the house. There are a significant number of high time helicopter pilots currently out of work and looking. Some have unbelievable credentials including ATPL-H, and still can't find work. This has been made even more dire due to the almost non-existent fire season so far meaning some operators have started laying off even more staff. There have also been some well known helicopter operators that closed down without warning flooding the market even further with highly skilled pilots with current pilot proficiency checks.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but right now may be really bad timing for this transition. I sometimes think about converting my ATPL-H over to fixed wing commercial/IFR if for no other reason than as an option down the road. On that note, I realize now is not the time for me to do that either.

If you're financially secure enough to do the transition knowing in the current market it is highly unlikely you'd find employment, then go for it. In any other circumstance, do yourself a huge favour and hold off.
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All Sides
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by All Sides »

[quote=EasyTarget post_id=1119882 time=1592702751 user_id=50142]
Otto - I'll be blunt, and it currently isn't a happy blunt. I'm one of the lucky ones in the helicopter world who is still employed and actively working. This has been a terrible year for helicopter operators and pilots for the same reasons as the fixed wing side of the house. There are a significant number of high time helicopter pilots currently out of work and looking. Some have unbelievable credentials including ATPL-H, and still can't find work. This has been made even more dire due to the almost non-existent fire season so far meaning some operators have started laying off even more staff. There have also been some well known helicopter operators that closed down without warning flooding the market even further with highly skilled pilots with current pilot proficiency checks.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but right now may be really bad timing for this transition. I sometimes think about converting my ATPL-H over to fixed wing commercial/IFR if for no other reason than as an option down the road. On that note, I realize now is not the time for me to do that either.

If you're financially secure enough to do the transition knowing in the current market it is highly unlikely you'd find employment, then go for it. In any other circumstance, do yourself a huge favour and hold off.
[/quote]

I made the move in 1996, and I approve this message! I have a CAN and US unrestricted ATPL, IFR, 2 heavy endorsements, 2 medium, 2 intermediate, and 4 light type ratings. I also have an AME and 7,500 of F/W with IFR, multi, floats and Night. I am flying a medium in the summer season, albeit by choice, but even at that my options are limited. I know several people with more qualifications flying single and medium summer fire contracts, and will be unemployed in September. Do your research, and by that I don't mean on forums; the results are skewed. Before you make the move, go out and talk to pilots, engineers, owners, chief pilots etc. etc. ......
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Heliian
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by Heliian »

MOAB wrote: Sat Jun 20, 2020 10:44 am What type of flying are you looking at doing?

Any previous IFR time will be great if you decide to look at offshore or Air ambulance, but keep in mind that you wont have the minimum helicopter hours for alot of jobs.

You would have a great in at somewhere like Helijet though as an FO, but I wouldn't know if you'd be on the ramp first or not.

If I'm not mistaken you can use 40-60 hours towards the 100 needed for the CPL.
CAR 421.31 lays it out.

You are still going to spend 40gs to get the license with zero job prospects afterwards. It's a tight industry at the best of times, now it's just blocked. Much better uses for that money right now.
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Floatr
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by Floatr »

This original question brings up the topic of training and employment oppourtunities.....

" Why would anyone even begin to think about spending $50-$80 thousand on rotary wing training and why would any of the 10-15 helicopter flight training schools even re-open to take students when the pandemic has passed...??? "
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MOAB
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by MOAB »

The schools don't care about people getting jobs, they want the students money.
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PitchLink
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by PitchLink »

Heliian wrote: Wed Jun 24, 2020 4:15 am
MOAB wrote: Sat Jun 20, 2020 10:44 am What type of flying are you looking at doing?

Any previous IFR time will be great if you decide to look at offshore or Air ambulance, but keep in mind that you wont have the minimum helicopter hours for alot of jobs.

You would have a great in at somewhere like Helijet though as an FO, but I wouldn't know if you'd be on the ramp first or not.

If I'm not mistaken you can use 40-60 hours towards the 100 needed for the CPL.
CAR 421.31 lays it out.

You are still going to spend 40gs to get the license with zero job prospects afterwards. It's a tight industry at the best of times, now it's just blocked. Much better uses for that money right now.
+1, I agree. In 16 years I’ve been doing this it’s the worst I’ve ever seen hands down. It never recovered from 2008 and now.... I guess we will see who survives this fall and what many more machines will appear on controller...
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Heliian
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by Heliian »

MOAB wrote: Fri Jun 26, 2020 10:38 am The schools don't care about people getting jobs, they want the students money.
This has been repeated and regurgitated every year for millenia. They even do that in the fixed wing.
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stabilizer
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by stabilizer »

They may want your money (it's a business after all) but i'm willing to wager the majority of heli schools are better versions of a training environment than their fixed wing counterparts. More experience instructors, better equipment, more real world ops.

Just my observation when I looked into converting in the past. Things are likely different now post Covid.
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AngelsSang
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Re: Fixed wing to heli

Post by AngelsSang »

Like any other area of business, some really do care, and some don't at all. The smaller schools seem to truly care, those big puppy mill sort of establishments often don't. My last hire, was because I called a school nearby here, and asked if they recently have a student grad, that really stood out. They gave me a name and number, I called and we had a great chat, then interviewed her 3 times. Asked her to come intern for a month, she did so happily. After that month I hired her, she was flying with me sometimes for the next 5 months, and doing other duties, then one day I sent her alone. Since then she has flown a lot, is an excellent employee, and I couldn't be happier. It is now 14 months later, and we just click.
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