Expert: D. Norkus - 5/20/2008

Question
QUESTION: i'm currently in th u.s. air force and i'm getting out in aug.i want to become a pilot and was wondering whats a better deal becoming a airplane pilot or helicopter pilot.i want to become one as soon as possible.want to train full time and go to a school where my g.i.bill is accepted.which career is easier to get hired full-time and make more money.sorry about the amount of questions i just have alot to figure out and want to make the right choice.

ANSWER: Justin

As a fixed wing airline pilot with no rotorcraft experience, I can't really advise on helicopter careers. I only know about the trials from a friend who has entered the profession: Training was expensive, one must go through a string of small jobs before you are insurable in any large turbine helicopters and the pay really isn't all that much until you can get an extremely sought after helo position (which means there are very few around). You will probably have to spend at least 1,000 hours in a Robinson type helo (photo flights, aerial tours) before you will be considered for another job in another type. In the end, my friend went abroad to get some serious money as a helo pilot ($70K+) as landing a similar job with the same pay in the USA would be almost impossible.

You should read over this article for some guidance on helicopter pilot training and careers-
"Pursuing a Career as a Professional Helicopter Pilot"
by Charlie Duchek, Chief Pilot - Midwest Helicopter
http://www.flymidwest.com/ProPilot.html

Additionally, visit the helo forums here for advice from current rotorcraft aviators- http://www.rotor.com & http://www.verticalreference.com

The forums at http://forums.military.com/ may also be of help for someone in your position.

As far as which is "easiest" to get into, well...currently the regional airlines flight experience hiring minimums are far less than what you will find in the helicopter world, especially if the pilot goes to an airline affiliated bridge program. Some carriers require only commercial pilot certificate with multi-engine & instrument ratings! The regionals have been interviewing pilots at record low minimum flight times. This was all due to a pilot shortage, however with fuel costs rising the major airlines have all but stopped hiring since March 31st 2008. Once the regionals are staffed, who knows what will happen to the requirements. This industry is always in flux. You could also be hired and then furloughed shortly there after. A pilot I know was hired by Aloha Airlines about a month ago and if you have seen the news, you have heard they went out of business April 2nd. Airlines often hire up until they announce furloughs or even bankruptcy.

As far as the "better deal", that is all relative to the individual. If you are looking at becoming a pilot simply for the money- DON'T. All too often aspiring pilots think airline pilots are really well paid and ten years later when they are one, they find out an office manager can make far more than they do. Get into it if you love aviation. It will make the pay scales you have to endure getting into this more bearable. (Heck, after 5 years in the business my W2 was still under $40K/yr year.) Sure, you could be making $70K as a regional jet captain but that may take several years. Then when you want to go to a major, you take a pay cut. A pilot I worked with made $70K/yr flying an RJ. Then he got hired by United where he took about a 50% pay cut to fly 737s. Doesn't sound right but it is.

The "better deal" is also very dependant on the kind of lifestyle you expect. Helo pilots and airline pilots lead two extremely different lifestyles! (Not to mention the flying is totally different.) Do you want to live half the moth in hotels, flying through time zones, be away from your family and work holidays? These are things that most helo pilots are not subjected to in their employment. So, as to the better deal here, only YOU can decide what kind of lifestyle you want. You really need to get a good idea of the typical work week for each job to answer that question for yourself. Ask around the helo forums for some input. As far as airline life, you can get some examples here- http://www.jetcareers.com under "Airline Flying" as well as here- http://www.clearedtodream.org/APilotsLife/tabid/322/Default.aspx

This forum is for the aspiring airline aviator too-
http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com

Hope this helps
Dottie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i'm hearing that you need a degree to get hired at the airlines.how true is that?how much would a associates from the community college of the airforce help me?if any.

Answer
Justin

An associates degree would be better than nothing. When you are trying to compete against other pilot candidates your flight time is most important, followed by other criteria the hiring board uses as tools to filter applicants. A degree is one of these filters. A pilot with a 4 year degree is looked upon more favorably than a 2 yr and some majors require it to apply. Currently (5/08), almost no one is hiring due to the fuel crisis, so only the most qualified candidates are being offered positions.

You can probably get a job at a regional airline with just an associates but if you want to move on to a major, you will really need the 4 year degree. This helps the airlines eliminate many candidates when they have a pool of so many for so few jobs. Even when there is a boom in hiring, the majors are still looking for that 4 year degree.

Read this link for more on this topic- http://www.jetcareers.com/content/view/22/44/


Dottie