Q. I am a National Guard pilot, fresh out of training. I have completed all the core training and I am a little lost on the next course of action. I have a commercial with ASEL and rotorwing ratings; both with instrument. I have a type rating in the AH-64 Apache Longbow. With all of that, I only have around 500 hours, 95 percent of which is in a training environment. My schedule keeps me flying the Apache around 200 hours a year. The only thing I can think of is getting my CFI and instructing. What’s the best route? I’ll fly for anyone that will pay me to fly! —Ryan, Texas City, Texas
A. Ryan, 200 hours per year in turbine helos is great experience! Frankly, with your rotor experience, it seems like the career gods are taking you down that path. Rotorwing pilots are getting quite scarce for careers in helicopter emergency medical services, offshore transport, and news gathering. Unlike the regional airlines, where the industry hires low-time pilots with far fewer than 1,000 hours simply because of supply and demand, helicopter aviation still requires substantial experience and total time because of primarily single-pilot operations and high insurance requirements. Military pilots have always been the first choice for large rotor operations. Why the military? It’s about the only way to get hundreds of hours of significant helicopter experience without spending a bazillion dollars or clawing through hour after hour as a CFI.
I would continue to build up helo time courtesy of Uncle Sam, pay your dues, and exit the military with the beaucoup time that is a must to work with a class outfit like Air Methods or Petroleum Helicopters. If you could shift gears and hook up with the U.S. Coast Guard for a few years as a full-time assignment, so much the better.
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