Helicentre Aviation ?

Author
Discussion

J4CKO

Original Poster:

41,287 posts

199 months

Friday 29th April 2016
quotequote all
My son and myself have been looking at apprenticeships for him to do in the aviation industry, this popped us during our searches

https://www.flyheli.co.uk/scholarships

He was looking for engineering type roles but it caught his imagination, he emailed his CV and got a call back and an email confirming an appointment next week.

So, whats the catch ? am guessing its perhaps a sale opportunity to flog 20 grands worth of Heli PPL ?

Or am I being cynical ?


Beanie

199 posts

98 months

Saturday 30th April 2016
quotequote all
PPL, shouldn't cost that much, more £12-15k

The catch will be a bonded period to work for them with no doubt a reduced wage

Looking at the state of the industry at the moment, I would stay well clear, fixed wing is a better bet

Geneve

3,857 posts

218 months

Saturday 30th April 2016
quotequote all
Best to ask the question, or do a search, here - http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads-23/

Career opportunities as a professional helicopter pilot are not easy, but the industry is crying out for really good helicopter maintenance engineers.

BTW a PPL(H) would normally be at least £20k.

lee_fr200

5,476 posts

189 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
The catch is you must be 0 hour and do all your ppl with them I believe, I get an email every month asking if I want to go to their careers seminar

Beanie

199 posts

98 months

Friday 6th May 2016
quotequote all
I stand by my PPL(H) £12-15k estimate

SwissJonese

1,393 posts

174 months

Friday 6th May 2016
quotequote all
Beanie said:
I stand by my PPL(H) £12-15k estimate
I think mine was around 17-18K when it was significantly cheaper.

Current cheapest heli's are the Robinson R22 in the UK at around £350 per hour with instructor so x45 (min hours) = £15,750
7 written exams (£700?)
1 medical (£130?)
1 RT exam (£150?)
1 Flight test (£350?)

So more like 17-20K if you do everything within the bear minimum hours which no one really does.

Beanie

199 posts

98 months

Friday 6th May 2016
quotequote all
I did mine on the minimum with majority of R22 flying, some R44 flying (granted at a reduced rate) cost me £12k

J4CKO

Original Poster:

41,287 posts

199 months

Friday 6th May 2016
quotequote all
We binned it off, they seemed like a decent company but it isnt what he is after and a lot of money given how its not exactly guaranteed to get a scholarship or a job after.

Geneve

3,857 posts

218 months

Friday 6th May 2016
quotequote all
Beanie said:
I did mine on the minimum with majority of R22 flying, some R44 flying (granted at a reduced rate) cost me £12k
In the UK?

BTW, the average PPL (H) takes 65 hours. Even experienced fixed wing pilots will struggle to do it in much less than 50.

Beanie

199 posts

98 months

Saturday 7th May 2016
quotequote all
yep, in the uk, although I must admit my memory failed me, so I added up all the receipts, it was actually £14k

Speed 3

4,486 posts

118 months

Saturday 7th May 2016
quotequote all
OP:

Piloting can be fun depending on the job but its always cyclical and invariably expensive to train. Aero Engineering is a very rewarding career and becoming more and more lucrative. It is also somewhat more immune to economic cycles than for drivers. The only problem is getting in. The regulatory requirements are getting tougher and heading towards degree level minimum qualification, even "on the tools". Lots of very good spanner guys from a couple of decades ago would struggle with licences now. Its almost become like doctor and architect training - 5-7 years to get all the stamps. Hours can be unsociable (nights invariably) but pay can be pushing £60-70k and more in your 30's. A whole range of backoffice jobs too if you don't like nights, often with a better career trajectory and you still get to play with the hardware in some of them.

Edited by Speed 3 on Saturday 7th May 09:08

IforB

9,840 posts

228 months

Saturday 7th May 2016
quotequote all
Beanie said:
yep, in the uk, although I must admit my memory failed me, so I added up all the receipts, it was actually £14k
When? A PPL(H) will be far in excess of that now for most people. Even a PPL (A) is generally more than that now.

I did my PPL H 10 years ago and even though I had a fixed wing ATPL and was given numerous credits for hours and exams so did it in the minimum 40hrs (I was given a 5hr reduction in the minimum) and I remember it was close to £9k at the time.

Since then the price of flight training has sky rocked thanks mainly to the price of fuel, so a fixed wing PPL is at least 10k all in and even on an R22 a heli one is easily double.

All of this is based on being in the UK though rather than training in the States or S.A.

Beanie

199 posts

98 months

Saturday 7th May 2016
quotequote all
From the above quotation, an R22 is available with instruction at £300ph (with block purchasing of hours), with the other bits brings the total to under £15k.

IforB

9,840 posts

228 months

Sunday 8th May 2016
quotequote all
Beanie said:
From the above quotation, an R22 is available with instruction at £300ph (with block purchasing of hours), with the other bits brings the total to under £15k.
Plus examiners fees, landing fees, groundschool fees, books, headsets, club membership, CAA fees, medical fees etc etc.

Add all that together and the bill rises rapidly. As someone who has been CFI to more than a few training organisations in my time, I'd suggest in the nicest possible way that your figures are somewhat "optimistic. "


Beanie

199 posts

98 months

Sunday 8th May 2016
quotequote all
a lot of those are accounted for as I said using the above numbers,

club membership? rip off, and quite frankly are negotiable, and wasn't any where I trained

Ground school fees? there wasn't any at the school I trained at.

Landing fees? ok, what were they? £12.50 each time?

Headsets? every r22 and r44 I was in had a set? why spend the money?

Books? most students only too happy to sell them on, or the schools happy to loan them out, or ebay / amazon, save a fortune.

medical - was included in the above example

if you cant do it for £15k (based on 45 hours) someone is literally taking you for a ride,

schools are only too happy to have the students, and if they aren't, then go to USA and save even more money.