Hello from Atlantis!
Shooting Shark here, some of you very old guys on here may remember me. I read with interest your concerns about a FO at Net Jets making about $180/yr including per diem, OT, hour bonuses, etc its very possible.
i used to fly helicopters, and to be honest, I really do miss them! Particularly the Blackhawk-- I also flew an AS332L1 Super Puma, the MI-17, and B-412EP. As you get older the weight limit for anyone over 6 feet tall in EMS might become an issue, 230lbs max in full gear in a small helicopter (B-206/407) and thats where many helicopter pilots seem to end up. Ya'll need more "skinny little girl pilots", but alas too not many of them are around --( in airplanes either if they're over 35-- their mating and nesting instincts kick in, I suppose.)
Ok so you can assess the "greeness of the grass" on the FW side-- A job is a job. In aviation many people chase the job at first, relocating as necessary. That gets old and it costs too much. So you need to find a job that has two things: 1. stabilitity and 2. quality of life (QOL). Pay is a big consideration, but it depends on what you value. I know lotsa people who made a lot of money and have nuthin to show for it.
So I would agree, FW QOL is light-years better than RW. There are many more "bad airplane jobs" than "good helicopter jobs" --and the ability to change employers among FW operators is incentivized and much easirer than RW.
Not to mention helicopter long-line, OAS carding, type and experience is disqualifying for the average new helicopter pilot-- for the old guys the market is designed to keep US helicopter pilots outta Canada, Europe, etc. But hey, Lagos Nigeri or Ouagadogle Somalia may be hiring US helicopter expats! UN generally hires Russian helicopter pilots 'cause they can pay them peanuts to fly russian equipment. Everyone else needs an EASA license.
In FW, a B-350 or a CJ3 is rather like a 206 or a 407 in the RW world. ( They are everywhere, and are operated under parts 91 and 135.) Ive had 23 year old FW copilots with 1200 hours and a freshly minted CPL-AMEL who all things considered, earn about 90k a year usually. Highly motivated pilots too. They work hard and fly maybe 400 hours a year, They'll need an ATP and 2500 hours TT to upgrade to PIC -- usually making 115k to start (in a king air) but can be much higher as they build time, change employers , get a new type in a mid-sized jet, etc.
Very few FW pilots under 40 plan to stay very long in a 135 gig. Its a job, and they usually want the money 121 pays when they gey a chance. So as a result you have kids in their twenties in the right seat, and old guys ( in their 60's like me) in the left seat these days. None of these people are staying long in a part 135 operation. For the kids its a good job to build quality time and gain experience, or as an old guy its a "swan-song "moving into retirement with 20,000 hours under your belt.
Lets face it. (Look around.) Not too many of your buddies sitting there in the break room will be flying much past their mid-fifties.
Its not an easy job, and the career attrition rate is rather high for many reasons-- in both RW and FW. Most FW guys in their late 50s are flying an airliner, making a high six-figure compensation, and will be forced into retirement (or part 135 work) after turning 65. Airline retirees seem to think they can jump out of a B777 into a CJ3 ( dince theyre both jets) but the 135 pace and workload usually persuades them otherwise-- they arent used to it and they dont last long.
So, if you take care of yourself physically you can usually last and still be flying at 70. After that your just paying Uncle sam too much taxes (full SS) mandatory 401k withdrawls, etc etc. Or maybe you'll be in the "3-ex Club" living in a camper you move around from Walmart to the FBO parking lot during your 6 days off, since all your money still goes to 3 women and 9 kids who all hate you. ( You were never around )
I knew an 81-year old part 91 Citation XL pilot who was still "driving miss daisy" -- with a 30 year old copilot--the owner riding in the back of his jet. (at FL 400 and 420 kts ground speed)
He's retired now. flew great but was 'grumpy" and he couldnt hear anything.
It all adds up to a career-- and the whiners rarely stick-around anywhere.
Kind regards to you all
from your favorite undersea Apex-predator,
--Shooting Shark
|
