My helicopter to corporate jet story  

Maybe someone younger is interested.

I started my career in maintenance. A&P after two years school, I.A. 3 years later. I left A&P school when I was 24. Got my private helo add on to my private fixed and through working in the field on helos and getting enough flight time with the pilots, at 29 I had enough time and comm/inst. to get a job as a helo pilot

At 35 I knew helo was not for me as a long term career. I didn't like the dirt, and risk of utility, the trailers and misson of offshore, and after a year, HAA didn't strike me as where i needed to be.

I like to go to different places, not knowing what is next, and wanted to see the world in better comfort than a helicopter. So with a MEL/Inst in my pocket, but not much flight time in airplanes, and next to none ME, I paid for a rating in a Citation Jet, then started pounding on doors...I soon found a job with a small company that needed a co-pilot in the jet and a captian in their helo.

From there I flew as often as I could at a few different places, until I upgraded to captain. 20 years later I am a captain on a charter G650 (250k a year) and love the lifstyle. 

I work 2 weeks on and two off, live where I want, and the two on I never know where I am going or who I am taking. I can leave Teterboro for London and next thing I know I have worked my way eastbound around the world back into Teterboro.....I married a woman who understands me (we have no children), and can take the seperations. She has two weeks to work on her interests, then we have two weeks just for us. Plus these days we can zoom call, phone, email, no matter where I am. Have internet in the jet, she can even talk to me there.

When traveling we stay in Marriotts and Hiltons 99% of the time. Sometimes hangng out days in a far away city, and sometimes on an island resort. Sometimes barely enough time to get rquired rest and off again...And those points add up to being able to take my wife to a nice resort from time to time.

Am not knocking helos or helo pilots. I liked flying them, and they are the only way to fly cross country, but in the long run, they were just not for me. 

So if you are thinking of making the jump to fixed wing, give it a shot.