Look at the numbers being thrown around.  Rich America is more than willing to pay to fly.  Despite airlines that lose TONS of money annually and getting huge government bailouts and subsidies over the years.  

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/05/business/jetblue-offer-for-spirit/index.html

The airlines have no problem paying TOP DOLLAR for pilots who have fought for many years to establish the pay and benefits they have.  Much like the Fort Rucker IP union (starting base pay of over $92K for a basic CFI job that other pilots get paid pennies for).  The airline pilots who have gone before you have paved the way... the pandemic only accerated the situation to make the benies get raised as the older generation retires. 

Make the jump!!! 

And for those who say "but what about furloughs?"  You can easily hang out for a year or two for the next pandemic/furlough after you've been making $100-180K for a few year.  If you're still junior when it happens, don't worry: HAA is ALWAYS hiring and you can pay the bills that way until the pandemic is over (and your seniority/pay will have gone up during that time you were away). 

TOTALLY WORTH IT 

But how do us lowly helicopter pilots make the jump. We don't earn enough money to pay for the hours we need to do. Oh tell us magical keyboard commando. 

instruction. airplane add on ratings are not that big of a deal bro.

(a) For an airplane single-engine rating. Except as provided in paragraph (i) of this section, a person who applies for a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating must log at least 250 hours of flight time as a pilot that consists of at least:

(1) 100 hours in powered aircraft, of which 50 hours must be in airplanes.

(2) 100 hours of pilot-in-command flight time, which includes at least–

(i) 50 hours in airplanes; and

(ii) 50 hours in cross-country flight of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes.

(3) 20 hours of training on the areas of operation listed in Sec. 61.127(b)(1) of this part that includes at least–

[(i) Ten hours of instrument training using a view-limiting device including attitude instrument flying, partial panel skills, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, and intercepting and tracking navigational systems. Five hours of the 10 hours required on instrument training must be in a single engine airplane;]

(ii) 10 hours of training in an airplane that has a retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller, or is turbine-powered, or for an applicant seeking a single-engine seaplane rating, 10 hours of training in a seaplane that has flaps and a controllable pitch propeller;

[(iii) One 2-hour cross country flight in a single engine airplane in daytime conditions that consists of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure;

(iv) One 2-hour cross country flight in a single engine airplane in nighttime conditions that consists of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure; and

(v) Three hours in a single-engine airplane with an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test within the preceding 2 calendar months from the month of the test.

(4) Ten hours of solo flight time in a single engine airplane or 10 hours of flight time performing the duties of pilot in command in a single engine airplane with an authorized instructor on board (either of which may be credited towards the flight time requirement under paragraph (a)(2) of this section), on the areas of operation listed under Sec. 61.127(b)(1) that include–]

(i) One cross-country flight of not less than 300 nautical miles total distance, with landings at a minimum of three points, one of which is a straight-line distance of at least 250 nautical miles from the original departure point. However, if this requirement is being met in Hawaii, the longest segment need only have a straight-line distance of at least 150 nautical miles; and

(ii) 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

A commercial add-on is easy... if you have a lot of turbine already from helicopters some airplane Part 91 and 135 will take you off the street.  Adding on a FW instrument and multi-engine makes you marketable to ANY airplane job.  Work up to 250 PIC in airplanes (and you already have close to 1500TT) and you're hirable by the airlines.  

Doing a CFI or some other cheap flying side-job can build those 250 so you don't have to pay (banner tow, para-drop, glider-tow, fly Cessna charter, instruct, etc. and someone else will pay for those hours).   

It's not as hard as you think.  Just depends on what route you want to take and how near/far a flight school is near you.  If you're mil then finding a Part 141 school is more of a challenge to get GI Bill to pay for it but it's MORE than doable.  

gets the worm, or in this case get on board before a B type compensation scale gets instituted years down the road.  

the airlines stabilize in 5 - 10 years (not considering WWIII) new pilots will probably be looking at a B-Scale compensation scale.