How much importance do companies put on IFR experience. It seems most IFR bases never fly IFR. I was told that guys with no IFR time will get hired because of the current pilot shortage. Is there a chance of getting hired in a twin at an "IFR" base in HAA with the intention of never taking an IFR checkride.

It's not that I don't want to better myself, it's just that as a civilian trained guy I've had no chance to get actual. I don't feel like dropping $10k for the training to get current, and I hear that companies expect you to ready to go after 4 hours of training and a day or two of ground school. I'm not that smart and am not going to put myself in a fail situation.

Is it time companies started to do full IFR training and not just pushing guys out the door with the minimum.

Ex: One guy I know got the 'HAA IFR training' only to scare the crap out of himself the first time he went IMC. He had 50 hours in his logbook, but it was made up of hood and sim time with only 15 hours of actual as a co-pilot in an airplane.

Seems it would be smart for the companies to have a co-pilot system on medium twins to get guys like me up to speed. I would sign up for that. Kind of like they do it in Europe.

nothing scary about it. just stay coupled and load and fly the approach. both companies have pretty extensive training and if you can't hack it you will be sent home before you even take the ride. yes, you WILL be expected to do IFR training if you go to an IFR base. it doesn't matter how much IFR they fly. also, europe does not believe in helicopter SPIFR. companies are NOT going to put two pilots in one cockpit while shifts go unfilled. 

We hired a pretty low time guy to fly an IFR twin.  I guess stupid is as stupid does...

then yeah

Whether you are flying VFR or IFR you have to at least attain an instrument rating to fly HAA (135.603). You may never use it again if you stay in only VFR programs. However, if you want to fly for an IFR program, having experience and maintaining it is pretty important.  

"Whether you are flying VFR or IFR you have to at least attain an instrument rating to fly HAA (135.603). You may never use it again if you stay in only VFR programs. However, if you want to fly for an IFR program, having experience and maintaining it is pretty important."
 

OMG how is this real

if it's good training and the pilot can pass a real check ride who cares how many hours they have. is this your first day bro

I will assume you have at least a commercial w/instrument cert.  And the "minimum" time for HAA companies to look at you.  

Is your goal to fly a twin in a VFR environment?  If so, there are plenty of VFR only programs that use twins, specifially EC 135's.  You just have to commit to moving to those programs, or at least the general area.  Check AMC, they have them.

If you want to go to an IFR base that uses a twin but only fly VFR, that generally will not happen.  You might get hired to the program and be restricted to VFR only for a time period (6 months) until you get use to the base, area, and IFR environment.  But your employeer will expect you to eventually fly IMC in that program.

There will never be a dual pilot IFR HAA program in the U.S. unless a company chooses to use an aircraft that requires a type rating/two pilots.  And that's not going to happen as long as Airbus (Eurocopter) keeps making EC 135/145 airframes.  Just my two cents.

I know of at least three programs that are currently flying dual pilot IFR full time.

ProMedica in Toledo, dual pilot in the EC-145 E-lite

Cleveland Metro Life Flight, dual pilot EC-145 C2's

Cleveland Clinic dual pilot in S-76's

Dont know if they are still doing dual pilot but Miami Children's used to do it also. 

How do the USA Dual pilot programs work? Is it a Captain and co-pilot situtation, or two captains who rotate the captain seat?

first officer. the captain makes probably double the fo

From what I have seen:

Dual pilot can work either way.  In aviation overall, (as in not just helicopters,) the smart companies hire guys with tons of experience as PICs, assign SICs who would benefit from their experience, and the PICs let the SICs do the stuff needed for the SICs log book when it is within company policy so that the SIC can qualify as PIC.  When the SICs make PIC, they will get the big raise and their SICs will be senior SICs on the verge of PIC, and their flights will be scrutinzed by the powers-that-be much more than the usual experienced PIC flights.

Some really senior guys will want to be hired and work as SIC as a retirement job, so they don't have the responsibility and possible stress of being PIC.  In cases where there are two PIC qualified pilots assigned, usually the senior is assigned as PIC, although the crew may negotiate where the coin-toss loser has to be PIC during daylight west-bound flights and SIC during east-bound flights in fixed wing, and vice-versa in rotor wing.

Like I said, it is what I have seen, and I could have greatly misinterpreted things.

I hope this helps.

did you see that bro and how  do you scutinize a flight.

 I recall Orbic Air from Burbank having some dual pilot program going on last month anyway.

you can recall something like that from a whole month ago

there are at least 2 two pilot IFR programs. cleveland clinic and miami childrens. kc may have one as well

is another one

You have zero actual instrument time, and you want to fly for an IFR HAA program, but you have no intention of flying IFR? 

There's a formula for failure. Would you want one of your family members to be in a helicopter being flown by that kind of pilot? 

1. Company finds out you can't pass an instrument check, and asks you to leave.

2. You get into IIMC and kill yourself and possibly two or three others.

3. You're the guy who turns down flights that could be done IFR. Other pilots at the company have to carry your load. You do not want to be that guy. 

You need to get actual IFR experience if you want to fly for an IFR HAA program. You simply will not get enough experience on the job in HAA to build that time.

Doesn't PHI still have dual pilot IFR operations in the gulf? You might try that.