Welcome to Lift-Off, our latest newsletter packed with insights on helicopter pilot training and building a career in aviation
In this article, we give you insights into various pilot jobs.
Most helicopter pilot careers in the U.S. begin with working as a flight instructor. This allows you to gain flight experience quickly and improve your skills. Many helicopter jobs require a minimum number of flight hours, making it difficult for pilots in Europe to secure their first job right after training (as they typically graduate with only 135-190 flight hours). However, at Hillsboro Heli Academy, our graduates typically build 1200-1500 flight hours during their time in the U.S., giving them a competitive edge when applying for jobs worldwide.
Networking and a good reputation are crucial in the helicopter industry. Many job opportunities are never publicly advertised and are instead filled through recommendations. I’ve seen our graduates help one another land jobs, and I’ve personally advocated for many pilots as they’ve advanced in their careers.
Here, we’d like to introduce you to two of our graduates, whom I interviewed a few years ago as part of our ‘Mentor Series’ about their careers. Further down, you’ll also find videos about helicopter jobs you’ve probably never heard of before. At the very end, there’s a link to the ‘Helicopter Podcast.’ Halsey, the host of the podcast, features pilots and other professionals from the helicopter industry every week, offering great insights into the world of helicopter flying.
I was a guest myself in August 2024 for Episode #90: Why Europeans Come to the USA for Flight Training.
Thomas Skov – Bush pilot in Canada
Lorenz Nufer – Pilot in Iceland, Nepal and Switzerland
Helicopter ops in Antarctica
Australian Cowboys in Helicopters
Busch-Pilot in Papua New Guinea
Park Ranger in South-Africa
Operations in the Alps
Thunfisch-Spotter in the Pacific
The Helicopter Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/@TheHelicopterPodcast
FAQs
On our website, we’ve created a very comprehensive list of common questions about pilot training. You should definitely take a look at it! http://en.flyhaa.de/faq
Webinars
We regularly host webinars and live events around Europe, where we share a lot of information about the training and the career in the helicopter cockpit. You can watch the recording of our latest webinar here:
