Flight School Inquiry

[graham_s]

Frankly, I wouldn't learn to fly in the UK.
I know several folk who went on from the RAF (where I served for 15 years) who went on to become commercial pilots.
All of them went to the USA to learn. It's (at least it was at the time) cheaper and the weather is better, leading to less lost time due to weather down-time.

[dpseadvr]

If you want to fly join the Military they will get you eye surg and you'll be able to fly my brother in law is a Apache longbow pilot and he loves it.

I would go Army if you don't have a 4yr degree they are the only service that has CWO flight rates as far as I know.

as far as crashing a helicopter I was the WSO Water Safety Officer at PAX River for a while and saw one fall out of the sky it was quite a site. Lucky for them we where conducting dive ops and got to them fast got them both out before it sank and brought one back on the RHIB enroute to meet the ambulance at the pier.
like the old saying goes
FLY NAVY DIVERS NEED THE WORK

[DTrain]

BB,
Don't mean to rain on the parade, but what can you do for a living as a commercial helicopter pilot? I mean, it sounds great and lots of fun but the job opportunities are limited. It looks like to me the following: Private pilot for corporate bigwigs, flying offshore workers to and from oil/gas platforms, flying medical casualties to hospitals. Seems like more opportunities available for fixed wing pilots.
Is this what you want to do FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? Or maybe look into another career and take up flying as a hobby on the side.

I don't mean to offend, or dissuade, just offering a different opinion.

Upon rereading this post I sound like your parents "what are you gonna do with your life?"

[berserkbishop]

well, oddly enough, the military bug has crept back up into my noggin. I was ready to join the airforce when I was 17 but i needed a parents signature. Well, my daddy, the state of MO, wouldnt sign off. Social services felt that at 18 maybe 6 months later, I would change my mind. They were right, but only because of outside influences convinved me that I was wasting my brain entering the military. Now I sit looking for adventure, with no real sure idea of what I want to do, and the military is looking real good again.

BB

[The Wizard of BC]

BB,

I am not going to try to talk you out of letting the military teach you to fly. It was a great life for me. I just want you to know what you are in for and do it with your eyes open.

A Military Pilot is an Officer first. Even an Army Warrant Officer is still an Officer first. That is your official Job Description and what your annual Performance appraisal will be about. How good an Officer you are. If you have a job such as Maintenance Test Pilot or Instructor Pilot those will only be mentioned as a small part of your appraisal.

Your actual flying time will be measured in 2 or 4 hours a week. Unless you are in a Combat Zone and then there are other things to worry about. If in a Zone, and the chances right now are approaching 110% your stress level of trying to keep up with the flying schedule is enough to make anyone prematurely Gray. (See any photo of me, I'm actually only 28 but tell everyone I'm 56 because that's how old I look.)

But the Military will make you one of the best pilots in the world. You will have the opportunity to do things that the rest of the world will never believe.

In the Civilian world there are always jobs for a good, high time Pilot. You have to seek them out and be very competitive to get them though. I have friends who have racked up thousands of hours flying pipelines. Others who fly Medical Evacuation, Traffic control and TV and Radio traffic reporting. There is always the logging industry, Fire Fighting, Heli-tourism, and fish spotting.

True, there are a lot fewer Helicopters than their are fixed wing but there are also fewer good pilots.

One thing I have noticed about the good pilots and the ones that get all the good jobs is they are the ones who would be hanging out at the airport even if they didn't fly. They are the ones who flying is their whole life. What they do, what they dream about at night, what they breath in and out. If that is you them nothing will stop you. Not me, not advice, not lack of a job or even lack of food.

If you are not that sort of person then perhaps a rethink may be in order. Remember that in this day and age the average person will have between 5 and 15 careers in their lifetime. The days of working 30 years and getting the gold watch are gone. If you don't yet have an all consuming passion for something yet, don't worry, It will come.

[Sciuropterus]

A lot of flight schools in MN went out of business in the last several years, 9-11 hit civil aviation hard. I have a private and am half way to my commercial license, I have not been making much progress lately- I lost interest for several years after flying became inconvenient for me. Hope to log a lot of hours in 2008. I would love to finish my commercial license just to say I did it, but I have no desire to work as a commercial pilot, so I don't have much incentive, it's not cheap...

[dpseadvr]

I don't believe the AF has enlisted pilots if you don't have a 4 YR Degree as much as it pains me to say Army will be the way to go you will be as Steve said a CWO but an O none the less. Plus you can do 20 and retire by 40 and still be able to fly as a part time job or hobby.
As far as wasting your brain in the Military that is crazy I have 2 degree's thanks to the Military and when I get out I can become a PA in a year with all the training I have.
I tell all of my guys diving is not for ever get a degree you can get it online in the Navy