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Dutch Country Helicopters

Employment Opportunities in the

Helicopter Industry

There has never been a better time to become a helicopter pilot.

The days when the military produced thousands of pilots are over. There are currently 25,000 certified helicopter pilots in the United States as compared to over 700,000 airplane pilots. Of that 25,000 only 5,000 are private pilots. All the rest hold professional certificates. It is estimated, (Rotor and Wing, 2004) that around half of the current professional helicopter pilots will be retiring within the next five years.

All of the Gulf of Mexico based oil support companies are advertising for helicopter pilots. You could be hired with 1,000-1,500 hours of helicopter flight time. It seems likely that wages will rise to capture the available helicopter pilots. Benefits are generally good and are provided by all of the major companies.

The traditional route to gaining those hours is through flight instruction. At a busy school you could fly 500 - 1,000 hours a year. There is also a shortage of helicopter flight instructors.