What jobs can I get as a helicopter pilot?
You have done your research and you are interested in becoming a helicopter pilot, but now you are wondering just what kind of jobs you will be able to get as a helicopter pilot?
The aviation industry is very diverse and helicopter pilots are in high demand, also see our post Why there's a helicopter pilot shortage so you will be able to pick a job that suits you and your skills.
When you choose to become a helicopter pilot, you are opening your future up for so many possibilities. Once you have chosen a job, you can always change your mind or move to another job. If you start working in an industry and decide you want to do something else, you can switch over with very little hassle.
As a pilot, you'll be trained in all sorts of situations and these skills will transfer well to any field. Some jobs may require a little bit of specific training or skills but even those shouldn't take too much effort to obtain.
Here are just a few examples.
Instructor
Once you graduate from flight school and you have all your required certifications, you will have around 200 hours. As a new helicopter pilot, you will have to build up your flight hours. In order to get better, high paying jobs you will need to have at least a thousand flight hours. An option for building your flight hours and to gain more experience is to become a flight instructor. Many flight schools like to hire their students back as instructors, so as long as you're a good student and have demonstrated your responsibility throughout your training, you'll have a good chance of being hired as an instructor as soon as you graduate.
