EHTX wrote:
In the meantime I am happy to hour build in whatever way possible.
This is a bit of an issue. Your finances and time will limit you most likely to the simpler, cheaper end of hour building, that doesn’t necessarily look good in your logbook. Having say 200 hours of pretty much unsupervised, unchecked experience means there is a lot of opportunity for bad habits to have developed, and a lot of opportunity for a decrease in teachability. Plus the hours that really count are IFR, Night, or multi-engine. And you won’t be able to afford lots of those.
It’s possible and there are people that have done it, but if you had to make bets….. you should just fly for the love of it and learn new things at a steady pace. If you then end up at the right time at the right place, you could end up with a job.
You can count 30 hours in a TMG
what_next wrote:
But that is Scandinavia/Scotland specific. The rest of Europe does not have oil rigs
The oil business is served world wide by a small handful of large multinational companies. Only two of those have bases in Norway, but those two companies have about 400 pilots in Norway alone, then there is one smaller one in Denmark. It is a separate business altogether from the inland market, double the pay as well. It is the inland market that has loads of companies however, and most pilots. Half of those companies are in Sweden with not even a single oil rig. The inland market is in the energy sector setting up power lines and general construction work at remote/inaccessible places. But it is also transport of goods (particularly materials for cottages etc) and transport of people, firefighting and reindeer hurdling.
Operating a private helicopter is of course more expensive than the average private airplane. It won’t be cheap, but it is possible to gradually go commercial in a way that is more or less unthinkable for fixed wing today. You can also build your own helicopter. Several persons here have done that, which will greatly reduce cost. Just remember to count the left over nuts and bolts of the million or so used, it should be zero 
Only ting is, you cannot use your homebuilt helicopter commercially, not even in your own business. A couple of years ago a farmer built his own helicopter and used it for finding/collecting his sheep. The CAA grounded him because he used the helicopter in his daily work.
w_n will check, but I believe we have had some recent students use the old dispensation.
RobertL18C wrote:
w_n it is on page 146 of LASORS
Is that still valid under EASA? Most of the corresponding German publications have been replaced by EASA rules by now.
w_n it is on page 146 of LASORS
RobertL18C wrote:
On hour building it is worth noting that a silver in gliding allows you to credit up to 30 hours of gliding time towards the CPL P1.
Under EASA? Out of curiosity (quite a few of our students are experienced glider pilots) I have browsed through some EASA FCL pages and could not find any reference.
There does appear to be an uptick in hiring by airlines, although typically they don’t hire over summer peak months. From recent Multi students I would estimate a good third are getting airline offers with only a fATPL, and these are modular students. Most instructors seem to land a multi crew turbine job after two to three years, although sometimes it may take five to seven years.
Some airlines credit instructing time on their seniority programme, in some cases at 100%. Although some only credit MEP or AOC time at around 80%. In effect an ex FI will be eligible for command around their fifth OPC check ride (2500 TT, 1500 on type), and I know ex FIs who were turned down at the airport car hire due to being under 25 and being long haul corporate jet captains. Put another way, it is not unheard of, still, for ex FIs to reach airline command in their twenties.
On hour building it is worth noting that a silver in gliding allows you to credit up to 30 hours of gliding time towards the CPL P1.
With some careful planning training costs up to MCC are around £50k on the modular route, including hour building. For young pilots who lack senior white collar qualifications/skills/connections this is not an irrational risk return. The FI is another £8k in case you don’t get a job at the fATPL stage. A senior FO is making around £50k, and Captain lo cost is close to six figure with the prospect of more as training captain or going long haul in the Far East.
what_next wrote:
The rest of Europe does not have oil rigs.
Sweden doesn’t have oil rigs either, but we still have 19 helicopter AOCs. Finland also doesn’t have oil rigs…
Post financial crisis, the bizjet sector has become considerably smaller.
Not here. There were never as many bizjets on my base as now. Before the year 2000, there was one commercial jet operator who had two Citations. One or two flying departments of large companies had another two or three jets. All the rest were piston twins and small turboprops. Now there are at least 6 commercial jet operators and another 5 corporate/private jet operators. Plus a couple of King Airs. Around here, the financial crisis has not affected the (commercial) GA sector.
Scandinavia in total has at least 80-100 helicopter companies…
But that is Scandinavia/Scotland specific. The rest of Europe does not have oil rigs. In Switzerland there are a couple of commercial helicopter companies doing aerial work, but elsewhere? I have instructed IFR to a couple of helicopter pilots (they save a lot of money by doing it on fixed wing aircraft) but neither of them ever got a job.
