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• 3: Admissions
  • 3.1: Courses
    • 3.1.1: Professional Pilot Program CFII
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• 5: Industry News
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Industry News

 

 

Helicopter training schools are becoming more prolific. 30 years ago, after the Vietnam War, the helicopter industry was flooded with approximately 60,000 pilots. These pilots went many places upon re-attaining civilian life. Many were absorbed into the helicopter industry or became fixed wing pilots for the growing airlines. It is not a coincidence that the average age for a helicopter pilot is 52 years old. However, age, attrition and the lure of retirement have changed the amount of available pilots.

The Military has not been producing pilots. Our personal experience at ULA has been enlightening. Since Vietnam, with the exception of Iraq, and a few violent outbreaks in the world, our country primarily experienced many years of peacetime. Therefore, we have had military pilots who served 10+ years as helicopter pilots come in for training to meet FAA civilian standards and convert their licenses.  We were surprised to learn that these pilots had very little actual flight time experience. The pilots who came into our office were not able to fly in the civilian world. Their skills needed more remedial training than they were willing to expend and in the end they decided on a different career path. With the current world conflicts this may be changing and the future remains unknown.

As we produce pilots, we would be remiss if we were not concerned about job prospects. In August of this year, Lyn Burks, owner of the justhelicopter.com site posted an extensive article relating to the condition of the helicopter industry. According to Lyn’s research between the growth expected and the FAA helicopter pilot predictions, between 1,740 and 1,911 additional helicopter pilots are needed per year for the next decade to meet the demand for pilots in the U.S. The boom years for commercial helicopter pilots will hit the industry after 2010.

Helicopter pilots provide a variety of services for business, industry and government. Specialty areas of helicopter services include agriculture, logging, utilities, law enforcement, oil and gas exploration, construction, air medical and safety, electronic news gathering, and personal transportation for corporate, charter and tour operations. During Hurricane Katrina, the vital nature of helicopters was truly exhibited. FEMA called in both commercial and personal operators from around the country to provide a vast variety of services.

At ULA flying helicopters is a lifestyle in which we enjoy introducing and sharing our enthusiasm and passion. We believe that flying helicopters is the definition of “serious fun” and we acknowledge that it is not for everyone.  In the helicopter industry, work often begins where the dirt road ends. It takes a personality that incorporates a bit of risk and adventure into the mix. However, we also find those personality traits exist in the corporate world where many CEOs fly. We further believe that the aviation industry is changing and more companies and more CEOs prefer private transportation and often want to personally fly. With this thought we additionally believe that although helicopter schools will continue to grow and provide jobs for an expanding industry, private companies will delve further into helicopter acquisitions to provide their executives with point to point transportation.

 

 

 

Helicopter Association International Industry News!

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Helicopter History

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Job Links

Just Helicopters - Employment
Just helicopters is an excellent source of information for current job openings. Take a look and see what's out there!

 

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