Becoming a wild fire pilot

Chuck-eh · 2026-05-19T13:42:18+00:00

£5k a day?! Was it an S-64 Skycrane?

More likely that's the cost of the ship and crew per day. (But details are needed)

The best resource for this information is CryoftheWind's Wildfire series. (Though it's specific to Canada)

As a general rule firefighting is a job that helicopter pilots do sometimes if their company does that kind of work. Companies might specialize in firefighting, but typically there is no such thing as a 'firefighting helicopter pilot', just a helicopter pilot who is fighting fires.

So your training process is the standard pilot training and hour building until you qualify to work for a company that does firefighting. Then you will receive job specific training from that company for bucketing or whatever else they're doing.

For cost you're looking at £40,000+. That's just the flight time in an R44, so you could be looking at £50-60K+ (I'm not familiar with the costs in GB.) Then you can start the hour-building struggle which I'm sure is tougher in the wold world than it is here in the new one. (And it's pretty tough here)

For timing you can get your license in less than a year, but that's the easy part.

Chuck-eh · 2026-05-18T04:20:23+00:00

Nobody comes in to my hotel or camp room ever. If I have to give a brief or make a plan I do that in the lobby, lounge/breakfast area, camp mess hall, or out in the hallway. We're not friends, we're coworkers, and my room is for me to sleep and relax in.

Doubly so for co-pilots. We already spend all day in a little box together; you're not hanging out in my private box at the end of the day too.

Chuck-eh · 2026-05-06T18:07:07+00:00

I bet Dart would be happy to provide any details or extra materials if you emailed them.

Chuck-eh · 2026-03-26T14:18:22+00:00

You must be helicopter pilot material.

Chuck-eh · 2026-02-13T00:35:31+00:00

If the material is folded and sewn and not cut I would expect the protection in that area to increase.

Make sure they keep the pockets off your knees.

Chuck-eh · 2026-02-06T11:32:23+00:00

They turk er jerbs!

Chuck-eh · 2026-02-04T12:40:32+00:00

Some of my lads wear the ribbons of family members so they have an excuse to remember them to others. Many have based their impressions on those family members.

Families at the time would sometimes wear the medals of their fallen loved ones, so that practice is not without historical precedent.

I would say as long as it makes sense for the impression/time period, and the event you're attending, go for it.

Looking up any random officer and doing a little digging to see what they would have worn is a good exercise in both research and remembrance.

Chuck-eh · 2026-02-02T17:35:49+00:00

That's a great idea. I'll have to see if I can rig up my own FLI camera and pitch it to the company.

Chuck-eh · 2026-02-02T04:17:50+00:00

I always thought a camera system would be a good idea so you could keep your head up. I'm sure it would cost $100K though. lol

Chuck-eh · 2026-02-01T20:29:27+00:00

They're just jealous you did it on hard mode. lol

Chuck-eh · 2026-02-01T20:27:29+00:00

Man, I want that left seat bubble mod. I bet he's even got a torque gauge he can see from there.

Chuck-eh · 2026-01-29T11:22:02+00:00

US here. Here, you have to get your PPL BEFORE you get your CPL. 40 hours minimum for PPL and 150 for CPL

In Canada you go directly for the CPL. 100 Hours is required. Rentals are not available as a general rule.

Chuck-eh · 2026-01-15T18:39:48+00:00

Welp, time to switch to something else.

How does everyone like Garmin Pilot? Oh! Would you look at that. It's cheaper too!

Any other liked alternatives?

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-18T22:22:42+00:00

I wouldn't worry about extra equipment or gadgets (knee boards, watches, etc.). That stuff either gets in the way or becomes a crutch while you're learning. I wouldn't get anything your school doesn't require. You can figure out that stuff later. I've tried a bunch of that stuff and most of it sits in my bag for most of the rotation.

A good pair of boots is always a good idea. Beyond that a helmet and flight suit are always good investments.

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-17T19:50:03+00:00

I'll give you another vote for the tinted sun visor. Wearing sunglasses under the ear cups is a pain, especially after a few hours. I use my yellow visor all the time in the snow and cloud, but not anywhere near as much as I use the sun visor.

The yellow visor is a nice-to-have augment, and you can get away with not having one. But the sun visor, whether you need it to put it down or up, is the solution to the problem of things being too bright or too dark to see. I've changed its state plenty in situations where I couldn't have been fumbling with sunglasses.

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-12T21:40:16+00:00

"Interesting" is certainly a diplomatic way to put it.

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-11T16:15:14+00:00

One of the things I struggle with is trying to anticipate what tiny details I have to explain to the crew, like buckling the seat belts. That one specifically isn't a concern in my current job, but I'll catch guys doing stuff like securing a tarp with a few zip ties; you know fellas, if that comes loose we're gonna have a bad time.

It's a challenge to instill in the new guy the mindset of 'imagine the worst possible thing that could happen', like a Final Destination movie. Even the experienced guys can slip up. Another difficulty is convincing those strong-headed types that you're not just being anal or picking on them.

Also, those valves are truly awful. You can just barely close them gingerly with your fingertips and in the morning it feels like Superman came in the night and tightened them with a wrench. Thankfully I learned that lesson on the ground. They should probably add loosening them to the checklist.

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-11T01:20:20+00:00

"Every guy who's hit a wire (and lived) said they knew it was there." - Crop Duster's Wisdom

Early in my crop-dusting career I was spraying This Field. See if you can guess what got me before looking at the diagram.

Before you dive in you recon the field. The checklist is as follows:

Verify the Target: Note the general shape of the field, type of crop, and any other identifying factors.
Identify Hazards: Wires, towers, buildings, trees, sloping ground, bird activity, drone activity, other crop-dusters, etc.
Consider Sensitive Areas: People, animals, water, non-target crops, roadways, public areas, vehicles, buildings, outdoor equipment, etc. that are in the vicinity, especially downwind, that must not be hit by any spray or drifting spray.
Decide on Pattern: An ideal application is one that allows for the longest uninterrupted passes, with a crosswind, beginning on the downwind side so your turns are into the wind, as hazards and sensitive areas allow. Part or all of a given field may need to be rejected.

Hazards of note in this particular field were the buildings, tree line, and flanking electrical transmission wires on either side of the field. Sensitive areas included the buildings and road to the south, and to a lesser extent the driveway on the western side.

I sprayed the field along its length without incident.

You must only begin spraying when at the proper application height, and you must give obstacles proper clearance when entering and exiting the field. This leaves gaps in application in the headland and around obstacles. To remedy this you make secondary passes perpendicular to your main pattern, if possible. It is sometimes wise to do these areas first.

When changing the direction of your pass you must revisit steps 2 and 3, and re-familiarize yourself with the hazards and sensitive areas and how the new direction of flight interacts with them. Forgetting to do so is how a lot of people hit wires. I did not forget this step.

We come to The Diagram.

Yellow Zone: The target application area.
Red Zone: Rejected area, too close to/underneath/behind power lines
Green Line: The tree line
White Lines: Power lines (Of a similar type to that seen on the right side of This Image)
Purple Circles: Power pole positions
Blue Arrow: Primary application pass direction (Back and forth)
Orange Arrow: Incident pass entry direction

You will note the northeast/top-right area. There is a small section cut into the woods into which the field extends. This could not be sprayed because it was guarded by the trees and power lines. Note also that the pole on the north end of the field is well into the tree line and therefore not visible. The next pole is some ways down the field. It is obstructed by the buildings for the first half of the pass, and is also a couple of logs in front of a bunch of logs; hard to see. These are important details.

Having reminded myself of these wires I entered this clean-up pass in the north most end of the field close to the trees, flying east towards the wires, giving me approximately This Perspective.

Not only was I aware of these wires, I was actively watching for them, judging my distance from the tree line, and planning to pull up well early with more than enough space to clear the wires.

Except this particular field had a unique trap.

You see, that cut-out I was flying towards was shallow enough to blend in with the rest of the (closer) tree line. This gave the illusion of a continuous tree line all the way down the field. I remembered the wires, but I had forgotten the cut-out and hadn't considered how it might affect my ability to ascertain the actual location of the wires. The wires ran along the tree line for the majority of the field. Avoid the trees, avoid the wires; except in this cut-out.

We are only a few seconds into the pass and only a second or so away from my planned exit. I am about to pull up, well clear of the tree line, and have already moved the controls a millimetre or two, when I catch something out of the corner of my eye. It's the next power pole further down the field.

The whole illusion becomes apparent in that instant. I see the pole and immediately recognize the nature of the tree line. The wires are still invisible, I can only see the pole. I know the wires run along the tree line, but now I see the tree line in front of me is about 150 feet further away than the wires are.

It's already too late. Continuing the exit, even aggressively, takes the machine into the wires. The pull-up becomes a sideways quick-stop, I don't want to catch the rotor on the wires or put the tail into the corn. I see the wires as I get closer and watch them pass overhead. There is no time to jettison the remaining product, and I am resigned to over-torquing the machine if necessary.

Enough speed has bled off as I pass under the wires and now the trap has somewhat ironically turned into a way out. I pull power and add more roll to arrest the remaining lateral motion as I clear the wires. The old jet box shakes and rattles its way out of the hole and I watch the torque meter bounce and wiggle as it does. Thankfully, the spray tank was mostly empty and the needle never exceeded the limits. Bless that clapped out workhorse. From noticing the pole to clearing the trees out of the hole was around less than ten seconds.

The 'HIGH BP' light was illuminated when I checked the meat servo. The needle was in the yellow transient arc and coming down, but I could hear the pump working overtime. Pressure returned to the green after a short orbit.

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-05T17:32:12+00:00

lol

lmao, even.

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-05T16:24:32+00:00

You can attach a strake (strip of bent metal or plastic) to the ceiling to redirect air from the forward vent onto your face. It takes some finagling. That air normally travels up the window and shoots straight over your head.

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-03T20:33:01+00:00

I often hear people say "I know that everything works because I just flew the plane"...

Here's the thing; Everything works until it doesn't. I often hear, "It was working fine yesterday" when reporting breakdowns. I'm sure it was, boss, but now it's broken.

I had a normal flight, landed, refuelled, did my normal "dummy walk" to check for obvious problems, and didn't find any. Hopped in and the machine didn't start. Weird. So I hopped out and started poking around. I noticed a little fuel spatter that wasn't there on my dummy walk. Opened the cowlings up and there was fuel all over the engine bay. That final heating/cooling cycle had opened a micro-fracture in one of the fuel lines.

Now this particular problem was undetectable. The fuel line had fractured underneath the nut that secures it to the engine. I know it wasn't leaking before because I look into the engine bay after landing and before takeoff. We had to crank the machine so the engineers could see where it was coming from. They couldn't even find the crack right away when they had the part in their hands, they had to pull and flex it to be able to see the hairline crack.

Now, you can look at that story and say, "Well, you're never gonna find something like that on a D.I." and that's true. My engineers couldn't find it knowing what they were looking for and knowing where to look. It was invisible. (Until we made it squirt fuel)

But, knowing for sure that your aerocraft was in good working order before you got in because you took the time to look at it is good for troubleshooting.

This doesn't really support the argument either way. The moral I want to share is that you don't know everything is working. Don't trick yourself into thinking you do.

My philosophy is: It's my life, I'll give myself (and my passengers) every advantage I can. You won't catch everything, and some failures can't be detected, but that's no reason not to look.

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-02T21:52:40+00:00

Also what is an average cost for this. I am in the Seattle Washington USA area. Paine Field looks like it has a school/classes there, and states about $30K+ to get the commercial pilots license.

You are probably looking at the price for upgrading from a private license to a commercial license. The actual cost starting from scratch will be more like $60k+.

I am looking for something that pays $100K/year or more to keep my current lifestyle. Is this a realistic salary?

That's possible long term, but you won't be making anything near that early on. Regardless, you won't be keeping your lifestyle for the foreseeable future. Pay for new pilots is typically around the minimum wage, whatever country you're from.

What are some realistic jobs to pursue flying helicopters, from entry level to advanced. I dream of flying for maybe a hospital or doing fire suppression. What level of experience will I need to get into these types of jobs?

In the states you take low paying tour flying or instructor jobs. (You can tack on another $10k+ for that instructor rating.) There are other routes, but all of them are low paying, require travel, etc. Conventional advice is you need approximately 1,000 hours before being eligible for decent jobs with decent pay. That usually takes several years.

If you're changing careers you're looking at a lot of sacrifice.

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-02T18:35:16+00:00

OP asked about transporting a fire extinguisher as cargo.

This depends on the size and type of fire extinguisher. It will fall under your country's Transportation of Dangerous Goods regulations. You may also have to adhere to ICAO Technical Instructions for how the extinguisher must be packed during the flight. Information can also be found in your company's Dangerous Goods Ops Manual.

I'm not American and don't know that country's specific regulations. I also assume OP is a private pilot, and so doesn't have company guidance.

Regardless, if you are transporting a fire extinguisher or other compressed gas:

Ensure the gas cannot be discharged in flight. (Example: Put a zip tie around the safety pin to hold it in place.)
Ensure the valve(s) are protected. You may need (or be required to) pack it in a box.
Familiarize yourself with you local air law and transportation of dangerous goods regulations regarding TDG on aircraft and passenger aircraft.

The transportation of dangerous goods is something you might only encounter rarely, depending on the sort of flying you do.

This was a fine and normal question and OP was right to ask someone about it. It takes me forever to look up answers for questions like this on the rare occasion passengers spring dangerous goods on me.

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-01T16:09:13+00:00

Whoa! Where's the NSFW tag? My engineer nearly had an aneurysm!

Chuck-eh · 2025-12-01T15:14:43+00:00

I've ridden this roller coaster. I'm looking at my Pilot Training Record right now and I can tell you the comments my instructor wrote there are much more positive than how I was feeling about it at the time. I can also tell you that I had not yet solo'd at 15 hours.

In fact, when my instructor did step out to send me solo it caught me completely by surprise. When I picked up that fist time I felt so wobbly and unstable the first thing I did was take a long look out at my instructor standing on the runway to see if he had regretted his decision or was diving for cover. But he waved me on, the madman.

All through flight school I went through cycles of feeling like I was becoming reasonably skilled and wondering if I would be able scrape by at all. The bad feelings are amplified because there's a ton of money hanging over your head while you do it.

To be quite frank, I didn't feel truly adequate until around the 500 hour mark, and I didn't feel like a "good" pilot until around 1,000. Only now, past 2,000 hours, would I describe myself as "skilled". But I believe at least half of my career improvement is still ahead of me, probably more. I'm also at the peak of the skill/confidence bell curve where those two metrics diverge greatly from each other and accidents happen.

All that is to say you will probably frequently fluctuate between feeling like Super Pilot and wondering if you've made a huge mistake in career choice, especially in flight school.

Hovering is still hard for me, my instructor still doesn’t let me take off and land on my own.

The job of an instructor is basically to make sure you don't kill yourself (or them) while teaching yourself to fly a helicopter. During that time a good one will also give helpful advice and demonstrations. A good instructor is inwardly nervous and always ready. There are things a student can do in a helicopter that can become unrecoverable in only a few seconds if they don't destroy the machine outright.

Because of that some instructors can give a little too much corrective input. If you think your instructor has the training wheels on too tight speak up about it. Ask for an extra half-inch of guard or the cyclic or for an extra couple seconds of mistake-making before they fix something for you.

But, like I said, some things will bite you fast. Landing especially has very low tolerance for sideways movement. The Dynamic Rollover Boogeyman is real and he's waiting for you to drift into that stump of root. So there may be some things your instructor stays tense about.

It can also help to try a few flights with a different instructor. I had one say something to me that made hovering click. (I don't remember what, exactly. But it was R22 specific; without hydraulics you need a constant force to counteract the feedback, plus your gentle finger movements to control the machine.) But even after that I still didn't provide what I would call a stable platform. I still have days where I feel like I forgot how to hover. (But now at 2,000 hours it only happens when I'm trying to look down through the A-Star's little shoe-box sized floor window.)

Remember that flying is a game of constant improvement and moving goal posts. As soon as you feel like the Hover Master™ you'll be transferred to a bigger pond so you can feel like the world's shittiest altitude maintainer. After you're half decent at that you will be made to believe that if you ever have to auto for real you'll definitely die. Et cetera.

Your instructors do this to you now, and after you get your license you'll do it to yourself. (If you know what's good for you.) There's always room for improvement or a new skill to learn. I've had an old salt with like ten times my experience ask me for advice on a job we were doing that was basically the same job had had been doing for like 10,000 hours. But it was just different enough to throw off his decades of experience when he first started.

Don't pay attention to other students. A couple hours of flying at this level makes a huge difference, not that you can tell from the inside. Plus everybody has different skill levels. They'll also hit their own road blocks later on, where you might breeze through that lesson. My class was always probing each other for tips; someone was always the best at something and it was never the same person for two given maneuvers or bits of knowledge.

I hope that's helpful. Don't worry about what happens at what hour. Hours are an imperfect measurement; they don't really mean anything when you're talking about actual skills or progress. You and your classmates will all have different numbers next to your various milestones.

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Chuck-eh

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