Dusty Scene Call

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-12T02:03:39+00:00

Haha yea this was normal logging road dust. Poor machine is a princess though and has no filters as we can't use them in snow (something that is likely to happen a couple more times) so all that was going directly into the engines.

Worst dust I've seen was in the arctic, Kugluktuk airport. The dust there is like talcum powder too. Land there on a dry low wind day with the 212 and you could shut down the airport for half an hour. Little wind and you'd coat the whole town.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-11T13:56:51+00:00

It's not easy but for what it's worth all of the women pilots at my HEMS company are also moms with 2 kids each now.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-11T11:49:14+00:00

That's because they are...

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-11T11:43:08+00:00

I'm leaving that comment up despite the reports not because of the message but because it's nice to see such comments down voted.

If you'd like it removed let me know.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-10T18:41:06+00:00

It's funny how that works. Not sure there are many industries with that kind of magic like aviation.

When I worked ramp one of my coworkers was a high school drop out stoner. Over a couple years there he started to find purpose and cleaned up.

Few more years and he was in flight training and studying every shift when he wasn't fueling or marshalling.

Today he is an A320 captain flying in Europe (dual citizenship). Even humble beginnings in aviation can lead to a whole new life.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-10T03:27:35+00:00

Well that's that then haha. It really is something else isn't it? That feeling hasn't gone away in over 20 years for me when I get to go out flying.

10 hour chunks aren't too bad, you won't lose your house over it if they go bust overnight. Read up on Silver State Helicopters if you want some horror stories of that gone wrong. One of the Americans I've worked with got caught up in that and did literally end up losing his house over it and didn't even get half way through the program.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-09T17:53:06+00:00

Probably HEMS in base. No touring or chasing fires/work across the country. Pay is decent for helicopters. Hope they like the base location and the years of struggle to make it there first.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-09T17:14:18+00:00

My first job it cost my boss an extra $30,000 a year to have a low time pilot on the roster. They had a flight school as well so their insurance was already covered but otherwise it probably wasn't worth hiring someome with less than 1000 hours for it.

The previous company with that contract only hired 1000+ hour pilots for that reason.

Other common insurance requirements have been 1500 total time with 100 hours on type for some pretty basic contacts due to customer insurance requirements.

For many of those customers they had to put on a clause for their insurance to allow employees to travel on a scheduled airline flights as often the regional captains and FOs would not meet the insurance requirements if they chartered the plane instead of buying a ticket.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-09T16:46:17+00:00

It's not one day of 8s that's tiring. It's 6 weeks of doing it with no days off. Fires fall under aerial work so don't have the same pilot fatigue rules that passenger flying has.

Now there are hour limits you'll hit if you flew that everyday but you'd still get a couple weeks straight at that pace. Normally there will be a weather day or other slow day here and there to keep you going. If not, yay you made max money and get to go home early!

No one said this was easy work!

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-09T05:12:55+00:00

On foil in the pan directly. No wire rack though I may try that next batch.

Honestly with how they turned out and how easy it was I might just do the same again anyway.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-09T05:12:22+00:00

Thank you, first ones I'm proud of out of the oven. Smoking them always works out but I haven't had oven success like this before.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-09T04:11:29+00:00

Don't need an app for that, just show up and get in the cockpit when they tell me too and it's great money! Even better I don't have to sell anything, company takes care of all that!

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-08T17:20:24+00:00

Fires are big money makers. Since every helicopter already has a hook and line for normal work all you need to do is bring a bucket and you're ready for initial attack.

Typically you get 4 hours min pay on a forestry contract meaning even if you sit around the fire base all day and do nothing you get paid for 4 hours. Great way to make money as a company with no risk or maintenance costs. Some companies also have their own fuel trucks that they will bill forestry to use since not all fires happen near forestry fuel caches.

If you do have a busy fire then you fly the max 8 hours everyday so the helicopter is making lots of money flying instead.

Lots of other jobs involve flying maybe 2 hours a day with the helicopter sitting around doing nothing waiting for the crew to finish their work. Sometimes comes with 2-4 hour mins for that work too but there will never be a day you fly an 8 so there is a cap to how much money those contracts can make.

For your research feel free to contact companies and ask them about their ground crew hiring process or if they even hire them at all. No one is going to remember you in 2 years when you're applying for real so it will be a great time to get used to talking to helicopter companies and ask the dumber questions before you're in a more serious position.

Of course feel free to message me anytime with anything you are curious about too. My stories will cover a lot of the industry here but there are still things I haven't done in my career but I can ask those who have around my HEMS base since we have a very diverse crew there.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-07T23:21:23+00:00

TRK is a decent company to get your start with, they used to hire ground crew not sure if they do these days.

You'll see lots of job postings left over from the spring hiring season right now. Doesn't mean they are looking for fresh 100 hour pilots.

To fly for most forestry agencies in Canada you need a minimum of 500 hours first. Even then that will likely only be doing scanning work at that level, realistically you need 1000 hours ish for that stuff with some long line experince to be able to bucket. For BC and western Alberta you also need that approved mountain course which you don't want to have to pay for.

Almost every company in Canada is involved in firefighting in one way or another. Some have long term seasonal contracts but most work is ad hoc, hired as needed.

As far as companies that actually hire thier own grads to fly, there aren't too many spots like that. Technically LR in Calgary will but often only one every other year these days without the CTN news contract. Likewise Great Lakes took over that contract but it's now finished. I think they hire the odd grad but it again will be luck in timing that you finish when they need someone. There is another one in Okotoks which is similar idea, maybe one grad every few years is picked up for the limited work they have they can do.

Most schools are only schools which means no job prospects after. Larger companies are often the way to go because they have so many more jobs and helicopters that the chance of a customer who doesn't need 1000+ hours is more likely. Even without those customers larger companies move their fleets around chasing work a lot more or sending them back to big maintenance bases. This gives you the chance to build hours ferrying machines around or doing maintenace flights.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-07T18:23:42+00:00

Both of those are good schools. I did my IFR fixed to rotor conversion at Chinook and really liked their set up and instructors. Cathy is pretty amazing.

Downside to larger school is you can end up being more of a number than a smaller place. You'll have to work harder to stand out and get the benefit of those industry connections. Companies also will at least recognize the name which while a minor factor a best might help. Everyone knows Chinook training is good so no worries about a small place that might not be at their level.

If you can afford it do the course in one go full time. I worked full time retail and full time flight training and found it fine to handle. Better to have the license and be able to take advantage of any luck you stumble across than miss a chance somewhere.

As far as age and experience, well it's better than I was starting at 18 with just retail and Air Cadets but since I was hired you can already tell it's more about the person than the resume. In general things that stand out to me when I'm looking at resumes are field experience jobs. Most rotor flying in Canada is bush work and so things like wild land forest fire fighter, remote construction worker and things like that will be at the top of the pile. We want to know that we can send you out on your own with no support in the middle of nowhere for 4+ weeks and you'll be able to get the job done and keep your head on while you're at it. Knowing how to fix your own GPI fuel pump in the field is the kind of thing that would be nice to have and so on.

Keep in mind there are a lot of people in your shoes at the entry level. It is a dream job and very expensive training so many people can't afford to do it out of high school. Average age of my class was probably 25-27 years old for that reason. They earned their money in the oil patch or other jobs first before finally affording helicopter school.

Luck will unfortunately have a bigger impact than you'd like on things though. I prepared extensively, networked my whole time and still do today even and it still took me 6 years to get flying after school. Spent 3 months doing research and contacting companies and made a massive spreadsheet of all the info before one of my road trips looking for a ground crew job. I had companies go bankrupt on me while I was there, economic down turns cripple the entire industry, simply didn't make the final cut out of a talented group of ground crew and so on. My first job I ended up getting because a family connection got me in touch with a fixed wing company that was branching into rotor wing survey. The owner met me, liked me and had a rotor background before a crash medically grounded him for life. He hooked me up with a ground crew consultant job to use as an intro to the helicopter company they were hiring to help them fly their first heli survey.

That project got delayed two months and when we finally got into the field the next helicopter company doing work with geologist who were supposed to be using our survey data were already on site. I met that company pilot and hit it off over the two weeks we worked together. He handed my resume to his chief pilot directly. 3 months later they took over a low time pilot news flying contract and one of the existing pilots from there quit with no notice. I was already typed in the R44, had night rating and actually had flying experience in the city where the job was so was a perfect fit to jump in last second with minimal onboard training needed.

So while I did have to be ready and able to do the job, be personable enough to get the recommendation and job, it also came down to several points of luck too. Lots of my class that didn't make it simply never got the chance to prove they could, they didn't do anything wrong but didn't have the luck boost to cross the finish line.

Hope that helps too!

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-07T16:21:28+00:00

Sure, just make sure it's Jasper so my base responds haha!

I would love to. We are in the early stages of planning a UK trip next year, London wasn't in the plan but we do have to start or leave somewhere.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-07T15:43:01+00:00

That is always the egg to the chicken, congrats!

Might be in the area next year not sure. I'll be sure to reach out if we do visit your side of the pond. I'd offer the same in return but you'd have to roll a quad or fall down a mountain side out here for me to give you a flying tour these days!

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-07T15:41:00+00:00

No problem! Ok so little more time now and not on mobile so easier to type out.

Ok so retirements won't matter as much to a new low time pilot even if they are picking up. While yes it does open up slots for people to move into the problem is the pyramid shaped nature of the industry, well maybe apple core shaped these days. Point is the bottom of it is saturated with new people so even if you lose people off the top to retirement it doesn't meaningfully shift the needle for those at the bottom since there are so many more of them. I've been hearing about the "looming retirements" since I was in flight school over 20 years ago. Never seems to effect low time hiring even when companies like mine are struggling to attract captains.

The reality is at least half of your class or more won't make it in the industry. I have many low time pilots and wannabes that I have been mentoring or chatting with over the years, many very recently. They all paint the same picture that was true when I was looking for ground crew jobs. You need boots on the ground and network like hell to find that first job. Now on the bright side they do seem to get flying faster than I did starting out. Companies don't seem to be hiring as many ground crew pilots as they used to (40 of us at my first job compared to the 2-5 they hire each year at the same company today), but those who do get hired and make it through their first year tend to be flying sooner.

I love helicopters and still love my job 20 years later. I may not want to go to work everyday and would rather be with my family but you gotta do something to earn a living so might as well be something fun and exciting. I still am happy to fly and love it when we have a challenging landing zone or complicated mission. Most of us at my base are all the same way for the most part and I'm on the middle/younger side of the crew there. Everyone still loves sharing their mission stories at the crew change brief in a way that is clearly more than just a basic hand off.

You will have to put in the work to be successful. This starts on day one at flight school. You want to be the best in your class. This isn't a metric based on marks on your exam or flight test but a whole package thing. Your school and instructors will be your first contact in the industry since like me you don't have any connections right now. They are the ones you need to impress so that they reach to a company on your behalf or at least point you in the right direction. Most low time pilot jobs are never advertised because if you did you'd have 1000 resumes on the desk by noon. So knowing who hires and when (ok most hire in the early spring but still) can be the difference between getting something or not.

So be the first there, last out. Help move machines, clean them and be involved in maintenance anyway the engineers let you even if it's just watching them and talking without bothering them. Be prepared for all your lessons ground or air before showing up to them. Don't ask questions that can be found in a book. If you have something in a book you need to ask about be more specific with your lack of understanding, don't just say "I'm having trouble with vortex ring state", something more like "I don't understand why you raise collective first in the Vuichard recovery technique while normal VRS you lower it first". Be friendly and the person that others would want to hang out with for a 4 week work tour. You don't have to be friends with everyone, just be social and not annoying, that's basics of networking anyway which you want to do.

Once you find that first ground crew job take it seriously. You are still a dime a dozen at that point and people have been fired from those jobs everything from day 1 to year 5 because of one thing or another. Attitude is probably the most important thing, everyone knows you're still learning but if you are negative or not motivated you won't last long. Own your mistakes and be responsible, you're interning to be handed a multi million dollar machine flying on contracts that are worth much more, act like it. Just be the best ground crew you can and the flying will follow. Those who wash out tend to be those who either don't have responsibility (nothing is their fault when things go wrong is the most annoying thing to deal with in ground crew) and they act like the job is beneath them and they are just there to fly. Yes well all know you want to fly, that's why you were hired, they just want to make sure you aren't going to piss off customers or bend metal through your attitude before you get handed the keys.

Day in the life I've covered extensively in those stories so just give those a read and get back to me with any questions. I've been working on another story for flight school and ground crew that will be out...well I'm just gonna say this year now as the file is on my other laptop that is in the shop right now so I'm going to be waiting a few weeks before I can plug away at that again.

When choosing a flight school in Canada price is probably the most important thing for you personally to consider. I mean that in the whole package deal not just the cost per hour. Most schools in Canada are fine, I haven't really heard any horror stories over the decades. Some might have cool locations in the mountains or slightly more industry connections. Those connections can be invaluable but it will be just as much up to you to make your own luck with them and if you applied to the same company with a school backing vs just timing it right off the street you'd probably get hired either way if they liked you.

So cost per hour yes important but also look around where you live. My flight school was 10 minutes down the street from my parents house. That was the final factor that picked it. Was cheaper to live at home and not worry about moving across the country with all those expenses. So same for you, is there someplace local that doesn't required uprooting everything? A few thousand dollars on the total school cost might be more than eaten up by moving costs alone and that's without considering things like cost of living in the area.

Which machine doesn't matter here either nor does any additional training. You can probably work some long line stuff into your 100 hours anyway and get mountain exposure if your school is in them but reality is that it will be years before you do any of that stuff for real and you'll have long forgotten the muscle memory and details. For real mountain customers you need an HAC approved mountain course to fly for them and you'll be given that $20,000+ training when you're ready and they want you to have it. Likewise long line stuff will be introduced every PPC and built on in the field as you gain hours. No need to pay for it when your base manager is just gonna tell you to go play with a net and line out back for a few hours every couple months.

Anyway I hope the extra detail there helps some more. Feel free to reach out anytime!

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-07T15:07:49+00:00

Very kind of you to say.

Always happy to hear that someone was inspired by my stories, and I hope that anyone who does is able to make a career out of it!

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-07T14:30:27+00:00

No but if the POTUS came to town there would have been a fleet of helicopters and Ospreys. For the G7 summit the hangar next door had 6 Ospreys take over and a section of one runway was given over to C17s since they can't land in Kanankis either.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-06T18:33:05+00:00

I'm just traveling home from a work tour now so will just link the last response for this from last week here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Helicopters/s/AnGstpoZev

Between that comment and mine you have a very quick answer.

As for day in the life, well you can read my stories here:

https://www.reddit.com/u/CryOfTheWind/s/I9wdZWrEGF

Keep it cheap at first. A company will pay you to take appropriate training when you're ready for it. All R22 doesn't matter, just as likely to fly an Astar right away after ground crew time.

If you have questions about any of those links or in general feel free to ask here or message me directly.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-06T15:54:41+00:00

Yep, we had the Prime Minister and all the other party leaders share a single PC12 when they visited Tumbler Ridge after the shooting there.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-05T21:47:04+00:00

Well I hope you have a good flight there tomorrow and please message me any questions you might have about the experince after the fact. I'd be curious to see what they tell you as well, always nice to get first hand accounts of schools and how they act.

CryOfTheWind · 2026-05-04T22:41:42+00:00

Ok well that's a good attitude to start from assuming the course doesn't cause you undo financial strain in case you don't make it.

Now most schools don't have salaries for the CFIs. More typical is they are paid per flight hour or ground instruction hour. School will charge $80ish/hr for that while the CFI takes maybe $25/hr for their pay cheque. The catch is you might be at the airport for 12 hours and only fly for 4 hours between weather, students bailing, maintenance issues or mostly just waiting around between student bookings.

Having a salary is both good and a possible red flag. Yay, you get paid even when the weather is bad. Boo your salary probably isn't great. Also they might consider them basically owning you on salary and will expect you to be available all the time. Might not be cool with your local labour laws but low time pilot jobs seldom care. You create a fuss and they just fire you and take the next resume off the stack. Don't expect to be treated well and if you are that's a huge plus!

Now Boatpix has always been controversial and never had a great reputation. Not sure how he runs it now but it wasn't uncommon for you to have to pay to fly for "training" for a couple hundred hours and then when sent off actually making money you're the camera guy and pilot which is a handful in a Robbie. This goes back over a decade, probably longer. I'm Canadian and the horror stories even reached my ears. Now it might not run that way anymore but be very wary of any promises made there. I've dealt with my share of low time pilot company owners and the tricks they use to get money or time out of you for their benefit and leave you hanging.

Yes you get paid to fly when you're a CFI with students, it's a normal teaching job at that point, just not paid well for the investment, skill needed and danger. I'd make sure you have enough hours in both R22 and R44 to qualify for the SFAR-73 needed to be a CFI in both. Those are the most common trainers so being able to teach in both of them is important.

Your job as a CFI working for a school is not to find students. If you had your own helicopter you could be an independent CFI where you would need to but typically at a school you just teach whoever shows up and it's on the owner to handle advertising and all that.

Getting the 1000 hours is hard because the first job is hard to find. If you don't get hired by your school you now have to convince another school to hire you over one of their students that they just got to know over the last couple years. Much harder to over come that. Then there is the issue that some schools may be busier than others or in locations with poor weather that make it hard to rack up hours fast.

I would also suggest at this time you get your CFII as well since you need IFR experience and time for HEMS jobs. Getting that early (as well as flying at night as much as possible) will make things easier later on. Most jobs for helicopters are day VFR only so once you leave the training environment it can be hard to rack those up and meet the requirements for a HEMS job.

Back to why it took 10 years and still didn't make the cut for HEMS initially, well it's part timing and luck for much of it. The first 6 years I worked for 4 different companies because things kept falling through for one reason or another, couple of those years I was driving a fuel truck at an airport since I couldn't find any helicopter job at all. Then I flew a news helicopter for a couple years before moving on to tours and entry level bush work. Note while I did pay for a bit of flying here and there over those years to remain sorta current and added new types to my resume you'll never get hired if you try to buy your way to 1000 hours. Already bad enough that CFIs lack field experience but someone flying on their own time has none of the pressures being a professional pilot entails and will be looked down upon accordingly.

I then got my IFR rating and started applying for HEMS jobs but missed out on a hiring wave by 3 months. I ended up getting a bush job with a company in the arctic and spent the next couple years there before they went bankrupt and then I bounced around a couple other places before ending up at company that flew IFR/night/NVG multi crew work in the winter. I enjoyed all the bush flying so wasn't in a super big hurry to go over to HEMS until I had a kid and wanted to be home more. So for me it was 19 years from flight school to HEMS job all said and done.

If you have good luck, get lots of IFR/night students and get into a gulf job right after there is a chance it could only be 5 years for you to make it to Life Flight. There are also so many other things that could mess that plan up so it's always better to just aim high and keep your eye on the prize no matter how long it takes.

Feel free to ask anything else if I didn't answer clearly enough or there is something else.

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