Articles for category Career Development
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Jun
22
2026
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Posted by Admin
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There is a hard truth in life and business that most people learn the slow way: some people are only close to you when they need something from you. The moment the need is gone, so are they.
The helicopter industry has more than its fair share of this type of person. Ours is an industry that likes to talk about relationships, trust, mentorship, and reputation. We describe it as a small community. We speak of loyalty, professionalism, and looking out for one another. We shake hands at events, share stories in convention halls, and talk as though this business is built on something deeper than opportunity. But if you stay in it long enough, you start to see another layer beneath all of that.
You begin to notice the people who call only when they need help, access, knowledge, influence, support or a favor. They know exactly where to find you when you can solve a problem, open a door, make an introduction, lend credibility, or help carry their load. In those moments, they act like you matter. They speak warmly. They remind you of your value. They praise your experience and your insight. They want your time, your energy, your reputation, and sometimes even your name next to theirs.
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Tags:
my two cents worth
Randy Rowles
Categories:
Career Development
Opinion-Editorial
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May
04
2026
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Posted by Admin
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While operators scramble to hire and keep experienced aviators, external headwinds are choking the talent pool. These forces aren't just creating immediate vacancies; they’re preventing a new generation of pilots from even entering the field.
As published in previous salary survey reports, the factors impacting operators stem from many issues to include; aging pilots retiring en-mass, aggressive airline recruitment of helicopter pilots, and the retraction of pilot training pipelines from traditional sources like civilian academies and the U.S. Military.
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Tags:
Helicopter Pilot Pay Scale
Helicopter Pilot Salary Survey
Categories:
Career Development
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Apr
27
2026
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Posted by Admin
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As we move through 2026, the aviation industry continues to grapple with a complex workforce landscape. While fixed-wing airline pilot shortages often dominate headlines, the rotary-wing (helicopter) sector faces a unique set of challenges. Leading up to now, several converging factors created a "perfect storm" that has redefined the career path for helicopter pilots, leading to significant shifts in compensation and recruitment strategies.
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2025-2026 Pilot Salary and Benefits Report
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Opinion-Editorial
Career Development
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Feb
02
2026
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Posted by Admin
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The helicopter training community has long been built on mentorship, credibility, and shared experience. For generations, knowledge has been passed from one aviator to the next through hard-earned expertise and honest, practical instruction. Today, that tradition is threatened by a growing issue: false narratives, manufactured authority, and AI-generated content presented as fact. With a camera or an internet connection, anyone can publish training commentary, and because online platforms reward attention rather than accuracy, the newest and most impressionable members of our industry are increasingly exposed to misinformation with real-world consequences.
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Tags:
helicopter training ai generated content
Helicopter training social media
Categories:
Career Development
Safety
Opinion-Editorial
Training
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Jan
12
2026
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
Rotor-wing chief pilot for Metro Aviation Inc.; it’s the best job in the company! I’m responsible for the hiring, training, currency, and qualification of approximately 600 pilots. I’m also a company instructor/check airman and still teach initial and recurrent flight training.
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Chief Pilot Metro Aviation
Meet A Rotor Pro
Wells Cornette
Categories:
Career Development
Human Interest
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Oct
19
2025
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Posted by Admin
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Many times, while flying a UH-60 Blackhawk while stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, I thought about how great this job is! There were also many times I thought about potential job prospects that would be available to me as a helicopter pilot in the civilian world if I decided to leave the military. To be honest, I overvalued my military experience and how it would transfer to the civilian aviation market. I thought: What company wouldn’t want to hire me? I flew one of the most advanced military helicopters at the time and I was well trained. I flew VIP’s, conducted many sling-load, firefighting, disaster relief, IFR and NVG operations. I was a catch! I would easily walk into one of those corporate aviation departments I heard so much about, and walk out with a job offer. I was wrong.
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Michael Toth
Military to Civilian Aviation
Categories:
Career Development
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Aug
11
2025
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Posted by Admin
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To put me in perspective: I didn’t have a squadron command tour, no beltway time, and I wasn’t a ring knocker. I was just a fleet average major trying to do above average work. I was an XO, a schoolhouse advanced IP, a JTAC, a school-trained ASO, and I even flew Marine One for a bit. So, I thought I had the experience to succeed in the civilian HEMS landscape and that’s what I wanted to do. I had no interest in the airlines, agriculture or utility. With that background on me, here is my take on challenges and wins I realized in my transition to civilian flight and my final recommendations for those making the transition.
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Chris Janecek
Military to Civilian Helicopters
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Career Development
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Jul
14
2025
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Posted by Admin
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Remember back when Apple introduced its iPhone with iOS. The new operating system transformed Apple’s cell phone into a powerful handheld computer. Worthy competitors soon followed with their own smartphone operating systems, such as Android. Now, imagine if an operating system had been introduced that transformed any old cell phone into a smart phone. Suddenly, Blackberry phones and non-smart Nokias would have been upgraded into smartphones! This analogy is basically what Skyryse (pronounced sky-rise) is attempting with their proprietary SkyOS, which they say is “the first universal operating system for flight” that upgrades “any helicopter or airplane” with pilot-assisting autonomous flight capability that far exceeds today’s standard autopilot. Does that sound too lofty—too pie-in-the-sky? (One can almost hear tennis personality John McEnroe exclaiming in a commercial, “Choose any aircraft?? You cannot be serious!!”) Well, welcome to the serious challenge that faces Warren Curry, VP of sales for Skyryse. He explains, “In aviation, there’s a lot of ‘vaporware.’ What I mean is that there are a lot of companies over-promising technology as being almost available, but it’s actually years away…. People see (our SkyOS operating system and coming Skyryse One helicopter) as being half a decade away, but our FAA certification is imminent. We’re shipping Skyryse One in 2026.”
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Tags:
SkyOS operating system
Skyryse One helicopter
Categories:
Career Development
Human Interest
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May
27
2025
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
I work as a utility helicopter pilot in Alaska, where a helicopter is often the only way to transport passengers and supplies to remote areas. Conducting aerial surveys, pipeline, and power-line inspections, slinging equipment to mountain tops or conducting crew changes for offshore platforms and container ships in the Bell 206 and 407 are just a few examples of my various tasks. The ever-changing weather can be a challenge: Besides extreme temperatures, we often deal with complex weather patterns that can shift rapidly and unpredictably.
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Jani Hartung
Utility Helicopter
Categories:
Human Interest
Career Development
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May
05
2025
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Posted by Admin
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On the personnel supply side of the equation, most every operator is working hard to recruit and retain experienced pilots.
There are still many external forces impacting the supply of working helicopter pilots. These forces are not only keeping the supply lines short of personnel, but stifling the growth of the base pilot pool as well.
As published in previous salary survey reports, the factors impacting operators stem from many issues to include; aging pilots retiring en-mass, aggressive airline recruitment of helicopter pilots, and the retraction of pilot training pipelines from traditional sources like civilian academies and the U.S. Military.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Career Development