Shane Parry
Country
Australia
When did you train at Beckers?
Started at the end of 2004 but didn't finish until May 2005!
While training I got to my PPLH stage when Mike got a call about some co-pilot for some of us students! We were sent out to do locust spotting with Heli Aust out of Bankstown, NSW. I did about 3 months in total with them and it was by far the best thing that could have ever happen to a student pilot. Not only did we get a great opportunity to fly around in Jetrangers and Squirrels all day, we got a chance to see how it all worked in the real world! And not only that, I got to meet and work along side some of the big guns in the Australian Helicopter industry today! I took away memories and lessons from them guys that will live with me forever.
Why helicopters?
Well as a young bloke, I grew up near an Australian Army base. Almost every day had Army Tanks and APC's rolling up and down our street! And as cool as they were? They never really impressed me. But the Army did have one machine that could stop me in my tracks, no matter what I was doing! Every couple of days this machine had me running out the door to look at it! It was beautiful. Sweet sounds of the UH-1H Hueys!! You know even if it meant I was only going to see them for a split second, I just needed to see these awesome machine fly past! For years I use to look up and think "how cool is that!" Anyway to this very day a Huey flying my way will have me headed for the door to have a look! My time on the earth is not DONE until I get my arse in the PIC seat of one! (205, 212, 214 .... mmmm 214). When that's done, I'll die happy.
Biggest challenge whilst training
Well for those of you who know me know that I only ever went to school to eat my lunch! (Dumb Arse!) sssooo ... for me the theory was always gonna be the biggest challenge by far! The practical I knew I could do! It was only ever the theory I feared the most! But hey, I got through it and at the end of the day what I learned about myself and know now! I think it's truly amazing how when you really have a passion for something all the pieces will just fall into place. I even ended up with some pass marks that I still can't believe today? (between 90-98%)!
Sure I failed exams and felt like a loser, but life itself throws new challenges at us everyday. If you think about it isn't that what a helicopter pilot have to face? New challenges? Did I lie down and feel sorry? Did I cry? Not on your life! I went right back and hit the books! I was determined not to let CASA bullshit questions get the better of me and take my dream away.
Most memorable flight
Hand down has to be the day my heart jumped in my mouth when Mike Becker said to me "Now this time when you take off the helicopter will act quite differently as my skid (meaning his side) is going to come off the ground first as when you come up to the hover by yourself your skid will hang low and the chopper will blah, blah, blah ..... " Oooohhhhhhh! What did you just say?! By myself?! ... (Solo) ... SSSShhhhiiittt! I'm never ever gonna forget that day.
What did you do when you finished training?
Well getting my CPLH took a lot of money and then some! (same old story). So before I could even think about chasing the dream I had to go back to my old job in the building game for a while to get some more money behind me. Within a few weeks I returned to Beckers to do my R44 endorsement (a must have if you're serious about a flying job today). A few weeks later I was chasing down some job leads Beckers had for me!
What are you doing now?
I work for a great bunch of blokes and I fly full time for a company called County Helicopters in Victoria, Australia. We are an "Airwork" company. Our primary role is all things to do with weed control and agriculture spraying of crops and pastures etc. We also do a lot of sling and film work! We have two parts to the company, with one half of the base in South Australia and the main base in Ballarat, Victoria. We also have a Grade 1 instructor on board that really has a passion for all things to do with Ag. In 2009 we also become an Ag pilot training school.
We also own Heli Vista which is our Charter company (joyflights etc) which at this moment is based full time in South Australia in the Flinders Ranges. Which by the way, the Flinders Ranges is a really beautiful part of Australia's history. I reckon everyone must see it at some point of their lives. I quite often go there to take over from the junior pilot (low hours) as we do get film work out over Lake Eyre or get the odd shooting contract. Which is something the Boss (or any Boss for that matter) will NOT let any of our low hour pilots near.
I also fly part time for Barossa Helicopters (yes, it's the Chopper Chix) based in the Barossa Valley in South Australia. But I only do this when no-one I know is watching me ... hehehe.. No really, when the old fella gets snowed under I'm more than happy to lend a hand.
How many hours have you logged?
1500 hours flying full time for about the past two years (3 years of ground work).
What are your ratings?
Mmmmm, off the top of my head - Agriculture Grade 2 (soon to be Grade 1), sling and the boss has me doing my NVFR as we speak.
What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?
No idea really! But for right now I owe the boys who gave me a start in the industry a little more of my time. I am really happy in doing what I am doing right now. I enjoy the type of flying we do. I enjoy learning new things and seeing new places each week. Most of all I enjoy how Ag flying not only teaches you about wind and wires and things. You really learn about the helicopter's performance and what a difference the DA can make to your MTOW every hour of every day! Or for that matter what a difference clean blades can make when you wash the bloody helicopter. But I'd love some day to find a job closer to my family in Brisbane so I can see them more often.
Advice to those learning to fly?
Easy, if it's something you want to do and you have bucket loads of cash then do it! I'm 100% proof that you don't have to have the sharpest tool in the shed to become a helicopter pilot. You just need a passion and a good training school with instructors that know what they're talking about. So if you have a strong work ethic and are prepared for the long haul your dreams can come true.
Make no mistake, make sure it's something you really want to do because at the end of the day it can cost you everything, and I'm not just talking money (house, car, wife). All the stories you hear about how good we have it, half of them are bull and the other half are shit. That's a fact. Fame and fortune is never gonna happen. Hot women don't give a rats you can fly a helicopter. They only want to know who owns the bloody thing!
Forget everything you hear about how much money helicopter pilots earn. In your first 2-3 years you will be lucky if you earn $20k - $30k per year and for all your hard work on the ground you will get very few flight hours in return. For those of you that can see the bigger picture, after 1-2 years on the ground thing will improve. Money, life and respect in the industry gets better with the average wage somewhere around $40k - $60k per year. And that's for a man with a long list of ratings.
Advice on looking for work
Well in this game timing is everything. Things can change at a drop of a hat and by the time the afternoon comes around we might be looking for 1 or 2 new workers (junior pilots). So my advice is ... if you have a place your keen on, show your face! Every couple of days! Get to know the boys and girls and find out what it is they do. Be proactive and help out a little. Expect nothing. If you're around and a position is available - bonus! This could take awhile, may be months but you just never know!
I'll tell ya what we look for a in a new guy or girl. Someone who is keen to look, listen and learn. Be seen but not always heard (I can't stand people who speak shit all the time). We look for someone who can wash a car or a helicopter or sweep the hanger floor without being asked. Someone who won't piss and moan at the thought of working most weekends. Someone willing to put in the hard yards to get somewhere in life. See the bigger picture. Most of all we look for people who can trust and only have to ask them to do it once! It had to be done right, the first time, every time!
Final words
Well as I'm sure Mike will tell you, your new CPLH is only a licence to learn. That is true.
You gotta make a 5 year plan! Plan to start at the bottom and work your way up. It's a long hard road but believe me it's well and truly worth it.
Know your place on the food chain. Understand you're at the very bottom. So what! You've got a CPLH. Who cares! Go out there and soak up everything there is to know about flying!
Try and do as much time in the R44. Most companies today own R44's but they can't really get insurance for you until you've done around 50 hours? So the more R44 hours you can come away from the school the better chance of getting the first job. I'm not saying do 50 hours (if you can afford to then all the better), but if you come away with 10 or 15 hours then it's a lot better than 3 - 5 hours that the other guy's got.
Don't waste your time and money on sling or night ratings. Seriously, you won't be doing that type of work until you've done at least 500 hours plus.
Fly safe and fly smart!
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