At the end of each 12-hour medevac shift....I get in my own car and go home to sleep in my own bed. I do that 7 times and then I forget about work for 7 days. My family and I know what holidays I'm working this year and the next, and the next and the next.

I don’t think there is any question which one is generally better as far as long-term career benefits. Yeah, helicopters are more “fun”, but you know what else is fun? Being only year 4 at a US legacy, being a WB FO, making 360k last year, and having 18-20 days off every month. That 360 doesn’t count 17% direct contribution into your 401k, so about 60k/year directly into your 401k regardless of your contribution. I hear people say, it’s boring, I could never do it, yada, yada, yada. Whatever. Flying is a job. Regardless of your level of passion, etc, at the end of the day, it will become a job at some point. It can be boring, but the quality of life REALLY takes the sting out of the boredom. Also, a lot of the boring comments are loudest from people who have never done it. After flying all over the world, the thought of puttzing around at 90 knots on a .8 flight, now seems pretty boring to me - in a different way. Best of luck!

I am a dual-rated commercial pilot, and I chose to focus on the rotary wing side. I recently retired from flying, coming out of helicopter air ambulance. (As an aside, my stepson is a copilot flying the Airbus 320 for Delta, so I understand that side of the business as well.). To answer your question, I think the fixed wing side has every advantage over rotary wing—better family life, better schedule, better pay (more than double.). HOWEVER—I find it boring. This is the primary upside of helicopters and it’s why I chose them. So much more interesting and fun to fly. And since I have a very successful wife, I didn’t need the money—which allowed me the flexibility to choose. I wish you luck going forward!

Hello everyone, I’ve been reading this forum for quite a while and I really appreciate the level of honesty and experience shared here, so I’d like to ask for some advice from people who are already working in the industry. A bit about me. I’m in my early 40s, based in Europe, and I currently have a stable professional and financial situation outside aviation. I’m not escaping a bad job or a difficult life. On the contrary, my quality of life is already good, both personally and professionally. I have flexibility, independence, and I value my time a lot. Aviation for me is not a last chance, but a conscious choice driven by passion. The question I’m trying to answer is not “can I make it?”, but rather which path offers a better long-term lifestyle and quality of life: airplanes or helicopters. I’m currently undecided between a fixed-wing path, starting from general aviation and possibly moving toward professional flying, and a rotary-wing path, which I find extremely fascinating but also seems more demanding from a lifestyle perspective, especially in the early years. At this stage of my life, what matters most to me is quality of life rather than pure career speed, having some level of predictability in the schedule when possible, being able to maintain relationships, sports, and a social life, not living permanently on the road or in extremely remote locations, at least not forever, and enjoying flying without it completely consuming my identity or personal life. I’m very aware that both paths require sacrifice at the beginning, that entry-level jobs are rarely glamorous, and that aviation is not a 9–5 job, especially early on. What I’m trying to understand, from people who actually live this life, is how your day-to-day lifestyle really looks after the first difficult years, whether looking back you would choose airplanes or helicopters again purely from a lifestyle perspective, and whether starting today at my age, with a solid non-aviation background, would influence your choice. I’m not looking for encouragement or discouragement, just honest, experience-based opinions. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their perspective.

I'm sure an N-Numbers Helicopter would need to be exported from the U.S. and De-Registered with the FAA. I'm wondering about In-Country Maintenance and Insurance Costs?? Puerto Rico has very limited Helo Repair Shops.

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Dennis was a great guy and an excellent instructor. I took a few lessons from him in exchange for work I did at Precision Helicopters at Stark's Twin Oaks airport. I'm sorry to learn of his passing.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! Read the Rotor Pro Nov-Dec 2025 issue here!! https://bit.ly/RotorProMag_NovDec2025 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Best of 2025 | JAARS Missionary Flights | 35 Years of TH-500B Ops | Aerotoscana: Chilean Helicopter Ops | Executive Watch: Jeremy Brock, VP Aircraft Services, United Rotorcraft | Meet a Rotor Pro: Wells Cornette | My 2 Cents Worth | Safety Sitrep | Uncrewed Update | Mil2Civ Transition | Maintenance Minute | Rotorcraft Checkride

10 Years too late but we are looking for Partner In Punta Cana 80 hours a month guranteed we got 135 Permits Client base and some cash to buy in.

Any of you guys interedted in coming doewn to Punta Cana D.R we got 10 million tourist a year in a 20 Mile sterech Sight seeing is a boom. Need a Helo Partner hands on ,, I got Heliport Permits and Client Base can gurantee 80 hours a month.