Applied for a few of the popular operators. Only heard back from Temsco, I'm short of time for them. Wondering if anyone knows how they hire for the seasonal jobs in AK, do they collect names and start contacting pilots closer to start date, or try to hire pilots as soon as possible?
For the curious I have about 1450 TT, 770 Helicopter, rest is split between airplanes and gliders.
Thanks for all advice and experiences.

I have never worked helicopters but here’s some fixed wing info, maybe that is applicable?

Fall (October, November, December) seems to be when returning pilots and insider pilots line up their positions for the next year. By end of year, most operators know who they have and then start looking for the new non-word-of-mouth people.

I’d say now is the time to push hard to talk to someone on the phone and ask about hiring schedules and such. Even a receptionist at a front desk can likely put you in touch with someone in power.

When I was looking for my first AK job in 2018, I got no real responses until January and then ended up lining up a job mid January. This year I accepted a new job back in October for next year.

Good luck! Would love to learn helicopters when time/money allow. My new job has a couple R44’s that they have transitioned fixed wing pilots into before and that possibility down the road excites me.

GB wrote:Applied for a few of the popular operators. Only heard back from Temsco, I'm short of time for them. Wondering if anyone knows how they hire for the seasonal jobs in AK, do they collect names and start contacting pilots closer to start date, or try to hire pilots as soon as possible?
For the curious I have about 1450 TT, 770 Helicopter, rest is split between airplanes and gliders.
Thanks for all advice and experiences.

What was the equipment?

770 with your TT should be good for R44 work if you have some mountain AK/PNW/mountain experience

Most R44 tours seem to want 500 RW and the safety course, but that’s in the lower 48

For a turbine folks want a bit more time

From JSFirm

Helicopter Air Alaska (Robbie)
Commercial Helicopter Certificate with CFI or II.
800 PIC Helicopter
100 PIC Helicopter Last 12 months.

https://www.jsfirm.com/Pilot-Rotary+Win ... bID_966222

Interesting advertised pay spread however

Thanks guys. Mostly R-22 time, 30 hours in R-44s, and 40 in Schweizer 300s. I'll get on the phone, email has become unreliable to the point where I'd almost prefer mailing paper. Appreciate the information.

Do you have leave or vacation time available?

Speaking from a 137 operator standpoint (not 135, and not AK, but experienced there to a lesser degree) I don't get a lot of email / computer time, and the last thing I want to do when I do is try and sort out who is fishing, from who might have potential. But, I never turn away an opportunity to break away for a minute for the fellow who showed up at my doorstep ready to go to work. And I'm more inclined to go to bat with the insurance co. (the ultimate decider) for a guy who might be a touch short, but had the tenacity to get in my face. Worked for the last one to climb in to one of our aircraft

Take care, Rob

For sure follow up all emails with repeated phone calls until you can talk to the chief pilot. The advice to come north and put a face to the name on a resume, just one of the resumes in a massive stack, is solid advice indeed. There’s a lot of flying jobs in Alaska and a real need for qualified pilots but it can still be quite challenging to get your foot in the door.

I found my first seasonal AK job on alaskaslist.com

I can't give any specifics since I'm on the east side of the border there but can give some general tips that help out on the Canadian side of things.

First off, emails go to the trash 95% of the time unless you're experienced, too many people just tossing resumes into the void without serious consideration to where they are applying. To make an impact phone calls till you talk to someone actually in charge of hiring people with your skill level is needed. Then follow up with an in person visit.

This really is the style of hiring you've been told by boomers and scoffed at by zoomers. With not much to distinguish one low time pilot from another you have to take the extra mile and put boots on the ground. I put over 15,000km on my car as a low time rotor guy in Canada and it did work, got a couple jobs that way.

Dress appropriate when you visit. Do some research because while some places might want a cleaner look especially for tours, any bush operator will probably laugh behind you back if you show up in dress slacks with a tie and jacket. Your finest bar date jeans and a polo/flannel are fine, in cold weather a hoddie isn't a deal breaker. Basically show up like you understand what you're getting into up north and not looking like a puppy mill pilot school nerd who hasn't turned a wrench in your life. Trust me this matters coming from a city kid who was always taught about how to apply to office jobs not bust work. Again do some research, there aren't really tour companies this side of the arctic (it will be ad hoc if someone wants one, not our primary or ever secondary business most places, even in Yellowknife).

For most companies over here we start training in March to May depending on the contracts. That means you're looking to be hired Jan-Feb if you haven't already reached out and made good contact prior. Busy season and fire season really start in May and go till September for the most part. Past that weather starts to crap out again and things slow down, at least on our side.

Happy to chat about flying helicopters in the north if you have any other questions, you can see a couple of my stories in the helicopter section now but I've got over 7 years of arctic helicopter flying experience now and another 10 odd years in the industry a little more southern.