Loading...

For local resources,
choose a city page in Oklahoma:

Helicopter Pilot Jobs Oklahoma OK

Seeking Professional Helicopter Pilot Jobs in Oklahoma

To land the top helicopter pilot jobs in Oklahoma depends so much upon the "type" of piloting job you are pursuing. Meaning, not all helicopter jobs in Oklahoma are the same. Not all helicopter jobs in Oklahoma are considered to be the "best-paying jobs." The top commercial helicopter pilot jobs around Oklahoma will require set minimum requirements.


Brand new helicopter pilots from Oklahoma are very limited in the type of piloting jobs in Oklahoma they qualify for because new pilots typically don't have enough flight experience. Most entry-level helicopter pilot jobs in Oklahoma require a minimum of 1,200 flight hours. Brand new commercial pilots (those right out of pilot training school) typically have only 220 total flight hours. Two-hundred and twenty hours is not a lot of hours.

Unfortunately, many times there is a 1,000 flight hour gap between completing commercial flight training and having the minimum requirements to land an industry "entry-level" pilot job in Oklahoma. Somehow the new commercial helicopter graduate must earn 1,000 additional hours or they don't qualify for the best paying helicopter pilot jobs in Oklahoma.

Due to a lack of flight experience, the only pilot job a new commercial pilot can land is the CFI job (Certified Flight Instructors), training new student pilots in Oklahoma. The truth is, most professional helicopter pilots start their piloting career as a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). Their first entry-level helicopter pilot job is a CFI in Oklahoma.

After helicopter school, start earning that helicopter pilot salary with an entry level helicopter tour pilot job

In the early stages of a new helicopter pilot career, new pilots from Oklahoma are very limited in what helicopter pilot jobs they qualify for. The main problem with hiring brand new commercial pilots is that they do not have enough flight hours. Typically, a brand new commercial helicopter pilot in Oklahoma has earned 220 flight hours.

Essentially, the process of securing a commercial pilot rating will net a newly rated pilot with 220 total flight hours, and 100 of those hours are "pilot in command" hours, also known as "PIC" hours. The point is, the new commercial helicopter pilot in Oklahoma don't qualify for one of the good-paying pilot jobs in Oklahoma, therefore the only piloting jobs available are CFI jobs.

Commercial helicopter pilots only have a couple of ways to earn enough PIC hours to land the best-paying commercial piloting job in Oklahoma, and most pilots earn their required hours as Certified Flight Instructors.

Researching Helicopter Pilot Salary?Here are some of the top-paying helicopter pilot jobs in Oklahoma

Law Enforcement Pilot: Police Helicopter Pilots in Oklahoma are typically police officers and commercial helicopter pilots. The typical law enforcement pilot job requirements are simple and clear: Must be a US citizen, pass a background check, and has either attended and graduated from a police academy or is willing to participate in and graduate.

The flight requirements of helicopter pilots seeking a job as a law enforcement helicopter pilot in Oklahoma include a Commercial Instrument Rotor-wing Certificate, Class II Flight Physical, a minimum of 1,200 total times, 800 PIC hours, and 700 turbine hours.

Fighting fires is one of the top helicopter pilot jobs available after completing your helicopter training

Emergency Medical Services Helicopter Pilot: Professional helicopter pilots seeking a full-time job piloting for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) companies in Oklahoma need to be the best of the best. Keep in mind, EMS helicopter pilots are "the best of the best" and the "top dogs" in the aviation industry, therefore most employers give preference to pilots with previous EMS experience with VFR proficiency.

Strong communication skills are a must. Desire to being an integral member of a medical-based team is a must. Job seekers must be able to perform strenuous physical tasks such as lifting and carrying weight up to 90 lbs.

Other helicopter pilot requirements include a current FAA Commercial Certificate, Class II Medical Certificate, Helicopter Instrument Rating, and it is preferred that pilot candidates possess ATP helicopter rating and have recent IFR experience.

Utility Inspection Pilot: Utility Inspect Helicopter Pilots in Oklahoma must be able to survey powerlines using LiDAR and photographic/video equipment to inspect and document the condition of power poles. Top utility companies are looking for helicopter pilots with extraordinary helicopter experience flying in and around a "wire environment" (utility lines).

Helicopter pilots seeking employment with utility companies must demonstrate and prove their skills to operate a helicopter safely and in a professional manner. To land the best paying utility jobs, they must prove their ability to follow and comply with all Federal (FAA), State, and local regulations. Employers realize that the best utility helicopter pilots have established their ability to work independently and with a team.

Helicopter Pilot Jobs: Use your Helicopter Pilot License for Emergency Medical Services

Typically, helicopter pilot job candidates need a minimum of 3000 hours as Pilot In Command, a minimum of 300 hours in a turbine, flying utility inspections around power lines with photography is preferred. Job candidates should have FAA commercial license, current medical, clean driving record, clean background check, clean drug test, and no accidents or incident reports.

Charter Tour Pilot: The top helicopter tour companies typically recruit full-time helicopter pilots from Oklahoma to fly public tours. Job seekers need a commercial pilot rating along with CFI and/or CFII.

Helicopter tour pilots must demonstrate their skills in operating a helicopter safely and in a professional manner. To land the best paying utility jobs, helicopter pilot candidates must prove their ability to follow and comply with all Federal (FAA), State, and local regulations.

Tour helicopter pilots have training in a Robinson R44 and Robinson R66, and turbine hours is preferred or considered an advantage. Helicopter tour pilots need a minimum of 250-1,000 hours and should be qualified for aerial photography, aerial surveys, and sightseeing tour jobs.

Certified Flight Instructor: Helicopter pilots from Oklahoma looking to land the best flight instructor jobs must have plenty of hours in a Robinson R22 and R44 and R66 Helicopters. Strangely enough, the highest-paid flight instructors also conduct sightseeing tours as long as the pilot meets specific hourly requirements.

Job candidates need to be able to operate as independent contractors working on an hourly basis, flying anywhere from 5 to 25 hours a week.

Flight training job candidates need the following to be current: FAA Commercial Rotorcraft Certificate, Instrument Rotorcraft Rating, Flight Instructor Certificate, (“Instrument” rated Flight Instructor Rating usually preferred), Class II Medical Certificate, and SFAR CFI Endorsement for R22 and R44

Minimum flight experience - a minimum of 250 hours total time in a helicopter, and preferably 150 of those hours in Robinson Rotorcraft.

FAA - A History of Airplane Structures Details for Oklahoma

There are five major stresses to which all aircraft are subjected: Bending. Bending stress is a combination of compression and tension. The rod in Figure 1-14E has been shortened (compressed) on the inside of the bend and stretched on the outside of the bend. A single member of the structure may be subjected to a combination of stresses. In most cases, the structural members are designed to carry end loads rather than side loads. They are designed to be subjected to tension or compression rather than bending.

Aviation Facts - High-Speed Aerodynamics

Listed below are a range of conditions that are encountered by aircraft as their designed speed increases. Subsonic conditions occur for Mach numbers less than one (100–350 mph). For the lowest subsonic conditions, compressibility can be ignored. As the speed of the object approaches the speed of sound, the flight Mach number is nearly equal to one, M = 1 (350–760 mph), and the flow is said to be transonic. At some locations on the object, the local speed of air exceeds the speed of sound. Compressibility effects are most important in transonic flows and lead to the early belief in a sound barrier. Flight faster than sound was thought to be impossible. In fact, the sound barrier was only an increase in the drag near sonic conditions because of compressibility effects. Because of the high drag associated with compressibility effects, aircraft are not operated in cruise conditions near Mach 1. Supersonic conditions occur for numbers greater than Mach 1, but less than Mach 3 (760–2,280mph). Compressibility effects of gas are important in the design of supersonic aircraft because of the shockwaves that are generated by the surface of the object. For high supersonic speeds, between Mach 3 and Mach 5 (2,280–3,600 mph), aerodynamic heating becomes a very important factor in aircraft design. For speeds greater than Mach 5, the flow is said to be hypersonic. At these speeds, some of the energy of the object now goes into exciting the chemical bonds which hold together the nitrogen and oxygen molecules of the air. At hypersonic speeds, the chemistry of the air must be considered when determining forces on the object. When the space shuttle re-enters the atmosphere at high hypersonic speeds, close to Mach 25, the heated air becomes an ionized plasma of gas, and the spacecraft must be insulated ted from the extremely high temperatures.

For local resources,
choose a city page in Oklahoma:

This website uses cookies. By using our website, you agree to our cookie policy and privacy policy.