Salaries in the Helicopter Industry

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When it comes to aviation salaries, wages vary from a company to another, and also vary from country to country. Several factors can be looked at when evaluating salaries, such as location, type of work, experience, etc.

[header 3]UNITED STATES[/header] For example in United States, an instructor pilot will make in average around $30,000, whereas a helicopter pilot will be looking at an average of $65,453 the first year, going to around $83,664 for a typical piloting job. An average of $22.50/hour would also be reasonable for a helicopter engine mechanic (for the R R 250 models for example). In United-States, the pay also varies a lot from state to state.

[header 3] AUSTRALIA[/header] In Australia most instructors are paid per flying hour, and salary usually is between £40-£55 ($52,32-71,93) per hour. A commercial pilot working on a free-lance basis will usually earn from £50 to £70 ($65,40-91,55) per flying hour. It can vary a lot depending on the type of work. A full time helicopter pilot would make an average of $70,000 per year when starting, and it could go up to $109,000 for a senior pilot (always depends of experience, type of work and company). There are other types of operations such as search and rescue, firefighting and offshore oil/gas rig fly-in-fly-out, looking to hire pilots, and those jobs usually pay between $150,000 to $180,000 (as a multi-crew captain).

[header 3]UNITED-KINGDOM[/header] In United-Kingdom, salaries for pilots vary a lot depending on experience and type of work. Overall, a helicopter pilot will make around £48,760 ($63 724,44) per year, but a pilot starting in the business would be looking more at an annual salary of £26,780. ($35 025,56).

[header 3]AFRICA[/header] In South Africa, a helicopter pilot can be paid between R102,381 – R817,194 ($11 485,61 – $91 676,91), with an average R260,974 ($29 277,37). A Gr3 instructor’s salary would be around R250-R300 ($27,89- 33,46) per hour flown.

 

Helicopter Pilots Salaries by Country

United States 65,453 – 83,664 / year
Australia 65,40 – 91.55 / hour
United-Kingdom 63,724.44 / year
Africa 29,277.37 / year