SHANE PARRY - AUSTRALIA

When did you leave Beckers? I was on top of the world!!! As all my dreams had come true!!! (ahhhh except for that one about me & CANDISE!!!) Anyway after almost 12 months of the biggest brain melt down I've ever experienced, The light at the end of the tunnel was looking quite bright... I was now a big time commerical Helicopter Pilot? I was going out into the big wide world on a mission to find my first helicopter job... Only when I looked at my bank account? I was a BROKE Commerical Helicopter Pilot, so I had to fix that before I could even think of doing anything... So I went back to my old job in the building game for a few weeks? but not for to long, only long enough to get the money to come back to Becker's & do my R-44 Endor to try to improve my chances of getting that first job???

What are you doing now? Now I work with an awesome team of blokes at County Helicopters in Victoria... & all thanks to a good mate I made in my time at Becker's... (Nigel) I think the friends we make at school are friends for life... Nig' already had a job with County & a day came when he rang to tell me they were looking for another loader/driver, but also if I was interested in the job, that there would be "NO FLYING" for me for a long long time? or at least until he was done, as he was the the man in the hot seat. (low hour pilot being trained up)
I had only finished my CPL a few weeks earlier & started to stress out at the fact that I would never find a job doing anything with heli's at all, let a lone find someone silly enough to let me fly them... but I really love my heli's & to do anything was what I was prepared to do, as long as I could be around an airfield & watch them come & go, & some how get paid to be there? well I'd die a happy man... & as I found out later, getting that first job is all about "TIMING" ... being in the right place at the right time & the door will not only open for you? they will let you come inside, sit down & play with the buttons...

Right now in our hanger we have two R-22 Beta II, one R-44 Astro & one Hughs 500C (oooh baby) I get to fly the R-22's a fair bit, (lots of .2/.3's) as the 22's are used most often... the R-44 is only our new toy & the boy's are still setting her up, & suss'in her out? but at the same time they are really enjoying her!!! so when they start to get board with her (hopefully not to far away) I'll get to add some more 44 time to my log book... & as for my baby (the 500) well she's my dream machine that I get to play with anytime I want & i even score the odd joy ride in her from time to time? But every time she fire's up??? ooooh the tick of the starter, the burst of fuel, & my knee's go weak, heart skips a beat... I think there's no sweeter sound on earth, as turbine roars to life... & who knows? maybe one day even I could be PIC...

It's all come together for me after only a few months of starting here, as one of the first things was my boss gave me the 22 endor's...
Since leaving Becker's (June 2005) I've only logged around 60hrs, (all in the R-22) I've done three big ferry flights in the 22's more than half way across Australia (from south to north)... Two from Ballarat (YBLT) in Victoria, to Emerald in western Queensland... & one from Bankstown (YSBK) to just north of Emerald (& this flight was in a near new R-22 Beta II) So those flight alone were thousands of dollars of flying I've got to do for free... & the experience & the confidence I gained from these flights could not be put into words... (AWESOME)

Do you still keep in touch with other students from Beckers? In Australia the world of helicopter's is only a very small one? so everybody knows everybody & knows what everyone's up to... so yeah! we stay in touch, It's not like you talk everyday! but we all do talk in some way or another from time to time.... & like I said before? I think the friends we make at Heli school are friends for life...

Best / Worst flying experience at Becker's The worst experience I had in my time at Becker's was not there fault!!! it was my fear of that F*****G exam room... when ever I had to face that bloody computer!!! or trying to click that submit button? when in my heart I knew I did pretty well? but a big part of you prays to god that you didn't stuff it up? or if you did that maybe you had just edged over the line... it's the longest 5 minutes of your life! But as some of you know, there was always a 98% chance old Shane'o would be back to sit the bloody thing again... by the time I finished my theory, I was back at that bloody exam room so often, they give me my own bloody seat!!! ha ha... But to be where I am now, makes all that stress way more than worth it...

For me one of the best experience was by far my first solo... It was the morning of the 6th September 2004... When I thought it was just another day of flight training at Becker helicopters!!! only on that day it was Cpt Becker himself taking me for the flight... After getting her started, do all my run up checks, Mike came out, jumped in & said take me out to the helicopter training area!!! & I want you to give me a few perfect circuits? & you can also show me how to do all the radio work? so after completing a few circuits, & all was going well, Mike looks over to me (smiling) & said, Now when I get out? the heli will want to fly like this!!! (WHAT!!!!! HAY!!! GO BACK!!! YOUR GETTING OUT!!!!) my heart jumped in my mouth & the back of my pants started to fill rapidly as I was just about to FLY MY FIRST SOLO... But a long story made short, Mike got me focused on the job at hand & the rest is as they say history!!! Your first solo is something I'm sure none of us will ever or could ever forget!!!

& the other best thing that happened to me in my time at Becker's, was the time when I was at my PPL stage of flying. Mike gave me a chance of a lifetime, a taste of the real helicopter world, & a chance to spend some time with the real big guns of helicopter aviation in Australia... HELI AUST....

Heli Aust in Sydney/Bankstown were looking for some co-pilots to conduct the locust spotting season Christmas 2004? & man I got one of those seats... (spent almost three months with them) the size of the operation was just insane... I never did get to meet the owner "John Wayemouth" himself, but let me tell you! he's is the man... he has an awesome team of blokes working for him... the pilots i worked with, the LAME's, the staff were all really great people & not to forget the aircraft!!! man the aircraft, you name it & he's got it? or if he hasn't got it? he's getting one or it's not in this hanger it's at the other hanger...

I spent most of my time in a Bell 206 or a AS-350 Squirrel? But the hanger also had a Hugh's 500, BK-117, 206 Kiowa, two big Bell 205 Huey's & not to forget the S-76 parked up the back!!!
My time with these boys was a real eye opener & tort me so much! it changed my way of thinking when I returned to Becker's to finish my training & it still stays with me today as if I was there with them just yesterday... I could never thank Mike enough for giving me that chance, as it could have went too any of the students there at Becker's at the time... nor could I ever thank the team at Heli Aust enough for the experience & keeping me on for the whole season & not letting me go with the other newbies in the first week.....

Advice to new students? Only the strong survive... & be careful what you wish for? Because it might just come true!!! To become a helicopter pilot in the real world will cost you alot more than just your hard earned cash... If you want to be a Helicopter pilot for the fame & fortune? then you'd better stop at PPL??? (& save the rest of your money) As the only people who really love helicopters & think how cool it would be to fly one! are somewhere in the room beside you!!! & as for fortune well that's just a dream? (any high time pilot will confirm that) it's so true what they say, the only way you'll ever make a million in Heli's??? is to start with 5 million.... & if your lucky you'll be left with one when you sell everything...

But on the up side, this house has many doors & hard work really dose have it's rewards? If you can feel it in your bones & you really want to see this beautiful country as you fly around OZ? (or where ever) then just do it... only you can make it happen!!!

But just keep in mind that the light at the end of the tunnel, could always be a frigate train coming the other way!!!

& remember that when you go for that first job? you will be asking somebody who doesn't know you at all, to not only let you fly there $200,000/$400,000 helicopter? but you want them to pay you for it as well??? so put there shoes on!!! You just bought a new Ferrari & a 16 year old kid who's just got his learners permit wants to drive it around town & wants you to pay him to drive it!!!

If I did it? & so can you... Feel free to contact me at anytime sg_parry@yahoo.com... or call me 0412 677138...

Fly safe Fly smart Shane'o..............