THE ANNUAL OTOR PRO U.S. PILOT SALARY & BENEFITS SURVEY 2024—2025
O
n the personnel supply side of the equation, most every operator is working hard to recruit and retain experienced pilots.
There are still many external forces impacting the supply of working helicopter pilots. These forces are not only keeping the supply lines short of personnel, but stifling the growth of the base pilot pool as well.
As published in previous salary survey reports, the factors impacting operators stem from many issues to include: aging pilots retiring en masse, aggressive airline recruitment of helicopter pilots, and the retraction of pilot training pipelines from traditional sources like civilian academies and the U.S. military.
Tyler Carver, the director of operations of Papillon Helicopters (one of the largest tour operators) makes a smart observation that not only looks to new, prospective pilots, but their parents as well. He points out that some of the shortage of personnel in the helicopter aviation industry stems from competition with all of aviation, airplanes included. “The new aviators are looking to universities for their education and with that comes high costs. Parents are often tapped to cosign on a loan or pay the tuition expenses, which brings the question of ROI (return on investment). They look at the top end of pay from the major airlines and influence their soon-to-be aviators to go in that direction,” says Carver.
Operators from every sector are feeling the pinch, and the issue has garnered the attention of our industry’s trade organization, Vertical Aviation International (VAI).
“Workforce development is foundational to the future of vertical aviation. It is important enough that VAI has made it one of the association’s five strategic initiatives,” says Bailey Wood, director of strategic communications with VAI.
The way VAI sees it, without a steady pipeline of skilled pilots, mechanics, and engineers, the industry simply cannot grow — or even sustain current operations. The shortages that industry is facing today are not theoretical; they’re impacting flight operations, maintenance schedules, and safety across the board. That’s why VAI formed a dedicated advisory council.
The VAI Workforce Industry Advisory Council (IAC) is tackling the pilot shortage head-on with practical, high-impact solutions. “We’re connecting talent to jobs through events like our industry- leading career fair and the Mil2Civ program, which helps military aviators transition to civilian roles. We’re also building the pipeline early with initiatives like the Utah Rotor Pathway in high schools, and expanding awareness through events like the Fire Pilots Town Hall. These efforts, along with new professional development resources, have contributed to a 35% growth in student membership — showing real momentum in attracting and preparing the next generation of pilots,” Wood says.
What the Operators are Thinking
Rotor Pro asked several civilian operators to give us their take on the challenges of getting pilots into the industry at the entry level, as well as what types of creative solutions they have employed to fill vacant pilot positions.
At Helicopter Institute, a large training organization in the U.S., the company has seen the effects in both obvious and subtle ways. Fewer pilots mean increased demand for training, which is great for business on one hand — but it’s also created a bottleneck. Randy Rowles, president of Helicopter Institute indicated, “Clients want experienced pilots now, and many are struggling to find people who meet their standards. On our end, it means we have to work harder to not only train new pilots but help operators set realistic expectations about what today’s pilot pool looks like.”
Rowles points out that there’s no silver bullet and that part of the problem is the cost of becoming a helicopter pilot — it’s just flat-out expensive. So one big step forward would be better financial assistance, whether through scholarships, loans, or even partnerships with operators who are willing to invest in new talent.
As most companies, Helicopter Institute had to get creative by launching internal programs to grow talent from the ground up. This is done by investing in instructors who bring real-world operational experience — not just flight time — so they’re preparing people for the realities of the job, not just a checkride. “You can’t solve the pilot shortage by just throwing money at it. You solve it by investing in people — in their training, their time, and their future. That’s the bet we’ve made at Helicopter Institute,” Rowles says.
Mark Schlaefli, director of operations for Dakota Rotors, agrees with Rowles’ philosophy and believes that operators are going to have to participate in the solution in a big way. True pipelines need to be built to connect the industry’s employment tiers in a meaningful way. “We are taking a proactive approach, hiring the right candidates at lower hours and giving them the experience, not just the hours, needed to grow into other industry segments. We provide mentoring, not just a job,” Schlaefli says.
As most are aware, salaries are directly impacted by the size of the labor force. Typically in a shrinking pool of available pilots, salaries and benefits will rise across the board. This has been the case for the last several years, according to the data.
In short, because the traditional training pipelines (military and civil) are producing fewer helicopter pilots and because more working helicopter pilots are leaving the industry altogether, these days the HR professionals, recruiters, and helicopter operators industry wide are attempting to work together on how to solve the issue.
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Mar/Apr 2025
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