One thing to remember to all you budding ROV wanna be’s is that flying an ROV is the last thing you should be worrying about, you need to be able to fix the thing first thats trhe hard part and you will be doing much more maintainance/repairing when you first start than flying unless of course you get on a pipeline survey and the other two guys dont want to sit on the sticks for hours of bordom. Flying or piloting the ROV is the easiest part of the whole job and once you have done a lot of the shitty stuff you will be rewarded with being able to sit on your arse and ask for cups of tea and bikkies.
While I’ll agree that guys need to concentrate on the mech/elec maintenance/repairs side of things.. Don’t belittle the piloting side of things.. A great team of techs is great but somebody needs to be able to get the sub to the jobsite and actually complete the task.. Likewise three great piots aren’t much use if the sub is bu**ered.. ROV’ing is a multi skilled job and no one skill is more important than another.. being a good team player is probably the most important skill I guy could possess.. Yes vehicles are much easier to pilot now than they were 15 years ago but good piloting and operational skills are still very important and can’t be taught in a classroom or on a simulator. There is no substitute for experience and time on the sticks.. Plus I’m sure plenty of fellas here know guys who have been in the game for ages, who can fix anything.. BUT you still wouldn’t let them loose on the sticks.. Mechanical and Electrical skills can be learnt but some fellas will never be proficient pilots.. After all if piloting was so easy we’d be mobbed by every sparky and mechanic on the rig looking to double their pay…
Anyhow.. ROV courses are wank… if you have a good trade background or you are quick witted and bright get yourself round to the companies in your area and door knock till they give you astart.. keeness, enthusiasm and a good background will count far more in you favour than paying somebody for a useless cert and a course… Spend the 5k on a recognised hydraulic/Electonic course or on travel to visit the companys
