Helicopter pilot training courses

Please refer to this page on Salary.com.

Please note this information doesn’t take into account that a commercial pilot’s first job is as a flight instructor at a flight school that many times will only offer flight and ground pay, not a salary.

These jobs can be part time and it can often take a few years to build hours to a point where they can apply for a job as a private tour or charter pilot job (which usually require 1,000+ hours).

Helicopters are extremely versatile and are used as a tool in various industries, including: Firefighting, Electronic news gathering (ENG), Aerial land surveys, Executive transport, Emergency medical services (EMS), Powerline and pipeline patrols, Wildlife protection services, Aerial crane services, Sight seeing tours, Aerial filming, Aerial photography, and more. Pilots tend to fly for multiple types of work throughout their extensive careers.

Corporate Helicopters is very well connected within the helicopter industry. We have aided in the acquisition of jobs for many helicopter pilots, both students and staff.

We pride ourselves on the level of training provided to all of our students, and encourage them to pursue their passion for aviation.

We offer an introductory helicopter flight lesson.

This is the perfect opportunity to gain actual flight time and see whether or not you would like to pursue a future in aviation.

This package includes 15 minutes of ground instruction and 45 minutes of flight time over the beautiful San Diego coastline!

No, however we are not currently accepting international students.

This depends on how often the student trains per week.

On average, if you are flying part time, 3-5 hours a week, it will take 6-8 months to complete your Private Pilot training.

The duration of your training will depend on how frequently you are able to fly and how much time you dedicate towards your studies.

The FAA minimum requirement is 40 hours of flight training and 40 hours of ground school to qualify for your Private Pilot check ride, however these minimums are rarely met. You will need to keep training until you are proficient enough to pass your check ride.

According to the national average, most students take 60-80 hours of flight time, and our students typically fall in that range as well.

Only the Flight Instructor Certificate must be renewed every 24 calendar months. The Airman Certificate (Private, Commercial, ATP) and Instrument Rating do not expire but the pilot must maintain currency (keep them current). The cost for this can vary, but for the Certificate it would consist of a minimum of an hour of ground and an hour of flight in a helicopter. The instrument rating currency is every 6 months, but this can be done in the simulator to save costs.

Students at Corporate Helicopters Flight Training Academy must be a minimum of 16 years old. Here are the FAA requirements: Student Pilot License (Solo) [14 CFR 61.83 (a)]:16 years old. Private Pilot License: [14 CFR 61.103 (a)]: 17 years old. Commercial Pilot License: [14 CFR 61.123 (a)]: 18 years old. Airline Transport Pilot License: [14 CFR 61.153 (a)]: 23 years old.

No.

You can learn to fly helicopters without any previous aviation experience or knowledge.

We suggest an introductory flight to anyone considering becoming a pilot, it is a great way to experience the thrill of flight and determine if you would like to pursue a career in aviation.

This is the academic aspect of your flight training. We have professional instructors that provide one-on-one training to teach you to be safe and well prepared for the rating you are seeking.

Some of your ground school will take place before and after each flight, this instruction includes:

• Pre-flight supervision
• Pre-flight and post-flight briefings
• Instruction about the helicopter
• Reviews of previous lessons

For your remaining ground school, we have a fully equipped classroom for your individual instruction and on occasion, group lectures.

The amount of hours will vary depending on the course of study. There are required hours for many of the courses.

There are stage checks (oral or written exams) for each stage in the course.  The number of stages depends on the course of study.  There can be between 2 and 4 stages.

This will depend on how often the student comes in, studies and processes the information.

For a full time student (3 hours a day, 5 days a week) 2 – 3 weeks. This varies per rating.

Currently none of our approved courses are online.  There are online courses out there, but these do not complete the requirements for our approved courses.

The following requirements pertain only to one set of requirements: the Private Pilot License. It does not pertain to the Commercial Pilot License requirements (although the Private is required prior to the Commercial).

40 hours of total flight time.

• 20 hours of flight training from an authorized instructor
  • 3 hours of cross-country flight training in a helicopter
  • 3 hours of night flight training in a helicopter that includes
    • One cross-country flight of over 50 nautical miles, and
    • 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop
• 3 hours of flight training in preparation for the practical test in a helicopter,
• 10 hours of solo flight time in a helicopter, consisting of at least
  • 3 hours cross-country time;
  • One solo cross-country flight of at least 75 nautical miles total distance, with landings at a minimum of three points, and one segment of the flight being a straight-line distance of at least 25 nautical miles between the takeoff and landing locations; and
• Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

The simulator allows you to maintain currency on an instrument rating and some of the training can be applied to the total hours needed for the different licenses or ratings.

Our current rate on the simulator is $125/hour.  This is much more affordable than doing it in the helicopter @ $529/hour.

It cannot be counted as actual flight time, but can be counted toward dual instruction received by the student.

It cannot be counted as actual flight time, but can be counted toward dual instruction received by the student.

Current rates as of March 1, 2020 are:

• Flight simulator: $150/hour
• R22: $315/hour
• R44: $550/hour
• Jet Ranger: $1150/hour (JetRanger).

The number of hours will vary between students due to skill level.