I’m thinking of going to Helicopter flight school mainly because I have always wanted to fly and I am young newly married with no kids so I have the time to do it now. I already have a BS in Business but I feel like I’m padling nowhere in a never ending sea of working in a cubicle the rest of my life.
#1 by Apollo on November 26th, 2011
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To get started, you can find flight school listings on this website:
http://www.verticalreference.com/helicopterreviews/showcat.php?cat=2
Vertical Reference is also a great site for the helicopter industry in general, and the forum in particular is a good resource for many of your questions.
I also recommend this website for additional information about training, etc.
http://www.helicopterflighttraining.net/
When you do find a school, they can give you all of the details about training. You can also arrange for a discovery flight to see how you like it. If you happen to live in Texas, send me an e-mail and I can recommend specific schools.
Choosing a Flight School:
There is no one best school out there. There are many good ones, and there are some bad ones. It will be up to you to find out if the school is good or bad, and you should do A LOT of homework before starting. Consider the following:
- There are many schools that allow you to pay as you go. Avoid the schools that make grand promises about being a helicopter pilot and then require full payment for their entire program up front.
- Make sure the school will have enough aircraft and instructor availability to meet your needs. You don’t want your training to take longer because you are unable to fly as often as you like.
- Many schools hire their own graduates, but do not assume that you will automatically get a job with them after graduating. There may not be enough positions available to accommodate all graduates.
- Many schools do not require a 70k contract to begin training. The school should work for you, not the other way around.
- Meet the instructor you will be flying with. Often being compatible with your instructor is more important than being compatible with the school.
- You don’t need to fly airplanes to be a helicopter pilot.
- Consider the type of aircraft they fly. The Robinson 22 and the Schweizer 300 are the most common. Investigate the differences between the two. Some people prefer one or the other. Look beyond your initial training and consider that first instructing job too. Robinson’s are more common, but sometimes meeting insurance requirements is harder.
- Plan ahead carefully for the expense of training. Paying is the hardest part of civilian training. Some schools are set up for Sallie Mae or other loans, but make sure you understand exactly how they work first.
- The military is an awesome route for many people. It is not “free”, but they do pay for your training. If you think it might be for you, just make sure you do your homework on this option too before you start.
CAVEAT EMPTOR, when looking at ANY flight school. You’re making a huge investment in time, effort, and money. Give this decision the careful consideration and research it deserves. Aviation is an awesome and rewarding career, but you can get burned if just dive in head first. Talk to pilots, research schools, get information from several different sources, figure the costs, and go into it fully prepared and knowledgeable about every possible path towards your goals. Don’t start until you can prove to yourself that the path you have selected is the right one.
Good luck!