My boyfriend is thinking of doing aviation training when he leaves school next year. If I got him one hour helicopter flying lessons for his birthday would that give him an idea of what its like without committing to a very expensive aviation course?
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#1 by doane_nut on February 27th, 2010
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Like night and day.
#2 by Warbird Pilot on February 27th, 2010
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Competely different.
#3 by Student101777 on February 27th, 2010
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Flying a helicopter is very different from flying a fixed wing aircraft and also training is usually more expensive. Yes, giving him a trial lesson would be nice and it could also be added to his log book if he plans on flying after that. However, before he thinks of committing himself to expensive training, he should get his medical done first to see if he will be legally healthy enough to fly. If he cannot pass his medical then he would not be able to get his license. Hope that helps!
#4 by Marlin on February 27th, 2010
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A helicopter is way more difficult.
#5 by ht Freerider on February 27th, 2010
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Mainly the Handling. Choppers are unstable.
Helicopter = Low and slow flying
Aeroplane = High and Fast!
#6 by Viola At Neon on February 27th, 2010
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It costs far more to learn to fly a helicopter. It’s also much harder to fly them.
Fixed-wing planes want to fly. Helicopters want to crash, and must be constantly balanced and manipulated by the pilot.
#7 by Jimmbbo on February 27th, 2010
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An airplane is designed to be naturally stable in flight and requires less input from the pilot than a helicopter. In an airplane, the pilot can “trim out” control forces and it will fly with only small, occasional corrections if the air is smooth. A helicopter requires constant small corrections to maintain straight and level flight.
Helicopters have far more moving parts, most of which require regular inspection and maintenance, so they are more expensive to operate.
The combination of more skill and more expensive operating costs means learning to fly a helicopter will take longer and be more expensive tha learning to fly airplanes.
Many pilots start with airplanes, and then move to helicopters, since many of the operating rules and procedures are similar, and it is less expensive to learn those in an airplane…
#8 by JW on February 28th, 2010
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Paying for an hour of flight time is awesome. One hour is plenty of time to decide whether or not a fixed wing or rotary wing license is to his preference. If you are there to assist and support him along the way, that will also prove beneficial.
#9 by eferrell01 on February 28th, 2010
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Getting an introductory flight will definitely be an eye opener. For comparison, say flying an airplane is akin to driving a car, flying a helicopter is like balancing a marble on a beach ball, with the wind blowing.
#10 by Been There on February 28th, 2010
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Flying airplanes and helicopters are the same but different. Not harder than one another just different. Same rules of the road. Same basic principles of flight physics etc. Different as in the difference between driving a big truck and riding a motorcycle. Both can be a challenge to fly at first because you are learning something new, just like when first learned to drive.
If your boy friend has a decent instructor, which I’m sure he should have, he will come away with a feel for what it takes to learn how to fly a helicopter after a one hour introductory flight. Then it will be up to him to decide if flying helicopters is for him.