How To Become A Helicopter Pilot

Having a trip up above in the sky may be the most enjoyable experience one can have. Riding a helicopter may be exciting, but flying it would be even more interesting. Nowadays, helicopters are considered to be one of the most remarkable forms of transportation, and many people desire to fly one for a living.

How to become a helicopter pilot

Becoming a helicopter pilot is typically not a cheap career. It will require you to have a lot of skills, dedication, time and money. That is why most people want to enter this career, but only few remain.

On the other hand, becoming a helicopter pilot is also an exciting and rewarding career. You get to enjoy the view from above, and get paid along the way. There are also a lot of jobs available for you. If you’re interested, here are some ways in order to start your career as a helicopter pilot.

1  Make sure flying a helicopter is what you really want

Why is it necessary to make sure you are really interested in flying helicopters before starting a formal training?

• Committing to helicopter training in order to learn to fly a helicopter isn’t a cheap investment. You have to allot a tremendous amount of time and money in order to start your career.  If you realize that flying a helicopter is really not a passion at the end, everything you invested will result to nothing.
• Before you take any formal training, it would be useful to enroll first with a trial helicopter flight lesson. This will usually cost around $100, depending on the companies at your local airport.  The introductory flight will take less than an hour to be completed. This will help you assess whether flying helicopter is what you really want.

 2  Find a helicopter flight school that fits you

After proper assessment and realizing that you really wanted to be a helicopter pilot you can then find a helicopter flight school. In choosing a school, it is best that you select the one that fits you. Here are some things you might need to consider:

• Pick a training program that best suits your budget. It will also be useful to enroll in schools that offer financial assistance for their students.
• You may also check with the credibility and operating years of your school and instructors.
• Choose a school that has the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificate. This will ensure that the training program will be acknowledged by your future employers.
• Ratio of instructor and helicopter to students.
• You may also look at what types of helicopter are used in training and how long does both ground and air training take.
• Insurance requirements.

3  Check for basic requirements for you start your helicopter flight training

After choosing a helicopter flight school the next step would be checking whether you have the requirements in order to start your helicopter training.

• Typically, one can start training at any age but you must be 16 years old to be eligible to fly solo, 17 years old to obtain a private pilot helicopter license and fly alone and be at least 18 years old to fly a helicopter commercially.
• You must be a holder of a current third-class medical certificate given by a FAA designated medical examiner only. The third-class medical certificate is required for both students and private helicopter pilots. This certificate will only be valid for 12 months.
• It is also necessary that you are knowledgeable in speaking, writing and reading the English language.
• The mentioned requirements are equivalent to a student’s pilot certificate. This certificate is not necessary to take a helicopter flying lessons but will be required once you are set to fly solo.

4  Get hold of your first license

The first license that you will need is a Private Pilot Helicopter License. In order to earn a private license, you must first comply with the several requirements.

• The FAA will require a minimum flight time that will amount to 40 hours, which includes:

• 20 hours of dual-instruction helicopter flight training with a FAA certified flight instructor which includes 3 hours of cross-country training, another 3 for night flight training.  These hours must include a cross-country flight covering 50 nautical miles, 10 take-offs and 10 landings in a controlled traffic pattern, and 3 hours of flight training 40 to 60 days before taking the actual licensure exam.
• 10-hours of solo flight which includes 3 hours of solo cross-country flying, including 1 solo flight covering 75 –nautical miles.
• But some school may require you to have more flight hours which may reach up to 60 hours of flight time.  This is the average national flight time before getting a private pilot license.

• Pass the private pilot helicopter licensing exam. This is a 3-part exam that consists of a written, oral and practical exam.
• A private pilot helicopter license will allow you to fly a helicopter at any given time.  You can fly anywhere with anyone but you are not allowed to charge passengers more than their share of operating costs.
• How much does it cost to get a license?

• Typical dual instruction usually costs $200/hour and $150-$175/hour in solo flights.
• Ground training will usually cost $30-$40/hour.
• The following may amount to approximately $10,000-$15,000 in order to get hold of a private license.

5  Complete the requirements needed to build your commercial license

Since obtaining a private pilot helicopter license will not allow you to charge passengers you will have to build up to your commercial pilot helicopter license to be a professional helicopter pilot.

• The commercial license requires 150 hours of total flight time, which includes:

• 100 hours in operating powered aircraft, half of which should be in helicopters.
• 100 in-command flight hours, 35 hours of which should be in helicopters and 10-hour cross-country flights.
• 20-hours of dual flight training, in which 10 hours is allotted for instrument training, helicopter flights in a both day and night visual flight rules (VFR) conditions.
• 10 hours of solo flying, 10 take-off and 10 landings, and 5 hours in night VFR conditions within a controlled area.
• You must be at least 17 years old to be able to qualify for the license, and complete a second-class medical certificate.
• How much will it cost?

The approximated cost of fulfilling the requirements for a commercial license may vary from $18,000 to $20,000.

6  Complete required ratings and credentials

There is a significant increase in the demand for additional ratings. Even if this is not mandatory most employers offering better jobs require specific ratings from potential pilots.

• An instrument rating will be a significant benefit. It will be useful for you to complete necessary ratings as this will provide you better opportunities and proof of competitiveness.
• The Certified Flight Instructor is another great option. This option will also give you an opportunity to acquire necessary flight hours for a minimum cost as your students will be paying for the use of the aircraft and for your time.

7  Build-up your helicopter flight hours

Most employers will require you to have completed required flying hours in order to land a job. There are several options you can choose in order to gain these experiences.

• Most of the helicopter pilots pursued a career in the military and completed a military training. Once you have joined the armed forces, you will be completing trainings as a helicopter pilot, this training is usually paid.
• Another option is to be a helicopter flight instructor. After getting hold of a Certified Flight Instructor designation, you can then attain required hours of experience through instructing.

• Initially, instructors are required to have a minimum of 200 hours to be employed as a certified flight instructor.
• When working as a CFI, you will be able to earn the necessary hours required in order for you to land a well-paid job in the general helicopter pilot industry and get paid as well.
• Most introductory pilot jobs will require you to have completed a 500 to 1000-hour helicopter flight experience. Some may require more than 1000 hours of piloting experience.

It is typically not easy to become a helicopter pilot; you must invest a lot of time and dedication, as well as money in order to become successful. After obtaining necessary requirements for you to land a job as a helicopter pilot, you must gain seniority in the career. This will be beneficial, where you might be given the chance to be offered with the highest-paying piloting positions in the industry.

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