You Should Specialize In Certain Types Of Helicopter Courses

What kinds of helicopter courses could you take? While there are actually an enormous number of helicopter training courses that you could take to specialize in a specific kind of helicopter flying, there are three courses that you will be primarily interested in. The first is the "Private Pilot's License." Without taking and passing this course you won't be capable of getting your license or be able to take any other type of course.

The second course you will want to complete will be the "Helicopter Flight Instructors Course." The reason why you want to complete the flight instructor’s course is because to get any job being a helicopter pilot you'll need between 500 and 1,000 PIC (pilot in command) flight hours of experience and most will be closer to the 1,000 hours. By qualifying as a flight instructor for helicopters you may obtain a job as an instructor and log the hours you need to be eligible for a other sorts of piloting jobs. Without going this route, it could take you years and a whole lot of money to log that many hours. The third course is to get your "Commercial Rotorcraft License." This license will require a minimum of 150 total hours, and 100 PIC (Pilot in Command) time.

Just how long do helicopter courses last before you qualify as a pilot? To get your private pilot's license the FAA requires that you have at least 40 hours of flight time. Thirty of these hours have to be with dual instruction by a qualified Flight Instructor. The additional ten hours will be of solo flight time. Most students will need a lot of the dual instruction flight time before they feel confident enough to even begin their solo time. You will have needed to complete the basic school training and passed the required test before you can even start the flight instruction time.

To obtain your commercial pilot's license, FAA requires at least one hundred fifty hours of flight time with a minimum of 100 hours of that time as the Pilot in Command (PIC). There's also four written knowledge tests to pass that the FAA requires before taking each of the required Practical Flight Tests, also required by the FAA. To become a Certified Flight Instructor you'll need at least 200 hours of flight time. The time you spend flying to get your private and commercial pilot's license counts toward the hours you need to become an instructor.

Exactly why is taking helicopter courses in Oregon a great idea? The main reason that a number of helicopter students choose to go to school in Oregon is because of the terrain and climate conditions that the area has. You will fly in mountainous terrain as well as flat land and coastal terrain, not to mention being able to have some flight time out over the ocean.

There's not many places that will likely have this combination of terrain to fly in while in training. Also you will experience a number of climate conditions to fly in Oregon. You will fly in fair weather as well as in rainy and very windy conditions. Additionally, it isn't uncommon to be able to fly in mild snowy conditions. This can be why the pilots who have trained in this region become known as some of the best trained helicopter pilots.

How expensive are helicopter courses? This particular question isn't all that easy to answer. There's a minimum length of time you will spend in ground school, but many students not used to flying will require additional time. Ground school is billed at between $30 and $40 an hour as is additional private tutorial time when needed. Towards the total price of ground school you add flight time which is billed at $200 per hour when flying with an instructor and between $150 and $175 per hour for your solo flight time. When all that is added up you will notice that for your private pilot's license you are talking between $10,000 and $15,000 with another $18,000 to $20,000 to go on your commercial pilot's license. To this you need to add cost of living for the time you're in training, especially if you are coming in from away from the area to acquire your training.

All together it's estimated that it will cost you between $40,000 and $50,000 to complete your training. Once completed you can begin working as an instructor so that you may make a living while you increase the appropriate flight experience hours in order to operate in other aspects of helicopter piloting.


There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a helicopter flight school. Whether you are wanting to earn your private pilot’s license or are looking to fly commercially, Hillsboro Aviation Helicopter Training has the specialized helicopter courses you need to accomplish your goals so you can start flying as soon as possible. Visit http://www.hillsboroaviation.com for more information.