Helicopter Training Schools
- Thread starter Seiger
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LongRanger
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Hey there Seiger...first of all, allow me to congradulate you on seeing the light. B) That fixed wing stuff is boring!! 😉
You have made the right move by asking for advise and input but do yourself a favour, don't take any one piece of advise as gospil. Those with negative feedback on a school usually have had a snag of some sort. Those who are totally pro for a particular school usually have a connection. Hiring of the young is not necessarily an asset. This industry is comprosed of such a small group that those who cannot afford to hire their graduates usually have a connection out there. Neither one guarentee you a job at the end of the day. Either one however can be ace up your sleeve if you play your cards right. Learn to endure a lot of frustration and patience over the next couple of years (or however long it will take to find that first break) and you will get a good return on your investment.
Good luck.
LR
You have made the right move by asking for advise and input but do yourself a favour, don't take any one piece of advise as gospil. Those with negative feedback on a school usually have had a snag of some sort. Those who are totally pro for a particular school usually have a connection. Hiring of the young is not necessarily an asset. This industry is comprosed of such a small group that those who cannot afford to hire their graduates usually have a connection out there. Neither one guarentee you a job at the end of the day. Either one however can be ace up your sleeve if you play your cards right. Learn to endure a lot of frustration and patience over the next couple of years (or however long it will take to find that first break) and you will get a good return on your investment.
Good luck.
LR
R22Captain
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hey seiger..............I'm a student at CHC's school in Buttonville doing my conversion from fixed wing. This side of the biz is just as hard and frustrating as the fixed wing side! Definatly lots of low time guys hanging around. But if you want it bad enough you'll make it. Make all the connections you can. I had a few before starting........and have made a few more on here. And trying to keep them all very close. It's definatly way way smaller then fixed wing. Everyone knows everyone. and the flying is MUCH harder. There's no auto pilot in a robbie 😉 Throw everything you've learned about flying out teh window except for attitude power trim........haha
deuce bigalow
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HI Seiger, You don't say which part of the Country you are in or if it matters. I could recommend Coast Helicopter College in Sidney B.C. It is run by Bob Reimer late of VIH chief pilot fame and the best damned autorotateuer I've seen so far. His motto is "if I can't teach you how to fly........you suck." Although Coast is not a hirer of pilots, VIH no longer has it's own school and unofficially uses Coast as it's recruitment centre if they are in the market for new blood.
of course i would say the best is where i work but..............
my advice is look at the school best for YOU! location, a/c type ect.
be leery of any school that gives guarantees or says it's easy to find work.
but the main thing is LOOK around. investigate as many schools as you can. surf the net or if they have some schools in your area go and see them. also, ask alot of questions (i.e. number of students per instructors ect.)
good luck
my advice is look at the school best for YOU! location, a/c type ect.
be leery of any school that gives guarantees or says it's easy to find work.
but the main thing is LOOK around. investigate as many schools as you can. surf the net or if they have some schools in your area go and see them. also, ask alot of questions (i.e. number of students per instructors ect.)
good luck
Jammed left
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I'm a big fan of the flight school that is somehow attached/associated with an operator....I think it increases the chance of learning more about the operational side of the business during your training...and if by chance/luck/the alignment of the stars that operator is hiring at some point, then knowing some people in that organization puts you that much closer to a job...providing you can make a good impression!
😀
😀
bag swinnger
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Seiger you might get some value by checking out this page it could answer some questions for you. 🙂
11 questions
11 questions
cyclic monkey
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These 11 questions are also discussed (along with other information about training) by Lyle Watts in the latest Vertical Magazine. Good article.
As someone else said, get out on the road and talk to schools. Also ask them about the chances of getting hired by a real company.
Then ask the real companies the same question......I bet you'll get a different answer.
The conversion will cost alot of money, so you should really look into the chance of getting a return on your investment i.e. a job.
As someone else said, get out on the road and talk to schools. Also ask them about the chances of getting hired by a real company.
Then ask the real companies the same question......I bet you'll get a different answer.
The conversion will cost alot of money, so you should really look into the chance of getting a return on your investment i.e. a job.
Seiger,
I began my career with a commercial fixed (just) which I converted to a commercial Heli licence in 1995.
The benefit of this approach is that after spending about the same amount of money, you hold two commercial licences and can potentially be unemployed in two related but distinctly different industries at the same time. It will take you less time (65 hrs helo I believe) and you only have to write the little itty bitty Transport Canada conversion exam (as you have already proven your exam writing abilities with your seized wing exams)
The downside to this approach is that when you are through, you are a commercial helicopter pilot with 65 hours competing for a job against guys with 100+ helo hours. If you train with the right school, this may not be a problem, but in this business, gettting the first job is the hardest thing that you'll probably have to do. That 35 hour difference can be a bit of a handicap on paper.
That being said, it's the quality of the pilot that really matters. If you folllow through on this idea, forget everything you might know about aircraft handling and soak up as much knowledge as you can from you instructor(s). Don't let them assume that you might know things just because you already hold a commercial licence. Some things are only clear after you have actually experienced them.
Your #1 consideration should be to make sure that this is what you really want to do before you plunk down the $40K. As stated by several others, go for a ride in a helicopter and talk to alot of pilots about the lifestyle (so to speak) and the best schools to look at. Lyle's 11 questions are an excellent way to compare schools. Talk to some of their students as well as the instructors.
No offence to the independent schools, but in my opinion, the best chance for a job comes from a school that is connected to a commercial operation. The best ones will not only teach you how to fly, but they will teach you operational stuff too. Like how to fuel from a barrel, how to live in the bush, how to make and land on real log pads, how to fly in the mountains and survive, etc.... They have schools to make money, but they also train and evaluate new pilots for future hire in their commercial operations. They have a loyalty to their students and if you trained elsewhere, it's unlikely they will hire you as a brand new pilot.
The military is a great route if you are into that kind of life.
Great Slave Helicopters runs an excellent school near Edmonton and you can't find a better company to work for.
Hope this helps. Best of luck
I began my career with a commercial fixed (just) which I converted to a commercial Heli licence in 1995.
The benefit of this approach is that after spending about the same amount of money, you hold two commercial licences and can potentially be unemployed in two related but distinctly different industries at the same time. It will take you less time (65 hrs helo I believe) and you only have to write the little itty bitty Transport Canada conversion exam (as you have already proven your exam writing abilities with your seized wing exams)
The downside to this approach is that when you are through, you are a commercial helicopter pilot with 65 hours competing for a job against guys with 100+ helo hours. If you train with the right school, this may not be a problem, but in this business, gettting the first job is the hardest thing that you'll probably have to do. That 35 hour difference can be a bit of a handicap on paper.
That being said, it's the quality of the pilot that really matters. If you folllow through on this idea, forget everything you might know about aircraft handling and soak up as much knowledge as you can from you instructor(s). Don't let them assume that you might know things just because you already hold a commercial licence. Some things are only clear after you have actually experienced them.
Your #1 consideration should be to make sure that this is what you really want to do before you plunk down the $40K. As stated by several others, go for a ride in a helicopter and talk to alot of pilots about the lifestyle (so to speak) and the best schools to look at. Lyle's 11 questions are an excellent way to compare schools. Talk to some of their students as well as the instructors.
No offence to the independent schools, but in my opinion, the best chance for a job comes from a school that is connected to a commercial operation. The best ones will not only teach you how to fly, but they will teach you operational stuff too. Like how to fuel from a barrel, how to live in the bush, how to make and land on real log pads, how to fly in the mountains and survive, etc.... They have schools to make money, but they also train and evaluate new pilots for future hire in their commercial operations. They have a loyalty to their students and if you trained elsewhere, it's unlikely they will hire you as a brand new pilot.
The military is a great route if you are into that kind of life.
Great Slave Helicopters runs an excellent school near Edmonton and you can't find a better company to work for.
Hope this helps. Best of luck
donnybrook
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BatFink,
Did you do BOTC in '99?
Did you do BOTC in '99?
