A long time goal of mine is to get a helicopter flying license. I have no background in it, and really no idea of how to even start.
Yes, I am doing some research on it, and researching various schools, but I was wondering if the 'Dope has anyone who is licensed who might have some good guidelines, or ways to avoid common pitfalls while going through the process.
Are there some ways to judge the quality of the school, and their program? What should I be looking for?
Thanks in advance.
Flying lessons are usually just pay as you go with no commitment so it is easy just to take a lesson from each of the schools in your area and decide which you like best. I have never flown a helicopter but I do take airplane lessons off and on over many years. Flight schools tend to be very user friendly because they are hurting for students. Beware that helicopters are very expensive to fly even compared to airplanes. It would be easy to top the $150 and hour mark but prices are generally all-inclusive with instructor and fuel. It isn’t like applying to college. You just call a school and tell them you want an intro lesson. That is all there is to it.
If you want to fly as a commercial pilot, be prepared to drop some sweet coin. It costs around $60,000 in these parts for training and jet turbine conversion. If you just want to putter around in a Robinson as a private pilot the price drops significantly to around $20,000.
I don’t know what helicopter training costs but $20,000 seems like a big sacrifice to a newbie although I have no reason to disbelieve your figures. Helicopters and expensive. Johnny LA is our resident private pilot helicopter expert and I am sure he will be along shortly. A single-engine airplane private pilot’s license runs between $7000 - $10,000 on average although it can cost more if you do it over time.
I love airplanes more than many family members and sometimes more than life itself yet I don’t have many hopes of having an actual license anytime soon. I shortly realized after taking lessons that it isn’t that different from having an actual license. I am pretty good at it at this point but I like having an experienced person in the right-hand seat. I pay for a lesson and pay for an instructor and tell them what I want to do for the most part. It may be a flight to Maine and back or whatever we can come up with.
Actual private pilots licenses whether it be in helicopters or airplanes don’t have that much utility except in rare cases. Rich people seem to get themselves killed over and over while armed with them. I am always happy to have an experienced person sitting next to me in case anything goes wrong. The instructors love it too because they get valuable logable hours on your dime to move into commercial flying.
My advice is just to pay the money and take a lesson. They tend to make it easy on you because they need you as much as you need them.
You could join the military. They’ll teach you for free, and pay you besides.
Of course, you may have to do some training in sandy areas.
Private Pilot Helicopter certificate holder here. First, go up for an intro lesson. That will give you a feel for it. As has been said, getting a license ain’t cheap:
30 Hours Dual Training. $285/Hour $8,550
10 Hours Solo Training. $225/Hour $2,250
20 Hours Ground Instruction. $55/Hour $1,100
Group 3 Rental Deductible Waiver** $500
Books and Materials. $300
FAA Private Knowledge Exam $90
FAA Oral & Flight Exam $424
2 hours R22BII Rental for Flight Exam $450
That’s $13,665 minimum at this school. You can get a license in the minimum 40 hours, but most people will take 50 or 60. A school should not guarantee a total cost, as conscientious instructors will not sign a student off for a flight test unless s/he is convinced the student will not only pass the test but also be a safe pilot. The figures in the box are for an L.A. area flight school. In this area an R-22 rents for $200/hr solo and $220/hr dual. You will also need a Class III medical certificate, which is also your ‘student pilot certificate’.
The first thing I was told when I walked into a school is that if I want to fly helicopters I have to know how to juggle. I picked up the beanbags from the desk and juggled. I like a bit of humour. The instructors were very conscientious. They loved to fly, and it showed. (Hm. Sounds like an old airline commercial.) They were very patient. They had to be. I came in with a fixed-wing license, and for several hours I was hovering well, taking off well, making good patterns and good approaches, flairing properly, and then not getting the transition from flair to hover. I finally figured out that I was trying to make a ‘full stall’ touchdown like I do in fixed-wings. If you’ve never flown before, you won’t have any ‘bad habits’ to break. So look for an instructor who is truly a mentor who really wants to teach you to fly. Schools usually have more than one instructor. If one doesn’t work out, try another. Or else go to another school. You need a good relationship with your instructor.
And as I said, look for a school that wants to make you a safe, competent pilot and not one that is just a ‘license mill’. It might be more expensive, but you’re better off in the long run.
As to the quality of the school, you might ask to chat with current and former students. Look at the equipment. Is it well maintained? There are legal maintenance requirements, but some schools take pride in their machines and not only keep them mechanically sound but also looking good. What is the attitude of the staff? Are they happy to see you? Or do they just have dollar signs in their eyes?
What else…?
You can save a tiny amount on the hourly rate by buying ‘block time’. As Shagnasty said, it’s pay-as-you-go. By buying block time (i.e., a set number of hours) you’re committed to those hours. But you’re saving maybe $5/hr. Block time requirements vary from school to school. They might ask for $1,500, or they might set a number of hours.
Fly at least once a week. Twice a week will be better. Plan on two hours per session. Most of mine were 1.5 or so.
Don’t try too hard. Flying a helicopter requires constant, minute movements of the cyclic. If you think about them, you won’t keep up. ‘Be the aircraft.’ Just let your hands move the stick itself. You’ll have the muscle memory in a few hours.
You might want to pick up a copy of So You Want To Fly Helicopters. Good video. Here is a sample.
Man, I need to get flying again! Just a few more responsibilities to dismiss, and I should have some extra funds…
When I was growing up, a friend of my parents had a helicopter, and we would go all the time.
I went again last winter, and I really enjoyed it. I haven’t quite figured out why I like helicopters, yet am somewhat uneasy, nay, anxious in commercial planes. Control issues, perhaps.
Helicopters and the way they move just make sense to me. I can juggle, too.
Ooh, good link with the video, I’ll pick it up.
All the research I have done, it looks like about $15,000-20,000 is what it is going to take.
I appreciate all the answers so far.
This was linked on the page. I always hated run-on landings. I don’t think they’re required for a Private certificate, but I did one at the examiner’s request on my check ride. Not as fast as the one in the video though.
I just want to throw in that I do have my license, and Shagnasty has it correct - yes I can fly by myself, with or without passengers, but I still go up with an instructor on a regular basis either because I’m learning something new or need to refresh something old. That applies regardless of what you fly. The instructors continue to take lessons, too - with flying, you never stop being a student.
What one of my instructors told me: The moment you don’t think you learned something from a flight is the moment you need to turn in your wings. You’re going to get someone killed otherwise.
Hey, thanks for the youtube links.
I’m going to stop watching catastrophic crashes now.
A friend of mine, who has been on site of a couple of crashes, once remarked that planes are better, at least there is the possibility of gliding. When helicopters crash, there are just little tiny unrecognizable pieces left.
Better than dying in a nursing home, pissing myself.
You’ve probably seen this one. (Note: It’s not a homebuilt.) I actually saw this on the news when it happened. It’s been around a while. Anyway, good example of why one should have an instructor.
I’ve never had a crash, but four of the helicopters I’ve flown have crashed. The first one that crashed was the one in which I was scheduled that day. My instructor and his student were making a ‘full-down’ autorotation (autorotation to landing) and they got a little sideways. Rolled the helicopter into a ball. Another was the guy who took off into the worst weather the West Coast had had in a long time. Had to deliver the helicopter to the new owner right now. Get-there-itis. Anyway, he went into some trees. I heard he did the same thing in another helicopter a week later. Another pilot was practicing a ridge landing. In a ridge or pinnacle landing the approach is steeper than normal. He came in shallow and got into a downdraft he couldn’t get out of. He hit the ridge and rolled 100m down the hill. The fourth crash involved a pilot taking his dad for a ride. He got into a vortex ring state (settling with power) and did not take the proper corrective action.
Nobody was seriously hurt in these crashes. The helicopters were destroyed of course. But IMO it serves to illustrate the survivability of many helicopter crashes. A Cessna might hit the ground at 50 or 60 knots. A helicopter might have little or no forward speed. It just seems safer to me. (On the other hand, helicopters often fly in more hazardous areas and closer to obstacles.) Broomstick came down once at a place other than her intended landing point. She could tell you about a forced landing in a fixed-wing. Personally I think I’d rather do it in a heli.
You’re right that in a fixed-wing there is the possibility of gliding. In helicopters, by comparison… you glide! It’s just that we call it ‘autorotation’. In a nutshell: Lower the collective (reduce rotor pitch) and get your nose down by pushing on the cyclic. At the same time, add right pedal (in non-French or -Russian helis) because you no longer have to counteract torque. In an R-22, establish a glide speed of 70 kts. Pull a little collective if necessary (e.g., when you’re light) to prevent overspeeding the rotor system. And there you have it. You’re gliding down as if you’re on rails. When you get near the surface flare to reduce your forward speed and rate of descent. As your flare ends level the skids and raise the collective for a soft landing.
fisha, any updates? I gotta say, I was inspired by your thread. A while back I was interested in becoming a helicopter pilot but it wasn’t even close to being financially feasible for me. Now your thread gave me the bug, and the past few days I’ve been devouring information online about helicopter schools. Turns out there’s (what seems to be) reputable school about 10 minutes from my house. I was going to take my first lesson today, but we’re having 15 mph gusts of wind here so they recommended I try again on a different day.
Johnny L.A., do you frequent any of the helicopter message boards? I read through a couple of them and in between the civil vs. military pilot pissing contests I’ve found some pretty good information and advice. I doubt many of them are Dopers though.
One thing about the company I noticed different from a lot of flight schools is they don’t have any Robinson helicopters, they have Schweizer 300CB + CBI’s. Do you think those are better for training?
Anyways I just resubscribed after being a lurker for a while, just wanted to say thanks to fisha for giving me the idea.
Hey, I was just going to post about this.
I received the DVD in the mail today that Johnny recommended. It even comes with a huge poster of the inside of the cockpit. I haven’t got a chance to watch it yet, it is Halloween, but either tonight or tomorrow.
PetW, please keep me updated, and tell me how your first lesson goes. Oh, and glad you resubscribed.
I’m WAY not current. They closed the airspace after 9/11 and it took months before they opened it in SoCal. One thing lead to another, and suddenly it’s years later. Just a few more fires to stamp out before I can start flying again. Anyway, I don’t go to the heli boards.
When I started flying the R-22 was ‘the’ training helicopter. At Group 3 the 300CB was considered an upgrade. Last time I flew there though (in a 300CB) they’d changed it so that students were encouraged to start out in the 300CB. No idea what they’re doing now.
The R-22 requires somewhat precise flying. When I went up with an instructor in a 300CB for the first time he said, ‘You learned on a Robinson.’ I asked him how he knew, and he said that people who learn in Robinsons tend to be a little ahead of the aircraft, anticipating power changes and whatnot. There’s a saying that if you can fly an R-22 you can fly anything.
The R-22 is lighter on the stick than the Schweizer. (I have a story about that, but it will have to wait until I have more time.) It’s also a little bit faster. I think it autorotates better, but that’s just my butt talking. The 300CB has a ‘real’ cyclic, which I prefer. It also has electric trim on top of the grip, as opposed to the Robinson’s ‘right trim’ bungee knob on the panel. I like that too. The Schweizer has a bigger engine and more power. The Robinson has under-seat storage; the Schweizer only has a glove box.
Assuming I had the cash, which would I buy? The Schweizer has more power, a real stick, and electric trim. Its maintenance intervals are staggered so you don’t have to do everything at once. The R-22 gets everything done at 2,000 hours. The R-22 takes up less space in a hangar due to its semi-rigid rotor system. Hard to say which I’d buy.
For training? I’m biased. I think the Robbo is better because it forces the student to be precise. You really learn how to ‘milk the throttle’ when you’re taking off on a hot day with two heavy occupants. Precision is important in the 300CB too of course, but I think it’s just a tad more forgiving.
Did you find it informative?
OK, not helicopter but this video was linked from the copter run on landing.
Man those Russians make great ejector seats.
I did find it pretty informative, once I got past the 1973 cardigans…
It made me realize there is a ton of stuff I didn’t know.
And even when talking about the most dire of circumstances if you did things wrong, they never once said the word “crash” which I found rather funny.
Actually I think it was made in the '90s. But in Ohio. 
Don Fairbanks might be a great instructor, but not a great on-camera personality. I cringe every time he talls the old ‘parts flying in formation’ joke. The other guy (whose name I don’t recall) is better, and I think he’s a regular Sporty’s presenter. So wardrobe and ‘acting’ could have been better.
On the other hand…
Lots of good information. I found the throttle vs. manifild pressure section quite helpful, as I was used to flying a Cessna with a fixed-pitch propeller (no MP gauge). The video seems to be made directly from Rotary Wing Flight. I think it’s one of the most useful videos I’ve ever bought.
I never noticed that! Of course the goal is not to crash! 
When you start flying, and assuming you train in a Robinson, buy the Pilots Operating Handbook and read the supplemental pages in the back. They’re safety/issue updates that don’t pull punches. For some morebid reason I appreciate a part of a POH that uses the word ‘doomed’. (I don’t remember the number of the update, but it’s the one called ‘Retreating Blade Stall Can Be Fatal’.)
I think they had that update on the video, it made me snicker.
It’s something that I’ll need to watch a couple of times, and absorb.
As I was watching it, and they were discussing all the things you shouldn’t do, I was contemplating all the people who had to learn and define exactly what these machines can and cannot do. And how it was trial and error of an unforgiving nature.
Oh, but the rotorless helicopter looked cool, especially when they backed it into a tree. Does that still exist and is in use?