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Career Advice From Helicopter Services
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Set out on this page are the current requirements, costs and general advice on becoming a
helicopter pilot from a beginner to commercial level.
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Private Pilot's Licence
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The PPL(H) is a minimum of 45 hours flying, costing £11,025 + VAT, not including landing fees, exams, test & flying fees etc. You will find details of the syllabus on the Helicopter Training page. Ground school, pilot equipment, etc are in addition.
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Commercial Pilot's Licence
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As for the commercial modular training scheme, the pre-requirements are to have passed the CPL(H) ground exams, you need 155 hours (45 hours PPL(H) and 110 hours hour-building) in helicopters at least 50 of which are Pilot In Command and 10 hours cross-country. The CPL(H) course itself is 35 hours comprising of a minimum 10 hours instrument training, 5 hours general handling, 5 hours cross-country and 5 hours night flying. Ground school, exam fees, etc are in addition.
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Ground School
Before starting the flying training, you will have passed nine ground exams in various subjects.
We suggest you contact Bristol Ground School on 01275 474701, website
www.bristol.gs for further information.
Ground school for the CPL(H) is not undertaken at Helicopter Services.
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Job Prospects
As for salary, job opportunity, etc this is a vast subject. Once you have gained a CPL(H) most
companies require around 500 to 1000 hours experience on turbine helicopters. In order to gain this
experience some people fly helicopters on the North Sea oilrigs (you are normally bonded to work
there). Alternatively you can try to work locally as a second pilot, although this will take
some time to build up the hours.
It is important to be aware right from the start, that a career as a CPL(H) pilot takes a long
time, a lot of money and a huge amount of effort and dedication.
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First Step
If you are considering becoming a commercial helicopter pilot and have not flown a helicopter
before, I would suggest you book an informal Assessment Flight. It will introduce you to the
manoeuvrability of the helicopter and is a really good "taster" to discover whether you'd like
to start the flying training programme. The flight will count towards the hours required to gain
a PPL(H).
All our instructors are commercial pilots. Whilst undertaking an assessment flight, you will
be given the opportunity to discuss the course syllabus with your instructor, who will be only
too pleased to offer advice on taking up a career in commercial helicopter aviation.
A 30-minute flight in a Robinson R22 helicopter costs £179 including VAT and a 60-minute flight costs £329 including VAT. Go to the Helicopter Lessons page for more information. Please do telephone to make a booking; we are open seven days per week.
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