Any change to ATPL(H) exams?

[wokkaboy]

Happy New Year all.

Any recent news on whether the JAA have progressed with producing helicopter specific modular exams for the CPL(H) / ATPL(H)?
I'm looking to plough into them this year and have heard that heli papers are coming... eventually.
I would prefer to study that route, rather than the current papers which seem to lean much more towards a fixed wing environment.

Thanks,

WB

[Martin1234]

The JAA have had helicopter specific questions in their question bank for quite some time. It's each state's aviation authority which is producing the exams. The UK CAA have awaited to introduce helicopter specific exams due to "the JAA haven't introduced official documents governing helicopter exams".

I got a brochure from Dragon Helicopters with information about their "real" CPL(H) course in conjunction with Bristol GS. Give Dragon a call, they should know when the UK CAA will introduce CPL(H) specific exams.

[helicopter-redeye]

The current ATPL(H) course is still based on the 'interim' arranagements with a lot of (A) material still included. However the (H) bits are about helicopters which comes as a relief from the 100's of hours of stuff about 737-400s etc.

GTS, BGS and OATS are the main ATPL(H) providers so could advise you about what the CAA are planning but have not yet said. For GTS (where I am at) try Roger Henshaw who is the head of training ([email protected]) who should be able to advise. When I last asked him (last month) there was no change in the nature of the programme.

PM me if you want other info.

h-r

[Whirlygig]

From my little understanding, there are two organisations who have approved CPL(H) being Atlantic Flight Training and Dragon.

There is no specific ATPL(H) as such; it is ATPL(A) but with one exam less (Performance). Having spoken with BGS, it was their opinion that the helicopter-specific exams would not be around for AT LEAST a year.

Cheers

Whirlygig

[helicopter-redeye]

GTS have an approved helicopter course also. This link (http://www.gtserv.co.uk/cpl(H)_course.htm) gets you there.

Oxford have a course also(http://www.oxfordaviation.net/courses/piloth-cpl.htm).

[Whirlygig]

Perhaps we are talking at crossed purposes here; I thought we were discussing Helicpoter-specific Theoretcial exmas for CPL(H).

Helicopter-redeye - your link to GTS didn't work but the link to Oxford's relates to CPL(H) flying training with ground school consisting of the ATPL(H) exams. They mention 15 subjects? but I thought it was 13. Ho-hum.

Cheers

Whirlygig

PS - Going to the GTS website and following their links does work. Yes, it appears as if they are newly-approved to do the CPL exams as well. Must be recent as I checked them out a few months ago and they didn't.

[helicopter-redeye]

Sorry part of the link dropped off.

All of the schools I talked to said to take the ATPL(H) exams as they were pretty much the same

http://www.gtserv.co.uk/cpl(H)_course.htm

[ATPMBA]

I was working on an ATPL(H) flight planning problems last night, Flight Level 33.0 at Mach 0.70

[helicopter-redeye]

R22 with a tailwind perhaps?

:E

[wokkaboy]

I agree ATPMBA, it stemmed from a similar conversation about the relevance of some of the current content relating to heights / speeds...

Thanks guys, some useful info.