Silverstate Helicopters

[SpeedyG]

Anyone got any feedback or info on Silverstate based in LAS ??

[Bravo73]

Bad news on the Silverstate operation from a couple of years ago:

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=156342&highlight=silverstate

[helonorth]

Silverstate has a well deserved horrible reputation. A lot of people
have lost a lot of money.

[Revolutionary]

helonorth, I think you have to quantify your statement a little. I am by no means a fan of the owner of that company but the fact of the matter is that a lot of these Silverstate locations have been in business for awhile now, so they must be doing something right. It has been my experience that you can get horrible instruction at even the best training facility, and excellent instruction even at an otherwise lousy school. It mainly depends on who your instructor is, and I'm sure you can find some good instructors at Silverstate (along with some stinkers, no doubt).

An EMS base I sometimes cover is co-located with one of their schools and from looking at them through the fence I can tell you that it certainly appears to be a genuine flight school. There's helicopters taking off and landing every few minutes. There's earnest young men (and a few women) walking around in snazzy flight suits. There's eager looking students. There's even a simulator (well, it's an FTD but don't tell the guy who made the sign on the door). Not at all the fraudulent pyramid scheme some of us suspected it to be.

So, to the original poster: judge Silverstate at LAS like any other flight school you might consider. That means visit the place; talk to an instructor (preferrably 'your' future instructor). Look at the equipment. Compare prices; talk to other students. Then, take a trial lesson and proceed from there.

One word of caution, equally applicable to all flight schools: Never pay upfront for any future training but pay-as-you-go instead. You don't want to be tied hand and foot to any flight school.

[dwoodcoc]

Silverstate have the worst possible reputation of any helicopter school in the US, and it's well deserved! You're required to pay all your money up front with no guarantee as to how long your training will take. Never trust a company that makes you pay up front. From what I know the owner is a businessman with little or no aviation experience prior to starting the company.

Silverstate pilots are also not held in the highest regard - if you do your research properly before spending $60-70k on training you'll not choose Silverstate, so if you do you must not be the sharpest knife in the drawer!

I've also had experiences of their instructors overflying aircraft on taxiways and runways, causing aircraft to go around, and simply not making radio calls!

If you're looking for a school in the US at which to do your training look elsewhere - oh, and unless you're a career pilot they wont touch you - you'd not be giving them enough money up front!