Helicopter Instrument Training

[Dan fily]

Can anyone recommend a good school to do the JAA IR{H}?. Either in the UK or abroad. Considering the current economic climate, somewhat reluctant to place a very large deposit with any Flight school. Is there any protection?, Have heard a rumour about an IR training School in the south already in Financial trouble.

[Whirlygig]

The long-established IR schools such as Bond, Bristow and Helicopter Services have a waiting list of over a year.

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/Doc%2031%20v89.pdf

There is no protection as such if you pay in advance although there may be some if you pay by credit card in instalments.

Search on the Rotorheads forum for more info on the schools.

Cheers

Whirls

[helimutt]

I think you'll be safe using Helicopter Services at Wycombe, and i'll be very surprised if you're asked to pay up front there. Just pay as you go. My advice is to go visit them, and ask if you can do a quick test to see how you get on with the fnpt2, as they'll only accept you if they think you're capable of getting through the course. Well worth it. Ask Leon or whoever is there, if you can then be placed on the waiting list and, if you're available at short notice, ask if you can be considered for any cancellations. They seem to happen every once in a while. (ie funding reasons or lack thereof etc)
Good luck.
If you want any more details about helicopter services PM me. I did my IR with them a couple of years ago.
:ok:

[Dan fily]

Actually heard mixed reviews about "Helicopter services", leaning more towards Tiger or Fast Helicopters and will contact them.

DF.

[helimutt]

My own personal view is to avoid Fast having just heard a couple of wonderful stories about them yesterday. Your money, your choice I guess. I'm only stating what I know from personal experience and in no way am I involved with any company. You could do the IR with Willy Wonka's IR factory for all i care. Just make sure you get experienced instructors and full value for money as a partial or a fail will set you back about another £5k!!!
Don't for one minute think the IR(H) is a walk in the park. Ask anyone with the IR, who flies heli's for a living, what was the hardest course they ever did in flying.

Whoever you choose, I will repeat this again, DO NOT PAY ANYTHING UPFRONT!!! You don't need to, oh, and good luck. Hopefully when you have the piece of paper, you might come back and tell us who you used and how you found it.:ok:

[carsickpuppy]

You might want to try Cloud 9 Helicopters in Florida, I did my FAA Instrument there a couple years ago, but I've heard they're offering JAA now as well, good luck!

[MartinCh]

carsickpuppy,

You've heard some p:mad:. I'd be really pleasantly surprised if any JAA IR could be done (ie 'sit' the skills test) outside JAA airpsace.. You may study towards it, getting to grips with some theory, stuff etc.

Cloud 9 as many heli schools in the US have many Germans and Scandinavians training with them. They may show you something not required by FAA PTS for PPL or CPL, but that's about it.

Yeah, if that was possible, then Bristow Academy wouldn't offer JAA IR done in Norwich, UK (priced in GBP). They'd be the first to take advantage of it.

Dan fily, you've 'heard' active heli contributors already.

As for JAA IR(H), when Euro wasn't so strong against GBP, I've read about Billund (or Bilund) in Denmark and another one or two. Helps if you have ICAO IR(H) or JAA IR(A), but still have to be proficient enough (how else).

I'm just someone who's done some flying, scouring this web almost every day.
As a general advice, if you want anything regarding rotary, you'd better use Rotorheads section in 'non-airline' part of pprune. You don't have to be pro yet to find wealth of experience and advice. Search is also good thing.
I can only wish being in the position to contemplate where to do JAA IR(H)

[paco]

I would be interested in hearing about the "mixed reviews" re Helicopter Services. Bad opinions are probably from people who cannot take honest criticism.

I hear what you say about paying up front but what about the other side of the coin where students stiff the companies for several thousand pounds?

One school I knew in Winnipeg got the students to pay up front for the day's flying only which seemed a good compromise.

Cloud 9 would be offering consolidation weeks on behalf of Dragon. Not IRs.

Phil

[Flingingwings]

For me it's a no brainer...............

Whilst I've no doubt the other established course providers are equally professional, my vote goes to Leon and Co :ok: based purely on my first hand experiences with them.

FWIW I wouldn't spend YOUR money with two of the companies you mention for anything (let alone my money!).

Good luck and enjoy

FW

[Dan fily]

You ask three students their views of the same flight school and you get three different replies - good, bad or indifferent!.

Loved the quote from paco - "students stiff the companies for several thousand pounds" There is a god! Lost count of how many pilots, fixed and rotary that have been "stiffed" by a flight school.

MartinCh - "position to contemplate where to do a Jaa IR{H}" This is not through choice. I would much rather be taken on by an operator who would be prepared to sponsor me {pay for IR on a bond}, than have to self fund {go into large debt!} and pay for it myself. As I can't find a company to sponsor me, I have to self fund {large Debt} to get the ticket, so choice of flight school is critical to avoid being "stiffed".

Appreciate the comments from Flingingwings {PM}, if you don't work for that flight school you certainly must have shares in it!

[Flingingwings]

No shares Dan (albeit the suggestion gave me a chuckle :ok:),

My PM comments were simply because I have been there and got that big debt myself having self funded everything from zero to JAA CPL/FI and ME IR. My comments were to help YOU not get stiffed by a flying school/s, AND I think you ought to differentiate between rogue schools 'stiffing' good students (in which case I wholeheartedly agree that there is a God if students get their own back), and what I believe Paco was suggesting, that some GOOD schools get 'stiffed' by rogue students.

Yup, you'll get three different opinions from three different students, but by the IR stage most students have a good idea of the industry. Are your feedback sources from people who passed no problems, struggled, or were advised to abandon their course attempt?????????

I seem to recall from some of your earlier posts (and a search confirmed it) a thread on where to do the CPL and/or FI.

You'll see the replies there also recommended Leon and Mike Green (amongst some others). At the time of that thread Leon was completing IR's, not something the two you are/were considering can boast.

You're also probably too new to know that Mike Green USED to be the Chief Pilot at Thruxton, but left and went to Wycombe. Draw your own conclusions from that. Especially as Mike is arguably one of the most highly regarded FI's in the UK.

I also presume you Googled the other (mammal) name I suggested?

Better than feedback might be 'How many students have you ever put up for IR test, and what's your pass rate?' Closely followed by 'How many of those students are actively employed using that IR?'

Good luck Dan, it can be a minefield if you're not careful.

FW