Originally Posted by
rudestuff
Here goes... You're talking about starting a flying business in Japan yet referencing Canadian regulations. You want to learn to fly from scratch to do this, which will trigger a lot of us for its unrealistic chances of succeeding, considering that the generally accepted principle is that if you want to make a small fortune in aviation you need to start with a large fortune. To be a pilot is achievable. To run an aviation business is achievable. To start a business I order to fly for that business is Pie-in-the-sky thinking. The red tape alone will drown you to the point that you will never have time to fly. Air operator certificates generally require post holders with qualifications and experience way in excess of 500 hours. And all this is going to happen in a foreign country - probably the most 'foreign' environment a westerner can imagine. I would never trample on a dream, but maybe start with something more realistic. Get a medical, get a CPL and go from there.
Thank you for your response,
My original plan was to train in Canada; all of my research on helicopter operation was exclusive to the country, hence the confusion caused by my statement regarding piloting expertise and the 500-hour limit. Two posts in this thread (graciously submitted by helpful individuals) show that the Canadian government and insurance underwriters regard the abovementioned amount of experience as a benchmark of expertise. As I have stated ad nauseam, I regard my planned training curriculum and the target 500 PIC instructed hours as the first step in a lengthy journey to mastering the skill of helicopter operation, not an indicator of expertise.
As indicated in the first post, my educational and professional background is in business administration, and my foremost interest in aviation is for the personal enjoyment of controlled flight. I do not intend to spend a penny before I validate my business proposition through further market research and consultations with relevant subject matter experts and regulatory agencies. As I have stated before, I'm open to hiring an experienced chief pilot, who, in turn, would also function as my instructor. I understand that a helicopter is a small part of the proposed operation. In the first post, I indicated that I identified a business opportunity in the market; as I do not care to divulge the particulars, my post focused on the soundness of the business proposition from the safety perspective.
As I indicated above, I will take a slower approach by training in Japan, learning the language, and forging industry connections over a couple of years before purchasing a machine.
Thank you to all the productive contributors!