Originally Posted by
malabo
OK, I'll argue....
CH in Penticton has been coasting on a 50 year old reputation for about 40 years. In fairness, they were one of the first, and they were also one of the more organized to develop a proper syllabus and cadre of specialized instructors. They can charge 30% more than anyone else and on the basis of an international reputation still get some good contracts (like Dutch police - just in case someone ever builds a mountain there).
They put on a good mountain course for foreign governments with surplus budgets. Local operators in BC might have the opinion that in a time-is-money environment there are more efficient ways to handle a helicopter in the mountains, and in fact all local operators have developed their own mountain courses that are more aligned with what is actually done to earn a living in the mountains. Some of the BC flying schools have also developed some serious mountain flying courses that are recognized by certification agencies.
Last I checked, a good mountain course in BC was about 20 hours on a Jetranger at close to $1000/hr. The NZ courses I came across were still using pistons, so I can't compare. Terrain is pretty similar. Nobody can afford accidents, and you need to be carded to work for the Forest Service, so there's enough self-policing within the industry to make sure you are ready.
malabo
Have you done the Penticton Mountain Course?
Last edited by albatross; 2nd Jan 2007 at 04:53.