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Old 26th Dec 2008, 17:40
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EN48
 
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I recently did a 407 Initial training course (equivalent of a type rating) at Bell Academy in TX. Had about 100 hours of helo time then and while I was intimidated by the experience and professionalism of my fellow students and instructors (this was my fault, not theirs - they could not have been more accomodating), I was the only member of the class to score 100% on the written. ( I mention this not to brag, but to illustrate that the course is newbie firendly!) I did have some turbine helo time (Enstrom 480/B407) and a fair amount of plank time. So, I'd say "go for it!" If there is any way for you to do this at Bell Academy, I highly recommend that you do it this way. World class in every respect! However, this was a very intense week of training - dont do it this way if you are not ready to pay close attention for 6 days. I'd also recommend getting the books ahead of time, and if possible, doing a couple of hours of dual in a 407 just to begin to get a handle on generic turbine issues and the 407 FADEC (possibly the most challenging part of the course if you can already fly decently). The Bell course includes 5-6 hours of flight time. Getting it done in 5-6 hours with no prior turbine time may be a challenge, but because of the concentrated nature of the training, you can probably do it in fewer hours at Bell than at a more leisurely pace elsewhere. Bell 407 time in the US is priced at about $2000/hr, probably more in other countries. The Bell Academy 407 course is priced at $12,500, includes a comprehensive ground school, 2hrs of sim time and 5-6 hours of flight time (possibly more as their policy is "train to proficiency.") so while expensive, probably not a bad value given what one might pay elsewhere.

Last edited by EN48; 26th Dec 2008 at 18:26.
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