Good Training Locations

[nicksmalley]

Guys,
Just a real quick one, currently based in the UK and looking to undertake CPL training. Any suggestions of good flight schools would be very welcome both UK and abroad.
Canadian Helicopters at Buttonville Airport is one such example that I am looking at. Any suggestions on others in any location would be most appreciated.
Cheers
Nick

[Whirlygig]

Do you want a JAA CPL? or FAA? Also which helicopter type would you wish to do your CPL on? Not all schools operate the same types.

Cheers

Whirls

[rotorfloat]

No disrespect to Canadian Helicopter's school in Buttonville...who am I kidding? Do your homework. There are plenty of options if you are going to choose Canada.

Buttonville is an urban airport, with long legs to and from your helicopter practice areas. This eats into 'productive' training. The control tower has been known to show little preference to the school's helicopters and they can be required to hold short for extended periods of time if the fixed-wing circuit traffic is busy. This is all on your dollar.

I would suggest looking into schools in British Columbia. The scenery is breathtaking, and the geography is perfectly suited for helicopter training. You would experience a taste of mountain flying as well.
A few perfectly located schools are in Abbotsford, namely Chinook Helicopters and BC Helicopters, for starters. IMHO, the quality of training is far superior than what Buttonville has to offer.

FWIW....

[Heliport]

Lots of information here >>> Frequently Asked Training Questions (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=122944)

[Air-Five-oh]

The helicopter capital of Canada is Langley, B.C.
Heli-Collage Canada is located there and in my opinion the best in the bussiness. Ratings you can get anywere but the people at Heli-Collage make the difference.

[nicksmalley]

Guys,

Thanks for the information so far and so fast! From looking at information supplied so far from CH, I think flying a mixture of R22 and BH206. Essentially, I'm looking for a good place to train, cost effective (good value rather than the cheapest) and in an area which will provide me with multiple options in terms of further career progression. To be honest, I don't know where I want to end up within the commercial heli industry. Air ambulance is a preference. However, I think its difficult to make your mind up at 0 hours.

I've just seen the FAQ thread, I will get comfy and begin reading - there's lots to absorb.

Once again thanks for the info and keep it coming,

Cheers

Nick

PS Any ideas on good financial institutions that would loan the required cash?