Rotor PPL

[NLM13]

Hi there. This may sound stupid, but does anyone know if you are still able to do a PPL(H) "add on" to a fixed wing PPL? I know you used to be able to do this but what about under JAA rules? If so what are the requirements?

[Whirlybird]

NLM13,

You never could. In pre-JAR days, if you had a PPL(A) you could get 5 hours off the PPL(H) course, the theory being that you wouldn't need to do the nav. It was a bit academic as virtually no-one learning in the twitchy, unforgiving (but FUN) R22 ever did the course in the minimum nuber of hours anyway. You were also exempt from all the ground exams except the technical one.

I'm not well up on JAR, but I think you can still theoretically have a few hours reduction on the flying. As for the ground exams, I don't know, but I suspect that if your PPL(A) is an old UK one you'll have to do all of them.

But whatever you have to do, you'll never regret flying helicopters...though your bank manager will. <img src="eek.gif" border="0">

[The Flashing Blade]

I did what you are asking about two years ago. As I understand it you still get 5 hours off the course, but, you'll like this bit, they bumped up the course from 40 to 45 hours. The extra 5 hours is instrument appreciation training in the event you enter cloud.

Now considering at every safety event I have been too they say never, ever fly into cloud in a small single engine helicopter on pain of certain death, its a bit like teaching you to do something really dumb, which of course you'll get blamed for in the accident report. Anyway I digress.

Whirlybird is right, you will not regret going for your PPL(H), I have not flown fixed wing since.

About doing it on or about the minimums, if you put in an instensive training period you can get close. I avoided the JAR route, just so only had to do 35 hours, I did it in 37 hours including the flight test.

Good luck.

[Grainger]

I think that's the point.

The instrument appreciation should sufficiently scare the sh*t out of you to take away any thoughts of risking it - if you ever had them.

[Whirlybird]

flashing blade and Grainger,

All the instructors I knew were about equally divided on that five hours instruments addition to the PPL. Some said it would encourage people to think they could fly helis in cloud, and was therefore a bad idea. Others said it would (a) scare the s*** out of them, and (b) just possibly save their lives if they looked up from the map to suddenly find themselves in IMC.

I'd got my PPL(H) under the old system, but asked to do a couple of hours instrument flying with an instructor the following winter, as I thought the second of those. We did around four hours in the end, and it both scared me and was incredibly useful. It also sharpened up my flying quite a bit. I still think it could save my life some day, but there's no way I'm going near a cloud in a heli if I can help it!

[Grainger]

Hey Whirly; Very similar to my own experience. When I did my PPL(H) few of the R22s we used even had instruments !

Subsequently did an hour or two on instruments and confirmed everything I'd expected and been told.

I now include some time on instruments every time I go for a bit of a refresher and of course on the annual checkrides (i.e. once every six months - R22 then R44).

As you say, sharpens up your general flying, and I reckon I could do a 180 without panic if I had to. But the main thing is to remind yourself what a good idea it is to keep away from those clouds !

Safe flying Whirly - give us a shout if you are ever up in Scotland <img src="cool.gif" border="0">